What's with all the holiday crime dramas?
EASTERN PROMISES. Naomi Watts plays a midwife in a London hospital. A young woman comes into the hospital, gives birth to a little girl, and dies. She has no identification, and carries only a diary on her, written in Russian. Naomi becomes obsessed with finding the girl's family, so the baby can be with family and not end up in foster care. But it will turn out that the girl was involved with the Russian mafia, and the investigation will put Naomi at risk. Also starring Viggo Mortensen as one of the Russian henchmen. Although I guessed how this would end up, I really liked it, despite the violence. Seeing men fight for the lives in a steam room is a new one.
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Josh Brolin is out hunting in the Texas backcountry, when he comes upon a group of dead men. There is also a pickup truck full of of heroin, and a suitcase of money. Josh takes off with the money, but ends up pursued by both the sellers and the buyers of the drug deal gone bad. Javier Bardem is a sociopathic serial killer out to get him as well, along with anyone who stands in his way. Tommie Lee Jones is the sheriff who is trying to stop the bloodshed. He thinks he's seen it all, but it will turn out he hasn't. This movie is by the Coen brothers, and reminded me quite a lot of their movie FARGO. Same sick humor and level of violence. I think this is a terrific movie, but I know some people will be very put off by the ending.
AMERICAN GANGSTER. Denzel Washington stars as the drug dealing gangster, Frank Lewis, and Russell Crowe is the cop who is trying to bring him down. The movie follows their two lives in the late 60's and early 70's. Frank is a terrific businessman, who manages to cut the middle-men Mafia out of the drug deals by going to Southeast Asia, straight to the source. Because of this, he can sell better quality at a lesser price. But he is also smart about keeping a low profile, and so it takes the cops quite a while before they even figure out who the top dog is. This is a good cops and robbers movie, but critics are liking it more than I did. It's been compared to HEAT, but I liked HEAT better. It's a fine movie, but not great.
BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke star as brothers. The older brother is a slick character who can pretty much get his brother to do anything. Ethan is more of a screw-up, with a shrew ex-wife always bitching to him about his child support. When they both end up in need of cash, Philip comes up with the idea of robbing a family-owned jewelry store. No one is supposed to get hurt, but of course that doesn't happen. And things start spiraling out of control. The movie has an interesting structure, bouncing around in time. but I really couldn't care less about these people and their problems. Well done and great acting, but this is another one critics are loving, but me, not so much.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
October movie reviews
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL. Lars (Ryan Gosling) lives in a small town. He is so pathologically shy he can barely even talk to his own family. His brother is understandably upset when Lars introduces them to Bianca, an anatomically correct blow-up doll Lars "met on the internet". But the town psychologist tells everyone that it would be best if they just went along with Lars' delusion that Bianca is real. And before you know it, the whole town is acting as if she is. And because they do, not only does Lars have this chaste "relationship" with Bianca, but he starts interacting with other people as well. I know this plot sounds weird beyond belief, and maybe a little sick, but this is actually a very funny and heartwarming movie that I wholeheartedly recommend.
THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE. Audrey (Halle Berry) and Brian (David Duchovny) are an upper middle class couple with two kids. They lead an idyllic life, and the only thing they argue about is Brian's continued friendship with his childhood friend Jerry (Benicio del Toro). See, Jerry has become a heroin addict, and Audrey doesn't want him anywhere near her, and can't understand why Brian just doesn't give up on him. But Brian never does; he has faith in the good in people. Anyway, when Brian gets tragically killed, Audrey has to invite Jerry to the funeral, and eventually invites him to stay at her place. She needs to have him around. It's not sexual, she just needs him - he helps her with both the grief and anger she feels. Great acting all around, this may be one of the most heartbreaking movies I have ever seen. It's really, really good.
GONE BABY GONE. In a working class neighborhood in Boston, a 4-year-old girl has been abducted from her bedroom. The police are working on the case, but the girl's aunt wants more, so she hires Casey Affleck, a private detective, to work for the family. Because he is a local boy, he quickly finds out that the mother isn't who or what the police believe. Casey can delve into the underside of the neighborhood in a way the police (including Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman) never can, and is instrumental in moving the case forward. The story is written by the same guy who wrote MYSTIC RIVER, and it has the same gritty feel, shady characters, and moral ambiguities. It's a movie that wants you to think about the choices the characters make, which I liked.
MICHAEL CLAYTON. Legal thriller. This one stars George Clooney, a once promising district attorney, who now works for a large corporate law firm as a "fixer". The situation he needs to fix in this case is with one of the company's lead attorneys (Tom Wilkinson), who has gone off the deep end during a deposition. Sure, Tom's a manic depressive, but maybe he isn't being crazy in this instance. The case has the law firm defending a large pesticide company that may or may not have poisoned farmers. This is a kind of John Grisham-like movie, not filled with any deep meaning, but it does have some nuances, and the characters aren't all stereotypes. I liked it a lot. And it has performances by Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton (as the pesticide company's CEO) that I thought were worth the price of admission.
INTO THE WILD. This is the based-on-a-true-story telling of Chris McCandless, who after graduating from college, gives his trust fund away and sets out to live on his own, separate from family and privilege. He works crappy jobs and hitchhikes around the country, trying to find himself. His dream is to go live into the wilds of Alaska, and he eventually makes it, but it isn't the dream he expected. I had some qualms about seeing the movie, because I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who throw away opportunities that are handed to them, but the movie won me over. I still don't idolize the guy, or think he was heroic, but the movie definitely fleshes out his story and gives him some depth. He wasn't an idiot, just a young innocent who could have gone on to really do something meaningful.
DAN IN REAL LIFE. If you want a break from meaningful movies, this is a good choice. Dan (Steve Carrell) is an advice columnist, but as a widower with three girls, he isn't doing so well at home. He takes the girls up to the old homestead for a family reunion, and when he is out buying papers, meets a woman (Juliette Binoche) he immediately clicks with (which hasn't happened since his wife died). But when he gets home, he finds that she is his brother's girlfriend. Which makes for a miserable weekend for him. Complications, etc., etc. But this isn't a cliche romantic comedy where you think that-would-never-happen over and over again. In fact I thought almost everything that happened was actually believable. So, while it's not a serious film, I'd say it's a cute date movie.
THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE. Audrey (Halle Berry) and Brian (David Duchovny) are an upper middle class couple with two kids. They lead an idyllic life, and the only thing they argue about is Brian's continued friendship with his childhood friend Jerry (Benicio del Toro). See, Jerry has become a heroin addict, and Audrey doesn't want him anywhere near her, and can't understand why Brian just doesn't give up on him. But Brian never does; he has faith in the good in people. Anyway, when Brian gets tragically killed, Audrey has to invite Jerry to the funeral, and eventually invites him to stay at her place. She needs to have him around. It's not sexual, she just needs him - he helps her with both the grief and anger she feels. Great acting all around, this may be one of the most heartbreaking movies I have ever seen. It's really, really good.
GONE BABY GONE. In a working class neighborhood in Boston, a 4-year-old girl has been abducted from her bedroom. The police are working on the case, but the girl's aunt wants more, so she hires Casey Affleck, a private detective, to work for the family. Because he is a local boy, he quickly finds out that the mother isn't who or what the police believe. Casey can delve into the underside of the neighborhood in a way the police (including Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman) never can, and is instrumental in moving the case forward. The story is written by the same guy who wrote MYSTIC RIVER, and it has the same gritty feel, shady characters, and moral ambiguities. It's a movie that wants you to think about the choices the characters make, which I liked.
MICHAEL CLAYTON. Legal thriller. This one stars George Clooney, a once promising district attorney, who now works for a large corporate law firm as a "fixer". The situation he needs to fix in this case is with one of the company's lead attorneys (Tom Wilkinson), who has gone off the deep end during a deposition. Sure, Tom's a manic depressive, but maybe he isn't being crazy in this instance. The case has the law firm defending a large pesticide company that may or may not have poisoned farmers. This is a kind of John Grisham-like movie, not filled with any deep meaning, but it does have some nuances, and the characters aren't all stereotypes. I liked it a lot. And it has performances by Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton (as the pesticide company's CEO) that I thought were worth the price of admission.
INTO THE WILD. This is the based-on-a-true-story telling of Chris McCandless, who after graduating from college, gives his trust fund away and sets out to live on his own, separate from family and privilege. He works crappy jobs and hitchhikes around the country, trying to find himself. His dream is to go live into the wilds of Alaska, and he eventually makes it, but it isn't the dream he expected. I had some qualms about seeing the movie, because I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who throw away opportunities that are handed to them, but the movie won me over. I still don't idolize the guy, or think he was heroic, but the movie definitely fleshes out his story and gives him some depth. He wasn't an idiot, just a young innocent who could have gone on to really do something meaningful.
DAN IN REAL LIFE. If you want a break from meaningful movies, this is a good choice. Dan (Steve Carrell) is an advice columnist, but as a widower with three girls, he isn't doing so well at home. He takes the girls up to the old homestead for a family reunion, and when he is out buying papers, meets a woman (Juliette Binoche) he immediately clicks with (which hasn't happened since his wife died). But when he gets home, he finds that she is his brother's girlfriend. Which makes for a miserable weekend for him. Complications, etc., etc. But this isn't a cliche romantic comedy where you think that-would-never-happen over and over again. In fact I thought almost everything that happened was actually believable. So, while it's not a serious film, I'd say it's a cute date movie.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
September movie reviews
THE HUNTING PARTY. Inspired by a true story (according to the movie,
"only the most ridiculous parts are true"). As it opens, Richard Gere
is a hotshot TV journalist, and Terrence Howard ("Duckie") is his
cameraman. They are known for taking risks in war zones and getting the
story. But while they are in Bosnia during the ethnic cleansing, Gere
has an on-camera meltdown and loses his job. He spirals into obscurity,
while Duckie ends up with a cushy network job. Five years later, Duckie
and the network anchorman are in Bosnia doing a 5-years-after story, and
Duckie runs into Gere. Gere convinces Duckie that he has a lead on the hidden
location of one of the major war criminals, and they go off in search
of the big story. Tense moments interspersed with humor, I found it
entertaining and would really recommend the movie.
DELIRIOUS. Steve Buscemi stars in this very indie movie about a
down-and-out photographer who is basically a paparazzi, but believes
himself to be above that. An odd set of circumstances bring him
together with a homeless kid who wants to be an actor, and the kid
becomes his assistant, while Steve proudly shows him the ropes of
getting pix of celebrities. Steve doesn't have much self-awareness, but
the kid is smarter than one would guess. Will the kid get a chance to
be an actor? What would happen to the friendship if he did? Very
amusing movie; I liked it a lot.
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH. Based on a true story, Tommy Lee Jones stars as
the father of a soldier in Iraq. One morning he gets a call from his
son's home base, saying his son has gone AWOL. Tommy didn't even know
his son was home, and thinking this is odd, he drives to the base to try
to find his son. He is a former military policeman himself, so he has
the skills to investigate what is going on. He tries to enlist the help
of the local police (Charlize Theron), but since it is a military
matter, he gets nowhere. But he persists, and ends up learning far more
about his son than he could have imagined. This movie is by the
director of CRASH, which I really liked, but although I liked this
movie, I can't really rave about it. There was a bit of
heavy-handedness to it, in my opinion. Tommy Lee Jones is worth seeing
though - he was amazing.
NO END IN SIGHT. This is a documentary about the Iraq war. I went to
see it almost because I felt obligated to be more informed. And I am
glad I did. It's a very straightforward look at the mistakes that have
been made and who made them, based on interviews with people that were
part of the Pentagon and State Dept. during the decision making
processes. Really, quite good, although of course depressing. It
definitely implies that things didn't have to go so badly, that there
may have been a chance for things to go right, but idiots in charge
bungled it entirely. Extremely well done.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON. This documentary consists of interviews with the astronauts that went to the moon on the Apollo missions. It
explains the space program and the times it took place in, as well as
the individual astronauts' feelings about what they were doing and what
going to the moon meant to them. I kept scrapbooks on the space program
when I was a kid, and still find it fascinating. So I really enjoyed
this movie and would recommend it for anyone with similar interests.
3:10 TO YUMA. Christian Bale is a rancher in frontier Arizona. He has
a teenage son who is going through some adolescent drama, and doesn't respect his dad. The railroadmen are trying to run the rancher off his land.
And he needs to pay off a loan. So things are not going well for him.
When he gets a chance to earn money to escort an outlaw (Russell Crowe)
to the train that will take the outlaw to jail, he takes it. But it's a
dangerous gig; the outlaw's gang is determined to rescue him. The movie
is more a character study than about the action although there are
shootouts. I don't know why, but I didn't get emotionally invested in
what would happen to either character. Critics are loving the movie and
I love both actors, but I just thought it was OK.
"only the most ridiculous parts are true"). As it opens, Richard Gere
is a hotshot TV journalist, and Terrence Howard ("Duckie") is his
cameraman. They are known for taking risks in war zones and getting the
story. But while they are in Bosnia during the ethnic cleansing, Gere
has an on-camera meltdown and loses his job. He spirals into obscurity,
while Duckie ends up with a cushy network job. Five years later, Duckie
and the network anchorman are in Bosnia doing a 5-years-after story, and
Duckie runs into Gere. Gere convinces Duckie that he has a lead on the hidden
location of one of the major war criminals, and they go off in search
of the big story. Tense moments interspersed with humor, I found it
entertaining and would really recommend the movie.
DELIRIOUS. Steve Buscemi stars in this very indie movie about a
down-and-out photographer who is basically a paparazzi, but believes
himself to be above that. An odd set of circumstances bring him
together with a homeless kid who wants to be an actor, and the kid
becomes his assistant, while Steve proudly shows him the ropes of
getting pix of celebrities. Steve doesn't have much self-awareness, but
the kid is smarter than one would guess. Will the kid get a chance to
be an actor? What would happen to the friendship if he did? Very
amusing movie; I liked it a lot.
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH. Based on a true story, Tommy Lee Jones stars as
the father of a soldier in Iraq. One morning he gets a call from his
son's home base, saying his son has gone AWOL. Tommy didn't even know
his son was home, and thinking this is odd, he drives to the base to try
to find his son. He is a former military policeman himself, so he has
the skills to investigate what is going on. He tries to enlist the help
of the local police (Charlize Theron), but since it is a military
matter, he gets nowhere. But he persists, and ends up learning far more
about his son than he could have imagined. This movie is by the
director of CRASH, which I really liked, but although I liked this
movie, I can't really rave about it. There was a bit of
heavy-handedness to it, in my opinion. Tommy Lee Jones is worth seeing
though - he was amazing.
NO END IN SIGHT. This is a documentary about the Iraq war. I went to
see it almost because I felt obligated to be more informed. And I am
glad I did. It's a very straightforward look at the mistakes that have
been made and who made them, based on interviews with people that were
part of the Pentagon and State Dept. during the decision making
processes. Really, quite good, although of course depressing. It
definitely implies that things didn't have to go so badly, that there
may have been a chance for things to go right, but idiots in charge
bungled it entirely. Extremely well done.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON. This documentary consists of interviews with the astronauts that went to the moon on the Apollo missions. It
explains the space program and the times it took place in, as well as
the individual astronauts' feelings about what they were doing and what
going to the moon meant to them. I kept scrapbooks on the space program
when I was a kid, and still find it fascinating. So I really enjoyed
this movie and would recommend it for anyone with similar interests.
3:10 TO YUMA. Christian Bale is a rancher in frontier Arizona. He has
a teenage son who is going through some adolescent drama, and doesn't respect his dad. The railroadmen are trying to run the rancher off his land.
And he needs to pay off a loan. So things are not going well for him.
When he gets a chance to earn money to escort an outlaw (Russell Crowe)
to the train that will take the outlaw to jail, he takes it. But it's a
dangerous gig; the outlaw's gang is determined to rescue him. The movie
is more a character study than about the action although there are
shootouts. I don't know why, but I didn't get emotionally invested in
what would happen to either character. Critics are loving the movie and
I love both actors, but I just thought it was OK.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
August movie reviews
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE. Homer pollutes the town's lake, and havoc ensues. Springfield is quarantined, but the Simpsons manage to escape to Alaska. Eventually, they determine they must "return to America" to save the town. Basically, the movie is just an extended version of the TV show, but it's laugh out loud, especially the first 30 minutes or so. The main plot involving an evil EPA "the least effective agency in the government", led by an big business Adminstrator who can make President Schwarzengger ("I was paid to lead, not read") do whatever he wants - that's a bonus. The movie throws away gags at such a rapid rate if you don't pay attention you'll miss some laughs. Definitely worth seeing.
SUPERBAD. I hate to think that this movie really reflects the way teenage boys think and talk, but I can't say I'd really be surprised. In this case, it's two HS seniors, pretty dorky, who really really want to get laid before they go off to college. With the help of their even dorkier friend, who has a fake ID (in the name of McLovin), they have the chance to buy liquor for a party and impress the girls they are interested in. Of course there are complications. This is a pretty standard teenage movie, plotwise, and I found the first 20 minutes or so pretty crude, but that didn't last forever. And it really has quite a few belly laughs as the movie progresses, so I have to say it's worth seeing.
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is still searching for his identity and why he is such a killing machine. This time his first clue appears via a journalist in London. From there he heads to Spain, and finally ends up in New York, where he duels with an evil "secret" branch of the CIA. They are willing to kill Bourne and anybody he contacts in order to keep their secret. With a great cast (David Straithern, Albert Finney, Joan Allen), this movie is essentially three chase scenes in the three locales. But they are really well done chase scenes (although sometimes the camera work was too jerky for my liking), so I thought this was a terrific action movie. Excellent summer fare.
KING OF KONG. A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS. Documentary on the people who still play the 1980's arcade game Donkey Kong. They take it seriously (it's apparently a really challenging game) and even have a official organization that validates scores. The movie follows Steve Wiebe, a likeable guy who out of nowhere decides he is going for a record-breaking score. His nemesis is the devious Billy Mitchell, who made a name for himself when he was 17 years old, back in 1982. Billy currently has the high score, but it seems like no one has actually watched him play in years. (He submits his scores via videotape.) I watched the movie with a smile on my face, not because I was laughing at the people, but because it was so entertaining. And, of course, it's always fun to root for a good guy over a bad guy. Totally enjoyable movie.
STARDUST. There is a town in 19th century England, called Wall. Not surprisingly, there is a wall outside of town, and the townspeople don't cross it much. Turns out, on the other side is a land called Stormhold. In Wall, a young man is trying to woo a young lady who isn't particularly impressed by him. Together they see a falling star, and he tells the young lady he will go get the star and bring it back to her if she will marry him. So he crosses the wall to get the star, who turns out to be Claire Danes. Claire is also being pursued by a group of princes each competing for the jewel around her neck so that one of them can become king, and by ugly old witches (including Michelle Pfeiffer) who want to eat her heart to ensure eternal youth. That's the bare bones of it; there's much much more (Robert de Niro as a gay pirate, Ricky Gervais, Peter O'Toole). It's a very visual movie, with several amusements, but I didn't love it like I thought I would. I think it would probably be wonderful for people who love fantasy and older children.
DEATH AT A FUNERAL. OK, so a son is trying to arrange for a dignified send off for his father. But the funeral doesn't get off to a good start when the undertakers deliver the wrong body. Things go from bad to worse. There is a mysterious man at the funeral, a future in-law unknowingly takes a psychadelic, a preacher who needs to be elsewhere, etc. This is a British comedy, and I was hoping for a lot of laughs, but mostly I just thought it mildly amusing. I only laughed out loud a couple of times. I am not sure I would even rent this one, but some members of the audience I saw it with laughed quite a bit.
SUPERBAD. I hate to think that this movie really reflects the way teenage boys think and talk, but I can't say I'd really be surprised. In this case, it's two HS seniors, pretty dorky, who really really want to get laid before they go off to college. With the help of their even dorkier friend, who has a fake ID (in the name of McLovin), they have the chance to buy liquor for a party and impress the girls they are interested in. Of course there are complications. This is a pretty standard teenage movie, plotwise, and I found the first 20 minutes or so pretty crude, but that didn't last forever. And it really has quite a few belly laughs as the movie progresses, so I have to say it's worth seeing.
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is still searching for his identity and why he is such a killing machine. This time his first clue appears via a journalist in London. From there he heads to Spain, and finally ends up in New York, where he duels with an evil "secret" branch of the CIA. They are willing to kill Bourne and anybody he contacts in order to keep their secret. With a great cast (David Straithern, Albert Finney, Joan Allen), this movie is essentially three chase scenes in the three locales. But they are really well done chase scenes (although sometimes the camera work was too jerky for my liking), so I thought this was a terrific action movie. Excellent summer fare.
KING OF KONG. A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS. Documentary on the people who still play the 1980's arcade game Donkey Kong. They take it seriously (it's apparently a really challenging game) and even have a official organization that validates scores. The movie follows Steve Wiebe, a likeable guy who out of nowhere decides he is going for a record-breaking score. His nemesis is the devious Billy Mitchell, who made a name for himself when he was 17 years old, back in 1982. Billy currently has the high score, but it seems like no one has actually watched him play in years. (He submits his scores via videotape.) I watched the movie with a smile on my face, not because I was laughing at the people, but because it was so entertaining. And, of course, it's always fun to root for a good guy over a bad guy. Totally enjoyable movie.
STARDUST. There is a town in 19th century England, called Wall. Not surprisingly, there is a wall outside of town, and the townspeople don't cross it much. Turns out, on the other side is a land called Stormhold. In Wall, a young man is trying to woo a young lady who isn't particularly impressed by him. Together they see a falling star, and he tells the young lady he will go get the star and bring it back to her if she will marry him. So he crosses the wall to get the star, who turns out to be Claire Danes. Claire is also being pursued by a group of princes each competing for the jewel around her neck so that one of them can become king, and by ugly old witches (including Michelle Pfeiffer) who want to eat her heart to ensure eternal youth. That's the bare bones of it; there's much much more (Robert de Niro as a gay pirate, Ricky Gervais, Peter O'Toole). It's a very visual movie, with several amusements, but I didn't love it like I thought I would. I think it would probably be wonderful for people who love fantasy and older children.
DEATH AT A FUNERAL. OK, so a son is trying to arrange for a dignified send off for his father. But the funeral doesn't get off to a good start when the undertakers deliver the wrong body. Things go from bad to worse. There is a mysterious man at the funeral, a future in-law unknowingly takes a psychadelic, a preacher who needs to be elsewhere, etc. This is a British comedy, and I was hoping for a lot of laughs, but mostly I just thought it mildly amusing. I only laughed out loud a couple of times. I am not sure I would even rent this one, but some members of the audience I saw it with laughed quite a bit.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
July movie reviews
HAIRSPRAY. Tracy Turnblad is in high school in 1962 Baltimore. She has the sunniest personality, and wants nothing more than to dance on Baltimore's version of American Bandstand. But she can't get selected, because she is a big girl, and the snotty station manager (Michele Pfeiffer) won't hear of it. The black kids can't dance, either, except on the once-a-month "Negro day". So Tracy starts agitating to integrate the show. This movie is based on the Broadway musical that was based on the original 1988 John Waters movie. Most of the movie is upbeat musical numbers, and I smiled through the entire thing. It's also very, very funny. Relentlessly upbeat, you'd have to be a complete cynic to not enjoy this. Also starring Christopher Walken, John Travolta, and Queen Latifah, with cameos by Jerry Stiller (who was in the original movie) and John Waters himself.
TALK TO ME. This bio-pic stars Don Cheadle as Petey Green, who was a Washington DC disc jockey during the 1960's and 70's. The program director of a failing radio station met Petey when Petey was in jail, and Petey finagled his way into a job at the station when he got released from prison. And he was good at it, not so much smooth talk as straight talk, which was perfect for the era. Unfortunately, the program director had bigger dreams for Petey, even though Petey would have been perfectly happy remaining a DJ 'til he died. Their conflict over settling for doing what one does best vs striving to achieve more is an unusual one for an American film. I doubt anyone who wasn't in DC at the time would know of this guy, but he certainly was a big personality, and his story is unusual, so it's a reasonably interesting movie.
SICKO. Michael Moore takes on the American health care insurance industry. The first half of the movie isn't so much about how often Americans don't have insurance, but about how the insurance companies for people who do have coverage do everything they can to not pay beneficiaries. Then he delves into how other countries (Canada, France and Cuba) are so much better off than us. There isn't a lot of analysis, Moore makes no attempt to provide any balance, and you couldn't come up with a new policy based on the movie, but it sure is entertaining. And the kicker at the end with a bit about a Michael Moore-hating blogger is priceless!
1408. John Cusack stars as a hack writer, putting together guidebooks on haunted hotels. One day he gets a postcard from the Dolphin Hotel in Manhattan, with just a note "don't stay in room 1408". So he insists on doing just that, even though hotel manager Samuel Jackson tries to convince him not to, even showing John proof of all the people who tried to stay the night in the room and died. So then Cusack spends a night in hell, and he can't escape. This is a good psychological horror story with some excellent visuals. Based on a Stephen King short story, this doesn't have quite the great ending that CARRIE did, for example, but it's fun enough.
RESCUE DAWN. Christian Bale is Dieter Dengler, who joins the Navy so he can fulfill his childhood dream of flying. It's 1966, and he is send on the secret bombing runs in Laos. He gets shot down of his first flight, and must escape the brutal camp where he and a few other prisoners are being held. Dieter is an interesting person, almost naive, but I thought this movie was standard prisoner of war escape stuff. I may have been disappointed in this because I saw the original Werner Herzog documentary based on this guy's life (LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY), and it was so astonishing that I found this version of his story more Hollywood and less compelling, even though it too was done by Herzog. Rent the documentary.
YOU KILL ME. Ben Kingsley works for his Polish mob family in upstate New York, as a killer. They need him to kill a Irish mob competitor (Dennis Farina), but Ben gets drunk and passes out. Since his alcoholism is affecting his work, the family sends him to San Francisco to go to AA and get straightened out so he can go back to work as a hitman. In SF he meets Tea Leoni, who finds him fascinating, and they start going out. This is a very black comedy, not a lot of belly laughs, but enough for a positive recommendation.
LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. John McClane (Bruce Willis) is back. This time he is told to go pick up a computer geek (Justin Long). The FBI wants to interview the geek about a computer glitch. The geek is only a small part of a huge plot (of course) to disrupt U.S. financial markets, traffic, and utility services. The bad guy (Timothy Olyphant) told the government to take precautions, but they didn't listen, so what does he do? Not only does he decide to prove the system's weaknesses, he also turns into a cold blooded killer. And of course, it's really all about the money in the end. Anyway, lots of chase and action scenes while Bruce tries to protect the geek (who can help the government thwart the bad guy.) Some scenes were fun, but unfortunately, I found the last big action sequence to be so preposterous (not that action scenes are all that realistic in general), that for me, the movie ended with a thud. The basic plot was OK, though. I guess I have just seen too much of this type of movie. Critics generally are liking it.
RATATOUILLE. Remy the rat has a developed sense of smell and taste, and unlike his rat family, discriminating tastes. He even watches cooking shows. When he ends up in Paris, he becomes a surrogate cook for a bumbling dishwasher. Together they can make the restaurant a success, but of course a nasty critic and an evil chef competitor threaten them. This is another movie that critics generally like. I thought it amusing at times, but too long. Not to mention the idea of rats in the kitchen just grosses me out, no matter how cutely they are drawn.
TALK TO ME. This bio-pic stars Don Cheadle as Petey Green, who was a Washington DC disc jockey during the 1960's and 70's. The program director of a failing radio station met Petey when Petey was in jail, and Petey finagled his way into a job at the station when he got released from prison. And he was good at it, not so much smooth talk as straight talk, which was perfect for the era. Unfortunately, the program director had bigger dreams for Petey, even though Petey would have been perfectly happy remaining a DJ 'til he died. Their conflict over settling for doing what one does best vs striving to achieve more is an unusual one for an American film. I doubt anyone who wasn't in DC at the time would know of this guy, but he certainly was a big personality, and his story is unusual, so it's a reasonably interesting movie.
SICKO. Michael Moore takes on the American health care insurance industry. The first half of the movie isn't so much about how often Americans don't have insurance, but about how the insurance companies for people who do have coverage do everything they can to not pay beneficiaries. Then he delves into how other countries (Canada, France and Cuba) are so much better off than us. There isn't a lot of analysis, Moore makes no attempt to provide any balance, and you couldn't come up with a new policy based on the movie, but it sure is entertaining. And the kicker at the end with a bit about a Michael Moore-hating blogger is priceless!
1408. John Cusack stars as a hack writer, putting together guidebooks on haunted hotels. One day he gets a postcard from the Dolphin Hotel in Manhattan, with just a note "don't stay in room 1408". So he insists on doing just that, even though hotel manager Samuel Jackson tries to convince him not to, even showing John proof of all the people who tried to stay the night in the room and died. So then Cusack spends a night in hell, and he can't escape. This is a good psychological horror story with some excellent visuals. Based on a Stephen King short story, this doesn't have quite the great ending that CARRIE did, for example, but it's fun enough.
RESCUE DAWN. Christian Bale is Dieter Dengler, who joins the Navy so he can fulfill his childhood dream of flying. It's 1966, and he is send on the secret bombing runs in Laos. He gets shot down of his first flight, and must escape the brutal camp where he and a few other prisoners are being held. Dieter is an interesting person, almost naive, but I thought this movie was standard prisoner of war escape stuff. I may have been disappointed in this because I saw the original Werner Herzog documentary based on this guy's life (LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY), and it was so astonishing that I found this version of his story more Hollywood and less compelling, even though it too was done by Herzog. Rent the documentary.
YOU KILL ME. Ben Kingsley works for his Polish mob family in upstate New York, as a killer. They need him to kill a Irish mob competitor (Dennis Farina), but Ben gets drunk and passes out. Since his alcoholism is affecting his work, the family sends him to San Francisco to go to AA and get straightened out so he can go back to work as a hitman. In SF he meets Tea Leoni, who finds him fascinating, and they start going out. This is a very black comedy, not a lot of belly laughs, but enough for a positive recommendation.
LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. John McClane (Bruce Willis) is back. This time he is told to go pick up a computer geek (Justin Long). The FBI wants to interview the geek about a computer glitch. The geek is only a small part of a huge plot (of course) to disrupt U.S. financial markets, traffic, and utility services. The bad guy (Timothy Olyphant) told the government to take precautions, but they didn't listen, so what does he do? Not only does he decide to prove the system's weaknesses, he also turns into a cold blooded killer. And of course, it's really all about the money in the end. Anyway, lots of chase and action scenes while Bruce tries to protect the geek (who can help the government thwart the bad guy.) Some scenes were fun, but unfortunately, I found the last big action sequence to be so preposterous (not that action scenes are all that realistic in general), that for me, the movie ended with a thud. The basic plot was OK, though. I guess I have just seen too much of this type of movie. Critics generally are liking it.
RATATOUILLE. Remy the rat has a developed sense of smell and taste, and unlike his rat family, discriminating tastes. He even watches cooking shows. When he ends up in Paris, he becomes a surrogate cook for a bumbling dishwasher. Together they can make the restaurant a success, but of course a nasty critic and an evil chef competitor threaten them. This is another movie that critics generally like. I thought it amusing at times, but too long. Not to mention the idea of rats in the kitchen just grosses me out, no matter how cutely they are drawn.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
June movie reviews
KNOCKED UP. Very funny movie by the guy who did 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN. This one involves a young, attractive television producer who really has it together. She gets a promotion, and goes to a bar to celebrate. She meets a goofball guy, and ends up having a one night stand with him. The next morning, she realizes he is not her type (the look on her face when she sees his chubby butt is priceless), and they part ways. Eight weeks later, she finds out she's pregnant. She calls him up, and together they try to figure out what kind of relationship they are going to have. They are sooo not compatible, which makes for some really humorous moments. Also in the movie are his stoner, not-ready-to-grow-up friends, and her sister and brother-in-law. Despite it being a comedy, the situation and characters feel real, not sitcom-y at all. I highly recommend this one.
A MIGHTY HEART. Angelina Jolie stars as Marianne Pearl, wife of Daniel Pearl. They are both journalists, working in Pakistan after 9/11, covering the Afghan war. They are ready to go home when Daniel decides to follow a lead on the shoe bomber. Despite taking precautions, he is kidnapped. This true story follows Marianne in the aftermath of the kidnapping, as well as her, the FBI, and the Pakistani security agencies attempting to find Daniel before it is too late. The movie is amazing. I believe it was filmed in Pakistan, and you truly get a feeling for the chaos that exists there. And despite knowing the facts of the story, I still felt that sense of dread in worrying what would happen. And it was heartbreaking at the end. Really, really well done. Not entertaining, because it is so sad, but I am glad I saw it.
SHREK THE THIRD. This time, Shrek is searching for Arthur. Fiona's dad passed away, and Arthur is the only one besides Shrek who can become king, and Shrek doesn't wanna be king. Prince Charming (who wants to be king himself) and all the other bad characters from fairy tales are their opponents in the quest. Still funny, still worth seeing.
SHOWBUSINESS: THE ROAD TO BROADWAY. This documentary follows 4 plays (Avenue Q, Taboo, Wicked, and Caroline, or Change) from the development through their runs on Broadway. The filmmakers interview producers, directors, actors, and even critics. It is an interesting look at the elusive elements that make a hit (or not). There's no guarantee of success. Neither the quality, the stars, nor the reviews necessarily make or break or show. It's a mystery. This isn't a really analytical film, but I did like it, as I enjoy behind-the-scenes looks at entertainment.
OCEAN'S 13. This time Al Pacino is building a fabulous hotel in Vegas in partnership with Elliot Gould. But Al betrays Elliot, giving Elliot a heart attack. So the boys decide to get revenge on Al. Sure, there is eye candy in the movie, but the plot was convoluted and far-fetched, the movie dragged, and the actors seem really overly pleased with themselves. It wasn't that clever, or that funny, and I just didn't care that much.
ONCE. This is almost an extended music video. A young Irish man works days in his father's vacuum shop, but spends the rest of his time playing guitar and singing his songs on the streets. One day a young Czech woman tells him how good his songs are. They develop a friendship and bond over music. She encourages him. They get together with friends to put together a demo tape. I liked the songs, and the characters are endearing, but the movie is kind of thin. Short, at only 88 minutes.
A MIGHTY HEART. Angelina Jolie stars as Marianne Pearl, wife of Daniel Pearl. They are both journalists, working in Pakistan after 9/11, covering the Afghan war. They are ready to go home when Daniel decides to follow a lead on the shoe bomber. Despite taking precautions, he is kidnapped. This true story follows Marianne in the aftermath of the kidnapping, as well as her, the FBI, and the Pakistani security agencies attempting to find Daniel before it is too late. The movie is amazing. I believe it was filmed in Pakistan, and you truly get a feeling for the chaos that exists there. And despite knowing the facts of the story, I still felt that sense of dread in worrying what would happen. And it was heartbreaking at the end. Really, really well done. Not entertaining, because it is so sad, but I am glad I saw it.
SHREK THE THIRD. This time, Shrek is searching for Arthur. Fiona's dad passed away, and Arthur is the only one besides Shrek who can become king, and Shrek doesn't wanna be king. Prince Charming (who wants to be king himself) and all the other bad characters from fairy tales are their opponents in the quest. Still funny, still worth seeing.
SHOWBUSINESS: THE ROAD TO BROADWAY. This documentary follows 4 plays (Avenue Q, Taboo, Wicked, and Caroline, or Change) from the development through their runs on Broadway. The filmmakers interview producers, directors, actors, and even critics. It is an interesting look at the elusive elements that make a hit (or not). There's no guarantee of success. Neither the quality, the stars, nor the reviews necessarily make or break or show. It's a mystery. This isn't a really analytical film, but I did like it, as I enjoy behind-the-scenes looks at entertainment.
OCEAN'S 13. This time Al Pacino is building a fabulous hotel in Vegas in partnership with Elliot Gould. But Al betrays Elliot, giving Elliot a heart attack. So the boys decide to get revenge on Al. Sure, there is eye candy in the movie, but the plot was convoluted and far-fetched, the movie dragged, and the actors seem really overly pleased with themselves. It wasn't that clever, or that funny, and I just didn't care that much.
ONCE. This is almost an extended music video. A young Irish man works days in his father's vacuum shop, but spends the rest of his time playing guitar and singing his songs on the streets. One day a young Czech woman tells him how good his songs are. They develop a friendship and bond over music. She encourages him. They get together with friends to put together a demo tape. I liked the songs, and the characters are endearing, but the movie is kind of thin. Short, at only 88 minutes.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
May movie reviews
Tragedy. Humor. Relationships. And zombies.
28 WEEKS LATER. I am not big on zombie movies, in general, but the prequel to this one, 28 DAYS LATER, was an interesting movie with great visuals. This one doesn't have the visuals, but it was getting good reviews, so I thought what the heck? Twenty-eight weeks after the rage virus has decimated Britain, the American army has come in and is cleaning up the country. (Lots of biohazards!). They decide to start letting Brits who were out of the country at the time of the epidemic to come back in and live in a secure zone in London with the few survivors. But guess what? The virus is still out there. And people are making what may or may not be justifiable decisions. There's lots of splattering blood, but for some reason I found this a very entertaining movie. Although a few touches seemed off, I actually found it to be somewhat believable, as far as how people would act if there were some kind of massively contagious epidemic. Which, after all, isn't an impossibility in this day and age.
WAITRESS. Keri Russell stars as Jenna, a waitress in a diner. There are also good supporting characters: two other waitresses, plus the diner's owner (Andy Griffith). Jenna is adorable, she makes great pies, but she's pregnant and not happy about it at all, because she is married to a pathologically needy man, and doesn't see how she can get out of the marriage. She wants to win a pie-making contest, because the money will get her out of town, but her husband won't even let her do that. Stuck in her life, she develops a relationship with her gynecologist. This is a really charming movie, where all of the characters have real personalities. I can't say I didn't see the end coming, but I only saw part of it. I really enjoyed this.
VALET, THE. A rich man is cheating on his wife with a supermodel. One day the paparazzi catch him with her and the photo is published in the tabloids. Also in the picture was a bystander, who is a valet for a restaurant. The rich man tries to convince his wife that he was just a bystander, and the supermodel was with the valet. Complications and hijinks ensue. A cute little movie, not hilarious, but sweet. In French.
AWAY FROM HER. A Canadian professor and his wife (Julie Christie) are living the good life in retirement. But she is showing signs of early Alzheimer's. Wait! This is not a disease of the week movie. He wants to be in denial, but she insists that they deal with it. So she checks herself into an assisted living facility, where family members can't visit for the first 30 days. During that 30 days, the wife develops a relationship with another man in the facility. When the husband returns for his first visit, he has to deal with that new relationship, and also come to grips with his relationship to his wife and his past treatment of her. And wonder whether is wife is getting back at him for being a bad husband. His devotion is rewarding to see, and despite her affection for another man, he remains willing to do whatever she needs. I thought it was obvious that the movie was based on a story written by a woman, because it takes a very clear look at long term relationships from a female perspective.
AFTER THE WEDDING. Jacob works in India in an orphanage. He is devoted to the children, but one day the administrator of the orphanage tells him he has to appear in person to get money from a philanthropist that wants to endow the orphanage with 3 million dollars. So he reluctantly goes back home to get the money, while promising the children he will return in a week. The philanthropist invites him to his daughter's wedding, where Jacob meets a woman from his past. Turns out the wealthy man has plans for Jacob. But who will get what he wants? Will Jacob abandon the orphanage and the children he loves? This would have been a soap opera in an American movie, but it's not here. It's deeper than that. Although I didn't find it deeply moving, it was worthy. In Danish.
28 WEEKS LATER. I am not big on zombie movies, in general, but the prequel to this one, 28 DAYS LATER, was an interesting movie with great visuals. This one doesn't have the visuals, but it was getting good reviews, so I thought what the heck? Twenty-eight weeks after the rage virus has decimated Britain, the American army has come in and is cleaning up the country. (Lots of biohazards!). They decide to start letting Brits who were out of the country at the time of the epidemic to come back in and live in a secure zone in London with the few survivors. But guess what? The virus is still out there. And people are making what may or may not be justifiable decisions. There's lots of splattering blood, but for some reason I found this a very entertaining movie. Although a few touches seemed off, I actually found it to be somewhat believable, as far as how people would act if there were some kind of massively contagious epidemic. Which, after all, isn't an impossibility in this day and age.
WAITRESS. Keri Russell stars as Jenna, a waitress in a diner. There are also good supporting characters: two other waitresses, plus the diner's owner (Andy Griffith). Jenna is adorable, she makes great pies, but she's pregnant and not happy about it at all, because she is married to a pathologically needy man, and doesn't see how she can get out of the marriage. She wants to win a pie-making contest, because the money will get her out of town, but her husband won't even let her do that. Stuck in her life, she develops a relationship with her gynecologist. This is a really charming movie, where all of the characters have real personalities. I can't say I didn't see the end coming, but I only saw part of it. I really enjoyed this.
VALET, THE. A rich man is cheating on his wife with a supermodel. One day the paparazzi catch him with her and the photo is published in the tabloids. Also in the picture was a bystander, who is a valet for a restaurant. The rich man tries to convince his wife that he was just a bystander, and the supermodel was with the valet. Complications and hijinks ensue. A cute little movie, not hilarious, but sweet. In French.
AWAY FROM HER. A Canadian professor and his wife (Julie Christie) are living the good life in retirement. But she is showing signs of early Alzheimer's. Wait! This is not a disease of the week movie. He wants to be in denial, but she insists that they deal with it. So she checks herself into an assisted living facility, where family members can't visit for the first 30 days. During that 30 days, the wife develops a relationship with another man in the facility. When the husband returns for his first visit, he has to deal with that new relationship, and also come to grips with his relationship to his wife and his past treatment of her. And wonder whether is wife is getting back at him for being a bad husband. His devotion is rewarding to see, and despite her affection for another man, he remains willing to do whatever she needs. I thought it was obvious that the movie was based on a story written by a woman, because it takes a very clear look at long term relationships from a female perspective.
AFTER THE WEDDING. Jacob works in India in an orphanage. He is devoted to the children, but one day the administrator of the orphanage tells him he has to appear in person to get money from a philanthropist that wants to endow the orphanage with 3 million dollars. So he reluctantly goes back home to get the money, while promising the children he will return in a week. The philanthropist invites him to his daughter's wedding, where Jacob meets a woman from his past. Turns out the wealthy man has plans for Jacob. But who will get what he wants? Will Jacob abandon the orphanage and the children he loves? This would have been a soap opera in an American movie, but it's not here. It's deeper than that. Although I didn't find it deeply moving, it was worthy. In Danish.
Friday, May 4, 2007
April movie reviews
HOAX. In 1970, Clifford Irving (Richard Gere) is on top of the world. He has one non-fiction book published, and his novel is on the verge of being published by McGraw-Hill and serialized in Life Magazine. But then everything falls apart when the publisher backs out of the deal. Because he is desperate to make something of his life, Irving tells the publisher that he has something better, that he can bring them an autobiography of the reclusive Howard Hughes. His con gets more and more ridiculous, but Irving did his research (along with an assistant, played by Alfred Molina) and he fooled people for quite a long time. Based on the true story, it's an amazing tale (especially the Nixon-Watergate connection), and a lot of fun to watch.
BLACK BOOK. Despite its setting during WWII, this is a terrific action & espionage movie. Rachel Stein is a young Jewish woman in hiding in Holland in 1944. Her hiding place is destroyed and she, along with her family and several others, tries to escape Holland by boat. But they are betrayed and shot down. Only Rachel escapes, and she starts working with the Resistance to fight the Nazis. It turns out she is good at it, calm as a cucumber when need be. Which includes infiltrating the Gestapo, even literally sleeping with the enemy. This is a long movie, but I never felt that it was too long. There are crosses and double crosses. Although it's not all believable, it's still entertaining. In Dutch, German, and English.
DIGGERS. This is one of those slice-of-life movies that I enjoy because it brings you into the lives of people you don't know anything about. In this case, it's 1970's clam diggers off the coast of Long Island. The movie follows four young friends, one a photographer (Paul Rudd) who probably does the work because that's all he's ever known, an angry family man just trying to keep afloat, a ladies man, and a philosopher drug dealer. The work they do is on the verge of dying out, and life is a struggle. They are all believable characters, and there are supporting characters that are also good. Although the movie doesn't have a huge arc, I liked it. It invokes the 70's really well.
FRACTURE. Anthony Hopkins is a wealthy man whose wife is cheating on him. So he shoots her in the face, calls the cops, and confesses. Ryan Gosling is the prosecutor, and he thinks this case will be a slam dunk on his way to corporate America. Problem is, even though Anthony never left the house, no one can find the murder weapon. So ensues a cat-and-mouse game between the two. Trouble is, neither one is all that likable, so although I want the murderer to get convicted, I didn't care that much. And the trickiness of the plot falls apart the more I think about it. The movie is OK, but not as clever as I would like a movie of this genre to be.
WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY. 1920 Ireland. Two brothers are fighting the British, who are a bunch of thugs occupying their country. One brother joined early, has been a leader in the guerrilla warfare, while the other has tried to live a normal life, becoming a doctor, and only becomes a militant when circumstances push him that way. The latter brother is much more sensitive to the horrors of war. So they fight, and then, a compromise with the British is signed, and the two brothers are on different sides. The older more militant one actually takes the side of those who want the truce, even though they don't like parts of the settlement, and the younger brother takes the side of those who refuse any accommodation with the British. This movie was a good history lesson into the Irish troubles, but I really hated how the movie deals with the Civil War that erupts after the truce is signed. Talk about heavy-handed!
HOT FUZZ. This English comedy is a parody of American action movies. It begins with a young policeman in London, who is a real hot shot. In fact, he is so good at his job that he is making everybody else look bad. So his superiors decide to send him to the country, to a small English village. The policeman is pretty appalled when he gets there, both with the seeming incompetence of the police force, and with the idyllic village where nothing big seems to happen. But of course, there is more to the village than meets the eye. There are some laughs in this movie, and lots of critics think it's very funny, but I thought it was only mildly amusing overall, so I wouldn't recommend it.
BLADES OF GLORY. Although his movies are usually pretty silly, I also think Will Farrell can be quite funny. In this one, he plays a figure skater who is kicked out of competing in male figure skating, along with Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite). After being reduced to skating in kiddie shows, Will and Jon find a loophole in the rules, and realize they can skate together in pairs competition. Trouble is, they don't really like each other, but have to figure out a way to skate together. Figure skating is ripe for parody (the costumes alone!), and there are a couple of laughs, but this one is basically a stinker. I should of known I was in trouble when the opening credits indicated Will Farrell didn't write this one.
BLACK BOOK. Despite its setting during WWII, this is a terrific action & espionage movie. Rachel Stein is a young Jewish woman in hiding in Holland in 1944. Her hiding place is destroyed and she, along with her family and several others, tries to escape Holland by boat. But they are betrayed and shot down. Only Rachel escapes, and she starts working with the Resistance to fight the Nazis. It turns out she is good at it, calm as a cucumber when need be. Which includes infiltrating the Gestapo, even literally sleeping with the enemy. This is a long movie, but I never felt that it was too long. There are crosses and double crosses. Although it's not all believable, it's still entertaining. In Dutch, German, and English.
DIGGERS. This is one of those slice-of-life movies that I enjoy because it brings you into the lives of people you don't know anything about. In this case, it's 1970's clam diggers off the coast of Long Island. The movie follows four young friends, one a photographer (Paul Rudd) who probably does the work because that's all he's ever known, an angry family man just trying to keep afloat, a ladies man, and a philosopher drug dealer. The work they do is on the verge of dying out, and life is a struggle. They are all believable characters, and there are supporting characters that are also good. Although the movie doesn't have a huge arc, I liked it. It invokes the 70's really well.
FRACTURE. Anthony Hopkins is a wealthy man whose wife is cheating on him. So he shoots her in the face, calls the cops, and confesses. Ryan Gosling is the prosecutor, and he thinks this case will be a slam dunk on his way to corporate America. Problem is, even though Anthony never left the house, no one can find the murder weapon. So ensues a cat-and-mouse game between the two. Trouble is, neither one is all that likable, so although I want the murderer to get convicted, I didn't care that much. And the trickiness of the plot falls apart the more I think about it. The movie is OK, but not as clever as I would like a movie of this genre to be.
WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY. 1920 Ireland. Two brothers are fighting the British, who are a bunch of thugs occupying their country. One brother joined early, has been a leader in the guerrilla warfare, while the other has tried to live a normal life, becoming a doctor, and only becomes a militant when circumstances push him that way. The latter brother is much more sensitive to the horrors of war. So they fight, and then, a compromise with the British is signed, and the two brothers are on different sides. The older more militant one actually takes the side of those who want the truce, even though they don't like parts of the settlement, and the younger brother takes the side of those who refuse any accommodation with the British. This movie was a good history lesson into the Irish troubles, but I really hated how the movie deals with the Civil War that erupts after the truce is signed. Talk about heavy-handed!
HOT FUZZ. This English comedy is a parody of American action movies. It begins with a young policeman in London, who is a real hot shot. In fact, he is so good at his job that he is making everybody else look bad. So his superiors decide to send him to the country, to a small English village. The policeman is pretty appalled when he gets there, both with the seeming incompetence of the police force, and with the idyllic village where nothing big seems to happen. But of course, there is more to the village than meets the eye. There are some laughs in this movie, and lots of critics think it's very funny, but I thought it was only mildly amusing overall, so I wouldn't recommend it.
BLADES OF GLORY. Although his movies are usually pretty silly, I also think Will Farrell can be quite funny. In this one, he plays a figure skater who is kicked out of competing in male figure skating, along with Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite). After being reduced to skating in kiddie shows, Will and Jon find a loophole in the rules, and realize they can skate together in pairs competition. Trouble is, they don't really like each other, but have to figure out a way to skate together. Figure skating is ripe for parody (the costumes alone!), and there are a couple of laughs, but this one is basically a stinker. I should of known I was in trouble when the opening credits indicated Will Farrell didn't write this one.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
March Movie Reviews
Not a loser in the bunch!
THE NAMESAKE. This is a multi-generational family drama. It begins in the mid 1970's with a young Indian man on a train, reading the philosopher Gogol. Then there is a major accident. A few years later he is living in New York City, and comes home to have his parents find him a wife. They do, and the couple moves to NYC. Their relationship evolves, and they have two children, one a son they name Gogol. Then, the son is grown, and there is the usual conflict between fathers and sons. But this movie is a little more interesting than just that basic plot, because this father and son pair have the added conflict between immigrants and their children. So I enjoyed it because of that, and because of the look at Indian culture. Plus, the cinematography is beautiful and the movie is just a pleasure to look at. By the director of MONSOON WEDDING (a 2002 movie I liked a lot); some might find the movie sappy, but I didn't.
THE LOOKOUT. As the movie opens, Chris (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is on top of the world. He’s a top-notch athlete, popular, and dates the prettiest girls. But then he makes a mistake and causes a car accident, and his life will change forever. Four years later, he is still coping with the aftermath of the accident. He suffered a brain injury, which makes him forgetful, prone to outbursts, and sometimes inappropriate. The best he can do is work the janitorial night shift at a bank, and live with a older blind man (Jeff Daniels) in a crappy part of town. When he meets someone in a bar who claims to have known him in the past, he is happy to have made a friend. But it turns out the “friend” wants Chris to help him rob the bank. Will Chris figure out that he is being used? Even if he does, given his brain injury, will he be able to figure his way out of the jam he is in? This heist film is quite clever, and I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot.
BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA. This movie is based on a children's book, and is aimed at families, and I really liked it. It involves a pre-adolescent rural boy who is poor and picked on by his classmates. He has four sisters, isn't understood by his parents, and his life is pretty miserable. Then a new girl appears in school, and she is kind of an odd kid who gets picked on as well. So eventually they bond. He's an artist and she's a writer, and together they start playing in a beat up treehouse in the nearby forest and imagine they are in the kingdom of Terabithia, complete with great scenery and monsters. Of course, bad things happen (and brought me to tears), but the movie shows how the power of imagination can help make reality bearable. It's a PAN'S LABYRINTH for the younger set.
MISS POTTER. Who would have guessed that a movie about Beatrix Potter, who wrote the Peter Rabbit children's stories, could have themes including class issues, women's rights, and environmentalism? This one does. Miss Potter (Renee Zellwegger) is in her 30's in early 1900's London and is still living at home. The movie follows her struggle as an upper class single woman trying to get published and make her own way. There are times when the movie is entirely too precious (such as when she talks to her drawings and they come alive in her eyes), but it has an old-fashioned feel to it (no violence!) that I enjoyed. And she was a much more interesting woman than I ever would have guessed.
ZODIAC. This movie documents the story of the Zodiac, who operated in the Bay Area in the late 60's/early 70's, killing young people and taunting the police by writing letters to local newspapers. The first act shows some of his crimes. The second act follows the police (including Mark Ruffalo) and SF Chronicle reporters (including Robert Downey Jr.) in their investigations. The final act follows a SF Chronicle editorial cartoonist (Jake Gyllenhaal) who became obsessed with solving the case, so much so he lost his job and family. I thought the movie was interesting, but maybe some of my interest was because I very clearly remember the events and know the locales (my sister actually worked with the mother of the first female victim, and I remember all the hubbub about the Zodiac's threat to kill kids riding school buses). So I think that might explain my interest and willingness to sit for a movie that is almost 3 hours long. I am not sure whether it would keep the interest of people who don't remember anything about it. I suppose it would depend on how interesting you find crime stories/mysteries.
BLACK SNAKE MOAN. Christina Ricci stars as Rae, the local tramp in a small southern town. Her boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake) keeps her somewhat on the straight and narrow, but he is leaving to do his National Guard duty in Iraq. They are a pair, her being so desperately needy for love (sex), and him suffering from severe anxiety attacks. When he leaves town, she completely falls apart and immediately starts behaving badly. She ends up beaten and dumped on the side of the road. Outside of town, Lazarus (Samuel Jackson) is suffering because his younger wife has left him for his brother. When Laz finds Rae by the side of the road, he decides he is going to get her on the straight and narrow. And to do that, he chains her up so she can't escape. Man, this is a weird movie. Very Southern Gothic, but the acting is really good, and the supporting characters keep the movie a little bit grounded so that there is some level of realism. But watching wounded people bonding together doesn't necessarily win me over. I want to find something interesting or redeeming about the characters, and I although I watched the movie with interest, at the end I wasn't all that satisfied with the story.
THE NAMESAKE. This is a multi-generational family drama. It begins in the mid 1970's with a young Indian man on a train, reading the philosopher Gogol. Then there is a major accident. A few years later he is living in New York City, and comes home to have his parents find him a wife. They do, and the couple moves to NYC. Their relationship evolves, and they have two children, one a son they name Gogol. Then, the son is grown, and there is the usual conflict between fathers and sons. But this movie is a little more interesting than just that basic plot, because this father and son pair have the added conflict between immigrants and their children. So I enjoyed it because of that, and because of the look at Indian culture. Plus, the cinematography is beautiful and the movie is just a pleasure to look at. By the director of MONSOON WEDDING (a 2002 movie I liked a lot); some might find the movie sappy, but I didn't.
THE LOOKOUT. As the movie opens, Chris (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is on top of the world. He’s a top-notch athlete, popular, and dates the prettiest girls. But then he makes a mistake and causes a car accident, and his life will change forever. Four years later, he is still coping with the aftermath of the accident. He suffered a brain injury, which makes him forgetful, prone to outbursts, and sometimes inappropriate. The best he can do is work the janitorial night shift at a bank, and live with a older blind man (Jeff Daniels) in a crappy part of town. When he meets someone in a bar who claims to have known him in the past, he is happy to have made a friend. But it turns out the “friend” wants Chris to help him rob the bank. Will Chris figure out that he is being used? Even if he does, given his brain injury, will he be able to figure his way out of the jam he is in? This heist film is quite clever, and I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot.
BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA. This movie is based on a children's book, and is aimed at families, and I really liked it. It involves a pre-adolescent rural boy who is poor and picked on by his classmates. He has four sisters, isn't understood by his parents, and his life is pretty miserable. Then a new girl appears in school, and she is kind of an odd kid who gets picked on as well. So eventually they bond. He's an artist and she's a writer, and together they start playing in a beat up treehouse in the nearby forest and imagine they are in the kingdom of Terabithia, complete with great scenery and monsters. Of course, bad things happen (and brought me to tears), but the movie shows how the power of imagination can help make reality bearable. It's a PAN'S LABYRINTH for the younger set.
MISS POTTER. Who would have guessed that a movie about Beatrix Potter, who wrote the Peter Rabbit children's stories, could have themes including class issues, women's rights, and environmentalism? This one does. Miss Potter (Renee Zellwegger) is in her 30's in early 1900's London and is still living at home. The movie follows her struggle as an upper class single woman trying to get published and make her own way. There are times when the movie is entirely too precious (such as when she talks to her drawings and they come alive in her eyes), but it has an old-fashioned feel to it (no violence!) that I enjoyed. And she was a much more interesting woman than I ever would have guessed.
ZODIAC. This movie documents the story of the Zodiac, who operated in the Bay Area in the late 60's/early 70's, killing young people and taunting the police by writing letters to local newspapers. The first act shows some of his crimes. The second act follows the police (including Mark Ruffalo) and SF Chronicle reporters (including Robert Downey Jr.) in their investigations. The final act follows a SF Chronicle editorial cartoonist (Jake Gyllenhaal) who became obsessed with solving the case, so much so he lost his job and family. I thought the movie was interesting, but maybe some of my interest was because I very clearly remember the events and know the locales (my sister actually worked with the mother of the first female victim, and I remember all the hubbub about the Zodiac's threat to kill kids riding school buses). So I think that might explain my interest and willingness to sit for a movie that is almost 3 hours long. I am not sure whether it would keep the interest of people who don't remember anything about it. I suppose it would depend on how interesting you find crime stories/mysteries.
BLACK SNAKE MOAN. Christina Ricci stars as Rae, the local tramp in a small southern town. Her boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake) keeps her somewhat on the straight and narrow, but he is leaving to do his National Guard duty in Iraq. They are a pair, her being so desperately needy for love (sex), and him suffering from severe anxiety attacks. When he leaves town, she completely falls apart and immediately starts behaving badly. She ends up beaten and dumped on the side of the road. Outside of town, Lazarus (Samuel Jackson) is suffering because his younger wife has left him for his brother. When Laz finds Rae by the side of the road, he decides he is going to get her on the straight and narrow. And to do that, he chains her up so she can't escape. Man, this is a weird movie. Very Southern Gothic, but the acting is really good, and the supporting characters keep the movie a little bit grounded so that there is some level of realism. But watching wounded people bonding together doesn't necessarily win me over. I want to find something interesting or redeeming about the characters, and I although I watched the movie with interest, at the end I wasn't all that satisfied with the story.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
February Movie Reviews
I didn't have any brilliant ideas on a symbol to rate the movies (ideas anyone?), but I did at least put them in order of my preference for them, best to least.
LIVES OF OTHERS. This German film takes place in 1984 East Berlin, when the Secret Police (the Stasi) and their informants are spying on nearly all of their citizens. Georg, a successful playwright, isn't being spied on when the movie opens, but the Cultural Commissar has a crush on Georg's actress girlfriend Christa, and would like to see Georg out of the way. So, a Stasi Captain gets the job of eavesdropping on Georg and Christa, and it is expected that he will be able to find something that will put Georg on a sort of enemies-of-the-people list. Georg really tries to be apolitical and inoffensive, so it won't be easy to get "the goods" on him, but events change him, and he does become more political. At first the Stasi Captain is a true believer in what he is doing, a real drone for the government, with no life of his own, but the longer he eavesdrops on the couple, the more it has an affect on him. In an odd way, it makes him lonely when he realizes what deep relationships other people can have. And he begins to have qualms about what he will do to Georg and Christa if he informs on them. The movie is not just a political thriller, where you wonder whether Georg and Christa can evade the State's hooks, but also a look at how absolutely intimidating and soul-deadening it is to live in that kind of society. Quite good. Just won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language movie (although I would have voted for Pan's Labyrinth).
VENUS. Peter O'Toole stars as Maurice, an aging actor, not going gently into that good night. His days are filled with playing minor roles (i.e., dying guys) and hanging out with his old friends. One of those friends has his great-niece come to be his caretaker, but the guy doesn't like her and complains mightily to his friends about her. Maurice, the the other hand, becomes besotted by her, calling her Venus. I found his lust for her rather icky, being that she's maybe twenty and he's 80 or so. It was unpleasant watching him try to cop a feel (this isn't a comedy) when she's drunk. I get that he's trying to cling to youth, but still.... And she's actually quite unpleasant herself, ignorant, mean, and manipulative. So the first hour of the movie I didn't care for at all. But the movie takes at turn in a different direction in the last third, and I did quite like that part. So it was a weird experience.
MUSIC AND LYRICS. I like well-done romantic comedies (not that there are that many). And both Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant have made good ones. In this one, Hugh is the former member of a 80's pop band (think Wham) who is reduced to playing places like Knott's Berry Farm. Drew is a wannabe writer. Hugh gets a chance to write a song for a Brittany-like (pre-bald) pop princess, but he doesn't write lyrics. And Drew comes along, and she has a gift for lyrics. Etc etc etc. It didn't really work for me. It's not truly awful, but has too few laughs, and they don't really have any chemistry together, so I wouldn't actually even watch it again for free on TV.
LIVES OF OTHERS. This German film takes place in 1984 East Berlin, when the Secret Police (the Stasi) and their informants are spying on nearly all of their citizens. Georg, a successful playwright, isn't being spied on when the movie opens, but the Cultural Commissar has a crush on Georg's actress girlfriend Christa, and would like to see Georg out of the way. So, a Stasi Captain gets the job of eavesdropping on Georg and Christa, and it is expected that he will be able to find something that will put Georg on a sort of enemies-of-the-people list. Georg really tries to be apolitical and inoffensive, so it won't be easy to get "the goods" on him, but events change him, and he does become more political. At first the Stasi Captain is a true believer in what he is doing, a real drone for the government, with no life of his own, but the longer he eavesdrops on the couple, the more it has an affect on him. In an odd way, it makes him lonely when he realizes what deep relationships other people can have. And he begins to have qualms about what he will do to Georg and Christa if he informs on them. The movie is not just a political thriller, where you wonder whether Georg and Christa can evade the State's hooks, but also a look at how absolutely intimidating and soul-deadening it is to live in that kind of society. Quite good. Just won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language movie (although I would have voted for Pan's Labyrinth).
BREACH. Chris Cooper plays Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent who spies for the Soviets for years and years. When the movie opens, the FBI is on to him, and trying to catch him in the act of making a drop. One of the many tactics they employ is to assign young FBI staffer Eric O'Neill (Ryan Philippe) to be his clerk, and report on his every move. At first Eric doesn't see the point, and in fact begins to admire Hanssen, because Hanssen is brilliant man, and seems very devout in his love for God and country. But eventually Eric will see Hanssen for the egomaniac that he is, which makes it more and more difficult for Eric to maintain his cover. This isn't an edge-of-your-seat thriller, because the movie opens with John Ashcroft announcing in 2001 that they have arrested Hanssen, but it is still interesting to see the lengths the FBI had to go to to catch the guy.
VENUS. Peter O'Toole stars as Maurice, an aging actor, not going gently into that good night. His days are filled with playing minor roles (i.e., dying guys) and hanging out with his old friends. One of those friends has his great-niece come to be his caretaker, but the guy doesn't like her and complains mightily to his friends about her. Maurice, the the other hand, becomes besotted by her, calling her Venus. I found his lust for her rather icky, being that she's maybe twenty and he's 80 or so. It was unpleasant watching him try to cop a feel (this isn't a comedy) when she's drunk. I get that he's trying to cling to youth, but still.... And she's actually quite unpleasant herself, ignorant, mean, and manipulative. So the first hour of the movie I didn't care for at all. But the movie takes at turn in a different direction in the last third, and I did quite like that part. So it was a weird experience.
MUSIC AND LYRICS. I like well-done romantic comedies (not that there are that many). And both Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant have made good ones. In this one, Hugh is the former member of a 80's pop band (think Wham) who is reduced to playing places like Knott's Berry Farm. Drew is a wannabe writer. Hugh gets a chance to write a song for a Brittany-like (pre-bald) pop princess, but he doesn't write lyrics. And Drew comes along, and she has a gift for lyrics. Etc etc etc. It didn't really work for me. It's not truly awful, but has too few laughs, and they don't really have any chemistry together, so I wouldn't actually even watch it again for free on TV.
2006 Movie Review archives
Upon request, here are reviews from all the movies I saw in 2006, in alphabetical order. There are a lot of good movies, but I have put the titles in blue for the movies I would consider the TOP DOZEN (keeping in mind that Pan’s Labyrinth was my favorite 2006 movie, but I saw it in 2007.)
A NEW WORLD. This movie about the English coming to Jamestown, with Colin Farrell as John Smith. But really, the focus of the story is Pocahantas. And it's pretty much what we learned in high school history: she saves his life, marries another guy, goes to England and dies. And life for the colonists was really hard. So there isn't much story, but this movie is so beautifully filmed it's just gorgeous to look at. It gives a great feel for what a paradise North America used to be. Since the movie focuses mostly on Pocahantas' story, I would say the new world in the title is less the new world of the colonists, but the new world that would be imposed on the Indians. I liked it, mostly for the visuals. (Jan 2006)
AKEELAH AND THE BEE. Akeelah lives in South L.A., and has a bit of an attitude problem, because she is smart and knows that the education she is getting is not top-rate. But she does have teachers that care, and she is forced to participate in the school's spelling bee. Which she wins because she has a real gift. So she gets a mentor (Laurence Fishbourne), goes the regionals, nationals... you can guess the general arc of the story. But it's a good story, because she does have hurdles to overcome, both internal and external, so there's some depth to it. And the final bee isn't quite as predictable as one would guess. This is a terrific movie for families, I would think. (May 2006)
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. Movie showing Al Gore giving his slideshow about global warming mixed with interviews of him talking about his personal evolution regarding the issue. I really wasn't enthusiastic about seeing the movie, and although Al does come off as a bit pompous at times, generally he comes off as more appealing than I would have predicted. He explains global warming science at a pretty simple level, and gets off a joke or two. I saw the movie because I felt I should, and it turns out I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. And I feel I understand the topic better, which is a good thing. (June 2006)
BLOOD DIAMOND. Djimon Hounsou is a fisherman in Sierra Leone. He is poor, and is placing all his dreams on his son going to school and becoming a doctor. But one day the rebels come and his wife and daughters end up in a refugee camp, his son is forced to become a child soldier, and Djimon is enslaved in the diamond mines. In a parallel story, Leonardo DiCaprio is a heartless mercenary from Zimbabwe, who has gotten into the diamond smuggling business. The point of the movie, I think, is supposed to be that the diamond trade is supporting civil war and is inherently evil. But that's just mentioned in narrative a few times, and really doesn't give the movie any emotional kick. Instead, the movie focuses on Leo and Djimon coming together to work to find an incredibly valuable diamond that Djimon found and hid before he escaped the mines. Djimon wants to use the money to save his family, and Leo just wants to get out of Africa. So the movie is more about the personal than the political. And, oh yeah, Jennifer Connelly is totally unbelievable as a reporter who wants to make a splash with the blood diamond story. (And of course, she and Leo have "a moment". Bleh.) I saw the end of the movie coming a mile away, and other than one brief moment at the end, the movie didn't grab me emotionally. (Other than the scenes of the rebel indoctrination that turns children into cold blooded killers - those were really disturbing.) The movie isn't bad; I just didn't think it was all it could have been.
BOBBY. This movie takes place the day Robert Kennedy was shot in Los Angeles, the day he won the California primary to run for President in 1968. It follows a dozen or so mostly fictionalized characters throughout the day. A lot about the movie annoyed me: most of the characters are played by celebrities, which was disconcerting. (That's Ashton Kutcher...and there's Helen Hunt. And wait, isn't that a Hobbit? etc., etc., etc.). Also, the director (Emilio Estevez) tries too hard to compare 1968 to today (hanging chads in 1968?). Still, I remember 1968, and I kind of liked remembering the era. I am not sure whether people who don't remember 1968 would enjoy the movie or not. (November 2006)
BORAT. Sacha Baron Cohen stars as Borat, a journalist from Kazakhstan who comes to America to learn about our country. He plays the journalist as being from an extremely backward country, but while interacting with Americans reveals something about America as well. Which is that while many people are polite and helpful, some are idiots (drunken frats boys and the crowd at a rodeo, for example). I put off going to see this movie, because I don't generally like this kind of "candid camera/punk'd" kind of humor, but the movie is being nominated for awards left and right, so I went. And I admit, after a slow start, I was smiling throughout the movie, and laughing out loud for quite bit of it, so I have to say it's worth seeing. Cohen does an incredible job staying in character.
THE BRIDGE. The film maker of this movie got permission to film the Golden Gate Bridge, telling the authorities he was filming the bridge in different lights and seasons. But what he was really doing was filming people jumping off the bridge. So interspersed with beautiful scenery are scenes of a few people's last moments. Then there are interviews with family members and friends (and in one case, a guy that survived his attempt). Interesting movie and I guess the film maker is trying to make the point that the Bridge holds a romantic fascination for the suicidal, but I don't think he made the point strongly enough that these suicides could be prevented from jumping. Instead, the movie is mostly just sad and disturbing. (November 2006)
BUBBLE. Steve Soderburgh went to a small town in West Virginia, found some nonprofessional actors, and came up with this. It involves a middle aged woman and younger guy who work at a doll factory. She considers the young guy one of her best friends (because her life is pretty unexciting: work and taking care of her elderly dad). Things change when a young woman comes to work at the factory, and also befriends the young guy. Then there is a murder. Only 73 minutes long, the movie feels very much like a filmed short story. It's not all that special, but it did keep me interested. (Jan 2006)
CASINO ROYALE. The latest Bond movie, this one goes back to when Bond first becomes a 007. The new Bond, Daniel Craig, isn't as smooth as the previous actors, but I thought he made a good Bond. Not as much high-tech stuff as the previous movies, but also less cartoony (in my opinion). I liked it. (November 2006)
CLERKS II. The movie revisits the lives of Dante and Randall, ten years after the first movie. They worked at the quickie mart/video store for years, until it burned down. Now they work at the fast food joint Mooby's. Dante is trying to grow up, but Randall is still an idiot. The first half of this movie is painfully unfunny. The second half improves a bit, with occasional smiles. But I didn't laugh out loud once, so this was a real disappointment. If you want a CLERKS fix, rent the original. (August 2006)
THE DA VINCI CODE. I haven't read the book, although like everyone else, I do know the so-called "secret" in the book. But I thought the movie might be fun, with all the codes and anagrams and puzzles that needed solving. Could be an interesting thriller. Turns out, not so much. I thought this was a real snooze. (May 2006)
DELIVER US FROM EVIL. This is a compelling documentary on the Catholic Church's pedophile priest scandal. The movie focuses on one priest, who the Church knew was engaging in questionable activity (at the very least!). From 1976 to 1996, the hierarchy moved him from Lodi to Stockton to Turlock to San Andreas, until he was finally busted and sent to jail. The movie includes interviews with him, and he is clearly a very sick man, who understands intellectually that raping children was wrong, but gives off no real emotional feeling about it. Since he is free in Ireland (he was deported after he got out of jail in 2000), that is scary enough, but what is really scary is the denial the Church is in over their culpability in these scandals. The movie includes some analysis of why the Church does what it does, why it is in such denial, as well as interviews with the victims and families of the victims, who are still suffering the effects of the priest's betrayal. A really, really powerful movie. (November 2006)
THE DEPARTED. Martin Scorsese’s film about gangsters and cops in Boston. Jack Nicholson is a crime boss, and Martin Sheen is the cop that wants to take him down. Martin recruits Leonardo DiCaprio to be a mole in Nicholson's organization. What Martin and Leo don't know at first is that Jack has recruited a cop (Matt Damon) to be a spy within the police force. But they figure it out. It's a cat-and-mouse game on who will discover their "rat" first. I really enjoyed the movie; it really kept me on the edge of my seat. And at the same time, it's often very funny! I didn't love the ending, but it's not a terrible surprise, given that it's a Scorsese move. (October 2006)
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. Story of Andie (Anne Hathaway), a young woman who was the editor of her college paper, and goes to New York to make it as a journalist. She ends up working for the dragon-lady editor of a Vogue-like magazine, played by Meryl Streep. I am certainly not interested in fashion (no, really!), and the story here is a pretty simple one (will Andie be seduced by the celebrity world of fashion?), but after all the world-is-dying and America-is-going-to-hell documentaries I'd been seeing, this was a nice change. Meryl Streep is fabulous as the editor, and there is a fair amount of humor. Entertaining bit of fluff. (July 2006)
DREAMGIRLS. This movie is based on the Broadway play, loosely based on the story of the Supremes and the rise of Motown. Jamie Fox is the promoter who puts business above everything. The girl group starts as back-up for Jimmy Thunder Early (Eddie Murphy, who is really good), a soul singer. Eventually Jamie gives the girls their solo shot. But he is heartless, and has the best singer in the group (Effie, played by Jennifer Hudson) step back for the prettier girl (Beyonce), who he believes is more marketable. The story is good, and I am OK with Broadway musicals, so I don't mind when people in movies burst into song, like they do here. My problem was that I didn't really care for about half the songs (some really Broadway schmaltzy stuff), even though the story is very uplifting and the acting is good (Jennifer Hudson has a knock-em-dead number that is over the top). So, just so-so.
DUMA. This was made by Carol Ballard, who did the beautiful movies THE BLACK STALLION and FLY AWAY HOME. This one isn't quite so excellent, but still a wonderful family movie. It involves a 9-year-old South African boy, who adopts a cheetah kitten whose mother has died. His father makes it quite clear that when the cheetah is grown up, he will have to be released. Family tragedy ensues, and the boy ends up taking off alone across the desert with the grown cheetah to release him in the area where he was found. He meets up with a hiker, whose motives are suspect. Etc., etc. Like I said, good family movie, good values, heartwarming... (Jan 2006)
FIND ME GUILTY. Vin Diesel plays Jackie, a New Jersey mobster who in the 1980's is brought up on conspiracy charges along with 20 members of his crime family. He decides to represent himself, and the movie, supposedly factual, shows Jackie's somewhat buffoonish attempts to defend himself (his line is "he's a gagster, not a gangster") during the nearly two-year long trial. He's all about loyalty to his family. The movie, for me, was a typical courtroom drama, nothing special. And, since Jackie really is a bad guy, and truly guilty, it was hard to me to care about him or the verdict. (Mar 2006)
FRIENDS WITH MONEY. Jennifer Aniston is one of four women friends. She is working as a maid, because she was teaching but got burned out. So she is poor and single, but her friends all are married and have money. As one character says, they probably wouldn't be friends if they met today. Catherine Keener writes with her husband (screenplays?), Joan Cusack must have inherited wealth, and Frances McDormand is a successful clothing designer. Anyway, there's not much of a plot, it's just about their lives. Turns out, Jennifer is pretty depressed, Frances is clinically depressed, and Catherine is very unhappy in her marriage. So money doesn't have much to do with it. Kind of a slice of life movie, interesting, but not really about much. Although there were some scenes at the end that I really liked, so I didn't feel like it was a waste of time. (April 2006)
THE GOOD SHEPHERD. Matt Damon is a young Yalie in the 1930's, doing all that is right and proper. He joins the elite club Skull and Crossbones, and marries a woman he barely knows because he gets her pregnant. When WWII is on the horizon, he is recruited to join the OSS (the precursor to the CIA). And that's his life. The movie jumps between the 1961 Bay of Pigs debacle, where it looks like he is going to take the blame for the failed invasion of Cuba, and his various exploits in counter-espionage leading up to that, starting in 1940's London. But there isn't enough about the espionage to be interesting, and other than a couple of glimpses of him caring about his son, there isn't much about the man either. It's a tough life, not being able to trust anyone, or share emotions. So I think the point of the movie is that the CIA sucked out his soul, but the movie didn't show that he had much of one to begin with, so other than a mildly intriguing last 20 minutes (and the movie is nearly 2 1/2 hours long), it didn't interest me much.
HALF NELSON. Ryan Gosling teaches middle school history in the inner city. He is trying to get the kids to care by teaching a radical view of history. Of course, it's a tough job. He copes by smoking crack after work. One day one of his students finds him in the locker room stoned out of his mind. She knows what's going on because she has a drug dealer brother in jail. Oddly enough, the two develop a kind of bond. That's it. Nothing really happens; they just become friends who understand each other, despite the age and other differences. A critic favorite, and really well acted, but I could have left halfway through and not missed a lot. (October 2006)
THE HEART OF THE GAME. Documentary about a university law professor who decides to coach Seattle high school girls' basketball team, and how they did over 5 years. There is a focus on one of the young women, who is has some trouble, but is incredibly talented. Well-done in the tradition of HOOP DREAMS - type documentaries. (August 2006)
HOLLYWOODLAND. In 1959, George Reeves, TV's Superman, was found dead, presumably a suicide. This movie explores whether it was a suicide or something else. Adrien Brody stars as a down on his luck private eye, who tries to determine whether something suspicious happened. His investigation and 3-4 theories of how Reeves died are interspersed with scenes from George Reeves' (played by Ben Affleck) life and downward spiral from someone who had promise (he was in GONE WITH THE WIND), to someone who was reduced to a laughingstock. The movie does a great job and showing the era and the place, and the acting is fine, but there isn't any resolution, and so in the end I found the movie somewhat pointless. (September 2006)
THE ILLUSIONIST. Edward Norton stars as an extraordinarily skilled magician in 19th century Vienna. He meets up with his first love, who is unfortunately betrothed to the evil Crown Prince Leopold. Paul Giamatti plays a police inspector in the pocket of the prince, determined to do the Prince's bidding so he can become Chief of Police. Will the couple be able to overcome the obstacles facing them and get together? Given that that the main character is a magician, it is no surprise that the movie entails a con. No shockers here. Not a bad movie: it has lovely settings, the magic is fun, and Edward Norton is always good, but it's not special. (September 2006)
INFAMOUS. The movie is nearly identical to last year's CAPOTE. It tells the story of Truman Capote going to Kansas to write his "non-fiction novel", IN COLD BLOOD, about a family of four who were murdered in a small town. It think this one does a better job of showing Capote's environment, and his background, but the first movie did a better job of showing how disturbed Capote was at what he did to get the story. I thought Sandra Bullock was really good as Harper Lee. Both good movies, but if you've seen the first, I wouldn't bother paying to see the second unless you find the story inherently fascinating. (October 2006)
INSIDE MAN. Clive Owen and his gang rob a bank in Manhattan and take several people hostage. Denzel Washington is brought in as the police detective-negotiator. The movie switches between the two of them, and follows the cat-and-mouse game they are playing with each other. They are both extremely bright, and you wonder who will win the game they are playing.) I was definitely interested for the majority of the movie, although after the robbery is over, the movie could have been edited a little (the last 20 minutes or so). Still, a very good movie for the genre. And it's by Spike Lee, so it's all very stylish. (Mar 2006)
JONESTOWN. This is a documentary on the People's Temple, the cult that ended in 900 suicide/murders in Jonestown, Guyana in 1978. The movie includes a lot of footage of the early days of the Temple in Northern California, when it was a very progressive church, involved in social justice and civil rights. It shows why Jim Jones was attractive to people, before it became obvious he was going off the deep end. As someone says, people don't knowingly join a cult, it evolves. Interviews with ex-cult members, family members of those that died, and the few who survived Jonestown make it a fascinating look at how the tragedy could happen. (November 2006)
JOYEAUX NOEL. Based on fact, this French movie is the story of Christmas Eve 1914, when Scottish, French, and German military units on the Western Front in WWI put down their arms and celebrated Christmas together. The movie starts before the war, so you get to know a little of some of the main characters. Then they go to war, all gung ho, mostly. After slaughtering each other for months in the trenches, the fact that the soldiers could put down their arms, even for one day, is amazing. Watching these "enemies" get to know one another, play games, share food and liquor, and realize they are not that different from one another is moving. And knowing they mostly ended up dead afterward even more so. Nominated for Best Foreign Language movie this year, it's in English, French and German (not that many subtitles). (Mar 2006)
KEEPING UP WITH THE STEINS. Jeremy Piven is a Hollywood agent, who is very competitive with his former mentor, Larry Miller (the Stein in the title). When Larry gives his kid a bar mitzvah to beat all bar mitzvahs (it takes place on a cruise ship), Jeremy decides he has to do the same. So the movie follows some of the over-the-top planning for the party (which will take place in Dodger Stadium). But the heart of the story is the kid inviting his free-spirit grandfather to the party, even though his father and grandfather are estranged. So of course there is conflict and anger and elders spouting wisdom. It's a cute story, but not all that special. (May 2006)
KING KONG. Excellent remake of the classic. Lots of great visuals. Naomi Watts does a great job. Worth seeing. But really, someone needs to tell director Peter Jackson that not every movie needs to be 3 hours long. (Jan 2006)
THE LAKE HOUSE. A movie for romantics. Sandra Bullock lives in a house on the lake, and when she moves out, she leaves a letter with her forwarding address for the next occupant. The occupant (Keanu Reeves) gets the letter, but turns out he actually lived in the lake house two years before she did. They continue to write letters to each other and of course, find themselves falling in love. But can they ever meet, given that they exist in parallel worlds two years apart? Of course, you don't expect a plot like this to make perfect sense, because it can't, but if you are in the market to see a love story, this isn't badly done. Although I think there are episodes of STAR TREK that did it better. ; -) (June 2006)
LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. Nicholas has just graduated from medical school, and is facing a routine life practicing medicine with his father. He wants to escape the humdrum life, spins a globe, and ends up working in a clinic in Uganda. It all is a great adventure, and then Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) comes into power. Through a series of circumstances, Nicholas ends up as Amin's personal physician. And at first, he is really caught up in Amin's charisma and seduced by the power. But when he finally comes to realize that Amin is dangerously crazy, he is in serious trouble and can't escape. It gets pretty intense. A fascinating movie, and Forest Whitaker is amazing as Amin. (The movie is pretty factual as far as the Amin part of the story, and he did have Westerners in his inner circle.) (October 2006)
THE LAST KISS. This is a terrific movie about relationships and coming to terms with not being a kid anymore. Zach Braff plays a 29 year old architect. He has a great job, great friends, and a beautiful girlfriend that he knows he is lucky to have. But she's pregnant and he starts to feel like his life might be over. How he copes, and how his friends cope with the changes in their lives (getting dumped, being in an unhappy marriage, etc.) make for a very believable and enjoyable movie. (September 2006)
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA. At the same time that he made FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, Clint Eastwood made this movie. It's about the battle for Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective, starting from preparations for the American invasion, to the Japanese defeat. The battle is run by a general who knows what strategy could work best (he'd been in a exchange program and knew the American military), but he is thwarted by junior officers who are true believers in dying for the Empire, and think his strategy of fighting from caves and tunnels is cowardly. The movie also follows a young draftee, who is considered disloyal because all he wants is to go home to his wife and baby. The concept of living to fight another day was not Japanese; their culture at that time was more about death before surrender, or even death before retreat. No matter what side they are on, men can act either honorably or dishonorably in battle, and this movie shows both. Although often gruesome, this movie is really good, and an excellent entry in the "war is hell" genre. (Dec 2006)
LITTLE CHILDREN. Kate Winslet is a wife and mother of a 4-year-old. She lives in the suburbs, surrounded by housewives that she looks down on, and she isn't happy. One day the local house-husband/stay-at-home dad comes to the playground and piques her interest. In another sub-plot, the neighborhood is up in arms because a sexual deviant has gotten out of jail and moved back home. This is not my kind of movie. But it does start out comically, with one of the guys that narrate PBS nature shows doing a sociological voiceover that is pretty funny. But it devolves into a story about people I had no sympathy for behaving badly, and the last quarter of the movie I had the uncomfortable feeling of just waiting for something really awful to happen. A movie where the deviant is the most sympathetic character (great acting!) has problems, in my opinion. Critics like this kind of the thing, but without a single character to like or root for, I just don't care. (Dec 2006)
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. Very funny movie about a family who goes on a road trip from New Mexico to California, so their little girl can compete in the regional Little Miss Sunshine contest. They are an interesting family: Greg Kinnear is the insufferable dad, and wants to publish and go on the road with his 9 steps to self-improvement. Mom Toni Collete is trying to hold it all together. Her brother Steve Carrell is an academic who just tried to commit suicide. The teenage son is going through a weird adolescent phase. And profane Grandpa Alan Arkin snorts heroin and has gotten kicked out of assisted living. Terrific movie, very entertaining. Loved the commentary on child beauty contests. Highest recommendation :-) (August 2006)
MONSTER HOUSE. Animated children's movie of the scary house in the neighborhood, with the scary neighbor who terrorizes all the children. Say goodbye if your ball lands on his lawn! Anyway, the neighbor dies, and the house turns evil, swallowing dogs and people who dare go near. So the kids scheme to "kill" the house. A good movie for kids, but I wasn't that impressed. I saw it in 3D, which had cool moments, but basically was annoying. (August 2006)
MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS. Inspired by a true story. Judi Dench plays an upper class British woman in 1930's London. She is widowed, and becomes quite bored. So she buys a music hall, and hires Bob Hoskins to run it. They are successful at first, but eventual people stop coming. So she comes up with the idea of having naked women in the shows. This gets approval from the powers-that-be, as long as the women don’t move. She has very little understanding of people without money, and is a bit of a pill. Bob is pretty cranky himself. So the movie shows their relationship, as well as the morale booster the music hall was during WWII. This is a very old-fashioned movie, just a small story, and the relationship of two people. No great themes or meaning. But it is entertaining. (Feb 2006)
MUNICH. Based on the fallout from the 1972 Munich Olympics, where Palestinians took Israeli athletes hostage and they all ended up dead. In response, Israel was determined to hunt down the masterminds behind the hostage-taking and kill them. The movie follows the Israeli team that did the killings. The leader is a young man with a pregnant wife, who takes the job knowing he will be away from home for quite a while. The other members of the team range from a man who has no qualms whatsoever about what they are doing, to others that have more serious moral issues. The point of the movie, I guess, is to take a look at the philosophy of "an eye for an eye", but it really didn't do much for me. I don't find the concept that two sides of a conflict can be both right and wrong to be all that deep or compelling. (Jan 2006)
NOTES ON A SCANDAL. Judi Dench is an unhappy, bitter, and hateful high school teacher. I am not sure if she is hateful because she has never been loved, or never been loved because she is so hateful. Regardless, she longs for companionship. One day, Cate Blanchett appears to teach art at the school. Judi manages to hides her true self, and the two become friends. Cate even invites Judi to her house to meet her older husband and her disabled son. Then, one day, Judi finds Cate having sex with one of the 15-year-old students. And rather than inform the police, Judi decides that this is her opportunity to manipulate Cate, and get what she wants. In lesser hands, this movie would be really tawdry, but Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett are so good I was completely into finding out how it would all be resolved. Top notch. (Dec 2006)
NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE. Gretchen Mol plays Bettie Page, who was a premier soft-core porn queen in the 50's. Lots of bondage and S&M photos. Bettie is very innocent about it all, considering the modeling just costumes and play acting. I am not sure if Bettie was that naive or that dumb. (She wasn't innocent, as the movie implies she was sexually abused as a girl, in an abusive marriage, and suffered a gang rape.) Regardless, the movie is entertaining, and boy, does the stuff she was doing seem tame by today's standards. (April 2006)
OVER THE HEDGE. Animation. It concerns animals that, while hibernating, have been surrounded by the suburbs. A wily raccoon (Bruce Willis) needs to scavenge a bunch of food to replace what he took from a menacing bear (Nick Nolte), and so he scams the hibernating animals to go "over the hedge", into suburbia to scavenge in garbage cans and homes. This isn't as good a SHREK, for instance, and I would say it is more of a kids' movie. But I laughed out loud a lot (there are lots of digs at humans and suburbia), so it's fine for parents to go to as well. (May 2006)
THE PRESTIGE. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play magicians in turn-of-the-last-century America and England. When a magic trick goes wrong and Hugh's wife dies, he blames Christian and they become lifelong enemies and competitors to have the "best" magic tricks. They each try to top the other, and actually become cruel at times when they ruin the other's illusions. So eventually one of them "wins", and is no doubt the winner of their competition to be the best trickster, but I didn't like either one of the characters, so I didn't care. (And I really like both of the actors.) The earlier film about magicians, THE ILLUSIONIST, had better atmosphere, while this one was had a better surprise ending. Still, I don't highly recommend either movie. (October 2006)
THE PUFFY CHAIR. The movie starts with two young people having dinner, talking cutsie nonsense talk to each other. So, immediately, I hate them both. The story goes that the young man bought a chair for his dad's birthday off of E-Bay, and he and the girlfriend take off on a road trip to pick up the chair and deliver it to dad. The young man turns out to be not so bad, in my opinion, but the young woman (who is the type to wake up her boyfriend to ask him why he loves her), was the kind of character I despise. On the way to get the chair, they pick up the young man's younger brother. And the brother is a flaky idiot as well. So, between the shaky camera work, the in-and-out focus, and the two-out-of-three characters I didn't like, I really hated this movie. I might have been more tolerant of the characters if I was younger, but I am too old now to find their cluelessness charming. One of those "critics like it" but it’s-a-mystery-to-me-why movies. (June 2006)
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS. Will Smith stars as Chris Gardner, who in 1981 is really down on his luck. He has a sales job selling a product no one wants and a wife who is bitter and angry about their lot in life. But Chris is really smart, and has ambition to make a better life for him and his family. Still, one day the wife leaves, and Chris struggles to get by and take care of his young son (played by Will Smith's real son, who does a great job). Chris's goal is to become a stockbroker, and he does get an internship at Dean Witter. But it is unpaid, and Will has really bad luck, so much so that he and his son end up on the street, eating and sleeping at Glide Memorial. You know the movie isn't going to end up being a total downer, but despite a lack of suspense, it was still enjoyable. Will Smith makes you feel his pain, and I got a little teary in the end. It's nice to see someone work hard and make it, despite all the odds. Based on a true story. (Dec 2006)
THE QUEEN. Helen Mirren stars as Queen Elizabeth II. The movie is about the relationship she has with Tony Blair at the beginning of his term, when he is very popular, and somewhat anti-royal. The movie focuses on the week after Princess Diana was killed, and how the Royal Family's initial reaction is to keep it very private, make no statements, and not reach out to the people. Tony Blair's intuition, correct as it turns out, is that the Royals have to change their ways and become more connected to the population. The relationship between the Queen and Tony evolves, and we see the Queen coming to grips with how the world has changed since she became Queen 50 years earlier. A very interesting movie. (October 2006)
QUINCEANERA. This story takes place in Echo Park, a Mexican-American neighborhood in Los Angeles that is being gentrified. The story revolves around two teenagers: Magdalena, who is on the verge of celebrating her 15th birthday, and her cousin Carlos. Both are kicked out of their homes for alleged sins, and end up with their great uncle. I don't want to say much more about the movie, because I am afraid that would ruin it, and it is just a small slice of life story, beautifully done. You get a real feel for the community and the main characters are wonderful. I really liked it, even though not a lot happens. (September 2006)
ROAD TO GUANTANAMO. In late September 2001, a young British Pakistani, at the urging of his mother, goes home to Pakistan to meet a potential wife. He does decide to get married, and invites 3 British friends to come to Pakistan and visit. After a few weeks in Pakistan, they decide to go to Afghanistan to see what it is like. A really stupid move, I think they would now agree. But they certainly didn't deserve what happens to them. They get caught up in the war, and end up being arrested by the Northern Alliance. After a bit of time with the Afghanis, they are transferred to the Americans, and spend 2 years as prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, where the conditions were, to put it mildly, not good. Not a fun movie to watch, but important to see. (July 2006)
SENTINEL. Michael Douglas, looking way past mandatory retirement, plays a secret service agent who protects the president and his wife. He is also having an affair with the First Lady. Someone is planning to kill the president, and Michael is being set up. Keifer Sutherland, in full on Jack Bauer mode, plays the investigator brought in to investigate the threat on the Prez's life. Of course, Keifer and Michael have a history: best friends but now enemies. Will Michael be able to clear himself? Not a horrible political thriller, but barely OK. I wouldn't recommend paying to see it. (April 2006)
SHUT UP AND SING. Right before the war started in Iraq, the Dixie Chicks were on a concert tour in London. There were demonstrations outside, and between songs, Natalie Maynes, the lead singer, tossed off a line about how they were ashamed the President was from Texas. The right wing media went into high gear, and the Dixie Chicks found themselves blacklisted from country radio. This documentary follows them, from the fateful comments, until 2006. They are interesting women, and even can be quite funny, so the movie was a good watch. The amount of hate (including death threats) that they received was so out of proportion with what they said, it's unbelievable. This movie made me so angry I went right out and bought the Dixie Chicks' latest CD, and I don't even like country music. (November 2006)
SOMETHING NEW. Sanaa Lathan is a professional woman, who along with her friends, complains about the lack of professional black men to date. So she is a surprised as anyone when she starts relationship with her white landscape developer. But he doesn't understand her life, and she is a bit embarrassed by being with him. And then she meets Blair Underwood, who is everything she thought she wanted. So, will she end up with the man that challenges her, and forces her outside of her comfort zone (which would be good for her), or the one who understands her and what her life is like? Good, entertaining, romantic movie. Sanaa Lathan (BROWN SUGAR, LOVE AND BASKETBALL) is the queen of good date movies, in my opinion. She makes them work. (Feb 2006)
STRANGER THAN FICTION. Will Farrell is an IRS agent who lives a very orderly life. One day, he starts to hear a woman's voice narrating his life. Obviously, he is a little put off by it, but not really frightened until he hears the voice say he is going to die. He engages a professor of literature (Dustin Hoffman) to try to help him figure out who the narrator is. While trying to figure that out, Dustin advises Will to live his life more fully, because maybe he will die. So Will tries to develop a relationship with Maggie Gyllenhall. Very interesting movie; I liked it a lot. Although it is being advertised as a comedy, and it does have amusing parts, it is also a romance, and even more seriously, a movie that makes a statement about the value of art vs. the value of a life... I liked the movie more and more as I thought about it. (November 2006)
TALLEDEGA NIGHTS: THE LEGEND OF RICKY BOBBY. This parody of the world of NASCAR stars Will Farrell as Ricky Bobby, who believes "if you're not first, you're last". There are big stretches of really stupid in this movie, but they are interrupted by lots of smiles and some outright belly laughs. I would say if that is what you are in the mood for, check this out. (August 2006)
(And if you rent the DVD, check out the outtakes – hysterical!)
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING. Another movie I really liked. It follows Aaron Eckhardt, who is a lobbyist for the tobacco companies. There isn't much of a plot, just a lot of very black humor as he goes about defending his work on TV and in front of Congress. He also tries to get more smoking in movies, and the part showing tobacco lobbyists meeting Hollywood players is quite the thing. I was the only one in the theater laughing at times, but I thought this was hysterical. (Mar 2006)
TRANSAMERICA. Felicity Huffman stars as Bree, a male-to-female transsexual who is one surgery away from her transformation. She is living as a woman, and ready for that last surgery, when she gets a call from a teenage son she never knew she had. She wants to deny her past, but her psychologist won't let her get the surgery unless Bree deals with the son. So she ends up flying to New York to get him out of juvie, and driving the kid (who doesn't know Bree is biologically still a man, let alone his father) back to California. So it's kind of a classic road trip movie, with two people who don't know each other getting to know one another as they have adventures along the way. And both have issues to deal with (their stop in Phoenix with Bree's parents is priceless). This movie isn't at all sugary sweet, but it is often amusing, and it was much more fun than I expected. (Feb 2006)
TRISTRAM SHANDY. This is a weird one to explain. For those of you who don't know (I didn't) Tristram Shandy is an 18th century novel, supposedly an autobiography, but Tristam gets easily side-tracked during his story, and the novel ends before Tristram is born. The movie is about an underfunded group of filmmakers trying to make a movie of this novel. It is interspersed with scenes from the movie, and then scenes of the guys making the movie. Including the lead, who is extremely self-centered and always trying to ensure that his role is the best. It's full of very dry humor, and I feel like I missed half the jokes. But I got half of them, and that was enough. (March 2006)
TSOTSI. Tsotsi is destitute young man living in a South African shanty town. He gets by robbing people with his gang, and is a pretty cold blooded. Until one day, when a carjacking goes wrong and he ends up with a baby in the back seat. Something in the baby touches him, and he spends the rest of the movie trying to do right by the baby. (It also explores how he got to be the way he is.) But the question is - can he really be redeemed? Nice little movie, winner of the Best Foreign Language movie Oscar this year. (Mar 2006)
UNITED 93. September 11, 2001. Watch what was happening on that day, ending with the plane that crashed into the Pennsylvania field, pretty much in real time as it happened. The early movie is mostly about the air traffic controllers and the military, who were just trying to figure out what was going on, when it was all so unbelievable, and the information they had was sometimes contradictory. This part was really interesting to me, because I hadn't read that much about their experiences. There's not much about the events on United 93 until that last third of the movie, because of course a bunch of people sitting on a plane isn't that compelling. I thought this was really well-done in an almost matter of fact way, because it makes the heroism of those involved all the more real. It's not a fake inspirational rah-rah kind of thing. (May 2006)
V FOR VENDETTA. Some years in the future, America's population has been decimated by a virus, and having a Civil War. In England, a Fascist government had taken power. Evey (Natalie Portman) works for the British news service and one day goes out after curfew, and the SS-like "Finger Men" accost her. She is only saved by a man in a Guy Fawkes mask, "V" (Hugo Weaving). He takes her to the top of a building and they watch Old Bailey (London's criminal courthouse) blow up. (All this in the first few minutes!). "V" is out to destroy the fascist government, and two policemen try to find him through Evey (they were taped watching the explosion, I think). The movie covers the next year in their lives, as he tries to rally the population, and she tries to do what's right. I really, really liked this one. It's one of those movies you can discuss the politics of and also it's really visual (produced by the guys that did THE MATRIX). Fun to watch. (March 2006)
THE WAR TAPES. The director of this movie gave mini-cameras (that fit on their helmets) to 3 National Guardsmen who were off to spend a year in Iraq. She edited the 1,000 hours of film down into this documentary about their experiences (they mostly did convoy duty). Two of the guys filming are gung ho Iraq occupation, and the third is a Lebanese-American Democrat, who has a different take than the usual military guy. It's interesting to see how their attitudes evolve over their year, and the effect their time had on them when they return to the U.S. Good movie. (July 2006)
WATER. It's 1938 India, and Chuyia, a 7-year old girl, has just been widowed. She is so young she doesn't even really remember getting married, nor does she understand what being a widow means. In 1938 India, Hindu law means she can throw herself on her husband's funeral pyre, marry his brother, or become a chaste woman, the equivalent of a nun. So, her father abandons her to the ashram, with all the other widows. Where they survive pretty much by begging on the streets. At first Chuyia doesn't realize what is happening, but eventually adapts, as a little girl can. She gets to know the women, including the battle ax who runs the place with an iron hand, the woman who is very sad about her situation but has religious faith and believes she is doing the spiritual thing, and a young woman who was also widowed young, and yearns to have a another chance at life. This is a fascinating movie, providing a window into a time and place I had no knowledge of. How Chuyia’s situation is resolved is wonderful. Beautiful movie; this is why I go to movies. (May 2006)
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? This interesting documentary provides a history of electric cars, especially GM's EV1, and evaluates why the car failed. Potential culprits include consumers, the technology, General Motors, Big Oil, fuel cell technology and the California Air Resources Board. If you're not already depressed / outraged / cynical about the way things work in America, go see this movie. (August 2006)
WORDPLAY. This is a documentary on those who do crossword puzzles, including background and interviews with the editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, which is considered the top puzzle in the country. The movie also shows how the puzzles are constructed, gives a little history, has interviews with famous folk who like crosswords (Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, some baseball player), and profiles a variety of people who compete in crossword puzzle contests. The movie culminates in the 2005 national Crossword Puzzle contest. This may not sound like much fun, and while I wouldn't say it was top-10 on my documentary list, the movie was interesting and entertaining. (June 2006)
WORLD TRADE CENTER. Oliver Stone's movie centers on two Transit Authority policemen (Nicholas Cage and Michael Pena) on Sept. 11. It's a beautiful day, everybody gets up and goes to work, and then all hell breaks loose. A small crew, including these two, goes to the site to help evacuate people, and before they can even go upstairs, the tower collapses around them. Up until this point, I thought the movie was quite moving and very well done. But that's only about 30 minutes. The remainder of the movie is the two cops buried in rubble, not really able to move, trying to keep each other's spirits up, interspersed with scenes of their wives and families worrying, and the Marine who would eventually find them so they could be rescued. Of course what they did was heroic, but it's not that scintillating to watch. So, a good movie, but not great. UNITED 93 had a lot more tension, because really, that story is more compelling to show than two guys lying in rubble. (August 2006)
X-MEN III - THE LAST STAND. First X-men movie I've seen. I am not all that impressed. Sure, there are cool effects, but it wasn't that compelling. I did like the idea, which in this case has the mutants fighting the humans, because the humans have come up with a vaccine to "cure" the mutants, who for the most part, don't think they need to be cured. So I suppose you could argue that the movie could lead to discussions about conformity, the right to be different, etc., but I don't think the movie was worth it. (May 2006)
A NEW WORLD. This movie about the English coming to Jamestown, with Colin Farrell as John Smith. But really, the focus of the story is Pocahantas. And it's pretty much what we learned in high school history: she saves his life, marries another guy, goes to England and dies. And life for the colonists was really hard. So there isn't much story, but this movie is so beautifully filmed it's just gorgeous to look at. It gives a great feel for what a paradise North America used to be. Since the movie focuses mostly on Pocahantas' story, I would say the new world in the title is less the new world of the colonists, but the new world that would be imposed on the Indians. I liked it, mostly for the visuals. (Jan 2006)
AKEELAH AND THE BEE. Akeelah lives in South L.A., and has a bit of an attitude problem, because she is smart and knows that the education she is getting is not top-rate. But she does have teachers that care, and she is forced to participate in the school's spelling bee. Which she wins because she has a real gift. So she gets a mentor (Laurence Fishbourne), goes the regionals, nationals... you can guess the general arc of the story. But it's a good story, because she does have hurdles to overcome, both internal and external, so there's some depth to it. And the final bee isn't quite as predictable as one would guess. This is a terrific movie for families, I would think. (May 2006)
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. Movie showing Al Gore giving his slideshow about global warming mixed with interviews of him talking about his personal evolution regarding the issue. I really wasn't enthusiastic about seeing the movie, and although Al does come off as a bit pompous at times, generally he comes off as more appealing than I would have predicted. He explains global warming science at a pretty simple level, and gets off a joke or two. I saw the movie because I felt I should, and it turns out I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. And I feel I understand the topic better, which is a good thing. (June 2006)
BLOOD DIAMOND. Djimon Hounsou is a fisherman in Sierra Leone. He is poor, and is placing all his dreams on his son going to school and becoming a doctor. But one day the rebels come and his wife and daughters end up in a refugee camp, his son is forced to become a child soldier, and Djimon is enslaved in the diamond mines. In a parallel story, Leonardo DiCaprio is a heartless mercenary from Zimbabwe, who has gotten into the diamond smuggling business. The point of the movie, I think, is supposed to be that the diamond trade is supporting civil war and is inherently evil. But that's just mentioned in narrative a few times, and really doesn't give the movie any emotional kick. Instead, the movie focuses on Leo and Djimon coming together to work to find an incredibly valuable diamond that Djimon found and hid before he escaped the mines. Djimon wants to use the money to save his family, and Leo just wants to get out of Africa. So the movie is more about the personal than the political. And, oh yeah, Jennifer Connelly is totally unbelievable as a reporter who wants to make a splash with the blood diamond story. (And of course, she and Leo have "a moment". Bleh.) I saw the end of the movie coming a mile away, and other than one brief moment at the end, the movie didn't grab me emotionally. (Other than the scenes of the rebel indoctrination that turns children into cold blooded killers - those were really disturbing.) The movie isn't bad; I just didn't think it was all it could have been.
BOBBY. This movie takes place the day Robert Kennedy was shot in Los Angeles, the day he won the California primary to run for President in 1968. It follows a dozen or so mostly fictionalized characters throughout the day. A lot about the movie annoyed me: most of the characters are played by celebrities, which was disconcerting. (That's Ashton Kutcher...and there's Helen Hunt. And wait, isn't that a Hobbit? etc., etc., etc.). Also, the director (Emilio Estevez) tries too hard to compare 1968 to today (hanging chads in 1968?). Still, I remember 1968, and I kind of liked remembering the era. I am not sure whether people who don't remember 1968 would enjoy the movie or not. (November 2006)
BORAT. Sacha Baron Cohen stars as Borat, a journalist from Kazakhstan who comes to America to learn about our country. He plays the journalist as being from an extremely backward country, but while interacting with Americans reveals something about America as well. Which is that while many people are polite and helpful, some are idiots (drunken frats boys and the crowd at a rodeo, for example). I put off going to see this movie, because I don't generally like this kind of "candid camera/punk'd" kind of humor, but the movie is being nominated for awards left and right, so I went. And I admit, after a slow start, I was smiling throughout the movie, and laughing out loud for quite bit of it, so I have to say it's worth seeing. Cohen does an incredible job staying in character.
THE BRIDGE. The film maker of this movie got permission to film the Golden Gate Bridge, telling the authorities he was filming the bridge in different lights and seasons. But what he was really doing was filming people jumping off the bridge. So interspersed with beautiful scenery are scenes of a few people's last moments. Then there are interviews with family members and friends (and in one case, a guy that survived his attempt). Interesting movie and I guess the film maker is trying to make the point that the Bridge holds a romantic fascination for the suicidal, but I don't think he made the point strongly enough that these suicides could be prevented from jumping. Instead, the movie is mostly just sad and disturbing. (November 2006)
BUBBLE. Steve Soderburgh went to a small town in West Virginia, found some nonprofessional actors, and came up with this. It involves a middle aged woman and younger guy who work at a doll factory. She considers the young guy one of her best friends (because her life is pretty unexciting: work and taking care of her elderly dad). Things change when a young woman comes to work at the factory, and also befriends the young guy. Then there is a murder. Only 73 minutes long, the movie feels very much like a filmed short story. It's not all that special, but it did keep me interested. (Jan 2006)
CASINO ROYALE. The latest Bond movie, this one goes back to when Bond first becomes a 007. The new Bond, Daniel Craig, isn't as smooth as the previous actors, but I thought he made a good Bond. Not as much high-tech stuff as the previous movies, but also less cartoony (in my opinion). I liked it. (November 2006)
CLERKS II. The movie revisits the lives of Dante and Randall, ten years after the first movie. They worked at the quickie mart/video store for years, until it burned down. Now they work at the fast food joint Mooby's. Dante is trying to grow up, but Randall is still an idiot. The first half of this movie is painfully unfunny. The second half improves a bit, with occasional smiles. But I didn't laugh out loud once, so this was a real disappointment. If you want a CLERKS fix, rent the original. (August 2006)
THE DA VINCI CODE. I haven't read the book, although like everyone else, I do know the so-called "secret" in the book. But I thought the movie might be fun, with all the codes and anagrams and puzzles that needed solving. Could be an interesting thriller. Turns out, not so much. I thought this was a real snooze. (May 2006)
DELIVER US FROM EVIL. This is a compelling documentary on the Catholic Church's pedophile priest scandal. The movie focuses on one priest, who the Church knew was engaging in questionable activity (at the very least!). From 1976 to 1996, the hierarchy moved him from Lodi to Stockton to Turlock to San Andreas, until he was finally busted and sent to jail. The movie includes interviews with him, and he is clearly a very sick man, who understands intellectually that raping children was wrong, but gives off no real emotional feeling about it. Since he is free in Ireland (he was deported after he got out of jail in 2000), that is scary enough, but what is really scary is the denial the Church is in over their culpability in these scandals. The movie includes some analysis of why the Church does what it does, why it is in such denial, as well as interviews with the victims and families of the victims, who are still suffering the effects of the priest's betrayal. A really, really powerful movie. (November 2006)
THE DEPARTED. Martin Scorsese’s film about gangsters and cops in Boston. Jack Nicholson is a crime boss, and Martin Sheen is the cop that wants to take him down. Martin recruits Leonardo DiCaprio to be a mole in Nicholson's organization. What Martin and Leo don't know at first is that Jack has recruited a cop (Matt Damon) to be a spy within the police force. But they figure it out. It's a cat-and-mouse game on who will discover their "rat" first. I really enjoyed the movie; it really kept me on the edge of my seat. And at the same time, it's often very funny! I didn't love the ending, but it's not a terrible surprise, given that it's a Scorsese move. (October 2006)
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. Story of Andie (Anne Hathaway), a young woman who was the editor of her college paper, and goes to New York to make it as a journalist. She ends up working for the dragon-lady editor of a Vogue-like magazine, played by Meryl Streep. I am certainly not interested in fashion (no, really!), and the story here is a pretty simple one (will Andie be seduced by the celebrity world of fashion?), but after all the world-is-dying and America-is-going-to-hell documentaries I'd been seeing, this was a nice change. Meryl Streep is fabulous as the editor, and there is a fair amount of humor. Entertaining bit of fluff. (July 2006)
DREAMGIRLS. This movie is based on the Broadway play, loosely based on the story of the Supremes and the rise of Motown. Jamie Fox is the promoter who puts business above everything. The girl group starts as back-up for Jimmy Thunder Early (Eddie Murphy, who is really good), a soul singer. Eventually Jamie gives the girls their solo shot. But he is heartless, and has the best singer in the group (Effie, played by Jennifer Hudson) step back for the prettier girl (Beyonce), who he believes is more marketable. The story is good, and I am OK with Broadway musicals, so I don't mind when people in movies burst into song, like they do here. My problem was that I didn't really care for about half the songs (some really Broadway schmaltzy stuff), even though the story is very uplifting and the acting is good (Jennifer Hudson has a knock-em-dead number that is over the top). So, just so-so.
DUMA. This was made by Carol Ballard, who did the beautiful movies THE BLACK STALLION and FLY AWAY HOME. This one isn't quite so excellent, but still a wonderful family movie. It involves a 9-year-old South African boy, who adopts a cheetah kitten whose mother has died. His father makes it quite clear that when the cheetah is grown up, he will have to be released. Family tragedy ensues, and the boy ends up taking off alone across the desert with the grown cheetah to release him in the area where he was found. He meets up with a hiker, whose motives are suspect. Etc., etc. Like I said, good family movie, good values, heartwarming... (Jan 2006)
FIND ME GUILTY. Vin Diesel plays Jackie, a New Jersey mobster who in the 1980's is brought up on conspiracy charges along with 20 members of his crime family. He decides to represent himself, and the movie, supposedly factual, shows Jackie's somewhat buffoonish attempts to defend himself (his line is "he's a gagster, not a gangster") during the nearly two-year long trial. He's all about loyalty to his family. The movie, for me, was a typical courtroom drama, nothing special. And, since Jackie really is a bad guy, and truly guilty, it was hard to me to care about him or the verdict. (Mar 2006)
FRIENDS WITH MONEY. Jennifer Aniston is one of four women friends. She is working as a maid, because she was teaching but got burned out. So she is poor and single, but her friends all are married and have money. As one character says, they probably wouldn't be friends if they met today. Catherine Keener writes with her husband (screenplays?), Joan Cusack must have inherited wealth, and Frances McDormand is a successful clothing designer. Anyway, there's not much of a plot, it's just about their lives. Turns out, Jennifer is pretty depressed, Frances is clinically depressed, and Catherine is very unhappy in her marriage. So money doesn't have much to do with it. Kind of a slice of life movie, interesting, but not really about much. Although there were some scenes at the end that I really liked, so I didn't feel like it was a waste of time. (April 2006)
THE GOOD SHEPHERD. Matt Damon is a young Yalie in the 1930's, doing all that is right and proper. He joins the elite club Skull and Crossbones, and marries a woman he barely knows because he gets her pregnant. When WWII is on the horizon, he is recruited to join the OSS (the precursor to the CIA). And that's his life. The movie jumps between the 1961 Bay of Pigs debacle, where it looks like he is going to take the blame for the failed invasion of Cuba, and his various exploits in counter-espionage leading up to that, starting in 1940's London. But there isn't enough about the espionage to be interesting, and other than a couple of glimpses of him caring about his son, there isn't much about the man either. It's a tough life, not being able to trust anyone, or share emotions. So I think the point of the movie is that the CIA sucked out his soul, but the movie didn't show that he had much of one to begin with, so other than a mildly intriguing last 20 minutes (and the movie is nearly 2 1/2 hours long), it didn't interest me much.
HALF NELSON. Ryan Gosling teaches middle school history in the inner city. He is trying to get the kids to care by teaching a radical view of history. Of course, it's a tough job. He copes by smoking crack after work. One day one of his students finds him in the locker room stoned out of his mind. She knows what's going on because she has a drug dealer brother in jail. Oddly enough, the two develop a kind of bond. That's it. Nothing really happens; they just become friends who understand each other, despite the age and other differences. A critic favorite, and really well acted, but I could have left halfway through and not missed a lot. (October 2006)
THE HEART OF THE GAME. Documentary about a university law professor who decides to coach Seattle high school girls' basketball team, and how they did over 5 years. There is a focus on one of the young women, who is has some trouble, but is incredibly talented. Well-done in the tradition of HOOP DREAMS - type documentaries. (August 2006)
HOLLYWOODLAND. In 1959, George Reeves, TV's Superman, was found dead, presumably a suicide. This movie explores whether it was a suicide or something else. Adrien Brody stars as a down on his luck private eye, who tries to determine whether something suspicious happened. His investigation and 3-4 theories of how Reeves died are interspersed with scenes from George Reeves' (played by Ben Affleck) life and downward spiral from someone who had promise (he was in GONE WITH THE WIND), to someone who was reduced to a laughingstock. The movie does a great job and showing the era and the place, and the acting is fine, but there isn't any resolution, and so in the end I found the movie somewhat pointless. (September 2006)
THE ILLUSIONIST. Edward Norton stars as an extraordinarily skilled magician in 19th century Vienna. He meets up with his first love, who is unfortunately betrothed to the evil Crown Prince Leopold. Paul Giamatti plays a police inspector in the pocket of the prince, determined to do the Prince's bidding so he can become Chief of Police. Will the couple be able to overcome the obstacles facing them and get together? Given that that the main character is a magician, it is no surprise that the movie entails a con. No shockers here. Not a bad movie: it has lovely settings, the magic is fun, and Edward Norton is always good, but it's not special. (September 2006)
INFAMOUS. The movie is nearly identical to last year's CAPOTE. It tells the story of Truman Capote going to Kansas to write his "non-fiction novel", IN COLD BLOOD, about a family of four who were murdered in a small town. It think this one does a better job of showing Capote's environment, and his background, but the first movie did a better job of showing how disturbed Capote was at what he did to get the story. I thought Sandra Bullock was really good as Harper Lee. Both good movies, but if you've seen the first, I wouldn't bother paying to see the second unless you find the story inherently fascinating. (October 2006)
INSIDE MAN. Clive Owen and his gang rob a bank in Manhattan and take several people hostage. Denzel Washington is brought in as the police detective-negotiator. The movie switches between the two of them, and follows the cat-and-mouse game they are playing with each other. They are both extremely bright, and you wonder who will win the game they are playing.) I was definitely interested for the majority of the movie, although after the robbery is over, the movie could have been edited a little (the last 20 minutes or so). Still, a very good movie for the genre. And it's by Spike Lee, so it's all very stylish. (Mar 2006)
JONESTOWN. This is a documentary on the People's Temple, the cult that ended in 900 suicide/murders in Jonestown, Guyana in 1978. The movie includes a lot of footage of the early days of the Temple in Northern California, when it was a very progressive church, involved in social justice and civil rights. It shows why Jim Jones was attractive to people, before it became obvious he was going off the deep end. As someone says, people don't knowingly join a cult, it evolves. Interviews with ex-cult members, family members of those that died, and the few who survived Jonestown make it a fascinating look at how the tragedy could happen. (November 2006)
JOYEAUX NOEL. Based on fact, this French movie is the story of Christmas Eve 1914, when Scottish, French, and German military units on the Western Front in WWI put down their arms and celebrated Christmas together. The movie starts before the war, so you get to know a little of some of the main characters. Then they go to war, all gung ho, mostly. After slaughtering each other for months in the trenches, the fact that the soldiers could put down their arms, even for one day, is amazing. Watching these "enemies" get to know one another, play games, share food and liquor, and realize they are not that different from one another is moving. And knowing they mostly ended up dead afterward even more so. Nominated for Best Foreign Language movie this year, it's in English, French and German (not that many subtitles). (Mar 2006)
KEEPING UP WITH THE STEINS. Jeremy Piven is a Hollywood agent, who is very competitive with his former mentor, Larry Miller (the Stein in the title). When Larry gives his kid a bar mitzvah to beat all bar mitzvahs (it takes place on a cruise ship), Jeremy decides he has to do the same. So the movie follows some of the over-the-top planning for the party (which will take place in Dodger Stadium). But the heart of the story is the kid inviting his free-spirit grandfather to the party, even though his father and grandfather are estranged. So of course there is conflict and anger and elders spouting wisdom. It's a cute story, but not all that special. (May 2006)
KING KONG. Excellent remake of the classic. Lots of great visuals. Naomi Watts does a great job. Worth seeing. But really, someone needs to tell director Peter Jackson that not every movie needs to be 3 hours long. (Jan 2006)
THE LAKE HOUSE. A movie for romantics. Sandra Bullock lives in a house on the lake, and when she moves out, she leaves a letter with her forwarding address for the next occupant. The occupant (Keanu Reeves) gets the letter, but turns out he actually lived in the lake house two years before she did. They continue to write letters to each other and of course, find themselves falling in love. But can they ever meet, given that they exist in parallel worlds two years apart? Of course, you don't expect a plot like this to make perfect sense, because it can't, but if you are in the market to see a love story, this isn't badly done. Although I think there are episodes of STAR TREK that did it better. ; -) (June 2006)
LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. Nicholas has just graduated from medical school, and is facing a routine life practicing medicine with his father. He wants to escape the humdrum life, spins a globe, and ends up working in a clinic in Uganda. It all is a great adventure, and then Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) comes into power. Through a series of circumstances, Nicholas ends up as Amin's personal physician. And at first, he is really caught up in Amin's charisma and seduced by the power. But when he finally comes to realize that Amin is dangerously crazy, he is in serious trouble and can't escape. It gets pretty intense. A fascinating movie, and Forest Whitaker is amazing as Amin. (The movie is pretty factual as far as the Amin part of the story, and he did have Westerners in his inner circle.) (October 2006)
THE LAST KISS. This is a terrific movie about relationships and coming to terms with not being a kid anymore. Zach Braff plays a 29 year old architect. He has a great job, great friends, and a beautiful girlfriend that he knows he is lucky to have. But she's pregnant and he starts to feel like his life might be over. How he copes, and how his friends cope with the changes in their lives (getting dumped, being in an unhappy marriage, etc.) make for a very believable and enjoyable movie. (September 2006)
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA. At the same time that he made FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, Clint Eastwood made this movie. It's about the battle for Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective, starting from preparations for the American invasion, to the Japanese defeat. The battle is run by a general who knows what strategy could work best (he'd been in a exchange program and knew the American military), but he is thwarted by junior officers who are true believers in dying for the Empire, and think his strategy of fighting from caves and tunnels is cowardly. The movie also follows a young draftee, who is considered disloyal because all he wants is to go home to his wife and baby. The concept of living to fight another day was not Japanese; their culture at that time was more about death before surrender, or even death before retreat. No matter what side they are on, men can act either honorably or dishonorably in battle, and this movie shows both. Although often gruesome, this movie is really good, and an excellent entry in the "war is hell" genre. (Dec 2006)
LITTLE CHILDREN. Kate Winslet is a wife and mother of a 4-year-old. She lives in the suburbs, surrounded by housewives that she looks down on, and she isn't happy. One day the local house-husband/stay-at-home dad comes to the playground and piques her interest. In another sub-plot, the neighborhood is up in arms because a sexual deviant has gotten out of jail and moved back home. This is not my kind of movie. But it does start out comically, with one of the guys that narrate PBS nature shows doing a sociological voiceover that is pretty funny. But it devolves into a story about people I had no sympathy for behaving badly, and the last quarter of the movie I had the uncomfortable feeling of just waiting for something really awful to happen. A movie where the deviant is the most sympathetic character (great acting!) has problems, in my opinion. Critics like this kind of the thing, but without a single character to like or root for, I just don't care. (Dec 2006)
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. Very funny movie about a family who goes on a road trip from New Mexico to California, so their little girl can compete in the regional Little Miss Sunshine contest. They are an interesting family: Greg Kinnear is the insufferable dad, and wants to publish and go on the road with his 9 steps to self-improvement. Mom Toni Collete is trying to hold it all together. Her brother Steve Carrell is an academic who just tried to commit suicide. The teenage son is going through a weird adolescent phase. And profane Grandpa Alan Arkin snorts heroin and has gotten kicked out of assisted living. Terrific movie, very entertaining. Loved the commentary on child beauty contests. Highest recommendation :-) (August 2006)
MONSTER HOUSE. Animated children's movie of the scary house in the neighborhood, with the scary neighbor who terrorizes all the children. Say goodbye if your ball lands on his lawn! Anyway, the neighbor dies, and the house turns evil, swallowing dogs and people who dare go near. So the kids scheme to "kill" the house. A good movie for kids, but I wasn't that impressed. I saw it in 3D, which had cool moments, but basically was annoying. (August 2006)
MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS. Inspired by a true story. Judi Dench plays an upper class British woman in 1930's London. She is widowed, and becomes quite bored. So she buys a music hall, and hires Bob Hoskins to run it. They are successful at first, but eventual people stop coming. So she comes up with the idea of having naked women in the shows. This gets approval from the powers-that-be, as long as the women don’t move. She has very little understanding of people without money, and is a bit of a pill. Bob is pretty cranky himself. So the movie shows their relationship, as well as the morale booster the music hall was during WWII. This is a very old-fashioned movie, just a small story, and the relationship of two people. No great themes or meaning. But it is entertaining. (Feb 2006)
MUNICH. Based on the fallout from the 1972 Munich Olympics, where Palestinians took Israeli athletes hostage and they all ended up dead. In response, Israel was determined to hunt down the masterminds behind the hostage-taking and kill them. The movie follows the Israeli team that did the killings. The leader is a young man with a pregnant wife, who takes the job knowing he will be away from home for quite a while. The other members of the team range from a man who has no qualms whatsoever about what they are doing, to others that have more serious moral issues. The point of the movie, I guess, is to take a look at the philosophy of "an eye for an eye", but it really didn't do much for me. I don't find the concept that two sides of a conflict can be both right and wrong to be all that deep or compelling. (Jan 2006)
NOTES ON A SCANDAL. Judi Dench is an unhappy, bitter, and hateful high school teacher. I am not sure if she is hateful because she has never been loved, or never been loved because she is so hateful. Regardless, she longs for companionship. One day, Cate Blanchett appears to teach art at the school. Judi manages to hides her true self, and the two become friends. Cate even invites Judi to her house to meet her older husband and her disabled son. Then, one day, Judi finds Cate having sex with one of the 15-year-old students. And rather than inform the police, Judi decides that this is her opportunity to manipulate Cate, and get what she wants. In lesser hands, this movie would be really tawdry, but Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett are so good I was completely into finding out how it would all be resolved. Top notch. (Dec 2006)
NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE. Gretchen Mol plays Bettie Page, who was a premier soft-core porn queen in the 50's. Lots of bondage and S&M photos. Bettie is very innocent about it all, considering the modeling just costumes and play acting. I am not sure if Bettie was that naive or that dumb. (She wasn't innocent, as the movie implies she was sexually abused as a girl, in an abusive marriage, and suffered a gang rape.) Regardless, the movie is entertaining, and boy, does the stuff she was doing seem tame by today's standards. (April 2006)
OVER THE HEDGE. Animation. It concerns animals that, while hibernating, have been surrounded by the suburbs. A wily raccoon (Bruce Willis) needs to scavenge a bunch of food to replace what he took from a menacing bear (Nick Nolte), and so he scams the hibernating animals to go "over the hedge", into suburbia to scavenge in garbage cans and homes. This isn't as good a SHREK, for instance, and I would say it is more of a kids' movie. But I laughed out loud a lot (there are lots of digs at humans and suburbia), so it's fine for parents to go to as well. (May 2006)
THE PRESTIGE. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play magicians in turn-of-the-last-century America and England. When a magic trick goes wrong and Hugh's wife dies, he blames Christian and they become lifelong enemies and competitors to have the "best" magic tricks. They each try to top the other, and actually become cruel at times when they ruin the other's illusions. So eventually one of them "wins", and is no doubt the winner of their competition to be the best trickster, but I didn't like either one of the characters, so I didn't care. (And I really like both of the actors.) The earlier film about magicians, THE ILLUSIONIST, had better atmosphere, while this one was had a better surprise ending. Still, I don't highly recommend either movie. (October 2006)
THE PUFFY CHAIR. The movie starts with two young people having dinner, talking cutsie nonsense talk to each other. So, immediately, I hate them both. The story goes that the young man bought a chair for his dad's birthday off of E-Bay, and he and the girlfriend take off on a road trip to pick up the chair and deliver it to dad. The young man turns out to be not so bad, in my opinion, but the young woman (who is the type to wake up her boyfriend to ask him why he loves her), was the kind of character I despise. On the way to get the chair, they pick up the young man's younger brother. And the brother is a flaky idiot as well. So, between the shaky camera work, the in-and-out focus, and the two-out-of-three characters I didn't like, I really hated this movie. I might have been more tolerant of the characters if I was younger, but I am too old now to find their cluelessness charming. One of those "critics like it" but it’s-a-mystery-to-me-why movies. (June 2006)
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS. Will Smith stars as Chris Gardner, who in 1981 is really down on his luck. He has a sales job selling a product no one wants and a wife who is bitter and angry about their lot in life. But Chris is really smart, and has ambition to make a better life for him and his family. Still, one day the wife leaves, and Chris struggles to get by and take care of his young son (played by Will Smith's real son, who does a great job). Chris's goal is to become a stockbroker, and he does get an internship at Dean Witter. But it is unpaid, and Will has really bad luck, so much so that he and his son end up on the street, eating and sleeping at Glide Memorial. You know the movie isn't going to end up being a total downer, but despite a lack of suspense, it was still enjoyable. Will Smith makes you feel his pain, and I got a little teary in the end. It's nice to see someone work hard and make it, despite all the odds. Based on a true story. (Dec 2006)
THE QUEEN. Helen Mirren stars as Queen Elizabeth II. The movie is about the relationship she has with Tony Blair at the beginning of his term, when he is very popular, and somewhat anti-royal. The movie focuses on the week after Princess Diana was killed, and how the Royal Family's initial reaction is to keep it very private, make no statements, and not reach out to the people. Tony Blair's intuition, correct as it turns out, is that the Royals have to change their ways and become more connected to the population. The relationship between the Queen and Tony evolves, and we see the Queen coming to grips with how the world has changed since she became Queen 50 years earlier. A very interesting movie. (October 2006)
QUINCEANERA. This story takes place in Echo Park, a Mexican-American neighborhood in Los Angeles that is being gentrified. The story revolves around two teenagers: Magdalena, who is on the verge of celebrating her 15th birthday, and her cousin Carlos. Both are kicked out of their homes for alleged sins, and end up with their great uncle. I don't want to say much more about the movie, because I am afraid that would ruin it, and it is just a small slice of life story, beautifully done. You get a real feel for the community and the main characters are wonderful. I really liked it, even though not a lot happens. (September 2006)
ROAD TO GUANTANAMO. In late September 2001, a young British Pakistani, at the urging of his mother, goes home to Pakistan to meet a potential wife. He does decide to get married, and invites 3 British friends to come to Pakistan and visit. After a few weeks in Pakistan, they decide to go to Afghanistan to see what it is like. A really stupid move, I think they would now agree. But they certainly didn't deserve what happens to them. They get caught up in the war, and end up being arrested by the Northern Alliance. After a bit of time with the Afghanis, they are transferred to the Americans, and spend 2 years as prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, where the conditions were, to put it mildly, not good. Not a fun movie to watch, but important to see. (July 2006)
SENTINEL. Michael Douglas, looking way past mandatory retirement, plays a secret service agent who protects the president and his wife. He is also having an affair with the First Lady. Someone is planning to kill the president, and Michael is being set up. Keifer Sutherland, in full on Jack Bauer mode, plays the investigator brought in to investigate the threat on the Prez's life. Of course, Keifer and Michael have a history: best friends but now enemies. Will Michael be able to clear himself? Not a horrible political thriller, but barely OK. I wouldn't recommend paying to see it. (April 2006)
SHUT UP AND SING. Right before the war started in Iraq, the Dixie Chicks were on a concert tour in London. There were demonstrations outside, and between songs, Natalie Maynes, the lead singer, tossed off a line about how they were ashamed the President was from Texas. The right wing media went into high gear, and the Dixie Chicks found themselves blacklisted from country radio. This documentary follows them, from the fateful comments, until 2006. They are interesting women, and even can be quite funny, so the movie was a good watch. The amount of hate (including death threats) that they received was so out of proportion with what they said, it's unbelievable. This movie made me so angry I went right out and bought the Dixie Chicks' latest CD, and I don't even like country music. (November 2006)
SOMETHING NEW. Sanaa Lathan is a professional woman, who along with her friends, complains about the lack of professional black men to date. So she is a surprised as anyone when she starts relationship with her white landscape developer. But he doesn't understand her life, and she is a bit embarrassed by being with him. And then she meets Blair Underwood, who is everything she thought she wanted. So, will she end up with the man that challenges her, and forces her outside of her comfort zone (which would be good for her), or the one who understands her and what her life is like? Good, entertaining, romantic movie. Sanaa Lathan (BROWN SUGAR, LOVE AND BASKETBALL) is the queen of good date movies, in my opinion. She makes them work. (Feb 2006)
STRANGER THAN FICTION. Will Farrell is an IRS agent who lives a very orderly life. One day, he starts to hear a woman's voice narrating his life. Obviously, he is a little put off by it, but not really frightened until he hears the voice say he is going to die. He engages a professor of literature (Dustin Hoffman) to try to help him figure out who the narrator is. While trying to figure that out, Dustin advises Will to live his life more fully, because maybe he will die. So Will tries to develop a relationship with Maggie Gyllenhall. Very interesting movie; I liked it a lot. Although it is being advertised as a comedy, and it does have amusing parts, it is also a romance, and even more seriously, a movie that makes a statement about the value of art vs. the value of a life... I liked the movie more and more as I thought about it. (November 2006)
TALLEDEGA NIGHTS: THE LEGEND OF RICKY BOBBY. This parody of the world of NASCAR stars Will Farrell as Ricky Bobby, who believes "if you're not first, you're last". There are big stretches of really stupid in this movie, but they are interrupted by lots of smiles and some outright belly laughs. I would say if that is what you are in the mood for, check this out. (August 2006)
(And if you rent the DVD, check out the outtakes – hysterical!)
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING. Another movie I really liked. It follows Aaron Eckhardt, who is a lobbyist for the tobacco companies. There isn't much of a plot, just a lot of very black humor as he goes about defending his work on TV and in front of Congress. He also tries to get more smoking in movies, and the part showing tobacco lobbyists meeting Hollywood players is quite the thing. I was the only one in the theater laughing at times, but I thought this was hysterical. (Mar 2006)
TRANSAMERICA. Felicity Huffman stars as Bree, a male-to-female transsexual who is one surgery away from her transformation. She is living as a woman, and ready for that last surgery, when she gets a call from a teenage son she never knew she had. She wants to deny her past, but her psychologist won't let her get the surgery unless Bree deals with the son. So she ends up flying to New York to get him out of juvie, and driving the kid (who doesn't know Bree is biologically still a man, let alone his father) back to California. So it's kind of a classic road trip movie, with two people who don't know each other getting to know one another as they have adventures along the way. And both have issues to deal with (their stop in Phoenix with Bree's parents is priceless). This movie isn't at all sugary sweet, but it is often amusing, and it was much more fun than I expected. (Feb 2006)
TRISTRAM SHANDY. This is a weird one to explain. For those of you who don't know (I didn't) Tristram Shandy is an 18th century novel, supposedly an autobiography, but Tristam gets easily side-tracked during his story, and the novel ends before Tristram is born. The movie is about an underfunded group of filmmakers trying to make a movie of this novel. It is interspersed with scenes from the movie, and then scenes of the guys making the movie. Including the lead, who is extremely self-centered and always trying to ensure that his role is the best. It's full of very dry humor, and I feel like I missed half the jokes. But I got half of them, and that was enough. (March 2006)
TSOTSI. Tsotsi is destitute young man living in a South African shanty town. He gets by robbing people with his gang, and is a pretty cold blooded. Until one day, when a carjacking goes wrong and he ends up with a baby in the back seat. Something in the baby touches him, and he spends the rest of the movie trying to do right by the baby. (It also explores how he got to be the way he is.) But the question is - can he really be redeemed? Nice little movie, winner of the Best Foreign Language movie Oscar this year. (Mar 2006)
UNITED 93. September 11, 2001. Watch what was happening on that day, ending with the plane that crashed into the Pennsylvania field, pretty much in real time as it happened. The early movie is mostly about the air traffic controllers and the military, who were just trying to figure out what was going on, when it was all so unbelievable, and the information they had was sometimes contradictory. This part was really interesting to me, because I hadn't read that much about their experiences. There's not much about the events on United 93 until that last third of the movie, because of course a bunch of people sitting on a plane isn't that compelling. I thought this was really well-done in an almost matter of fact way, because it makes the heroism of those involved all the more real. It's not a fake inspirational rah-rah kind of thing. (May 2006)
V FOR VENDETTA. Some years in the future, America's population has been decimated by a virus, and having a Civil War. In England, a Fascist government had taken power. Evey (Natalie Portman) works for the British news service and one day goes out after curfew, and the SS-like "Finger Men" accost her. She is only saved by a man in a Guy Fawkes mask, "V" (Hugo Weaving). He takes her to the top of a building and they watch Old Bailey (London's criminal courthouse) blow up. (All this in the first few minutes!). "V" is out to destroy the fascist government, and two policemen try to find him through Evey (they were taped watching the explosion, I think). The movie covers the next year in their lives, as he tries to rally the population, and she tries to do what's right. I really, really liked this one. It's one of those movies you can discuss the politics of and also it's really visual (produced by the guys that did THE MATRIX). Fun to watch. (March 2006)
THE WAR TAPES. The director of this movie gave mini-cameras (that fit on their helmets) to 3 National Guardsmen who were off to spend a year in Iraq. She edited the 1,000 hours of film down into this documentary about their experiences (they mostly did convoy duty). Two of the guys filming are gung ho Iraq occupation, and the third is a Lebanese-American Democrat, who has a different take than the usual military guy. It's interesting to see how their attitudes evolve over their year, and the effect their time had on them when they return to the U.S. Good movie. (July 2006)
WATER. It's 1938 India, and Chuyia, a 7-year old girl, has just been widowed. She is so young she doesn't even really remember getting married, nor does she understand what being a widow means. In 1938 India, Hindu law means she can throw herself on her husband's funeral pyre, marry his brother, or become a chaste woman, the equivalent of a nun. So, her father abandons her to the ashram, with all the other widows. Where they survive pretty much by begging on the streets. At first Chuyia doesn't realize what is happening, but eventually adapts, as a little girl can. She gets to know the women, including the battle ax who runs the place with an iron hand, the woman who is very sad about her situation but has religious faith and believes she is doing the spiritual thing, and a young woman who was also widowed young, and yearns to have a another chance at life. This is a fascinating movie, providing a window into a time and place I had no knowledge of. How Chuyia’s situation is resolved is wonderful. Beautiful movie; this is why I go to movies. (May 2006)
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? This interesting documentary provides a history of electric cars, especially GM's EV1, and evaluates why the car failed. Potential culprits include consumers, the technology, General Motors, Big Oil, fuel cell technology and the California Air Resources Board. If you're not already depressed / outraged / cynical about the way things work in America, go see this movie. (August 2006)
WORDPLAY. This is a documentary on those who do crossword puzzles, including background and interviews with the editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, which is considered the top puzzle in the country. The movie also shows how the puzzles are constructed, gives a little history, has interviews with famous folk who like crosswords (Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, some baseball player), and profiles a variety of people who compete in crossword puzzle contests. The movie culminates in the 2005 national Crossword Puzzle contest. This may not sound like much fun, and while I wouldn't say it was top-10 on my documentary list, the movie was interesting and entertaining. (June 2006)
WORLD TRADE CENTER. Oliver Stone's movie centers on two Transit Authority policemen (Nicholas Cage and Michael Pena) on Sept. 11. It's a beautiful day, everybody gets up and goes to work, and then all hell breaks loose. A small crew, including these two, goes to the site to help evacuate people, and before they can even go upstairs, the tower collapses around them. Up until this point, I thought the movie was quite moving and very well done. But that's only about 30 minutes. The remainder of the movie is the two cops buried in rubble, not really able to move, trying to keep each other's spirits up, interspersed with scenes of their wives and families worrying, and the Marine who would eventually find them so they could be rescued. Of course what they did was heroic, but it's not that scintillating to watch. So, a good movie, but not great. UNITED 93 had a lot more tension, because really, that story is more compelling to show than two guys lying in rubble. (August 2006)
X-MEN III - THE LAST STAND. First X-men movie I've seen. I am not all that impressed. Sure, there are cool effects, but it wasn't that compelling. I did like the idea, which in this case has the mutants fighting the humans, because the humans have come up with a vaccine to "cure" the mutants, who for the most part, don't think they need to be cured. So I suppose you could argue that the movie could lead to discussions about conformity, the right to be different, etc., but I don't think the movie was worth it. (May 2006)
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
January reviews
PAN'S LABYRINTH. It's 1944 Spain, and 13-year-old Ofelia, along with her pregnant mother, is traveling to the countryside. They are going to live with Ofelia's new stepfather, a Captain in the Spanish fascist army. They are stationed in the country at an outpost that exists to fight the anti-fascist rebels that still remain from the civil war. The Captain is not only a fascist, but a brutal, sadistic man. And Ofelia's mother is having a bad pregnancy, and is on bedrest. So Ofelia escapes into fantasy, into a world where she is a formerly immortal princess, who can return to her underground kingdom if she just completes three tasks. The movie parallels the two stories, real life with the Captain terrorizing the local populace, and the people fighting him, and Ofelia's fantasies. The visuals in the fantasy are fabulous, and the both stories are gripping. I found the ending very moving. I loved this movie, my favorite 2006 movie. THE PAINTED VEIL. Edward Norton is a late 19th century doctor, in love with Naomi Watts, who is a spoiled bored-with-life upper class socialite. He proposes, and she actually accepts, just to get away from her mother (who annoys Naomi by going on about what a lost cause Naomi is). Naomi doesn't love Edward, and he knows it, but hopes things will get better. He takes her to Shanghai, where once again she is bored with her life. She starts behaving badly, and Edward finds about about it, and he starts behaving badly too. In revenge, he takes her to a small village in China that is suffering a cholera epidemic. Of course, they will begin to see each other through new eyes. It sounds a bit corny, but I believed that people could act the way they act, the actors are really quite good, and it's all very emotional at the end. And the scenery is gorgeous. My only quibble is that although Naomi is a really good actress, I really think the part should have been played by someone a bit younger. But overall I liked this old-fashioned movie.
CHILDREN OF MEN. The movie opens with a newcast announcing the death of the world's youngest person. It's the year 2027, and no woman has given birth for 18 years (not sure why). The rest of the world has completely fallen apart (I guess because there is no hope if there are no children), and England survives in a kind of Blade Runner atmosphere, nasty and polluted. Immigrants are hunted and locked up; the borders are closed. Clive Owen plays Theo, a former political activist who, after a family tragedy, has taken to drink and not giving a shit about much of anything. One day he is kidnapped by the resistance, and asked to help obtain forged traveling papers for an illegal. He does, for the money, but ends up having to accompany the illegal, while they are chased by both the government and the anti-government forces, who want to use the illegal for their own purposes. I had really high expectations for this movie, which is maybe a problem, because I didn't find it all that compelling or optimistic. It's only 90 minutes, but felt much longer to me, and I just didn't identify with the issues. For an interesting take on the movie versus the book it was based on, check out Neva Chonin's column at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/21/PKGMKLMK981.DTL&hw=children+Chonin&sn=001&sc=1000
SWEET LAND. This movie opens in present day, with an old woman passing away. Then it goes back to the 60's, when her husband passes away. Finally, the bulk of the movie takes place in WWI-era farm country, probably someplace like Minnesota. A young Norwegian man has asked his parents to send him a bride, and they send him a German girl. Who doesn't speak much English. The community is not supportive, I guess because Germans were considered threats during WWI. Because the couple can't get married (the pastor won't permit it), she goes to live with a neighbor friend of his. But she perserveres, and they do eventually develop a relationship. There's not more to it. This is a very small movie, a slice of life character study.
CATCH AND RELEASE. This romantic comedy stars Jennifer Garner as a young woman whose fiance has died on the eve of their wedding. While acting as the executor of his will, she finds out things about him that she didn't know, which upsets her view of their relationship. She hangs out with his best friends and slowly recovers. Yada yada yada. There are some small hints of bigger ideas in the movie - i.e., do we ever really know someone, and how often do we let our loved ones see our true selves, but they aren't really well developed. There's not that much comedy, nor that much romance, so I'd give this one a pass. Not horrible, but nothing special.
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