Thursday, July 23, 2009

5 Mini Reviews to play catch up

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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