Still struggling with the computer problems that plague me and put me out of commission for weeks on end. But I'm kosher for now. Here's 5 reviews to play catch up.
Public Enemies - Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Billy Crudup and Marion Cotillard. Dir. Michael Mann. If there's one thing Michael Mann knows how to do, it's how to put together a phenomenal cast and craft an amazing crime drama. And with Public Enemies, Mann ventures into period piece to evoke some dynamic performances from Depp and Bale. It may not be their best work, but when you're two of the finest actors working, even when you're not at your best, you're still a cut above the rest. 4 stars
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - Starring the voices of Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Ray Romano and Queen Latifah. Sure it's a cute movie. And has enough chuckles to sustain you through the picture. And of course the kids are gonna like it. Adults aren't going to be completely bored by it. But, I'm still not entirely sure why the film was necessary. On the pure economic level, yeah, sure, I get it. Make more money with the proven formula. But, storywise... didn't we say all we had to say with the first one? 3 stars (it got bonus points for at least keeping my interest)
I Love You Beth Cooper - Starring Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust and Alan Ruck. So it isn't the generation defining teen movie that Superbad was a few years ago, Dazed and Confused was before that, and so on and so forth. It's more like the She's All That's or the Pretty in Pink's. It's the second string of teen flicks. Still good, still passable, but ultimately forgettable. Plus, it's got Alan Ruck. 3 stars
Bruno - Starring Sacha Baron Cohen. Everything that made Borat great three years ago is everything that Bruno is not. It lacks the punch, the wit, and the surprise. It trades all that in for shock and disgust. Granted Bruno was always the weaker of Cohen's three characters (the third being Ali G). It has a few scenes of interest (auditioning babies for a photo shoot, shows what lengths parents are willing to go to get their baby famous, regardless of how over the top the photo may be), but those are way too few, and even further between. 1.5 stars
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon and Alan Rickman. Harry Potter 6 really catches the wonderous magic, and the dark places I'm told the book goes, and still makes it accessible to people who haven't read the books, like me. It doesn't feel like a two and a half hour movie. But the ending left a little something to be desired. The film fell into the Lord of the Rings trap, where the ending became a set up for the next movie. But still definitely worth a viewing in the theatre. 3.5 stars
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Now playing: The Clash - Bankrobber
via FoxyTunes
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
3 Reviews
With everything that happened over the past week, reviews for The Proposal and Year One slipped through the cracks. I blame Michael Jackson.
Also... I wrote these like a week ago, except for My Sister's Keeper, I didn't have that one done yet. And I don't feel like writing a full review... So 3 stars to the movie. Trite and contrived, but a well acted weeper.
The Proposal
3 Stars
I'm not one for the standard fair of romantic comedies. And as far as romantic comedies go, they don't get much more standard than when they star Sandra Bullock. But add in the smart mouth of Ryan Reynolds, and you get a pretty enjoyable flick.
Sandra Bullock (Speed, Crash) stars as overbearing NYC book editor Margaret Tate who finds out she's being deported back to Canada for failing to file her visa application on time. Enter Ryan Reynolds (Waiting..., X-Men Origins: Wolverine) as Andrew Paxton her much put-upon assistant. If they get married, she gets to stay in America and keep her job. She bribes him with a promotion to get him to along with it, but in order to fool the INS agent assigned to their case, she must spend the weekend with him and his family in Alaska. It follows a pretty cliched trajectory from start to finish. But adding in Betty White provides some good laughs.
Sandra Bullock gives a passable performance as Tate, but what's more intriguing is that she's playing her roles to herself. Rather than being an older actress trying to recapture her youthful glory days, she's adapting her roles to play to her current strengths. And while there is nothing spectacular about her role or performance, her adaptability to the situation is admirable. But I would like to see her do more non-rom/com flicks. I think that era of her career has passed.
But the saving grace of the film is clearly Ryan Reynolds. Rather than playing the male lead as a nervous, submissive underling to the overbearing female lead, he kept up the pace and fired back at her just as much as she fired at him. He got in his own fair share of quips and barbs, and made sure the bribe wasn't completely one sided. And he's just one of those actors I can'tfigure out. He can do action, horror, comedy, romantic comedy and drama, all very well, and all with a knowing smirk on his face.
But when all is said and done, the performances couldn't outshine the drab, cliche ridden plot. I don't think it really constitutes a spoiler if I say that they end up falling in love in the end. If you go into the film not expecting that, then clearly you've never seen a Sandra Bullock film before. I'm not saying I would have preferred an Shyamalan inspired twist ending. But... I saw it coming a mile away. Take a cue from The Break-Up, sometimes... people don't fall in love.
Year One
1 star
Harold Ramis. Jack Black. Michael Cera. Hank Azaria. Paul Rudd. David Cross. Christopher Mintz-Plaase. Oliver Platt. Vinnie Jones. Bill Hader Oliver Platt. HOW the hell could you fail with a line-up like that? By making a disjointed mess of a film, that's how.
Black (Tropic Thunder, Tenacious D) and Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad) star as Zed and Oh, two hunter/gatherers who are banished from their tribe and must make a life for their own in new villages. After meeting up with Cain and Abel, their former village is pillaged by Romans, and the loves of their lives are sold into slavery. They begin an epic quest to free them from their lives of servitude.
As this is a comedy flick, I tried to overlook the anachronistic mixing of "cave people" and the Roman Empire. Still trying. Still failing. The film is an attempt to harken back to the days of Monty Python's The Life Of Brian or Mel Brooks' History of the World: Part I, but it fails miserably. It's like watching a bunch of comedy sketches strung loosely together by a flimsy overall plot arc.
As a fan of Cross' days on "Mr. Show" and Black's on "Tenacious D", I do in fact find certain scenes funny. But a few funny scenes does not make a funny movie. Or, clearly, a coherent one.
Everybody involved just seemed to phone this one in. No one really tried. Like, someone said "We've got these set pieces, and this script, and these costumes. You guys busy?" And everybody else just responded with "Well... I am bored enough." This was a paycheck film. I can't think of any other reason for this movie existing.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
2 stars
You never really go into a Michael Bay flick expecting plot. Hot chicks, big explosions... that's about it. And when the movie is space robots fighting other space robots, you shouldn't expect much, regardless of who directs. But still, there was something lacking.
The movie picks up a year after the first one, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is off to college on the east coast, for some reason leaving eye candy girlfriend Mikaela Barnes (Megan Fox)back in LA. Unfortunately for Sam, after coming into contact with a broken piece of the All Spark (source of power for the Transformers), an ancient script detailing the origins of the metallic species gets implanted in his head. Now the Decepticons, led by the recently resurrected Megatron, want Sam so they can reclaim their former glory and take over Earth.
Here's the thing, Mr. Bay, can I call you Michael? Here's the thing, Michael... kick ass action scenes can only take you so far. I gave Bad Boys, The Rock, Armageddon, The Island and Transformers a pass because the action was good, and there was just enough plot to not completely suck. And in case you or anyone else out there is wondering, I do realize I left Pearl Harbor off the list. That film was basically Titanic Goes Hawaiian. And to quote Kevin Smith, "Really? Must we go tropical?"
But Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen? It was an alternating cycle of stuff blowing up, Megan Fox wearing something tight, and Megan Fox wearing something tight while running away from stuff blowing up. And I don't mind that. I'm a 23 year old guy. That stuff is fine. But not for two and a half hours. I like White Castle sliders, but even I think the box of 30 is too much. Put some in the fridge. Heat them up for later.
I felt bored by the film. It was tragic. I didn't walk away wanting two and a half hours back, but I did wonder why they were charging full price for essentially half a film. They left the plot on the cutting room floor. I took solace in the fact I didn't pay.
----------------
Now playing: Tito & Tarantula - Strange Face of Love
via FoxyTunes
Also... I wrote these like a week ago, except for My Sister's Keeper, I didn't have that one done yet. And I don't feel like writing a full review... So 3 stars to the movie. Trite and contrived, but a well acted weeper.
The Proposal
3 Stars
I'm not one for the standard fair of romantic comedies. And as far as romantic comedies go, they don't get much more standard than when they star Sandra Bullock. But add in the smart mouth of Ryan Reynolds, and you get a pretty enjoyable flick.
Sandra Bullock (Speed, Crash) stars as overbearing NYC book editor Margaret Tate who finds out she's being deported back to Canada for failing to file her visa application on time. Enter Ryan Reynolds (Waiting..., X-Men Origins: Wolverine) as Andrew Paxton her much put-upon assistant. If they get married, she gets to stay in America and keep her job. She bribes him with a promotion to get him to along with it, but in order to fool the INS agent assigned to their case, she must spend the weekend with him and his family in Alaska. It follows a pretty cliched trajectory from start to finish. But adding in Betty White provides some good laughs.
Sandra Bullock gives a passable performance as Tate, but what's more intriguing is that she's playing her roles to herself. Rather than being an older actress trying to recapture her youthful glory days, she's adapting her roles to play to her current strengths. And while there is nothing spectacular about her role or performance, her adaptability to the situation is admirable. But I would like to see her do more non-rom/com flicks. I think that era of her career has passed.
But the saving grace of the film is clearly Ryan Reynolds. Rather than playing the male lead as a nervous, submissive underling to the overbearing female lead, he kept up the pace and fired back at her just as much as she fired at him. He got in his own fair share of quips and barbs, and made sure the bribe wasn't completely one sided. And he's just one of those actors I can'tfigure out. He can do action, horror, comedy, romantic comedy and drama, all very well, and all with a knowing smirk on his face.
But when all is said and done, the performances couldn't outshine the drab, cliche ridden plot. I don't think it really constitutes a spoiler if I say that they end up falling in love in the end. If you go into the film not expecting that, then clearly you've never seen a Sandra Bullock film before. I'm not saying I would have preferred an Shyamalan inspired twist ending. But... I saw it coming a mile away. Take a cue from The Break-Up, sometimes... people don't fall in love.
Year One
1 star
Harold Ramis. Jack Black. Michael Cera. Hank Azaria. Paul Rudd. David Cross. Christopher Mintz-Plaase. Oliver Platt. Vinnie Jones. Bill Hader Oliver Platt. HOW the hell could you fail with a line-up like that? By making a disjointed mess of a film, that's how.
Black (Tropic Thunder, Tenacious D) and Cera (Arrested Development, Superbad) star as Zed and Oh, two hunter/gatherers who are banished from their tribe and must make a life for their own in new villages. After meeting up with Cain and Abel, their former village is pillaged by Romans, and the loves of their lives are sold into slavery. They begin an epic quest to free them from their lives of servitude.
As this is a comedy flick, I tried to overlook the anachronistic mixing of "cave people" and the Roman Empire. Still trying. Still failing. The film is an attempt to harken back to the days of Monty Python's The Life Of Brian or Mel Brooks' History of the World: Part I, but it fails miserably. It's like watching a bunch of comedy sketches strung loosely together by a flimsy overall plot arc.
As a fan of Cross' days on "Mr. Show" and Black's on "Tenacious D", I do in fact find certain scenes funny. But a few funny scenes does not make a funny movie. Or, clearly, a coherent one.
Everybody involved just seemed to phone this one in. No one really tried. Like, someone said "We've got these set pieces, and this script, and these costumes. You guys busy?" And everybody else just responded with "Well... I am bored enough." This was a paycheck film. I can't think of any other reason for this movie existing.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
2 stars
You never really go into a Michael Bay flick expecting plot. Hot chicks, big explosions... that's about it. And when the movie is space robots fighting other space robots, you shouldn't expect much, regardless of who directs. But still, there was something lacking.
The movie picks up a year after the first one, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is off to college on the east coast, for some reason leaving eye candy girlfriend Mikaela Barnes (Megan Fox)back in LA. Unfortunately for Sam, after coming into contact with a broken piece of the All Spark (source of power for the Transformers), an ancient script detailing the origins of the metallic species gets implanted in his head. Now the Decepticons, led by the recently resurrected Megatron, want Sam so they can reclaim their former glory and take over Earth.
Here's the thing, Mr. Bay, can I call you Michael? Here's the thing, Michael... kick ass action scenes can only take you so far. I gave Bad Boys, The Rock, Armageddon, The Island and Transformers a pass because the action was good, and there was just enough plot to not completely suck. And in case you or anyone else out there is wondering, I do realize I left Pearl Harbor off the list. That film was basically Titanic Goes Hawaiian. And to quote Kevin Smith, "Really? Must we go tropical?"
But Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen? It was an alternating cycle of stuff blowing up, Megan Fox wearing something tight, and Megan Fox wearing something tight while running away from stuff blowing up. And I don't mind that. I'm a 23 year old guy. That stuff is fine. But not for two and a half hours. I like White Castle sliders, but even I think the box of 30 is too much. Put some in the fridge. Heat them up for later.
I felt bored by the film. It was tragic. I didn't walk away wanting two and a half hours back, but I did wonder why they were charging full price for essentially half a film. They left the plot on the cutting room floor. I took solace in the fact I didn't pay.
----------------
Now playing: Tito & Tarantula - Strange Face of Love
via FoxyTunes
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