In 1988 when the first Die Hard came out, Bruce Willis was a sitcom star and nothing more. His list of credits was minimal and somehow he won the role of John McClane for which he was 5th choice after Richard Gere, Arnold, Stallone and Burt Reynolds. Yet when the movie came out the role, the actor and the villain were instantly iconic. Willis brought back the every man action star, the blue collar action star. His stoic face, cheesy but bad ass one liners and not-afraid-to-bleed attitude turned the movie into an instant classic. Whether it was walking over broken glass with no shoes or uttering the now infamous phrase "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker" Willis changed the landscape of the action genre. The movie was over the top but not so over the top that it was ridiculous. In the sequel things got too over the top and in the third movie things got good again as Willis and Sam Jackson verbally sparred through the whole movie, but is the world really needing a new entry into the Die Hard franchise? Does Bruce Willis still have it in him to be a real American hero, or is he lost in a techno-babble world? With the last movie happening 12 years ago, does anyone care anymore? Is there any reason to make a pg-13 version of die hard?
McClane is back and in the first scene we see that not much has really changed- he is still estranged from his family, still a cop, but his usual sarcasm has been replaced by a more cynical approach to one-liners. His daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) wants nothing to do with him and McClane is all alone. After a brief and harsh conversation with his daughter, McClane gets a call from the precinct that he needs to go pick up a hacker and take him to F.B.I headquarters. See, the F.B.I got hacked the night before and it is time to wrangle the usual suspects. McClane shows up expecting nothing big but it is obvious he is about to get more than he bargained for. Matt Farrell (Justin Long) is our hacker but someone is out to kill him. MClane shows up at just the right time and we have our first pg-13 Die Hard action scene. Don't worry though, Mcclane still knows how to shoot and we get one doozy of a gun fight. It is loud, furious and awesome. Willis never loses his stoic face or his one liners, but this time he has a snarky side kick and Long gets some serious laughs throughout the movie.
We learn that these cyber-terrorists are doing what is known as a "fire sale" meaning everything has got to go. First, they take out street lights and what not, forcing all kinds of traffic collisions and is an interesting take on the cyber thriller genre. Then, the power and everything else goes and finally all the money will be gone and America will be thrown back to the stone age. Not wanting to reveal who they are, the terrorists broadcast a video tape that id basically a collage of speeches from Presidents cut together to form one horrific message. It is a stroke of political thriller genius as it would be crazy terrifying to see our own presidents dooming us as a nation. Farrell also realizes that 7 other hackers have been killed and they were his competition as they were all vying for money to create algorithms but he didn't realize what they would be used for. McClane takes this young hacker under his wing and they spend the movie attempting to stop this massive shut down in America. They learn that the terrorist is Thomas Gabriel (Timyothy Olyphant), an ex department of defense employee who after 9/11 told all of the countries leaders that their security system could be breached and that they needed to fix it. They crucified him and he is back with a vengeance proving his theory.
Look, this movie is over the top yes, but it is non stop action packed, with some genuinely funny moments between Willis and Long. Yes their relationship starts like a typical mismatched movie pairing but it works because McClane never stops for even a second to care about the cyber stuff. McClane is old school and the action is old school. SO many action movie feature only people who are very skilled fighters and here, McClane is not and he gets his ass handed to him by a "little Asian ninja chick." But, after the ass kicking he proclaims "That's enough of this kung-fu shit" and he goes to do what he does best which is he makes a mess but gets the job done. The fight between he and Mai Lihn (Maggie Q) is a very fun fight and ends in an elevator shaft (classic Die Hard set piece). This movie is full of awesome testosterone filled gun fights, one-liners and violence. The death toll is higher here than in previous Die Hard flicks and McClane even wonders in conversation with Gabriel "Do you just call a hot line like 1-800- henchmen, because you gotta be running out of bad guys."
There are some stunts that seem a bit too over the top like driving a car into a helicopter but the absolute glee Willis exudes makes it work because he seems just as surprised as us that it worked. This is not a carefully crafted action star we are talking about, this is Bruce Willis, this is John McClane, the Jack Bauer of movies. Olyphant is very good as the a villain for the new era, but he is hindered by the fact that Alan Rickman from the first Die Hard may be the best movie action villain ever. Willis is just as unflappable here as he is in every Die Hard movie and has not really lost a step. He still takes a punch, kick and a bullet better than anyone. he still looks better with cuts on his face and head than anyone else and he still hits iconic movie star poses that let us know McClane is still a bad ass. Justin Long is in full snarky effect, with his smarter than you one-liners and sneaky under his breath one-liners. He doesn't quite make the cut as an action movie buddy, but he doesn't feel as out of place as he could. Kevin Smith shows up for a cameo as "Warlock" an infamous Internet hacker and he knocks it out of the park with his wirey balled up energy right next to Willis' contained action star energy. His presence gives the movie a shot in the arm and takes a scene that could have been boring and flips it on its head. The Climax is a bit ridiculous but the stunts are good old fashioned throw back action stunts. The CGI is minimal but effectively used. Lucy shows up again in the last half hour and is awesome as McClane's daughter. She captures the no nonsense hard ass McClane attitude and shows us that the helpless McClane women have been replaced by tough ready to rumble chicks. We still get the iconic line, even if smothered a bit by a great tough guy gun shot, but the pg-13 rating does not take away from an action movie that knows exactly what it is and does not apologize for being a guy movie through and through and sometimes you just want to watch a guy escape death 5 times in a movie and still be ready for more and this movie delivers in spades!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
A Mighty Heart
Usually when a little movie appears in the middle of summer, they provide a nice alternative to the usual big budget summer offerings, but this movie just feels badly placed. A movie dealing with terrorism in a very raw, real and intense way does not belong in the middle of June. It belongs towards the end of the year when it can get the buzz it deserves for its actors and its story. For those of you who don't know the story allow me to quickly recap for you. Mariane Pearl is a journalist for a free radio station and her husband Daniel Pearl works for the Wall Street Journal. They have spent the post 9/11 months in parts of the Middle East covering various aspects of war, terror and the overall feelings of these countries. The day before they are set to return to the states Daniel has one last interview but he never returns. Mariane is pregnant and trying to keep it together as the F.B.I, C.I.A, Pakistani government, Pakistani military and Pakistani police all gather together trying to find him. At first they have no idea what is going on but they start to get e-mails from the kidnappers featuring pictures of Daniel bound at gunpoint. The kidnappers say they will mistreat him the way American prisons (like Guantanamo bay) are mistreating possible terrorists. As the story unfolds it becomes clear that Pearl was targeted and not just a random American kidnap victim. The Terrorist Pakistanis believe Pearl to actually be working for the C.I.A. The story mostly follows Mariane's attempt to solve this case, but woven in are scenes of the Pakistani police force utilizing their scare tactics to find out who is behind this. It is also told in a non-linear fashion as we get flashbacks to earlier in the week, earlier the day he is kidnapped and Mariane has flashbacks to happy times in the marriage.
Angelina Jolie is Mariane Pearl and she is outstanding. It is always nice to see why someone got famous int he first place. So often we forget some of these tabloid subjects are actually incredibly talented when they choose good material. Gone is wanna be action star Angelina Jolie. She is replaced by a Jolie who acts with her entire body but mostly relying on her face to express an intense sadness or an intense warmth as she remembers her husband. Pearl was pregnant at the time of this and so it adds a certain uneasy element as we watch Pearl try to hold it all together in fear that if she lets go something bad could happen to the child. Dan Futterman plays Daniel whom we mostly see in flashbacks and while he isn't on screen much he gives a very earnest honest portrayal of a journalist, not a tabloid reporter but a real journalist. Everyone else is solid in the movie but the other stand out to me was Archie Panjabi. She played a friend and colleague of the two reporters and she carried the brunt of the emotional load because Mariane had that pregnancy.
This is a movie with a lot of themes- journalism as a noble art, the differences between American and Pakistani police force, terrorism, love, loyalty- are captured in stark fashion as the movie is filmed in sort of a documentary form, using a hand held camera often shoved right in the faces of the actors. It is mostly effective although during the few moments of action it becomes difficult to tell who on is whose side because the camera start to only capture blurry figures crossing the screen.
Sadly this does not have a very happy ending as Daniel was beheaded and since this is a very honest movie not interested in cheap thrills we never see it. We only see the reactions on the faces of those who have seen it (a very effective method). After his death Mariane, ever the journalist would not put blame on an entire country like a reporter baited her to do, she just told the world she loved her husband very much and even as I type this it fills me with a morose sense of happiness that this woman could rise above the pettiness so many of us would feel. A reporter also had the nerve to ask her if she had watched the tape which is just disgusting but not out of the realm of something a TV reporter would do as our country thrives on that sort of voyeuristic sense of life. Jolie plays Pearl's one major breakdown a bit over the top, but imagine it is how anyone would react if they had been holding in the obvious pain for a few months. The camera only catches glimpses of her as she screams and cries and as i watched those around me, everyone was fully engrossed and fully emotional. It is sad that this movie is being plopped into the summer where people do not want something so heavy but please please please pick this up when it comes out on DVD.
Angelina Jolie is Mariane Pearl and she is outstanding. It is always nice to see why someone got famous int he first place. So often we forget some of these tabloid subjects are actually incredibly talented when they choose good material. Gone is wanna be action star Angelina Jolie. She is replaced by a Jolie who acts with her entire body but mostly relying on her face to express an intense sadness or an intense warmth as she remembers her husband. Pearl was pregnant at the time of this and so it adds a certain uneasy element as we watch Pearl try to hold it all together in fear that if she lets go something bad could happen to the child. Dan Futterman plays Daniel whom we mostly see in flashbacks and while he isn't on screen much he gives a very earnest honest portrayal of a journalist, not a tabloid reporter but a real journalist. Everyone else is solid in the movie but the other stand out to me was Archie Panjabi. She played a friend and colleague of the two reporters and she carried the brunt of the emotional load because Mariane had that pregnancy.
This is a movie with a lot of themes- journalism as a noble art, the differences between American and Pakistani police force, terrorism, love, loyalty- are captured in stark fashion as the movie is filmed in sort of a documentary form, using a hand held camera often shoved right in the faces of the actors. It is mostly effective although during the few moments of action it becomes difficult to tell who on is whose side because the camera start to only capture blurry figures crossing the screen.
Sadly this does not have a very happy ending as Daniel was beheaded and since this is a very honest movie not interested in cheap thrills we never see it. We only see the reactions on the faces of those who have seen it (a very effective method). After his death Mariane, ever the journalist would not put blame on an entire country like a reporter baited her to do, she just told the world she loved her husband very much and even as I type this it fills me with a morose sense of happiness that this woman could rise above the pettiness so many of us would feel. A reporter also had the nerve to ask her if she had watched the tape which is just disgusting but not out of the realm of something a TV reporter would do as our country thrives on that sort of voyeuristic sense of life. Jolie plays Pearl's one major breakdown a bit over the top, but imagine it is how anyone would react if they had been holding in the obvious pain for a few months. The camera only catches glimpses of her as she screams and cries and as i watched those around me, everyone was fully engrossed and fully emotional. It is sad that this movie is being plopped into the summer where people do not want something so heavy but please please please pick this up when it comes out on DVD.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
1408 (minor spoilers)
John Cusack is an actor who defined an entire generation of love sick, semi sarcastic young men. He turned a possible stalker moment in Say Anything into one hell of a romantic if not a bit corny moment. In the late 90's and the beginning of this decade he reemerged as a prototype slacker in his 30's, again defining a generation with movies like High Fidelity. He has a certain unassuming charm that plays perfectly into his natural good looks and has made quite the career for himself. Stephen King is probably the most famous American author living and has had a considerable amount of his fiction turned into movies. Mostly they are awful when based on his scary fiction but in turning his short stories into movies, Hollywood usually does alright by him. I am not so much a fan of Mr. King but I am a big fan of John Cusack and from the first trailer I knew this was a movie I wanted to see.
Mike Enslin (Cusack) is an author who travels the country finding the scariest places, debunking paranormal myths and writing books about his excursions. We also know there is some tragedy looming in his past but the movie does not immediately divulge this past. Instead we catch glimpses of this past in nicely placed flashbacks weaved throughout the terse frightening moments. It actually provides a very nice balance throughout. Enslin is disillusioned with God and the afterlife due to this tragedy and after once writing a novel called The long road home he gives up these sort of coming of age novels in favor of this shock and awe type of book. He is often sent brochures and postcards from "haunted" hotels and comes across a postcard that just states "Don't enter 1408." When he realizes the digits add up to 13 he is a bit intrigued and sets out to stay there. When he calls to get the room the hotel staff refuses to let him stay in that room and Enslin has to resort to a possible lawsuit to get him in. He researches the place to find about 20 suicides in the room. When he gets to the hotel he is met by Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson) and is again asked not to enter this room. Olin is the manager of the hotel where this room is and he gives Enslin an entire packet full of material about the room. Counting "natural" deaths, 55 people have died in the room. After a brief, somewhat humorous conversation between the two Enslin remains unmoved and says that no paranormal activity will keep him out to which Olin says "I didn't say anything about paranormal activity, it is just an evil fucking room." Therein lies the premise of the movie.
Once inside the room this movie becomes a raw, creepy, scary and unnerving tale of one mans struggle to stay alive. Ghosts haunts the room, the clock radio comes on at random moments really scaring the crap out Enslin and the audience. At first Enslin believes the hotel is playing tricks on him and then he believes the alcohol Olin gave him is spiked with some sort of hallucinogen as he sees and hears the most random haunting things including old home footage from Enslins life. Thus begins the weaving of the flashbacks. We find a happy Enslin with a wife and daughter, but soon that happiness turns to sadness as his daughter is diagnosed with a terminal illness and ultimately dies. At different moments he sees or hears his dead daughter in the room, tries to communicate with his estranged wife via yahoo video messenger only to have the room take over.
For the first 40 minutes or so inside the hotel room this movie is an edge-of-the-seat thriller as we wonder what he will see or hear next. We wonder if these ghosts are real or figments of an overactive imagination. The room haunts the mind of Enslin, but we are never sure exactly what the room is. Unfortunately the movies gets tripped up by the usual Stephen King issue- it just goes too far. The room's climate gets insane as he endures a blizzard, a flood and an earthquake and as the movie continues on it just gets more and more over the top. Cusack does his best to reel the movie back in but even he gets lost in this grandiose smug attitude that King has been living sweetly off of for so many years. We never get the answer we want, although we mostly get the ending we hope for and while watching an innocent child die and then turn to a skull and bones and ultimately bust is disturbing, it isn't terribly effective because it doesn't keep with the theme that the movie started with. It starts with less is more and ends with too much is too much.
Mike Enslin (Cusack) is an author who travels the country finding the scariest places, debunking paranormal myths and writing books about his excursions. We also know there is some tragedy looming in his past but the movie does not immediately divulge this past. Instead we catch glimpses of this past in nicely placed flashbacks weaved throughout the terse frightening moments. It actually provides a very nice balance throughout. Enslin is disillusioned with God and the afterlife due to this tragedy and after once writing a novel called The long road home he gives up these sort of coming of age novels in favor of this shock and awe type of book. He is often sent brochures and postcards from "haunted" hotels and comes across a postcard that just states "Don't enter 1408." When he realizes the digits add up to 13 he is a bit intrigued and sets out to stay there. When he calls to get the room the hotel staff refuses to let him stay in that room and Enslin has to resort to a possible lawsuit to get him in. He researches the place to find about 20 suicides in the room. When he gets to the hotel he is met by Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson) and is again asked not to enter this room. Olin is the manager of the hotel where this room is and he gives Enslin an entire packet full of material about the room. Counting "natural" deaths, 55 people have died in the room. After a brief, somewhat humorous conversation between the two Enslin remains unmoved and says that no paranormal activity will keep him out to which Olin says "I didn't say anything about paranormal activity, it is just an evil fucking room." Therein lies the premise of the movie.
Once inside the room this movie becomes a raw, creepy, scary and unnerving tale of one mans struggle to stay alive. Ghosts haunts the room, the clock radio comes on at random moments really scaring the crap out Enslin and the audience. At first Enslin believes the hotel is playing tricks on him and then he believes the alcohol Olin gave him is spiked with some sort of hallucinogen as he sees and hears the most random haunting things including old home footage from Enslins life. Thus begins the weaving of the flashbacks. We find a happy Enslin with a wife and daughter, but soon that happiness turns to sadness as his daughter is diagnosed with a terminal illness and ultimately dies. At different moments he sees or hears his dead daughter in the room, tries to communicate with his estranged wife via yahoo video messenger only to have the room take over.
For the first 40 minutes or so inside the hotel room this movie is an edge-of-the-seat thriller as we wonder what he will see or hear next. We wonder if these ghosts are real or figments of an overactive imagination. The room haunts the mind of Enslin, but we are never sure exactly what the room is. Unfortunately the movies gets tripped up by the usual Stephen King issue- it just goes too far. The room's climate gets insane as he endures a blizzard, a flood and an earthquake and as the movie continues on it just gets more and more over the top. Cusack does his best to reel the movie back in but even he gets lost in this grandiose smug attitude that King has been living sweetly off of for so many years. We never get the answer we want, although we mostly get the ending we hope for and while watching an innocent child die and then turn to a skull and bones and ultimately bust is disturbing, it isn't terribly effective because it doesn't keep with the theme that the movie started with. It starts with less is more and ends with too much is too much.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Hostel 2 (Spoilers)
Say what you will but no one does Torture porn like Eli Roth. Those Saw movies are just blatant rip offs of other movies and they suck, but Eli Roth knows what he is doing. Two years ago Hostel opened to unheard of numbers for a movie of its kind and was a movie I really enjoyed on a deeper level than the torture, although the torture was spectacular. So, it is really obvious he was going to take another stab at Hostel hoping to franchise this thing. The differences in the two movies are not subtle, although this one lacks the punch of the first one. Yes, the torture is there, but there is nothing as brutal as the Achilles slicing of the last one. However, this one does have an ass kicking chick in the lead because having guys do it again would be pointless. This movie also gives some focus to the people doing the killing as we watch the process of setting up the marks, the bidding and the mindset of the people paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to torture and kill people.
Beth, Lorna and Whitney are Americans on some sort of art over seas program and they are bored and want to take a trip. Beth is incredibly wealthy but she doesn't want to show it off so when they get invited by the incredibly sexy model, Axelle, they agree to stay in a Hostel. This is the beginning of the end for this trio of girls. See, the entire village of Slovakia is in on the business of killing. Well, they don't kill but they capture innocent young people and sell them to the highest bidder. They provide weapons, costumes and a place to torture and kill them. Their only rule is that you must kill someone before you leave. If you try and leave before finishing your job they sick the vicious dogs on you and the end result is not pretty at all. Like the first movie, we watch the trio of girls being picked off and Lorna is the first to go. She was sold to an older woman who likes to bathe in blood. Yes, and she accomplishes this with some sort of Grim Reaper like Sickle. The scene is brutal and heart pounding because even though I knew this girl was going to bleed out eventually, Roth deliberately slowed the pacing down so we were hanging on each movement of the blade down this poor girl's back.
The focus will often switch to two American men, played by Desperate Housewives alum and they get to kill Beth and Whitney. Todd and Stuart are two normal looking guys but secretly they want to kill. Todd feels excited by the prospect but Stuart is not quite sure he can do this. Do you get where this is going? The worst moment in this film is when it turns into so many other movies where the loud excited one can't go through with it. See, he puts a power saw into Whitney's face after a truly hilarious moment and he flips out, and the aforementioned dogs clean him up. Stuart though is ready to kill, mostly because Beth looks like his wife and it is obvious Stuart does not stand up for himself. Beth does a pretty good job of realizing this and submits to him, hoping to distract him. It works and the end of this film brings yet another interesting insight to who Eli Roth is what he believe about the human race. See, Beth buys her way out because money can truly buy everything. However, she has to kill before she can be let go and she slices Stuarts fake looking penis off, feeds it to the dogs and coldly says "Let him bleed to death." In true Hostel fashion she also gets back and Axelle by taking an ancient battle axe to her neck and taking hr head clean off. Again, Eli Roth proves that if given the option to just get away or to kill the one who made your life hell, human beings will always go for the kill! This is not as good as the first one because it doesn't quite have the same feeling as it. My heart didn't race nearly as much here and I didn't cringe as much, but there are still enough gore moments to satisfy my gore quotient.
Beth, Lorna and Whitney are Americans on some sort of art over seas program and they are bored and want to take a trip. Beth is incredibly wealthy but she doesn't want to show it off so when they get invited by the incredibly sexy model, Axelle, they agree to stay in a Hostel. This is the beginning of the end for this trio of girls. See, the entire village of Slovakia is in on the business of killing. Well, they don't kill but they capture innocent young people and sell them to the highest bidder. They provide weapons, costumes and a place to torture and kill them. Their only rule is that you must kill someone before you leave. If you try and leave before finishing your job they sick the vicious dogs on you and the end result is not pretty at all. Like the first movie, we watch the trio of girls being picked off and Lorna is the first to go. She was sold to an older woman who likes to bathe in blood. Yes, and she accomplishes this with some sort of Grim Reaper like Sickle. The scene is brutal and heart pounding because even though I knew this girl was going to bleed out eventually, Roth deliberately slowed the pacing down so we were hanging on each movement of the blade down this poor girl's back.
The focus will often switch to two American men, played by Desperate Housewives alum and they get to kill Beth and Whitney. Todd and Stuart are two normal looking guys but secretly they want to kill. Todd feels excited by the prospect but Stuart is not quite sure he can do this. Do you get where this is going? The worst moment in this film is when it turns into so many other movies where the loud excited one can't go through with it. See, he puts a power saw into Whitney's face after a truly hilarious moment and he flips out, and the aforementioned dogs clean him up. Stuart though is ready to kill, mostly because Beth looks like his wife and it is obvious Stuart does not stand up for himself. Beth does a pretty good job of realizing this and submits to him, hoping to distract him. It works and the end of this film brings yet another interesting insight to who Eli Roth is what he believe about the human race. See, Beth buys her way out because money can truly buy everything. However, she has to kill before she can be let go and she slices Stuarts fake looking penis off, feeds it to the dogs and coldly says "Let him bleed to death." In true Hostel fashion she also gets back and Axelle by taking an ancient battle axe to her neck and taking hr head clean off. Again, Eli Roth proves that if given the option to just get away or to kill the one who made your life hell, human beings will always go for the kill! This is not as good as the first one because it doesn't quite have the same feeling as it. My heart didn't race nearly as much here and I didn't cringe as much, but there are still enough gore moments to satisfy my gore quotient.
Shortbus
John Cameron Mitchell, director of Hedwig and the Angry Inch is obviously not afraid to tackle topics head on, no matter how uncomfortable they may make people, so it is no shock that he would direct a movie featuring an incredible amount of nudity and actual sex. It is also not shocking that for auditions all actors had to describe a seminal sexual moment in their lives, because this movie is all about sex. Don't be fooled by anyone saying sex is not the focus of this film because it is. Is it about love friendship and relationships? Yes, but it is all told through sex and a lot of sex. None of the actors was known to be before I started watching this and as bad as some of them are, I highly doubt they will become known to me at any moment later in life.
Mitchell wants us to focus on about 6 or 6 people in various moments of this film and weaves them all together through an underground sex club called "Shortbus." Now, it may not actually be a sex club, but when a club has an orgy room, I feel inclined to call it a sex club. In reality, I guess it is a club for those who want something different. It is a place where a supposed happy gay couple can pick up a random guy to take home and have a threesome with. And during this threesome they will sing the national anthem, one using another person's penis as a microphone. I am sure I missed the supposed deep point of that moment, but to be it really just looked like a circle jerk. That couple is one of the main focuses of the movie. 1 half of that couple used to be a male escort and due to that he is having trouble connecting on an emotional level to his boyfriend. Instead, he videotapes everything he wants to say to his boyfriend in hopes of creating a video college, eventually. This guy also attempts to give himself a blow job while some guy from across the way is spying on him. The spy puts himself in this couples life and eventually gets his wish of having sex with one of them. I know, a very happy devoted couple indeed!
This couple has a shrink and she is an Asian woman who can't orgasm. She has never had an orgasm and it is ruining her marriage. No matter what positions they try (and they try some I haven't even seen in porn before) she can't get off. She can't get off by masturbating or any other way. She tries and tries but she can't do it. Don't worry at the sex club she can't take her eyes off this particular couple who go at it constantly and by the end of the film this couple invites her to join them and she finally orgasms, yay! The last main focus is that of an artist, who makes money as a dominatrix. She has seen so much of the bad side of people that she has become disillusioned by society, forgetting that she has helped caused this herself. She is dying to make a connection and seeks it at "Shortbus." In the end it seems like all of these people have found what they are looking for, but it doesn't seem like any of them could really be happy. One guy tries to kill himself and when he is saved, he celebrates by cheating on his boyfriend and thus goes this movie.
Mitchell wants us to focus on about 6 or 6 people in various moments of this film and weaves them all together through an underground sex club called "Shortbus." Now, it may not actually be a sex club, but when a club has an orgy room, I feel inclined to call it a sex club. In reality, I guess it is a club for those who want something different. It is a place where a supposed happy gay couple can pick up a random guy to take home and have a threesome with. And during this threesome they will sing the national anthem, one using another person's penis as a microphone. I am sure I missed the supposed deep point of that moment, but to be it really just looked like a circle jerk. That couple is one of the main focuses of the movie. 1 half of that couple used to be a male escort and due to that he is having trouble connecting on an emotional level to his boyfriend. Instead, he videotapes everything he wants to say to his boyfriend in hopes of creating a video college, eventually. This guy also attempts to give himself a blow job while some guy from across the way is spying on him. The spy puts himself in this couples life and eventually gets his wish of having sex with one of them. I know, a very happy devoted couple indeed!
This couple has a shrink and she is an Asian woman who can't orgasm. She has never had an orgasm and it is ruining her marriage. No matter what positions they try (and they try some I haven't even seen in porn before) she can't get off. She can't get off by masturbating or any other way. She tries and tries but she can't do it. Don't worry at the sex club she can't take her eyes off this particular couple who go at it constantly and by the end of the film this couple invites her to join them and she finally orgasms, yay! The last main focus is that of an artist, who makes money as a dominatrix. She has seen so much of the bad side of people that she has become disillusioned by society, forgetting that she has helped caused this herself. She is dying to make a connection and seeks it at "Shortbus." In the end it seems like all of these people have found what they are looking for, but it doesn't seem like any of them could really be happy. One guy tries to kill himself and when he is saved, he celebrates by cheating on his boyfriend and thus goes this movie.
Gray Matters
Gray (Heather Graham) and Sam (Tom Cavanagh) are as close as people can be. They are best friends, roommates and siblings. They are so close that people mistake them for a couple often and while the back of the DVD says that they are brother and sister, the director feels the need to make us believe they are dating at first, so we will be a bit shocked at the reveal of them being related. Gray cannot seem to find the man of her dreams and all of her friends believe it is because she and Sam are incredibly too co-dependant. Sam can't find the girl of his dreams because he is working on his residency at a hospital becoming a heart surgeon. They agree they need to help each other find someone and Gray is quick to find Sam a gorgeous wonderful woman, Charlie (Bridget Moynahan). She is so perfect for Sam that he proposes after one night and they are planning to fly to Vegas to get married that weekend. Because it is so rushed, they ask Gray to be their witness and at first we see that Gray is jealous Sam has found someone so perfect, but soon we come to think maybe she is jealous for a different reason. The night before the wedding Sam is not a lot to see the bride so Charlie and Gray hang out for the night- taking a bath together, singing on stage with Gloria Gaynor and getting absolutely hammered. At the end of the night, they share a long passionate kiss. The kind of kiss that can make one question everything one believes and that is exactly what happens to Gray. Charlie seems to have no recollection of what happened but Gray harbors this secret, although she does not say anything to Sam about it.
What happens for the rest of the movie is Gray trying to come to terms with the possibility of being gay. She is in love with Charlies, that is obvious, but is she gay? Is she just reacting to her brother finding eternal happiness? Was the kiss just that good? This is the crux of the movie and along for the ride are the pointless Sissy Spacek as an awful therapist, the always obnoxious Molly Shannon as Gray's best friend and the incredibly sweet and charming Alan Cumming as a cab driver harboring a giant crush on Gray. Gray tries to go on dates with men and she tries to forget Charlie entirely but nothing seems to work. Eventually she tells Sam what happened and he reacts by cutting Gray from his life. Because it is a whimsical romantic comedy featuring two classy dance numbers, everything comes out alright in the end and we do realize that yes, this is a coming out film, but sadly, it doesn't end there. In the final 10 minutes it tries to turn into a gay rights film as Gray spouts off this diatribe about how she is lonely because she'll never be able to get married or hold hands without people whispering. Now there is nothing wrong with the sentiment in this film, because I agree with it all, but this ending feels forced, this movie is about one woman's transition into who she really is and becoming comfortable as a gay woman. It is not about gay rights!
I can't say I really enjoyed the movie much because Heather Graham is about the worst actress working. She is moderately charming and handles the sweetness alright, I guess, but she is simply just a hot actress who can't act. Tom Cavanagh is a charming and goofy actor who is wasted in a secondary role and it is a shame because he really is like Zach Braff, only a bit older (which is why he plays Braff's brother on Scrubs). Moynahan is gorgeous charming and funny and it is easy to see why everyone in this thing falls in love with her. The writer director seemed hell bent on turning this into some gimmicky sitcom, complete with a pointless cross dressing moment, for laughs I guess. I like the idea and the basic structure of the movie, but perhaps with a better lead, better script and more capable director this could have been worth the 90 minutes of my time.
What happens for the rest of the movie is Gray trying to come to terms with the possibility of being gay. She is in love with Charlies, that is obvious, but is she gay? Is she just reacting to her brother finding eternal happiness? Was the kiss just that good? This is the crux of the movie and along for the ride are the pointless Sissy Spacek as an awful therapist, the always obnoxious Molly Shannon as Gray's best friend and the incredibly sweet and charming Alan Cumming as a cab driver harboring a giant crush on Gray. Gray tries to go on dates with men and she tries to forget Charlie entirely but nothing seems to work. Eventually she tells Sam what happened and he reacts by cutting Gray from his life. Because it is a whimsical romantic comedy featuring two classy dance numbers, everything comes out alright in the end and we do realize that yes, this is a coming out film, but sadly, it doesn't end there. In the final 10 minutes it tries to turn into a gay rights film as Gray spouts off this diatribe about how she is lonely because she'll never be able to get married or hold hands without people whispering. Now there is nothing wrong with the sentiment in this film, because I agree with it all, but this ending feels forced, this movie is about one woman's transition into who she really is and becoming comfortable as a gay woman. It is not about gay rights!
I can't say I really enjoyed the movie much because Heather Graham is about the worst actress working. She is moderately charming and handles the sweetness alright, I guess, but she is simply just a hot actress who can't act. Tom Cavanagh is a charming and goofy actor who is wasted in a secondary role and it is a shame because he really is like Zach Braff, only a bit older (which is why he plays Braff's brother on Scrubs). Moynahan is gorgeous charming and funny and it is easy to see why everyone in this thing falls in love with her. The writer director seemed hell bent on turning this into some gimmicky sitcom, complete with a pointless cross dressing moment, for laughs I guess. I like the idea and the basic structure of the movie, but perhaps with a better lead, better script and more capable director this could have been worth the 90 minutes of my time.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (spoilers)
I was one of the few people who seemed to genuinely enjoy the first Fantastic Four movie. I found it to be fluff, yes, but enjoyable fluff nonetheless. However, in the sequel just about everything that was fun about the first one is either gone here or more annoying here. TO be honest it starts promising enough for my tastes. I mean the Four are celebrities so I chuckled at how the media was covering the wedding between Reed and Sue and I enjoyed Johnny trying to get the group to use suits that were covered in product placement like logos. How very Nascar of him. Sadly that is about the smartest joke of the movie. There are some burp jokes and some bad physical shtick that only children and idiots will laugh about, but that seems to be what the director is hoping for.
Before the wedding though, the Military(?) comes to the Four for help with giant holes being dug into the core of the world. Eventually we meet the Silver Surfer and as magnificent as he is, his entire reveal/first scene was the teaser trailer shown about a year ago, so that initial amazement lasts about 2.5 seconds. Yes, the surfer looks amazing, like a T1000 for the new decade but he doesn't really get to be a bad ass. In fact, that is the problem with this whole movie. Doom is back and we think he is going to get to be a bad ass because he jacks the Surfer's board (the source of his power) and he starts like that as he fries a military guy, but it is short lived because this movie wraps up in a mere 90 minutes. Which is its saving grace and its biggest flaw. Surfer has come to destroy the Earth, but not really. We learn a bit of the back story of Silver Surfer and we find out he is controlled by Galactus.
What is a Galactus exactly? Well, in the comic books he is often a giant purple planet looking thing with horns and he devours planets to stay alive. In this movie he appears briefly as a molten rock looking lava bursting planet thing being followed by a giant rain cloud full of debris from planets, rocks and the cosmos. While many will complain about how Galactus looks but he is one thing about the movie that didn't bother me. See, comics can get away with having a giant purple planet with horns, but on screen that would look ridiculous, so the director switched it up and that is not a problem. The problems are that most of the best "action" was given away by the trailer, the powers of the Four are still played too much for laughs and my biggest issue was that a fight between a board having Dr. Doom and a Johnny Storm who has all of the powers of the Four only lasts about 2 minutes, in that. If that fight had been as bad ass as it could have been, this entire movie could have been saved, in my opinion. Instead it goes to fast and we get a conclusion that has some of the most god awful dialogue ever. Not even Chris Evan's continues amazing portrayal of the cocky, young and hot Johnny Storm can save this franchise from becoming one big pratfall.
Before the wedding though, the Military(?) comes to the Four for help with giant holes being dug into the core of the world. Eventually we meet the Silver Surfer and as magnificent as he is, his entire reveal/first scene was the teaser trailer shown about a year ago, so that initial amazement lasts about 2.5 seconds. Yes, the surfer looks amazing, like a T1000 for the new decade but he doesn't really get to be a bad ass. In fact, that is the problem with this whole movie. Doom is back and we think he is going to get to be a bad ass because he jacks the Surfer's board (the source of his power) and he starts like that as he fries a military guy, but it is short lived because this movie wraps up in a mere 90 minutes. Which is its saving grace and its biggest flaw. Surfer has come to destroy the Earth, but not really. We learn a bit of the back story of Silver Surfer and we find out he is controlled by Galactus.
What is a Galactus exactly? Well, in the comic books he is often a giant purple planet looking thing with horns and he devours planets to stay alive. In this movie he appears briefly as a molten rock looking lava bursting planet thing being followed by a giant rain cloud full of debris from planets, rocks and the cosmos. While many will complain about how Galactus looks but he is one thing about the movie that didn't bother me. See, comics can get away with having a giant purple planet with horns, but on screen that would look ridiculous, so the director switched it up and that is not a problem. The problems are that most of the best "action" was given away by the trailer, the powers of the Four are still played too much for laughs and my biggest issue was that a fight between a board having Dr. Doom and a Johnny Storm who has all of the powers of the Four only lasts about 2 minutes, in that. If that fight had been as bad ass as it could have been, this entire movie could have been saved, in my opinion. Instead it goes to fast and we get a conclusion that has some of the most god awful dialogue ever. Not even Chris Evan's continues amazing portrayal of the cocky, young and hot Johnny Storm can save this franchise from becoming one big pratfall.
Catch and Release
It is incredibly rare when I find a very good romantic comedy and this movie does not fall into that category at all. A movie cannot solely rely on how adorable Jennifer Garner is to move it along and as adorable as she is, it cannot save this cornball movie. First off, Garner's name in this movie is Gray. So that sets up this gem of dialogue:
Gray: What's your favorite color?
Fritz: Gray
Yes they were in bed, post sex when that happened. God could that be anymore awful? Timothy Olyphant plays Fritz and while he has a certain amount of charm, it is lost in that god awful drivel passing as dialogue. I guess I could talk about the plot of the film. Gray is about to get married, but her husband to be dies in some sort of nondescript fishing accident. Fritz bangs one of the caterers at the funeral, while gray is sitting in the tub drying and thus begins their painful to watch relationship um blossom. Kevin Smith and Sam Jaeger play the best friends of the dead guy and soon the 4 of them are all living in a house together. The main issue of conflict is that while going through dead guy's finances Gray stumbles on some weird transactions in a secret bank account. It is found out that Gray's dead man was cheating on her with another woman and had a kid by her. This woman comes into the picture in the form of the incredibly obnoxious Julliette Lewis. This woman is supposed to be your typical hot southern California blond bimbo, but Lewis isn't hot enough to pass for that, so it annoys me that Gray is jealous of her looks. The dead guy has like 2 million dollars and so his kid gets it and Gray thinks she has shown up just to claim the money
For some reason the 3 male roommates invite the blond woman and her child over for dinner a few times, even though they do not know her and she has turned Gray's life upside down. Well, this is a romantic comedy so sappiness comes running down this movie like a river. Everyone quickly gets along, but wait, one of the male roommates is harboring a secret love on Gray and he tells her and shockingly it ruins the friendship. Oh, then we have Julliette Lewis' need for love and affection so in some absurd annoying plot turn, she and Kevin Smith hook up. The happy ending is nauseating beyond belief, but why shouldn't it be because the rest of the movie is just as nauseating. Kevin Smith does his best to save this movie, but he is speaking something completely different. While his character is very much a paint by the numbers type of sidekick, he injects some laughs playing a clean version of himself. Rumors are he wrote his own dialogue, which makes sense, although it makes the writer/director lose any sort of credibility. I wish I could say better things about this movie, but not even Jennifer Garner's vastly underused dimples could save this god awful movie.
Gray: What's your favorite color?
Fritz: Gray
Yes they were in bed, post sex when that happened. God could that be anymore awful? Timothy Olyphant plays Fritz and while he has a certain amount of charm, it is lost in that god awful drivel passing as dialogue. I guess I could talk about the plot of the film. Gray is about to get married, but her husband to be dies in some sort of nondescript fishing accident. Fritz bangs one of the caterers at the funeral, while gray is sitting in the tub drying and thus begins their painful to watch relationship um blossom. Kevin Smith and Sam Jaeger play the best friends of the dead guy and soon the 4 of them are all living in a house together. The main issue of conflict is that while going through dead guy's finances Gray stumbles on some weird transactions in a secret bank account. It is found out that Gray's dead man was cheating on her with another woman and had a kid by her. This woman comes into the picture in the form of the incredibly obnoxious Julliette Lewis. This woman is supposed to be your typical hot southern California blond bimbo, but Lewis isn't hot enough to pass for that, so it annoys me that Gray is jealous of her looks. The dead guy has like 2 million dollars and so his kid gets it and Gray thinks she has shown up just to claim the money
For some reason the 3 male roommates invite the blond woman and her child over for dinner a few times, even though they do not know her and she has turned Gray's life upside down. Well, this is a romantic comedy so sappiness comes running down this movie like a river. Everyone quickly gets along, but wait, one of the male roommates is harboring a secret love on Gray and he tells her and shockingly it ruins the friendship. Oh, then we have Julliette Lewis' need for love and affection so in some absurd annoying plot turn, she and Kevin Smith hook up. The happy ending is nauseating beyond belief, but why shouldn't it be because the rest of the movie is just as nauseating. Kevin Smith does his best to save this movie, but he is speaking something completely different. While his character is very much a paint by the numbers type of sidekick, he injects some laughs playing a clean version of himself. Rumors are he wrote his own dialogue, which makes sense, although it makes the writer/director lose any sort of credibility. I wish I could say better things about this movie, but not even Jennifer Garner's vastly underused dimples could save this god awful movie.
Waitress
If you are looking for something completely different from your summer movie going experience, it does not get much better or more different than this little gem of a movie. There is heart, drama, comedy, pie and Andy Griffith- what more could you possibly need? First off though, I have to talk about the writer/director/co-star, Adrienne Shelly because it is a tragic story. Months before this movie came out she was murdered in her apartment and knowing that made my movie going experience a bit bittersweet. However, she did write a fantastic movie and finding out it was her actual daughter at the end of the movie made the whole thing that much more tragic.
Jenna(Keri Russell) is a waitress and baker of pies living in a tiny town and she hates her life. She believes she is destined for more but her absolute jerk of a husband, Earl(Jeremy Sisto), keeps her down by taking her money, hitting her and constantly putting her down. Things get even more complicated when she finds out she is pregnant. This happened on a night when Earl got her incredibly drunk (the only way she'd sleep with him). The biggest problem is that Jenna wants nothing to do with the child. She is not excited and does not want to be congratulated, yet she refuses to even consider an abortion, she just doesn't plan on loving the child inside her. Dr. Pometter(Nathan Fillion) is the new doctor in town and right off the bat we can see the sparks flying between the two of them. Eventually this leads to a torrid affair that starts with pure sex and ends in an incredibly warm, touching and loving friendship. This is the heart of the film. The relationship between Dr. Pometter and Jenna moves the film along in some vortex of whimsical movie love and it is a joy for us to see Jenna finally smile because we have fallen in love with her and now we get to see what it is like for her to be happy. Sadly, the Doctor is married as well, so in reality we are watching a double affair happen and when you think about it in that term, it sucks, but that is life and this movie is pretty grounded in life.
Along for this wild ride are Jenna's two waitress friends (Shelly and Cheryl Hines) and they offer some laughs, some sympathy and some inject more of that heart that keeps this film pumping. Andy Griffith shows up as the owner of the diner and the first person who finds out about the pregnancy and the affair. He comes along to drop little gems of wisdom and a few dirty comments that just seem even dirtier coming from him. Everything about this movie works- the acting, dialogue, music, camera angles and the story. We cringe and groan every time we hear Earl driving up (he always honks like 7 times) and it takes us completely away from the joyous moments we witness and it is perfect. The uses of music mixed with swooping circular camera shots really punctuate a moment of sweetness or joy. Russell is absolutely flawless with her sparkling blue eyes and incredible subtle performance. Fillion makes the change from action star to warm romantic comedian seem easy as the somewhat bumbling doctor and all the supporting characters really help keep this film moving. I don't want to ruin the end of this movie, but it is satisfactory in a way a lot of movies aren't and gives the great woman's touch on the story.
Jenna(Keri Russell) is a waitress and baker of pies living in a tiny town and she hates her life. She believes she is destined for more but her absolute jerk of a husband, Earl(Jeremy Sisto), keeps her down by taking her money, hitting her and constantly putting her down. Things get even more complicated when she finds out she is pregnant. This happened on a night when Earl got her incredibly drunk (the only way she'd sleep with him). The biggest problem is that Jenna wants nothing to do with the child. She is not excited and does not want to be congratulated, yet she refuses to even consider an abortion, she just doesn't plan on loving the child inside her. Dr. Pometter(Nathan Fillion) is the new doctor in town and right off the bat we can see the sparks flying between the two of them. Eventually this leads to a torrid affair that starts with pure sex and ends in an incredibly warm, touching and loving friendship. This is the heart of the film. The relationship between Dr. Pometter and Jenna moves the film along in some vortex of whimsical movie love and it is a joy for us to see Jenna finally smile because we have fallen in love with her and now we get to see what it is like for her to be happy. Sadly, the Doctor is married as well, so in reality we are watching a double affair happen and when you think about it in that term, it sucks, but that is life and this movie is pretty grounded in life.
Along for this wild ride are Jenna's two waitress friends (Shelly and Cheryl Hines) and they offer some laughs, some sympathy and some inject more of that heart that keeps this film pumping. Andy Griffith shows up as the owner of the diner and the first person who finds out about the pregnancy and the affair. He comes along to drop little gems of wisdom and a few dirty comments that just seem even dirtier coming from him. Everything about this movie works- the acting, dialogue, music, camera angles and the story. We cringe and groan every time we hear Earl driving up (he always honks like 7 times) and it takes us completely away from the joyous moments we witness and it is perfect. The uses of music mixed with swooping circular camera shots really punctuate a moment of sweetness or joy. Russell is absolutely flawless with her sparkling blue eyes and incredible subtle performance. Fillion makes the change from action star to warm romantic comedian seem easy as the somewhat bumbling doctor and all the supporting characters really help keep this film moving. I don't want to ruin the end of this movie, but it is satisfactory in a way a lot of movies aren't and gives the great woman's touch on the story.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Surf's up
At this point in time I am fairly certain the world has had its fill of penguins but that didn't seem to deter this movie from being made. In fact, this movie takes penguins away from the socially conscience creatures they have become due to March of the Penguins and Happy feet and turns them into goofy and lovable characters. In this case, they are in love with surfing and pro surfers such as Kelly Slater appear in penguin form throughout the film. The story is your typical little "little man overcoming the odds" story and as he strives to be the best he realizes what is truly important and that is being happy. However, where this film differs from your usual film like that is that "family" has nothing to do with blood. In fact, our lead character's family is never on his side, even at the end of the movie.
Shia LaBeouf continues his hot streak here doing great energetic voice work for Cody, our hero. Cody is an undersized penguin who wants to be a world renowned surfer because as a baby "Big Z (the best surfing penguin)" gave him a necklace and told him to always follow his dreams. Big Z has since died and Cody wants his shot during the yearly Big Z memorial championship. Standing in his way is the fact that he is not a very good surfer and an evil tattooed penguin named Tank (voiced by Drew Carey's Deidrich Bader). Also in the mix are James Woods, playing a Don King like figure and Mario Cantone as the Don King's little gopher. Both hit home runs with their voice work, but Cantone is incredibly good considering I usually find his voice to be unbearable. The usually obnoxious Jon Heder ( Napoleon Dynamite) shows up as a chicken who surfs and while he is his usual slacker sounding self, the character gets a majority of the laughs. We tag on Jeff Bridges and Zooey Deschanel and our cast of gifted voice workers is complete.
The movie doesn't exactly soar but it is a better and good movie. Yes, the heart is a bit too heavily pounding at the end of this sappy story, but the intentions are good and you have to admire them for that. There are too many potty jokes and bathroom humor in this thing to really make me think this is a great movie but there are some cute kid penguins that get laughs, even if they area bit on the crude side. The innuendo works for me as things like "polishing your trophy" goes unnoticed by kids and by many of the adults, but was not lost on the teenage and twenty something crowd. The animation is incredible throughout but the stuff that happens in the jungle is absolutely stunning. The leaves, trees and ground often look like real life and the scene where a surf board is being shaved is just ridiculously real looking. Everything that happens here is predictable, but it is a fun summer escape film if you are looking for 90 minutes of fluff.
Shia LaBeouf continues his hot streak here doing great energetic voice work for Cody, our hero. Cody is an undersized penguin who wants to be a world renowned surfer because as a baby "Big Z (the best surfing penguin)" gave him a necklace and told him to always follow his dreams. Big Z has since died and Cody wants his shot during the yearly Big Z memorial championship. Standing in his way is the fact that he is not a very good surfer and an evil tattooed penguin named Tank (voiced by Drew Carey's Deidrich Bader). Also in the mix are James Woods, playing a Don King like figure and Mario Cantone as the Don King's little gopher. Both hit home runs with their voice work, but Cantone is incredibly good considering I usually find his voice to be unbearable. The usually obnoxious Jon Heder ( Napoleon Dynamite) shows up as a chicken who surfs and while he is his usual slacker sounding self, the character gets a majority of the laughs. We tag on Jeff Bridges and Zooey Deschanel and our cast of gifted voice workers is complete.
The movie doesn't exactly soar but it is a better and good movie. Yes, the heart is a bit too heavily pounding at the end of this sappy story, but the intentions are good and you have to admire them for that. There are too many potty jokes and bathroom humor in this thing to really make me think this is a great movie but there are some cute kid penguins that get laughs, even if they area bit on the crude side. The innuendo works for me as things like "polishing your trophy" goes unnoticed by kids and by many of the adults, but was not lost on the teenage and twenty something crowd. The animation is incredible throughout but the stuff that happens in the jungle is absolutely stunning. The leaves, trees and ground often look like real life and the scene where a surf board is being shaved is just ridiculously real looking. Everything that happens here is predictable, but it is a fun summer escape film if you are looking for 90 minutes of fluff.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Ocean's 13 (possible spoilers)
While I was one of the few people who actually really enjoyed Ocean's 12, I am happy to see the gang back in Vegas, where they belong. Pitt, Clooney, Damon and company are out for revenge on Al Pacino this time and the plot is even wilder than the last one. See, this time around, they are rigging every single game in the casino, all while only having a very short amount of time in which to do it. But, does the plot of these movies really matter all that much? I mean, these movies are the epitome of style over substance and in that realm, Director Steven Soderbergh has created yet another smug, self important and beautiful film. The quick shots of the hotel are amazing, the costumes cool and as smug as the attitudes of our "cooler than you" lead actors. Some people are turned off by the smugness of it all, but I happen to very much enjoy self important in jokes. I mean I count Aaron Sorkin as my favorite writer and I love those Mac commercials, so this really is right up my alley. There are numerous jokes about the actors, not the characters, just like in the previous ones, but we don't have to endure Julia Roberts here, which is an added bonus. Instead, we get a hilarious Ellen Barkin, mostly squeezing into dresses far to tight and she is always just a bit off balance. Also, Matt Damon gets to be the seducer here, which is played for some of the best laughs in the movie.
If there were an issue here, it would be that Brad Pitt doesn't have enough screen time as Rusty. In fact, some of the gang is barely here. They are sacrificed for more screen time for Pacino and Barkin. Casey Affleck and Scott Caan don't get much time together here, but Affleck is involved an the uproarious sub-plot involving a Mexican revolt where he speaks dead pan Spanish and it just cracked me up. Don Cheadle spends most of the movie on the side lines but in his one scene to shine he really does shine. The Oprah joke plays even better in the movie than it does in the trailer and plays into the movie later. Pitt and Clooney have an incredible chemistry and their scenes here are just as good as the previous movies, where they finish each other's sentences. Eddie Izzard has a big of a bigger role here and is mostly used as a plot device, well a device to let us in on the plans.
As for the actual heist, it is a blast to watch happen and it is hard not to just enjoy what is happening. Anything the boys need, they get. It is just that simple and that is what makes these movies fun. They are effortless, unapologetic fun. Candy for the brain at the beginning of summer. Where else are you going to find a movie where it is just accepted that people who rob casinos just happen to know Japanese and refuse to let us know what the Japanese character is actually saying. Yet another moment of smug self importance for me to giggle about! A little treat for having endured Pirates of the Caribbean: AT worlds end. If you have seen the first two movies you will see every twist coming and be able to tell what is actually happening from what they want the other characters to see, but having that knowledge makes you feel like you are apart of this team and raises the enjoyment level. The script is cool and breezy, full of jokes that are more clever than they should be and often result in giggles instead of full out laughter, but that is what it is supposed to be. This is supposed to be a series of films that makes us wish robbing casinos was a fun and easy process. We are supposed to want to put on ridiculous wigs and find a way to weigh down dice and in that regard, this movie is a home run and is a movie everyone should see.
If there were an issue here, it would be that Brad Pitt doesn't have enough screen time as Rusty. In fact, some of the gang is barely here. They are sacrificed for more screen time for Pacino and Barkin. Casey Affleck and Scott Caan don't get much time together here, but Affleck is involved an the uproarious sub-plot involving a Mexican revolt where he speaks dead pan Spanish and it just cracked me up. Don Cheadle spends most of the movie on the side lines but in his one scene to shine he really does shine. The Oprah joke plays even better in the movie than it does in the trailer and plays into the movie later. Pitt and Clooney have an incredible chemistry and their scenes here are just as good as the previous movies, where they finish each other's sentences. Eddie Izzard has a big of a bigger role here and is mostly used as a plot device, well a device to let us in on the plans.
As for the actual heist, it is a blast to watch happen and it is hard not to just enjoy what is happening. Anything the boys need, they get. It is just that simple and that is what makes these movies fun. They are effortless, unapologetic fun. Candy for the brain at the beginning of summer. Where else are you going to find a movie where it is just accepted that people who rob casinos just happen to know Japanese and refuse to let us know what the Japanese character is actually saying. Yet another moment of smug self importance for me to giggle about! A little treat for having endured Pirates of the Caribbean: AT worlds end. If you have seen the first two movies you will see every twist coming and be able to tell what is actually happening from what they want the other characters to see, but having that knowledge makes you feel like you are apart of this team and raises the enjoyment level. The script is cool and breezy, full of jokes that are more clever than they should be and often result in giggles instead of full out laughter, but that is what it is supposed to be. This is supposed to be a series of films that makes us wish robbing casinos was a fun and easy process. We are supposed to want to put on ridiculous wigs and find a way to weigh down dice and in that regard, this movie is a home run and is a movie everyone should see.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Mr. Brooks
There is something to be said about the small movies released amongst the big budget sequels and if you are looking for something different, this is a good movie to attend. It is fast, smart, a bit disturbing, has the loudest gun shots ever and will have you wondering "What is going to happen next" throughout. The main problem is, so often "what happens next" is exactly what you'd think would happen next. Every time the movie starts to veer into something different, it clings firmly to the concept of following the cliched path set aside for these types of films. That does not mean, however, that it is a bad movie because I found myself definitely enjoying it.
Kevin Costner plays Earl Brooks, a respected and wealthy man in the community. He has a beautiful wife, a college student daughter and has just won the man of the year award for his community. Oh he also manifests an alter ego in the form of William Hurt. Hurt has a name, Marshall, and is the vicious, serial killer persona that Costner tries to keep hidden by attending AA meetings. William Hurt is manically brilliant and this movie utilizes the separate personas brilliantly. Costner has full on conversations with him which gives a different variation on the serial killer movie. I mean, we actually get to hear what is going on through the mind of a killer and how he lives his life before and after kills. At the start of the film there is a brilliant scene in a car where Marshall is egging Earl on to kill someone, as Earl is driving with his wife. Eventually Marshall wins and we get a disturbing death/orgasm scene that really sets the tone for the movie. Earl claims he will never kill again, but a few new sub plots are introduced here and it becomes clear that he will kill again.
The first new plot consists of comedian Dane Cook who has taken pictures of Earl killing the couple. However, instead of blackmailing him for money or threatening to go to the police, Cook (going by Mr. Smith) wants Earl to teach him to kill. Yes, that is right, our serial killer may not be the most immoral character in the movie. Cook talks about how watching that couple have sex and taking pictures of it helped get him off, but that was nothing compared to the rush of watching Earl kill them and so now he wants to be a killer. The scene that feature Cook are bursting with a manic energy as he plays Mr. Smith like a kid about to get a new toy or a teenage boy about to lose his virginity. He harnesses his nervous energy with a giant evil smile and really puts forth a great character. One that is easy for everyone to hate, yet stay drawn to. Costner and Cook play well off each other and the scenes int he car really set this movie apart from the usual serial killer fare. The second sub plot involves Brook's daughter coming home from college early and she is without her car. It is obvious she is hiding a secret, but those things are hidden from the trailers for a reason so I will not give it all away. I will just say, I wish there was more of that idea in the movie.
Demi Moore also joins in the fun here as the cop looking for Brooks. Brooks has been titled "The Thumbprint killer" and Moore has been looking for him for a while. We find out it has been two years since his last kill. The Moore character is where this film veers off the good road. She gets an unnecessary back story, just to add time to the running time. She is from a wealthy family and is going through a rough divorce where the husband is asking for 5 million dollars. Also, a bad guy she put away has broken out of jail and may or may not be after her. Demi doesn't add anything here and to be honest, this movie would have better if the focus never went away from the killer and his life. Granted, this off plot does give us a very loud gun fight, but other than that I didn't need it.
There is no massive twist to the movie, although it keeps allowing you to think there will be and that is enough, really. The acting is very solid and the director seems to have an idea of what he is doing. His use of the rear view mirror is outstanding and plays very much into this movie. William Hurt is wonderful as a character that doesn't really exist, but the way he plays it, you almost forget he is a figment of Costner's imagination. Yes, it is hard to see Kevin Costner as a killer, but that is what makes this movie even more perverse and disturbing. It actually works very much in the movie's favor.
Kevin Costner plays Earl Brooks, a respected and wealthy man in the community. He has a beautiful wife, a college student daughter and has just won the man of the year award for his community. Oh he also manifests an alter ego in the form of William Hurt. Hurt has a name, Marshall, and is the vicious, serial killer persona that Costner tries to keep hidden by attending AA meetings. William Hurt is manically brilliant and this movie utilizes the separate personas brilliantly. Costner has full on conversations with him which gives a different variation on the serial killer movie. I mean, we actually get to hear what is going on through the mind of a killer and how he lives his life before and after kills. At the start of the film there is a brilliant scene in a car where Marshall is egging Earl on to kill someone, as Earl is driving with his wife. Eventually Marshall wins and we get a disturbing death/orgasm scene that really sets the tone for the movie. Earl claims he will never kill again, but a few new sub plots are introduced here and it becomes clear that he will kill again.
The first new plot consists of comedian Dane Cook who has taken pictures of Earl killing the couple. However, instead of blackmailing him for money or threatening to go to the police, Cook (going by Mr. Smith) wants Earl to teach him to kill. Yes, that is right, our serial killer may not be the most immoral character in the movie. Cook talks about how watching that couple have sex and taking pictures of it helped get him off, but that was nothing compared to the rush of watching Earl kill them and so now he wants to be a killer. The scene that feature Cook are bursting with a manic energy as he plays Mr. Smith like a kid about to get a new toy or a teenage boy about to lose his virginity. He harnesses his nervous energy with a giant evil smile and really puts forth a great character. One that is easy for everyone to hate, yet stay drawn to. Costner and Cook play well off each other and the scenes int he car really set this movie apart from the usual serial killer fare. The second sub plot involves Brook's daughter coming home from college early and she is without her car. It is obvious she is hiding a secret, but those things are hidden from the trailers for a reason so I will not give it all away. I will just say, I wish there was more of that idea in the movie.
Demi Moore also joins in the fun here as the cop looking for Brooks. Brooks has been titled "The Thumbprint killer" and Moore has been looking for him for a while. We find out it has been two years since his last kill. The Moore character is where this film veers off the good road. She gets an unnecessary back story, just to add time to the running time. She is from a wealthy family and is going through a rough divorce where the husband is asking for 5 million dollars. Also, a bad guy she put away has broken out of jail and may or may not be after her. Demi doesn't add anything here and to be honest, this movie would have better if the focus never went away from the killer and his life. Granted, this off plot does give us a very loud gun fight, but other than that I didn't need it.
There is no massive twist to the movie, although it keeps allowing you to think there will be and that is enough, really. The acting is very solid and the director seems to have an idea of what he is doing. His use of the rear view mirror is outstanding and plays very much into this movie. William Hurt is wonderful as a character that doesn't really exist, but the way he plays it, you almost forget he is a figment of Costner's imagination. Yes, it is hard to see Kevin Costner as a killer, but that is what makes this movie even more perverse and disturbing. It actually works very much in the movie's favor.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Knocked Up
Very rarely does a movie hit sex, pregnancy, love and marriage as hilarious, honest and raw as this movie. People cuss when they fight, sex doesn't seem to go how you want and the married couple seems to go through every emotion possible and it all happens with incredibly hilarious dialogue, solid performances and with a very sweet genuine nature. Normally when comedies go over an hour and 40 minutes, I worry because they start to fall apart, but this movie will keep you in stitches for the entire 2 hrs. Fresh off the success of The 40 year old Virgin, Writer/ Director Judd Apatow has created comedy gold yet again and he manages to do this one with very limited fart jokes or vomit jokes. Also off the success of "Virgin" Seth Rogen gets to step into the shoes of leading man as he plays an incredible slacker who hits the jack pot when he gets a one night stand with Katherine Heigl. The fact that she is far prettier than he is is not lost on the characters or us. One night of fun turns into pregnancy and our two main characters are forced to grow up in a hurry and face life, together. That is the basic plot, but it isn't really the plot that keeps this bad boy moving.
Seth has 4 friends (all played by Judd Apatow regulars) and the scenes in which the 5 guys are sitting around smoking pot and ragging on each other are truly spectacular. The guys have an obvious chemistry, having worked together on either Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared or "Virgin" and it is impossible to tell how much of this is acting and how much Apatow just set a camera in front of these guys and let them go. One of the friends has been dared not to cut his hair or shave for a year and the jokes about that come throughout the film and are eerily similar to the "You know how I know you are gay" jokes from "Virgin," Another stand out from that movie who shines here is the always brilliant Paul Rudd. No one in film has the presence, delivery and charm that Rudd has when it comes to comedy. He has a way of playing the straight man without making him feel dull around the bigger characters. His subtle delivery and just the slightest roll of the eyes can be the best moment in any given scene. Rudd takes part in the side plot of Heigl's brother-in-law, trapped in a bad marriage to Heigl's sister. The couple married because they had a kid and now have two kids and struggle every day to make it work. It gives credence to Heigl's hesitation to jumping into a relationship with Rogen and never feels like a boring side plot just to make the movie longer.
Everything in this movie works but it is the characters that give the movie heart. Rogen is very good when asked to do something other than crack a joke and makes all of us "average" looking guys look good by turning in a strong and likable performance. The writing doesn't just have him roll over for this hot girl, but you can tell he loves her. For Heigl's part, she was very good. I forgot I was watching Izzie from Grey's anatomy and just enjoyed her being nearly on edge the entire movie. Also, it never looks ridiculous that she could love someone less attractive than she is because of how tender she played her role. The supporting characters all have their moments to shine as well. The bouncer at the club just killed me in his monologue and even the assistant at Heigl's job had some fierce lines and impeccable delivery. James Franco, Ryan Seacrest and Steve Carrell all get great cameos with Seacrest shining as a jack ass version of himself, showing he does not take himself too seriously. The one-liners are smart and the pop culture references don't seem out of place and whole movie just feels real.
The plot takes predictable turns but the dialogue that gets them there is never predictable as the characters are not afraid of getting very nasty with each other, like real people do. The pregnant sex may be the most hilarious attempt at sex in movie history and the birth will give you a view on birth that is not shown in movies or on TV. Yes, the movie does have its fair share of crude and lewd behavior but underneath it is a real heart of a movie. The friends all care about each other and the closing moments in the waiting room really show this. Watching Rogen's character grow from a pot head who watches nude scenes all day into a man who is ready to care for a child is wonderfully done and watching Heigl shift from a very career driven woman into a woman ready to be in love is just great to see. This is the kind of comedy people should see and the kind of comedy people should quote for years to come.
Seth has 4 friends (all played by Judd Apatow regulars) and the scenes in which the 5 guys are sitting around smoking pot and ragging on each other are truly spectacular. The guys have an obvious chemistry, having worked together on either Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared or "Virgin" and it is impossible to tell how much of this is acting and how much Apatow just set a camera in front of these guys and let them go. One of the friends has been dared not to cut his hair or shave for a year and the jokes about that come throughout the film and are eerily similar to the "You know how I know you are gay" jokes from "Virgin," Another stand out from that movie who shines here is the always brilliant Paul Rudd. No one in film has the presence, delivery and charm that Rudd has when it comes to comedy. He has a way of playing the straight man without making him feel dull around the bigger characters. His subtle delivery and just the slightest roll of the eyes can be the best moment in any given scene. Rudd takes part in the side plot of Heigl's brother-in-law, trapped in a bad marriage to Heigl's sister. The couple married because they had a kid and now have two kids and struggle every day to make it work. It gives credence to Heigl's hesitation to jumping into a relationship with Rogen and never feels like a boring side plot just to make the movie longer.
Everything in this movie works but it is the characters that give the movie heart. Rogen is very good when asked to do something other than crack a joke and makes all of us "average" looking guys look good by turning in a strong and likable performance. The writing doesn't just have him roll over for this hot girl, but you can tell he loves her. For Heigl's part, she was very good. I forgot I was watching Izzie from Grey's anatomy and just enjoyed her being nearly on edge the entire movie. Also, it never looks ridiculous that she could love someone less attractive than she is because of how tender she played her role. The supporting characters all have their moments to shine as well. The bouncer at the club just killed me in his monologue and even the assistant at Heigl's job had some fierce lines and impeccable delivery. James Franco, Ryan Seacrest and Steve Carrell all get great cameos with Seacrest shining as a jack ass version of himself, showing he does not take himself too seriously. The one-liners are smart and the pop culture references don't seem out of place and whole movie just feels real.
The plot takes predictable turns but the dialogue that gets them there is never predictable as the characters are not afraid of getting very nasty with each other, like real people do. The pregnant sex may be the most hilarious attempt at sex in movie history and the birth will give you a view on birth that is not shown in movies or on TV. Yes, the movie does have its fair share of crude and lewd behavior but underneath it is a real heart of a movie. The friends all care about each other and the closing moments in the waiting room really show this. Watching Rogen's character grow from a pot head who watches nude scenes all day into a man who is ready to care for a child is wonderfully done and watching Heigl shift from a very career driven woman into a woman ready to be in love is just great to see. This is the kind of comedy people should see and the kind of comedy people should quote for years to come.
Hot Fuzz
I am not historically a fan of British humor. I have never really enjoyed a whole lot of Monty Python or any real English imports, but there is just something about the guys who made Shaun of the Dead and now, Hot Fuzz. I cannot quite put my finger on what makes them work. It may be that they seem have have seen every movie they parody and spoof, or just that the two main characters in both are just so darn likable. Well, whatever it is, I hope they continue to do this good kind of work because Hot Fuzz is an absolute riot of a time!
Nick Angel (Simon Pegg) is a cop who is so good at his job that his force sends him away because he makes them all look bad. Yes, it is sort of a silly starting off point, but it works and Simon Pegg can really act. He end sup in a small village where no crime happens (apparently) and he is reduced to chasing lost animals and giving speeding tickets only. The thing is, he doesn't seem to mind because he is dedicated to the job that he sees it as all part of the job. Angel is teamed up with Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) and it seems like an odd pairing from the beginning because while Angel has actually lived the cop life, Butterman only knows what he sees in the movies. And it seems as if Butterman has seen every action movie ever. The two main movies spoken of here are Point Break and Bad Boys two. The rest of the plot is as follows- People start dying, but they look like accidents and Angel is convinced of a murderous conspiracy. However, the rest of the cops are so used to these "accidental" deaths that they won't believe him. We also meet a cast of off individuals making up the Neighborhood watch, lead by the phenomenal Timothy Dalton and the excellent Jim Broadbent. Angel uncovers the plot and the actions ensues.
Yes, this movie is a satire on your typical big budget action film, but in its satire it is actually a very good action movie. Like they did with Shaun of the Dead, they poke fun at the genre while making a film good enough to fit in the genre. The gun fight at the end is wonderful, we have chases on foot and in cars and Edgar Wright (The director) moves the camera incredibly effectively, even using quick edits to his advantage, making normal things look fast by chopping up the scenes, so opening the fridge looks like a cool action shot. I love big budget popcorn movies and this fits right in there, only it is incredibly funny on top of having great action. They manage to get the classic Point Break moment and have the classic Helicopter slow motion shot from Bad Boys two in there, but both are done so slyly that it doesn't actually take away from the movie we are watching. The dialogue is snappy and as soon as you have recovered from laughing, you will be laughing again. Everyone does a great job and every time the movie looks like it might just get a bit too silly for my taste, it pulls back and becomes interesting. I went in expecting nothing and ended up truly enjoying my movie going experience.
Nick Angel (Simon Pegg) is a cop who is so good at his job that his force sends him away because he makes them all look bad. Yes, it is sort of a silly starting off point, but it works and Simon Pegg can really act. He end sup in a small village where no crime happens (apparently) and he is reduced to chasing lost animals and giving speeding tickets only. The thing is, he doesn't seem to mind because he is dedicated to the job that he sees it as all part of the job. Angel is teamed up with Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) and it seems like an odd pairing from the beginning because while Angel has actually lived the cop life, Butterman only knows what he sees in the movies. And it seems as if Butterman has seen every action movie ever. The two main movies spoken of here are Point Break and Bad Boys two. The rest of the plot is as follows- People start dying, but they look like accidents and Angel is convinced of a murderous conspiracy. However, the rest of the cops are so used to these "accidental" deaths that they won't believe him. We also meet a cast of off individuals making up the Neighborhood watch, lead by the phenomenal Timothy Dalton and the excellent Jim Broadbent. Angel uncovers the plot and the actions ensues.
Yes, this movie is a satire on your typical big budget action film, but in its satire it is actually a very good action movie. Like they did with Shaun of the Dead, they poke fun at the genre while making a film good enough to fit in the genre. The gun fight at the end is wonderful, we have chases on foot and in cars and Edgar Wright (The director) moves the camera incredibly effectively, even using quick edits to his advantage, making normal things look fast by chopping up the scenes, so opening the fridge looks like a cool action shot. I love big budget popcorn movies and this fits right in there, only it is incredibly funny on top of having great action. They manage to get the classic Point Break moment and have the classic Helicopter slow motion shot from Bad Boys two in there, but both are done so slyly that it doesn't actually take away from the movie we are watching. The dialogue is snappy and as soon as you have recovered from laughing, you will be laughing again. Everyone does a great job and every time the movie looks like it might just get a bit too silly for my taste, it pulls back and becomes interesting. I went in expecting nothing and ended up truly enjoying my movie going experience.
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