A musical based on a movie about a peppy blonde girl who takes Harvard law school should not work. I repeat it should not work. Of course, the movie should not have worked either, but it did. And it would not have worked without Reese Witherspoon. Just like I am not sure how well this musical succeeds without a stellar lead female. Luckily Laura Bell Bundy is exactly that. Now I do not claim to be the most knowledgeable in terms of Broadway performers, so I have no idea who this girl is, but she is phenomenal in the role of Elle Woods. She is just perky enough without being nauseating, her voice fills the theater, her dancing is top notch and her acting turns what should be just a silly show into something much more. A show with song titles like “Omigod you Guys” and “Bend and Snap” does not really deserve to also be a great show but somehow it is. I mean it really is.
I have never had more fun watching live theater than I did during the fantastic number “What you want” early in the show. The number incorporates flashy costumes, flags, banners, hip-hop dancing, amazing lights, incredible vocals and an overall joy that almost brought the audience out of their chairs. The same could be said for the second act opening, jump rope workout inspired number “Whipped into Shape”. It doesn’t hurt that the girl leading that number (Nikki Snelson) has a stomach to die for, but to hear her belt out the end of the number having just jump roped for a few minutes is a true testament of skill and talent. The show utilizes all kinds of amazing choreography, lighting, costumes, voices and an overall high energy to turn this thing into a high octane spectacle and it works so well you are willing to forgive the terrible songs like “Blood in the water” and the beginning of the song “Legally Blonde”. “Legally Blonde” hits its groove in the reprise where Vivienne (Kate Shindle) blows the doors off the theater with her power house pipes.
I am not going to lie, I expected nothing coming in and when I left I was singing “Omigod you guys” over and over. I am not sure if this show will succeed but I know if they can find more actors, singers and dancers like the one filling this cast, it may have a shot. The thing that most took me by surprise in this show was the comic timing. Richard H. Blake, who plays Elle’s ex-boyfriend, has this song early on called “Serious” and his timing in the comic realm in flawless and it doesn’t hurt that his voice soars. Christian Borle who plays Emmett, the guy Elle falls for, captures a hard edge demeanor but manages to play up the romance effortlessly and even manages to outshine his female counter part for a brief second on the song “Chip on my shoulder.” I know I am leaving out the nearly brilliant “Greek Chorus" but some of this should be left to people who actually see the show. If I had one complaint it would be the Professor, played by Michael Rupert. He had a problem getting his words out loud enough and was just overall outmatched by the rest of the young vivacious cast.
The show is not perfect and for the most part it is a prime example of style over substance, but for two and a half hours it did not seem to matter one bit. From the opening number until the end of curtain call I bought all of it. No, it doesn’t hurt that the cast is made up of mostly hot girls prancing around in skirts, but it was more than that. The show was fun, light and energetic and often times that is enough. It is good to sometimes just sit back, laugh, holler and cheer for the underdog you know is going to succeed when it is all said and done.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Pan's Labyrinth
There are not enough superlatives to explain the full brilliance of this masterpiece. Like The Prestige, The Departed and Children of Men, this movie is perfect. Director Guillermo Del Toro has created a beautifully harsh reality and at the same time created a dark, yet gorgeous fantasy world and when he weaves them together it is hard not to feel like wishing you were a child. See, the fantasy world exists in innocence, where a young girl has the soul of an ancient princess inside her and she must complete 3 tasks before she can get back to that world. It is a truly magnificent accomplishment of a film and the final 20 minutes will leave you breathless and leave your body filled with goose bumps
12 year old Ivana Baquero stars as Ofelia, the young girl whose innocence allows for this fantasy to take place. However, in reality she is in Spain right after the war in 1944, but there is not peace because her mother has married a Captain in the Spanish army and he is currently fighting off a pack of revolutionaries. The captain is a cruel man who gets off on torture. Ofelia’s mother is pregnant with his son and the captain needs the son to carry on his name. The mother has complication with the pregnancy and Ofelia worries about what will happen. Enter, Pan. Pan is a keeper of the fictional world, sort of. He is Ofelia’s guide and a messenger of sorts between the two worlds. I don’t want to give anything more away because everyone should go out and see it so I will focus on other aspects of the film.
First off, it is in Spanish with English subtitles and while I am rarely one for watching subtitled films, I have to say that the Spanish is what helps make this movie gorgeous. The language fits the mood and the style of the film and I was never once bothered by reading the subtitles. In fact, there were times I didn’t need to look at them because I could understand the emotions conveyed by the words without needing to know the words. The movie is layered in constant metaphors as it flawlessly switches from the brutal war time reality and the fairy tale world. Be warned that this movie is brutal in showing the fascist war regime. There is a lot of close up blood and torture, but I think it only adds to what makes this movie fantastic. The visuals are stunning, the script is rich with gorgeous poetry like words and the acting is superb. I know this movie will require further viewings to fully grasp every metaphor and symbol hidden throughout and that is just fine with me because I could sit through this countless times. For anyone saying 2006 was a bad year for film, obviously missed the 4 perfect films of the year and I am glad to say I did not miss them and glad that I got to see this movie and I hope everyone else will as well!
12 year old Ivana Baquero stars as Ofelia, the young girl whose innocence allows for this fantasy to take place. However, in reality she is in Spain right after the war in 1944, but there is not peace because her mother has married a Captain in the Spanish army and he is currently fighting off a pack of revolutionaries. The captain is a cruel man who gets off on torture. Ofelia’s mother is pregnant with his son and the captain needs the son to carry on his name. The mother has complication with the pregnancy and Ofelia worries about what will happen. Enter, Pan. Pan is a keeper of the fictional world, sort of. He is Ofelia’s guide and a messenger of sorts between the two worlds. I don’t want to give anything more away because everyone should go out and see it so I will focus on other aspects of the film.
First off, it is in Spanish with English subtitles and while I am rarely one for watching subtitled films, I have to say that the Spanish is what helps make this movie gorgeous. The language fits the mood and the style of the film and I was never once bothered by reading the subtitles. In fact, there were times I didn’t need to look at them because I could understand the emotions conveyed by the words without needing to know the words. The movie is layered in constant metaphors as it flawlessly switches from the brutal war time reality and the fairy tale world. Be warned that this movie is brutal in showing the fascist war regime. There is a lot of close up blood and torture, but I think it only adds to what makes this movie fantastic. The visuals are stunning, the script is rich with gorgeous poetry like words and the acting is superb. I know this movie will require further viewings to fully grasp every metaphor and symbol hidden throughout and that is just fine with me because I could sit through this countless times. For anyone saying 2006 was a bad year for film, obviously missed the 4 perfect films of the year and I am glad to say I did not miss them and glad that I got to see this movie and I hope everyone else will as well!
Smokin' Aces
Every year 2 or 3 movies get released that owe their existence in some way to Quentin Tarentino and in 2007, this is the first of that batch of movies. However, it seems to borrow more from the Kill Bill volumes than the usual Pulp Fiction jacking and for the most part it seems to work. I am not going to lie, the movie makes absolutely no sense and every single character is essentially a cut out caricature, but it is so much fun to watch the mess unfold on the screen that you are really able to check your brain at the door.
A wasted Ray Liotta and a fantastic Ryan Reynolds are FBI agents sent to pick up a mob informant. The mob informant is about to give the FBI the biggest name in organized crime and because of that, there are 3 contracts out on his head. The bulk of the movie takes place inside a Lake Tahoe hotel and once you get passed the 45 minutes of exposition, you are in for a wild ride. See, that is the biggest problem with the movie. It feels that we need 45 minutes worth of back story before it can jump into the chainsaw wielding, gun blasting, and blood flying action. So what we get is a few monologues by different characters, all roughly hitting us over the head with useless information. Anyone coming to this movie for character development or plot points has obviously come into the wrong movie. People come into this movie because the trailer promises crazy over the top action with crazy over the top characters. Included in this orgy of actors is- Matthew Fox, Jason Bateman, Peter Berg, Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia and musicians Alicia Keys and Common. Alicia and Common both hold their own in their film debuts and I hope to see more of them in the future, especially if Alicia Keys is going to keep dressing like a hooker.
Luckily, after those first 45 minutes we get all the crazy over the top action we can handle. A guy gets lit on fire, more than a few people are brutally shot to death, another few are chopped up by a chainsaw and as soon as it starts all of my hopes and dreams for this movie were realized. We even get a pointless twist at the end, just for the hell of it. Ryan Reynolds, the main protagonist of the film is probably going to eventually break out as a big star, and he shows here that he deserves it. In a movie full of contrived over the top characters, he holds his own as the conflicted straight man and in the climax he really takes this movie beyond b-movie fare. On a final note, if you see this movie try and ignore the bad jersey accent by Ben Affleck and attempt to figure out where Andy Garcia’s character is from because his accent sounds like nothing I have ever heard and it is beyond obnoxious!
A wasted Ray Liotta and a fantastic Ryan Reynolds are FBI agents sent to pick up a mob informant. The mob informant is about to give the FBI the biggest name in organized crime and because of that, there are 3 contracts out on his head. The bulk of the movie takes place inside a Lake Tahoe hotel and once you get passed the 45 minutes of exposition, you are in for a wild ride. See, that is the biggest problem with the movie. It feels that we need 45 minutes worth of back story before it can jump into the chainsaw wielding, gun blasting, and blood flying action. So what we get is a few monologues by different characters, all roughly hitting us over the head with useless information. Anyone coming to this movie for character development or plot points has obviously come into the wrong movie. People come into this movie because the trailer promises crazy over the top action with crazy over the top characters. Included in this orgy of actors is- Matthew Fox, Jason Bateman, Peter Berg, Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia and musicians Alicia Keys and Common. Alicia and Common both hold their own in their film debuts and I hope to see more of them in the future, especially if Alicia Keys is going to keep dressing like a hooker.
Luckily, after those first 45 minutes we get all the crazy over the top action we can handle. A guy gets lit on fire, more than a few people are brutally shot to death, another few are chopped up by a chainsaw and as soon as it starts all of my hopes and dreams for this movie were realized. We even get a pointless twist at the end, just for the hell of it. Ryan Reynolds, the main protagonist of the film is probably going to eventually break out as a big star, and he shows here that he deserves it. In a movie full of contrived over the top characters, he holds his own as the conflicted straight man and in the climax he really takes this movie beyond b-movie fare. On a final note, if you see this movie try and ignore the bad jersey accent by Ben Affleck and attempt to figure out where Andy Garcia’s character is from because his accent sounds like nothing I have ever heard and it is beyond obnoxious!
Friday, January 19, 2007
The Hitcher
When you have seen most horror or scary movies ever created it makes it difficult to scare, shock or gross me out in the usual ways of a horror film, so it becomes about waching these movies to see how they work on a different level and this one, just doesn't. As far as remakes go, I think this is a good one to remake because the original has such a small cult following that most people who see it won't be making comparisons. To be honest, I only vaguely remember the original with the exception of remembering Rutger Hauer is one amazing psycho. Now, Sean Bean or Lord of the Rings fame steps into the crazy shoes of John Ryder and he is more than up to the task of being a complete nut job.
The plot involves a couple who pick up a hitch hiker and he attempts to kill them. They avoid him in the first of 4 cool moments in this disaster. However, Ryder regains his footing and comes back to haunt them through a series of illogical plot points and not very scary methods. To start with the lack of logic, let me clue you in to something. These is a scene where they are in a car and they see a sign for a town coming up in 12 miles and we see that the car is going 60mph, yet somehow they magically make it to that town in 6 minutes. That is towards the begining of the film and the rest of it just follows suit. Sophia Bush and Zach Knighton play the unlucky couple and they do their best to run, get bloody and play scared but music video director Dave Myers is in way over his head and obviously is just taking after the last few years of horror movie remakes, but this lacks the general suspence of the Texas Chainsaw remake.
I will say a few good things about the movie, for example in a scene where Sean Bean is speeding towards our couple in a nice looking trans am the song playing is a nine inch nails song and it fits the scene perfectly. Also, the disgusting body being pulled apart scene is there in all of its delightfully disgusting glory. The last thing I want to make mention of is Sophia Bush. We first see her trying to change her clothes in a car and she spends the movie in a mini jean skirt and this girl is a knockout. I have never seen her in anything before but she si enough to make me think of throwing One Tree Hill on my nextflix! I honestly can't tell you if she can act because other than Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jamie Lee Curtis, every actress is essentially the same in a horror movie, but she looks amazing wielding a shotgun and looks even more amazing falling out of a bed, which works enough for me.
The plot involves a couple who pick up a hitch hiker and he attempts to kill them. They avoid him in the first of 4 cool moments in this disaster. However, Ryder regains his footing and comes back to haunt them through a series of illogical plot points and not very scary methods. To start with the lack of logic, let me clue you in to something. These is a scene where they are in a car and they see a sign for a town coming up in 12 miles and we see that the car is going 60mph, yet somehow they magically make it to that town in 6 minutes. That is towards the begining of the film and the rest of it just follows suit. Sophia Bush and Zach Knighton play the unlucky couple and they do their best to run, get bloody and play scared but music video director Dave Myers is in way over his head and obviously is just taking after the last few years of horror movie remakes, but this lacks the general suspence of the Texas Chainsaw remake.
I will say a few good things about the movie, for example in a scene where Sean Bean is speeding towards our couple in a nice looking trans am the song playing is a nine inch nails song and it fits the scene perfectly. Also, the disgusting body being pulled apart scene is there in all of its delightfully disgusting glory. The last thing I want to make mention of is Sophia Bush. We first see her trying to change her clothes in a car and she spends the movie in a mini jean skirt and this girl is a knockout. I have never seen her in anything before but she si enough to make me think of throwing One Tree Hill on my nextflix! I honestly can't tell you if she can act because other than Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jamie Lee Curtis, every actress is essentially the same in a horror movie, but she looks amazing wielding a shotgun and looks even more amazing falling out of a bed, which works enough for me.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
The Protector
How does one review a movie when the only reason I watched the movie was for the martial arts? Does it seem worth it to talk about the plot or the acting or writing, or do I just make note of the action sequences? I admit this is quite a tough quandary! I usually pass on Asian martial arts epics because they rely too much on fantasy with the flying trough trees and unbeatable odds but this one had something in the trailer that spoke to me. The action looked real, without the wires and neat camera tricks and I was most certainly right.
If you want a basic overview of the story it goes as such: The character grows up in a tribe in Thailand that worships elephants. Elephants are the symbols of gods. He and his father are raising an elephant that they hope will be the one chosen to carry their king. The elephant and his baby are stolen and shipped to Sydney, where it looks as if they will be killed to be put into food at a restaurant apparently run by a hermaphrodite. I cannot be sure the person is a hermaphrodite but a few lines of dialogue hint at the character not really being a man or a woman. Our lead character goes to Sydney meets an odd ball cop and goes on the war path looking for his elephants. The movie is half spoken in the Thai language and half in broken English and none of it seems to make a lick of sense. The editing is poor at best and the acting is so terrible it is laughable, but the action, oh the action.
Let me first say it takes far to long to get to a good action sequence. We don’t see any real martial arts for the first 30 minutes or so, but when we finally get one it does not disappoint. In our first real action scene, our elephant searching Thai man is faced with about 25 enemies on foot, rollerblades, bikes and motorcycles. Many of them are wielding giant swords of fluorescent light. This takes place in an abandoned building of some sort and the choreography is breathtaking. Our lead character weave sin and out of stationary subway car doors and windows. He does the splits under bars, darts through fencing and at one point walks on his hands across a ledge all while picking his spots to kick the hell out of these leather jacket wearing wannabe ninjas. The slow motion usage is borderline brilliant. After this scene we get 4 more stunning fights. The final two are so spectacular in their carnage I was almost queasy, which is exactly how I like them. He faces about 45 different baddies and with each one he breaks no less than 4 bones somewhere eon their bodies and with each crack we hear the biggest snapping and cracking sounds ever given to bones in movies. It is sheer brutality yet, the sounds have an almost joyous rhythm to them.
In the conclusion of the film our protagonist must face 4 mammoth looking men. He stands about 5’8” maybe 5’9” and goes about 185lbs and these 4 guys are over 7’ 300lbs of pure cut muscle. These fights are brutal on both ends but he takes most of whipping until he straps on some elephant bones and lays a serious beating to these four. He still can’t defeat them until he remembers his father told him that when people want to take out elephants they go for the tendons and he applies that knowledge to these four beastly men. Yes, we see and hear him slashing Achilles heels, shoulder, wrists and other joints and tendons. He uses these elephant bones as knives and these monsters are his masterpiece. It is both disgusting yet pleasant to watch, which may make me a sicko, but it is exactly what I signed up for on this one!
If you want a basic overview of the story it goes as such: The character grows up in a tribe in Thailand that worships elephants. Elephants are the symbols of gods. He and his father are raising an elephant that they hope will be the one chosen to carry their king. The elephant and his baby are stolen and shipped to Sydney, where it looks as if they will be killed to be put into food at a restaurant apparently run by a hermaphrodite. I cannot be sure the person is a hermaphrodite but a few lines of dialogue hint at the character not really being a man or a woman. Our lead character goes to Sydney meets an odd ball cop and goes on the war path looking for his elephants. The movie is half spoken in the Thai language and half in broken English and none of it seems to make a lick of sense. The editing is poor at best and the acting is so terrible it is laughable, but the action, oh the action.
Let me first say it takes far to long to get to a good action sequence. We don’t see any real martial arts for the first 30 minutes or so, but when we finally get one it does not disappoint. In our first real action scene, our elephant searching Thai man is faced with about 25 enemies on foot, rollerblades, bikes and motorcycles. Many of them are wielding giant swords of fluorescent light. This takes place in an abandoned building of some sort and the choreography is breathtaking. Our lead character weave sin and out of stationary subway car doors and windows. He does the splits under bars, darts through fencing and at one point walks on his hands across a ledge all while picking his spots to kick the hell out of these leather jacket wearing wannabe ninjas. The slow motion usage is borderline brilliant. After this scene we get 4 more stunning fights. The final two are so spectacular in their carnage I was almost queasy, which is exactly how I like them. He faces about 45 different baddies and with each one he breaks no less than 4 bones somewhere eon their bodies and with each crack we hear the biggest snapping and cracking sounds ever given to bones in movies. It is sheer brutality yet, the sounds have an almost joyous rhythm to them.
In the conclusion of the film our protagonist must face 4 mammoth looking men. He stands about 5’8” maybe 5’9” and goes about 185lbs and these 4 guys are over 7’ 300lbs of pure cut muscle. These fights are brutal on both ends but he takes most of whipping until he straps on some elephant bones and lays a serious beating to these four. He still can’t defeat them until he remembers his father told him that when people want to take out elephants they go for the tendons and he applies that knowledge to these four beastly men. Yes, we see and hear him slashing Achilles heels, shoulder, wrists and other joints and tendons. He uses these elephant bones as knives and these monsters are his masterpiece. It is both disgusting yet pleasant to watch, which may make me a sicko, but it is exactly what I signed up for on this one!
The Illusionist (possible spoilers)
In 2006 there were two movies about magic released- The Prestige and The Illusionist. That is where the similarities end, though in regards to the plots of the movies. Whereas the Prestige was about obsession and the behind the scenes of magic, The Illusionist is about love beauty and the supernatural, almost. In this movie, Magic is essentially a means for philosophical debate and we are never clued in to how any of the “tricks” work. By the way, both are just fantastic! This movie starts in the present and then goes to the beginning of the story. Edward Norton is our magician and when he was a child he had a best friend who was a female. They fell in love because of their love of magic but she was rich and he was poor. She was forbidden to see him and we cut to 15 years later. Norton is now an established magician and is making his money with an astonishingly gorgeous trick of making an orange tree grow in mere seconds. Police Chief Paul Giamatti is enamored by the show and tells the Prince. The Prince takes in the show the next night and when Norton asks for crowd participation, the prince offers his girlfriend. She turns out to be the childhood friend of Norton and then the movie kicks into high gear. The trick Norton does with her is a mesmerizing trick of mirrors and death and the connection is instant.
The rest of the movie is a barrage of slight of hand and a classic who done it. The visuals are brilliant and the tricks just get better and better until you see why Norton was given the name “The Illusionist.” Norton, one of my favorite actors, brilliantly underplays his magician, using his face and hands to often tell the story where words won’t work. Jessica Biel plays his lover and she is out to prove her merit as an actress. She does well here too, proving she is more than just a pretty face with an oft amazing bikini clad figure. Here she uses that chip on her shoulder to create a female fighting for love and her own individuality. The always solid Paul Giamatti takes what could have been a very stock character and gives him nuance and a soul, a man debating within himself about the merits of his job and a love for magic. Rufus Sewell is the prince and the villain of the film, or is he? He does a great job not over acting in a part that could have easily turned into a scene chewer,
In the realm of brilliant films released in 2006, this falls in the middle. This would have made my top 10 of 2006 for a number of reasons. First off the acting and directing are just top notch, secondly, the visuals of the magic are just stunning and even more stunning are some of the shots not dealing with magic. Twice we see Giamatti storming a hall way draped in horns from killed animals and the shot is just perfect. I also like the philosophical questions posed by the magic. If we could speed up or slow down time would we? What if we could be visited by lost souls? Is the soul eternal? Everything is gorgeous and perfect. I would rank this below the Prestige as far as magic movies go, but I enjoyed that this movie allowed us to believe in the miracles of magic without showing us how everything worked.
The rest of the movie is a barrage of slight of hand and a classic who done it. The visuals are brilliant and the tricks just get better and better until you see why Norton was given the name “The Illusionist.” Norton, one of my favorite actors, brilliantly underplays his magician, using his face and hands to often tell the story where words won’t work. Jessica Biel plays his lover and she is out to prove her merit as an actress. She does well here too, proving she is more than just a pretty face with an oft amazing bikini clad figure. Here she uses that chip on her shoulder to create a female fighting for love and her own individuality. The always solid Paul Giamatti takes what could have been a very stock character and gives him nuance and a soul, a man debating within himself about the merits of his job and a love for magic. Rufus Sewell is the prince and the villain of the film, or is he? He does a great job not over acting in a part that could have easily turned into a scene chewer,
In the realm of brilliant films released in 2006, this falls in the middle. This would have made my top 10 of 2006 for a number of reasons. First off the acting and directing are just top notch, secondly, the visuals of the magic are just stunning and even more stunning are some of the shots not dealing with magic. Twice we see Giamatti storming a hall way draped in horns from killed animals and the shot is just perfect. I also like the philosophical questions posed by the magic. If we could speed up or slow down time would we? What if we could be visited by lost souls? Is the soul eternal? Everything is gorgeous and perfect. I would rank this below the Prestige as far as magic movies go, but I enjoyed that this movie allowed us to believe in the miracles of magic without showing us how everything worked.
Step Up
There is a rumor spreading throughout the IMDB community that lead male Channing Tatum is gay. This rumor has teenage girls everywhere crying and praying to their god that it isn’t true. That same demographic was also the target audience for this overly cheesy “follow your dreams” story. Channing plays Tyler Gage (porn name, much?) a juvenile delinquent, which a love for stealing cars, destroying property and dancing like his life depended on it. He is caught causing serious damage to a private arts school’s theater (which broke my heart) and his punishment was 200 community service hours in the spot he wrecked. We see him cleaning bathrooms, sweeping and mopping floors and replacing lights. Also, he is looking longingly at Nora Clark, played by Jenna Dewan. Now, I cannot fault our possibly gay leading male for his staring because this girl is a knockout AND a dancer. Yes, a real dancer, with the body and everything. Nora is a senior trying to choreograph a senior project in hopes of catching the eye of a few dance companies. See, she made a deal with her strict obnoxious mom that if she didn’t get a contract with a dance company she would take her gorgeous and rich ass to a rich girl college. I know, poor poor Nora. No lies, it is hard to find sympathy for someone whose options include Cornell and NYU. Her dance partner wrecks his ankle in some freak off screen accident. I like to pretend he did it while trying to juggle on a unicycle, but that’s just me. Mr. Gage offers to step in, or step up (get it?!?!?!) and this ignites flames between the two.
R&B singer Mario also stops in as an aspiring hip-hop producer with sick, violin heavy beats and the flyest hats I have ever seen. He is in love with a piece of milky chocolate who happens to be Nora’s best friend and since Tyler is from the ghetto he and Mario become instant hood boys. I would be lying if I said the dancing was boring because there were a few moments where I got very caught up in the moves and the rhythms of the music and dance, but it was when they tried telling a story with words instead of music that this movie falls apart. Yes, I know I am not the desired audience so it doesn’t really matter what I think. The music is banging, the dancing is incredible and the people are all hot. There is some sick basketball and a well intentioned moral in the end so who am I to totally knock the movie.
I am all for movies inspiring a sense of “follow your dreams” and I am all for movies that can bring together races and genders in the art of dance, especially when it is a combination of hip-hop and ballet. It is always nice to see things that don’t seem like they go together, fit well and the final dance sequence is pretty awesome. There is a street element to the movie that is not surprising, but no one will care if they are shocked or not. There are morals like- keeping your word, working hard, reaching for more and the all important look within yourself to find what you are made of, so in that aspect I am glad people saw this movie. I do hope for the sake of all of us though that Channing Tatum is not gay, because if he is the entire teenage girl population may band together and destroy the planet!!
R&B singer Mario also stops in as an aspiring hip-hop producer with sick, violin heavy beats and the flyest hats I have ever seen. He is in love with a piece of milky chocolate who happens to be Nora’s best friend and since Tyler is from the ghetto he and Mario become instant hood boys. I would be lying if I said the dancing was boring because there were a few moments where I got very caught up in the moves and the rhythms of the music and dance, but it was when they tried telling a story with words instead of music that this movie falls apart. Yes, I know I am not the desired audience so it doesn’t really matter what I think. The music is banging, the dancing is incredible and the people are all hot. There is some sick basketball and a well intentioned moral in the end so who am I to totally knock the movie.
I am all for movies inspiring a sense of “follow your dreams” and I am all for movies that can bring together races and genders in the art of dance, especially when it is a combination of hip-hop and ballet. It is always nice to see things that don’t seem like they go together, fit well and the final dance sequence is pretty awesome. There is a street element to the movie that is not surprising, but no one will care if they are shocked or not. There are morals like- keeping your word, working hard, reaching for more and the all important look within yourself to find what you are made of, so in that aspect I am glad people saw this movie. I do hope for the sake of all of us though that Channing Tatum is not gay, because if he is the entire teenage girl population may band together and destroy the planet!!
Save the last dance 2 (spoilers, I guess)
When I first turn on the television the first channel I look at is MTV. It is an age old habit and seems unbreakable, so yesterday when I turned it on I saw a gorgeous blonde talking about her love of dance. I figured it was the beginning of my newest guilty pleasure (dancelife) but as I continued to view, I realized it was looking a lot like a movie and more specifically, it looked like it was explaining “Save the Last Dance.” I was sick, had no movies to rent and had no netflix DVDs, so I decided to see what this was. It turned out to be the sequel to the above mentioned movie. This movie takes place where the classic original finished. Sarah Johnson, now played by a gorgeous polish actress named Izabella Miko is getting ready to start a Julliard and meets a new black man played by rising star Columbus Short. Columbus is guest lecturing during our lead character’s “Hip Hop Theory” class. Yes, allow yourself to believe Julliard has such a class. We learn that she broke up with her old black man, which makes new black man very happy. Right off the bat Sarah realizes ballet at Julliard is much tougher than she imagined, so she brushes off new black man’s advances and puts away her air force ones, focusing solely on the art of ballet.
Are you still with me? Yes, it is an incredibly basic story and I have to be honest, the major plot twist happened while I was on the phone with Erik, so I am still not sure what lie new black man told Sarah to make her so upset she turns her back on him. See, he is a musician as well and has a chance to get noticed by Vibe magazine, if she will help him choreograph some hot hip-hop dances. She says ok until he does a bad bad thing and she leaves him out to dry. Oh, she also gets the lead in the Julliard ballet when the lead goes down with an ankle injury.. She performs the ballet, a one night engagement apparently, but feels unfulfilled because she misses her puma suits and adidas shell tops. She misses the heart pounding beats and rhythms pumping through her veins when she is pop and locking. I wanted to hate this movie with every fiber of my being. I mean who could like a movie where the new black guy stops right before having sex to record her heart beat, which comes back later in the movie, but I didn’t hate it. I didn’t like it, but I didn’t hate it. I am sure some of it had to do with the incredible looks of Miss Miko and other parts of it were probably due to the fact that I love hip-hop. Either way, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who doesn’t like dancing or is looking for something deep in their movies, but if you want to stare at a hot blonde dancing like a hot black girl, go for it!
Are you still with me? Yes, it is an incredibly basic story and I have to be honest, the major plot twist happened while I was on the phone with Erik, so I am still not sure what lie new black man told Sarah to make her so upset she turns her back on him. See, he is a musician as well and has a chance to get noticed by Vibe magazine, if she will help him choreograph some hot hip-hop dances. She says ok until he does a bad bad thing and she leaves him out to dry. Oh, she also gets the lead in the Julliard ballet when the lead goes down with an ankle injury.. She performs the ballet, a one night engagement apparently, but feels unfulfilled because she misses her puma suits and adidas shell tops. She misses the heart pounding beats and rhythms pumping through her veins when she is pop and locking. I wanted to hate this movie with every fiber of my being. I mean who could like a movie where the new black guy stops right before having sex to record her heart beat, which comes back later in the movie, but I didn’t hate it. I didn’t like it, but I didn’t hate it. I am sure some of it had to do with the incredible looks of Miss Miko and other parts of it were probably due to the fact that I love hip-hop. Either way, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who doesn’t like dancing or is looking for something deep in their movies, but if you want to stare at a hot blonde dancing like a hot black girl, go for it!
Waist deep (spoilers)
One thing I love about movies is that they can delve into the human psyche as to what would happen if your family was in trouble. We get to see human beings at their core, or what creators of film believe we as humans would do if put in that position. In that vein comes a movie about a single father struggling to stay out of jail while trying to instill a sense of hope in his 9 or 10 year old son. The movie gets off to a quick start because in the first 5 minutes, the man’s car is stolen, with his kid inside and we are off to the races. Model/singer/rapper/actor Tyrese Gibson stars as the man with 36ish hours to come up with $500,000.00 or his son will be killed. Right off the bat our leading man is strapped and puts 2 men down while chasing his stolen vehicle on foot. We are made very aware that this man has been in the street before and is not afraid of getting down and dirty.
His first order of business is to threaten an incredibly gorgeous Meagan Good, who he feels helped mark him as a target for getting jacked. Meagan is a terrible actress but looks good in her underwear so she’ll go far in the urban film market. What follows is a string of clichés and obvious “twists” in the middle section and the yawns come out. Tyrese and his lady rob banks, rob pimps, break into a house, steal cars oh and find time for some sex, as well. He somehow finds the money, but as luck would have it the kidnapper wants to kill everyone involved after receiving the money. Shocking, I know. Rapper The Game plays our villain as a tattooed, butcher knife wielding marble mouth who cannot speak without shouting swear words like every other villain in these kinds of movies.
To be fair, there is a better than decent car chase in the final third that mostly held my attention and instead of ending in the most obvious cliché, they find the second most obvious cliché to end their movie. Now, in getting back to my original thought when I rented this movie, the director obviously believes a man would sacrifice himself in order to set his family free and for making that choice I have to respect the movie. Tyrese is fine as an actor. I mean he isn’t going to win any awards but he is serviceable and with rock hard muscles he probably will continue to find work in the action genre. Overall, I wish I hadn’t wasted my money, but I can chalk it up to a study in the human condition.
His first order of business is to threaten an incredibly gorgeous Meagan Good, who he feels helped mark him as a target for getting jacked. Meagan is a terrible actress but looks good in her underwear so she’ll go far in the urban film market. What follows is a string of clichés and obvious “twists” in the middle section and the yawns come out. Tyrese and his lady rob banks, rob pimps, break into a house, steal cars oh and find time for some sex, as well. He somehow finds the money, but as luck would have it the kidnapper wants to kill everyone involved after receiving the money. Shocking, I know. Rapper The Game plays our villain as a tattooed, butcher knife wielding marble mouth who cannot speak without shouting swear words like every other villain in these kinds of movies.
To be fair, there is a better than decent car chase in the final third that mostly held my attention and instead of ending in the most obvious cliché, they find the second most obvious cliché to end their movie. Now, in getting back to my original thought when I rented this movie, the director obviously believes a man would sacrifice himself in order to set his family free and for making that choice I have to respect the movie. Tyrese is fine as an actor. I mean he isn’t going to win any awards but he is serviceable and with rock hard muscles he probably will continue to find work in the action genre. Overall, I wish I hadn’t wasted my money, but I can chalk it up to a study in the human condition.
The Covenant
I have a moderate obsession with the supernatural. Not anything crazy, I mean I am not a ghost hunter nor do I think I am a vampire, but I find the mythology and allure of the supernatural to be very sexy, so when this movie was in theaters I had a bit of an interest. However, not enough to spend the 6 to 9 dollars it would take, so while I was sick in bed I thought it was the perfect time to rent this B-type movie. The story is essentially this: there were 5 families who possessed these super powers and when they thought one of the family’s bloodlines had ended, the other 4 decided to keep quiet about their powers signing a covenant. We are also led to believe that the Salem witch trials were due to these families. We pick up the action in modern times as the 4 remaining families are just realizing how seductive the powers can be and in shocking fashion (not really) the lost member of the fifth family has come back.
It should be said that the wrench in their super powers and also an interesting part of the mythology, is that the more they use their powers the quicker they age. The Earthly bodies cannot handle the amount of power and if you go power crazy you will look 100 years old while only actually being 40 years old. Also, when one turns 18 he “ascends” and becomes more powerful. The fifth member is back for revenge and what he wants is the power of one of the other kids who is about to turn 18. I found out that this movie is based on a Graphic Novel I had never heard of, which makes sense, story wise, but it appears the creators of the graphic novel were kept far away from the script and acting choices.
To be honest, I am not sure how this movie got a wide release. This should have probably been a direct to DVD release where comic book geeks like me or teenage boys who think they might be gay could be the only ones to find it. Yes, the movie is chalk full of homoerotic visuals, glances and stares between pretty boys. The script is all over the place and doesn’t help us follow the barely strung together plot and the acting is so incredibly bad, there were times it was painful to watch. Where they live is obviously cold and always raining, yet no one ever sleeps with clothes on, we are vaguely introduced to these creatures called “darklings” but never are told what they mean or of what significance they have to these characters or story. While I still find the mythology gripping and interesting and I may try and find the graphic novel, this movie is essentially a waste of time and energy.
It should be said that the wrench in their super powers and also an interesting part of the mythology, is that the more they use their powers the quicker they age. The Earthly bodies cannot handle the amount of power and if you go power crazy you will look 100 years old while only actually being 40 years old. Also, when one turns 18 he “ascends” and becomes more powerful. The fifth member is back for revenge and what he wants is the power of one of the other kids who is about to turn 18. I found out that this movie is based on a Graphic Novel I had never heard of, which makes sense, story wise, but it appears the creators of the graphic novel were kept far away from the script and acting choices.
To be honest, I am not sure how this movie got a wide release. This should have probably been a direct to DVD release where comic book geeks like me or teenage boys who think they might be gay could be the only ones to find it. Yes, the movie is chalk full of homoerotic visuals, glances and stares between pretty boys. The script is all over the place and doesn’t help us follow the barely strung together plot and the acting is so incredibly bad, there were times it was painful to watch. Where they live is obviously cold and always raining, yet no one ever sleeps with clothes on, we are vaguely introduced to these creatures called “darklings” but never are told what they mean or of what significance they have to these characters or story. While I still find the mythology gripping and interesting and I may try and find the graphic novel, this movie is essentially a waste of time and energy.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Freedom Writers
Anytime a movie makes you cry you have to decide if the movie was good or if something about it just affected you in some way, but for me, with a movie like Freedom Writers, I know it was very good and very much affected me. Wanting to be a teacher, it is great to see something like this on film. So often, we see the negative side of teenagers. The news only wants to show the sex, drugs and violence connected to teenagers and yet, the teacher in this movie looked through all of that and saw something real with her kids and I hope that I can be that same way when I eventually reach that goal. So, knowing that beware I watch this movie with a sort of biased eye and opinion. Hilary Swank stars as a fresh out of college, highly optimistic first years teacher excited to teach at a public high school in long beach. She is teaching a freshman English class and quickly learns no one expects anything from these kids, including the kids themselves. Everyone tells her just to baby sit them, her father tells her to quit and even her husband grows tired of her job, yet she keeps fighting. She fights for her kids, she fights against a screwed up system, fights against history and fights against a culture that seems hell bent on killing every young person in its path.
I have never been sold on Hilary Swank before, even with her two Academy Awards, but here I have finally conceded that she is incredible. She transitions from wide eyed optimism to hardcore determined effortlessly and conveys just the right amount of tenderness without ever coming across with pity. She reacts well with her class of misfits and each of the teens does a good job of both conveying a single character as well as an ideal of a group of characters. It would have been very easy to portray all of these kids as essentially the same, but they gave us a chance to see a side of almost every student. There are many scenes that brought tears to my eyes, but there were 3 times when I was all out weeping because it was just that touching. Movies like this often walk that fine line of being too manufactured and cheesy, but this one always manages to stay real. I am not sure how it works, but it works. Through this entire movie you see Swank’s passion and concern in her eyes. You come to understand why a woman would work 3 jobs to buy her students books out of her own pocket and why she constantly battles the administration in hopes that change can be made.
So often people give up on the youth and decide it just isn’t worth it and this is one of those movies that show teenagers want to be challenged. They want someone to care about them and their lives. I know I risk soapboxing here because this movie hit a passion and stuck a nerve of mine, but to know that things like this can happen fill me with hope and optimism in a time where I often have neither. To see a bunch of teenagers get passionate about The Diary of Anne Frank, or find their voice through the art of writing just makes me feel good inside. I do not know if everyone will like this movie, but I would hope they do. I would hope people can put aside the usual cynicism and just admire a woman for her desire and 30 or so students overcoming death, jail, beatings, drugs and indifference from adults to make something of themselves.
I have never been sold on Hilary Swank before, even with her two Academy Awards, but here I have finally conceded that she is incredible. She transitions from wide eyed optimism to hardcore determined effortlessly and conveys just the right amount of tenderness without ever coming across with pity. She reacts well with her class of misfits and each of the teens does a good job of both conveying a single character as well as an ideal of a group of characters. It would have been very easy to portray all of these kids as essentially the same, but they gave us a chance to see a side of almost every student. There are many scenes that brought tears to my eyes, but there were 3 times when I was all out weeping because it was just that touching. Movies like this often walk that fine line of being too manufactured and cheesy, but this one always manages to stay real. I am not sure how it works, but it works. Through this entire movie you see Swank’s passion and concern in her eyes. You come to understand why a woman would work 3 jobs to buy her students books out of her own pocket and why she constantly battles the administration in hopes that change can be made.
So often people give up on the youth and decide it just isn’t worth it and this is one of those movies that show teenagers want to be challenged. They want someone to care about them and their lives. I know I risk soapboxing here because this movie hit a passion and stuck a nerve of mine, but to know that things like this can happen fill me with hope and optimism in a time where I often have neither. To see a bunch of teenagers get passionate about The Diary of Anne Frank, or find their voice through the art of writing just makes me feel good inside. I do not know if everyone will like this movie, but I would hope they do. I would hope people can put aside the usual cynicism and just admire a woman for her desire and 30 or so students overcoming death, jail, beatings, drugs and indifference from adults to make something of themselves.
Alpha Dog
In the summer of 2005, I first saw a trailer for this movie and was excited for its release in January of 2006. 2006 came and the movie never saw the light of day and finally in the beginning of 2007 it found a release. See, the movie was mired in legal red tape because the story it is based on wasn’t finished and the defense was worried it would sway public opinion to the wrong (right) side. So after a year of waiting, was this movie worth the wait? HELL no. I never thought I’d say Justin Timberlake was the best thing in a movie, but he proves it here. The director seems to have no clue what he is doing and he wrote an utterly disastrous script filled with more swearing, misogyny, homophobia and racism than a movie needs to make its point. Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) is a drug dealer and appears to have done very well for himself in that trade, yet the director never clues us in to exactly what is going on in his life. It is easy to assume that he isn’t nearly as rich as we are supposed to believe because this whole movie is spawned off a $1200.00 debt. Now someone rolling hardcore in cash is not going to nearly choke a guy to death when he is late with the debt. What happen next is 2 out of control spun out druggies trying to one up each other ending in the kidnapping of a 15 yr old kid. The kid is the brother of the guy who owes Truelove money.
Justin Timberlake plays Frankie, the right hand man of Truelove and the man burdened with the task of keeping an eye on the kidnapped teen while Truelove tries to figure out a plan. See, the kidnapping was spur of the moment and was incredibly sloppy. However, every time a new witness is shown, the filmmaker feels the need to remind us these are witnesses and it gets very annoying quickly. I am not sure if this movie was made as a comedy or a drama or something else all together, but my audience felt it was comical and was often laughing at moments that should have been serious. Ben Foster plays the guy in debt and plays him about as over the top as any human being can. To hammer home my point, I’ll just say even Al Pacino would be like “dude, pull it back.” In fact everyone in this thing, with the exception of JT, seems to believe screaming is the best way to get a point across. Everyone drinks, smokes and has sex. Everyone uses the word “fuck” about 50 times and I am not sure you could go 10 words of dialogue without hearing that word uttered, well, screamed at the top of someone’s lungs.
The story in itself is interesting. What happens when something spins incredibly out of control and what happens when that happens to young people who can’t grasp reality. How far do you go for your friends and when is enough, enough, but the director has no business here and most of the actors don’t either. Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone are both essentially pointless and Sharon Stone in a fat suit towards the end is supposed to register sympathy but her screaming and near drooling just elicits giggles. In the end, Justin Timberlake manages to remain mostly unscathed. He is funny and light hearted when it is called for and then when he realizes what he is really in for he manages to squeeze some very serious acting chops out of his pretty face. When it is all said and done, you almost feel bad for his character, which is saying something because of what happens throughout the film. I wish I had liked this movie, but JT and all of the very hot and skanky looking girls couldn’t really make this one even worth renting.
Justin Timberlake plays Frankie, the right hand man of Truelove and the man burdened with the task of keeping an eye on the kidnapped teen while Truelove tries to figure out a plan. See, the kidnapping was spur of the moment and was incredibly sloppy. However, every time a new witness is shown, the filmmaker feels the need to remind us these are witnesses and it gets very annoying quickly. I am not sure if this movie was made as a comedy or a drama or something else all together, but my audience felt it was comical and was often laughing at moments that should have been serious. Ben Foster plays the guy in debt and plays him about as over the top as any human being can. To hammer home my point, I’ll just say even Al Pacino would be like “dude, pull it back.” In fact everyone in this thing, with the exception of JT, seems to believe screaming is the best way to get a point across. Everyone drinks, smokes and has sex. Everyone uses the word “fuck” about 50 times and I am not sure you could go 10 words of dialogue without hearing that word uttered, well, screamed at the top of someone’s lungs.
The story in itself is interesting. What happens when something spins incredibly out of control and what happens when that happens to young people who can’t grasp reality. How far do you go for your friends and when is enough, enough, but the director has no business here and most of the actors don’t either. Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone are both essentially pointless and Sharon Stone in a fat suit towards the end is supposed to register sympathy but her screaming and near drooling just elicits giggles. In the end, Justin Timberlake manages to remain mostly unscathed. He is funny and light hearted when it is called for and then when he realizes what he is really in for he manages to squeeze some very serious acting chops out of his pretty face. When it is all said and done, you almost feel bad for his character, which is saying something because of what happens throughout the film. I wish I had liked this movie, but JT and all of the very hot and skanky looking girls couldn’t really make this one even worth renting.
Children of Men
Every so often a movie comes along that is just so good you can’t even find the right words to describe it and 2006 brought us a few movies like that- The Prestige, The Departed and finally Children of men. This movie is so top notch that while watching it I got Goosebumps several times just because of how excellent it was. It may seem like mere hyperbole but it isn’t. This movie is yet another example of flawless filmmaking. Director Alfonzo Cuaron (The third Harry Potter movie and Y tu mama Tambien) has created a true masterpiece. A movie filled with intense drama, insane action and infinite heart, Children of Men soars like a dove above an utterly hopeless world.
It is the year 2029 and for 18 years women have been unable to conceive children and no known cause has been found. The world’s youngest person has just died and Earth is spiraling vastly out of control. We see news clips of former economic giants like the USA and Japan under ruins, but the news claims Britain is still going strong. As we watch though, we realize that is a false statement. Britain maybe surviving but it has been relegated to total anarchy. Some, like me, could make parallels to the modern regime of American power, but I don’t think this movie is trying to hammer that thought home. Clive Owen is a man without hope. We learn he used to be a man of passion and fire, but the death of his infant years ago and his Wife’s absence has made him bitter and almost robotic. Owen is brilliant here as he makes the change from bitter to hopeful when he is faced with a young woman who is some how pregnant. The rest of the film is essentially a chase film wrapped in a war film wrapped in a character struggle film. Michael Caine provides a bit of comic relief as a former political cartoonist who passes the time by smoking new strands of Marijuana and being a friend to Clive Owen.
There is a 40 minutes sequence at the end of the film that is almost like anything I have ever seen in a movie. It looks as if this giant war, being shown from 3 different views is shot in one swooping shot as the one camera weaves through the desolate town like a snake through the jungle. I have never seen war or desolation shot with such grace and beauty, yet managing to show the grit and nastiness of war. Empty cities and run down roads are shot like they were majestic wonders of the world and not a single shot is taken for granted. This movie does not give us any concrete answers and if that bothers you and you don’t see it you will be missing out. We never find out anything for certain but in the end it doesn’t seem to matter because of the journey Clive has taken with us. He is more than up to the task of carrying a whole movie on his back and more than proves he has what it takes to be heroic. I don’t want to ruin the end, but I want to say that it ended perfectly and if you see it please tell m so we can have a discussion about the symbolism of the animals and what you think the ending meant. Also, this movie features on of the slowest moving yet highly effective chase scenes in movie history
It is the year 2029 and for 18 years women have been unable to conceive children and no known cause has been found. The world’s youngest person has just died and Earth is spiraling vastly out of control. We see news clips of former economic giants like the USA and Japan under ruins, but the news claims Britain is still going strong. As we watch though, we realize that is a false statement. Britain maybe surviving but it has been relegated to total anarchy. Some, like me, could make parallels to the modern regime of American power, but I don’t think this movie is trying to hammer that thought home. Clive Owen is a man without hope. We learn he used to be a man of passion and fire, but the death of his infant years ago and his Wife’s absence has made him bitter and almost robotic. Owen is brilliant here as he makes the change from bitter to hopeful when he is faced with a young woman who is some how pregnant. The rest of the film is essentially a chase film wrapped in a war film wrapped in a character struggle film. Michael Caine provides a bit of comic relief as a former political cartoonist who passes the time by smoking new strands of Marijuana and being a friend to Clive Owen.
There is a 40 minutes sequence at the end of the film that is almost like anything I have ever seen in a movie. It looks as if this giant war, being shown from 3 different views is shot in one swooping shot as the one camera weaves through the desolate town like a snake through the jungle. I have never seen war or desolation shot with such grace and beauty, yet managing to show the grit and nastiness of war. Empty cities and run down roads are shot like they were majestic wonders of the world and not a single shot is taken for granted. This movie does not give us any concrete answers and if that bothers you and you don’t see it you will be missing out. We never find out anything for certain but in the end it doesn’t seem to matter because of the journey Clive has taken with us. He is more than up to the task of carrying a whole movie on his back and more than proves he has what it takes to be heroic. I don’t want to ruin the end, but I want to say that it ended perfectly and if you see it please tell m so we can have a discussion about the symbolism of the animals and what you think the ending meant. Also, this movie features on of the slowest moving yet highly effective chase scenes in movie history
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
An end of the year movie blow out
As the 2006 year in movies comes to a close, I give you lists- best, worst, disappointments and surprises. If people actually read this and enjoy it, maybe I'll make it an annual thing. If not, hell, I'll probably still do it because I love movies that much. Here we go!
10 best movies:
In all honesty, the best movie of this year is a movie called United 93. This movie, though, transcends regular movies because of the emotion infused within the making of and the watching of this movie. Therefore I am not adding it to my actual top 10 list. However, everyone in our country should see this movie because it marks one of the most courageous and tragic moments in the history of our country.
10. Wordplay- This was a fun enlightening documentary about crossword puzzles. John Stewart really steals the film, but overall it was just a really good movie.
9. Lucky Number Slevin- Not enough people saw this incredibly well scripted movie. Yes, the plot twists can be seen from miles away but when the dialogue is this funny and this fast, you can overlook such things!
8.Clerks 2- No it isn't for everyone but this is Kevin Smith at his very best. I was unsure he could outdo Clerks, but seriously the script for this film is probably one of my 5 favorites ever. Plus, any argument over LOTR and Star Wars is one I am voting for!
7. Flag of our Father- I am not the biggest war film guy, but this one really stuck with me. The time switching, the story, the acting and of course, Clint, make this a fantastic film.
6. Casino Royale- Bond is back and better than ever. Gritty, bloody and filthy seems to suit the new and very improved Bond. Close action and no over the top invisible cars, make this the single best action movie of 2006.
5. Little Miss Sunshine- On paper it was a bad SNL skit, but on screen it was magical. A delightful take on a road trip movie featuring some great performances all around.
4. Thank you for Smoking- The comedy in this film has some serious bite and it all works because of Aaron Eckhart's fantastic performance. The movie moves, is hilarious and makes you think, even if just for a second.
3. Blood Diamonds- Leo had himself quite a year, didn't he. However, he was not the sole reason this movie worked. It was bloody but not in a glorifying way. It had a bit of that bleeding heart liberal bias, but it was so good it didn't matter.
2. The Departed- I have been disappointed in Scorcese's last 2 movies and so this was awelcome breath of fresh air. Everything about this movie works and works perfectly. The performances are mesmerizing, the story interesting and Scorcese moves at the perfect pace for this intense piece of art.
1. The Prestige- I have not enjoyed a non hobbit movie this much in many years. Director Chris Nolan gets the most out of his actors and don't be fooled by everyone saying they saw the twist coming, because 90% of those people are lying! The movie is basically perfect filmmaking and nothing more needs to be said about it
5 worst movies:
5. The Da Vinchi Code- Everything that was wrong with the novel was wrong on screen as well. It was sluggish with horrible dialogue and Tom Hanks is at his Tooner and Hooch like worst here.
4. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift- The only good thing about this movie is the fun Erik and I had making fun of it the entire movie. It is worthless and even amazing looking cars and even more amazing looking girls couldn't save this garbage.
3. Grandma's boy- The least funny movie I have seen in a few years with some of the worst casting choices and even worse script decisions. They rip off Dane Cook, and don't do it well and nothing in this thing is even watchable in any way.
2. The Grudge 2- I didn't even make to the end of this movie, yet it only ranks number 2, which goes to show how much I hated the movie that comes in at number 1. There is no story here and the deaths are not interesting. Horribly un scary in every way.
1.Pirate of the carribean: dead man's chest- One of the biggest disappointments I have ever witnessed in a movie. It is over wrought trash, with Johnny Depp obviously slumming and even more obviously just picking up a pay check. It is long, unfunny, uninteresting, it is boring beyond belief, makes no sense, goes nowhere, resorts to bad slapstick and I cannot say enough bad things about this piece of crap.
Some movies I missed: The Illutionist, Borat, Children of men, The Good Shepard, The Good German, Notes on a Scandal and Letters from Iwo Jima
A few movies that just missed the top 10 cut: Babel, Pursuit of Happyness and Happy Feet.
Here are a few of the surprises of my movie going year:
The Bond Flick, Ben Affleck in Hollywoodland, Leo De Caprio's year, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Hugh Jackman's monster year(Prestige, The Fountain and Happy Feet), Steve Carrell in Little miss sunshine, Kevin Smith's Clerks 2 script, The Descent (easily the scariest movie of the year0 and Rob Lowe's cameo in Thank you for smoking.
And finally a few of my disappointments of the year:
Pirates and everything and everyone involved in this god awful excuse for a movie, Miami Vice, Colin Ferrell, Superman ( Singer should have made a better movie) and The Black Dahlia.
Well, there you have it, my end of the year movie blow out, please feel free to add your own list or say why I am wrong or right. Enlighten me if I missed a movie I should have seen because for a few months I didn't get to see too much. Be warned though, if you do decide to try and tell me why Pirates wasn't one of the biggest disgusting pieces of crap in the history of cinema, you will probably be made fun of.
10 best movies:
In all honesty, the best movie of this year is a movie called United 93. This movie, though, transcends regular movies because of the emotion infused within the making of and the watching of this movie. Therefore I am not adding it to my actual top 10 list. However, everyone in our country should see this movie because it marks one of the most courageous and tragic moments in the history of our country.
10. Wordplay- This was a fun enlightening documentary about crossword puzzles. John Stewart really steals the film, but overall it was just a really good movie.
9. Lucky Number Slevin- Not enough people saw this incredibly well scripted movie. Yes, the plot twists can be seen from miles away but when the dialogue is this funny and this fast, you can overlook such things!
8.Clerks 2- No it isn't for everyone but this is Kevin Smith at his very best. I was unsure he could outdo Clerks, but seriously the script for this film is probably one of my 5 favorites ever. Plus, any argument over LOTR and Star Wars is one I am voting for!
7. Flag of our Father- I am not the biggest war film guy, but this one really stuck with me. The time switching, the story, the acting and of course, Clint, make this a fantastic film.
6. Casino Royale- Bond is back and better than ever. Gritty, bloody and filthy seems to suit the new and very improved Bond. Close action and no over the top invisible cars, make this the single best action movie of 2006.
5. Little Miss Sunshine- On paper it was a bad SNL skit, but on screen it was magical. A delightful take on a road trip movie featuring some great performances all around.
4. Thank you for Smoking- The comedy in this film has some serious bite and it all works because of Aaron Eckhart's fantastic performance. The movie moves, is hilarious and makes you think, even if just for a second.
3. Blood Diamonds- Leo had himself quite a year, didn't he. However, he was not the sole reason this movie worked. It was bloody but not in a glorifying way. It had a bit of that bleeding heart liberal bias, but it was so good it didn't matter.
2. The Departed- I have been disappointed in Scorcese's last 2 movies and so this was awelcome breath of fresh air. Everything about this movie works and works perfectly. The performances are mesmerizing, the story interesting and Scorcese moves at the perfect pace for this intense piece of art.
1. The Prestige- I have not enjoyed a non hobbit movie this much in many years. Director Chris Nolan gets the most out of his actors and don't be fooled by everyone saying they saw the twist coming, because 90% of those people are lying! The movie is basically perfect filmmaking and nothing more needs to be said about it
5 worst movies:
5. The Da Vinchi Code- Everything that was wrong with the novel was wrong on screen as well. It was sluggish with horrible dialogue and Tom Hanks is at his Tooner and Hooch like worst here.
4. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift- The only good thing about this movie is the fun Erik and I had making fun of it the entire movie. It is worthless and even amazing looking cars and even more amazing looking girls couldn't save this garbage.
3. Grandma's boy- The least funny movie I have seen in a few years with some of the worst casting choices and even worse script decisions. They rip off Dane Cook, and don't do it well and nothing in this thing is even watchable in any way.
2. The Grudge 2- I didn't even make to the end of this movie, yet it only ranks number 2, which goes to show how much I hated the movie that comes in at number 1. There is no story here and the deaths are not interesting. Horribly un scary in every way.
1.Pirate of the carribean: dead man's chest- One of the biggest disappointments I have ever witnessed in a movie. It is over wrought trash, with Johnny Depp obviously slumming and even more obviously just picking up a pay check. It is long, unfunny, uninteresting, it is boring beyond belief, makes no sense, goes nowhere, resorts to bad slapstick and I cannot say enough bad things about this piece of crap.
Some movies I missed: The Illutionist, Borat, Children of men, The Good Shepard, The Good German, Notes on a Scandal and Letters from Iwo Jima
A few movies that just missed the top 10 cut: Babel, Pursuit of Happyness and Happy Feet.
Here are a few of the surprises of my movie going year:
The Bond Flick, Ben Affleck in Hollywoodland, Leo De Caprio's year, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Hugh Jackman's monster year(Prestige, The Fountain and Happy Feet), Steve Carrell in Little miss sunshine, Kevin Smith's Clerks 2 script, The Descent (easily the scariest movie of the year0 and Rob Lowe's cameo in Thank you for smoking.
And finally a few of my disappointments of the year:
Pirates and everything and everyone involved in this god awful excuse for a movie, Miami Vice, Colin Ferrell, Superman ( Singer should have made a better movie) and The Black Dahlia.
Well, there you have it, my end of the year movie blow out, please feel free to add your own list or say why I am wrong or right. Enlighten me if I missed a movie I should have seen because for a few months I didn't get to see too much. Be warned though, if you do decide to try and tell me why Pirates wasn't one of the biggest disgusting pieces of crap in the history of cinema, you will probably be made fun of.
Monday, January 01, 2007
The Devil wears Prada
I am not going to lie, something inside me is starting to believe I am a bit of a woman with my movie rental choices lately, because here is yet another movie of the female gender. Honestly though I went to rent something else but they were all out of it and it became decision between this and John Tucker Must Die. This won out and I guess I am glad about it. I say, I guess, because there was nothing outwardly spectacular about it and a few hours after watching it, I can’t say I remember a whole lot about what I saw. I do remember not hating it, but enjoying the front half much better than the back half. The story is a fairly typical “fish out of water, trying to fit in and in the process loses herself and her loved ones” story starring Anne Hathaway as a young writer thrown into a job at a fashion magazine as the personal assistant to the editor played vivaciously by Meryl Streep. I am not a big fan of Meryl’s but that is mostly due to the fact that her movies look boring beyond all belief and Hathaway is slowly making her way beyond being a clumsy Disney princess.
The first half of the movie is fairly light hearted and features some pretty good banter, mostly being said by the delightfully snooty Emily Blunt, who has done nothing of merit before this movie, and Stanley Tucci as hilariously catty accessories guru for the magazine. All of the acting is fine except at times it feels as if Hathaway is over reaching just a bit for that awkwardness and of course the clothes are amazing but there is just something missing for me. I think part of it is that whole basic plot point and after basic plot thing whether it is the main girl gets caught up in work and misses her boyfriend’s birthday, or the eventual winning over her boss thing, it all just feels so “been there, done that”. Granted, I am sure I am not the target audience for this bad boy, but it is too bad it is so entirely formulaic. I mean, even the wannabe “inspirational” speeches come off cheesy, which could all very well be because they are all about how fashion matters greatly to the world and I happen to not believe such insanity. If you want to see a movie with great clothes and that sends a message that you have to be super thin to look good, then by all means enjoy away. I however, would not partake in applauding a girl going from thin to overly thin, but maybe that is just me. Oh on a little side note, I cannot recal the name Prada coming up in this movie ever, which is kind of funny that it is in the title yet never mentioned in the film itself.
The first half of the movie is fairly light hearted and features some pretty good banter, mostly being said by the delightfully snooty Emily Blunt, who has done nothing of merit before this movie, and Stanley Tucci as hilariously catty accessories guru for the magazine. All of the acting is fine except at times it feels as if Hathaway is over reaching just a bit for that awkwardness and of course the clothes are amazing but there is just something missing for me. I think part of it is that whole basic plot point and after basic plot thing whether it is the main girl gets caught up in work and misses her boyfriend’s birthday, or the eventual winning over her boss thing, it all just feels so “been there, done that”. Granted, I am sure I am not the target audience for this bad boy, but it is too bad it is so entirely formulaic. I mean, even the wannabe “inspirational” speeches come off cheesy, which could all very well be because they are all about how fashion matters greatly to the world and I happen to not believe such insanity. If you want to see a movie with great clothes and that sends a message that you have to be super thin to look good, then by all means enjoy away. I however, would not partake in applauding a girl going from thin to overly thin, but maybe that is just me. Oh on a little side note, I cannot recal the name Prada coming up in this movie ever, which is kind of funny that it is in the title yet never mentioned in the film itself.
Dreamgirls
I have to admit that it is weird seeing a musical on the big screen that I don’t know anything about and couldn’t decide whether or not I enjoy the stage version better. However, that is what I was faced with when I went to see this movie. The movie was surrounded by all kinds of hype in both the media and in the local theater scene and I admit I was excited about it. I have always enjoyed Jamie Foxx and Danny Glover, Eddie Murphy is usually good for a few laughs and any opportunity to look at Beyonce is a plus for me. At least it was a plus until this movie. I do not mean her performance because I actually thought Beyonce actually did well in a movie for the first time, but she was like rail thin and that isn’t cute, especially for a woman who has such beautiful natural curves. Yes, I know she had to do it for the part, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it, that being said, overall this is a very good movie that suffers from a few pacing problems, oddly staged numbers, one horrid song and an overall sense of repetitiveness.
The story goes as follows; Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson and some poor underappreciated girl by the name of Anika Noni Rose are a young singing group looking for a break. Jamie Foxx plays a visionary, money hungry manager/promoter and gets them a break singing back up for a James Brown/Little Richard hybrid played with the perfect amount of arrogance and sincerity by Eddie Murphy. Foxx tries to reach a bigger (read: whiter) audience and realizes Beyonce is the key, so he bumps Jennifer Hudson from lead vocalist to background singer and issues arise. Hudson quits the group and drinks heavily while the group becomes the biggest group ever. The montage showing the Dreams during the rise to fame is one of the most cliché, boring things in the movie and almost derails it because it comes right after the most amazing scene in the film. That scene comes in the form of two songs: “It’s all over” and “And I am telling you I’m not going”. The first part of this scene is a brilliantly staged confrontation or eruption song featuring everyone one of the leads singing and the second half is a bring down the house, powerful song in which Jennifer Hudson comes to life and performs that song ina way tat I can’t imagine anyone else ever singing it again, ever. To be honest, I was not at all impressed with Hudson until that moment and in that song she got an entire audience on her side and proved her ability.
Beyonce also has a killer ballad towards the end of the film, which I believe was written for the film, that showcases she actually can sing, even if her character is not supposed to be able to. Murphy could be considered a scene stealer because this is the first time I have ever actually witnessed him acting and his “Jimmy’s rap” number was so good I was bummed when it ended. Nevertheless, in my opinion, this movie belongs to Jamie Foxx. He oozes charm like a snake and is the conflict of the film, yet when it is all said and done you still end up feeling kind of bad for him and that is quite an accomplishment considering his character is pretty much vicious. I know Jennifer Hudson is getting most of the accolades for the movie and everyone is predicting she is here to stay, but I think this role is kind of monumental and probably not a good showcase for a long time actress. I believe this because Hudson doesn’t wow me through the whole film; it is pretty much when she sings that she can sustain life on screen and so if she does musicals all the time, then maybe. Also, it wouldn’t hurt if she mixed some control in with her power on the vocal side. That being said it really is worth the price of admission to hear her tear into 2 or 3 songs in this mostly enjoyable film.
The story goes as follows; Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson and some poor underappreciated girl by the name of Anika Noni Rose are a young singing group looking for a break. Jamie Foxx plays a visionary, money hungry manager/promoter and gets them a break singing back up for a James Brown/Little Richard hybrid played with the perfect amount of arrogance and sincerity by Eddie Murphy. Foxx tries to reach a bigger (read: whiter) audience and realizes Beyonce is the key, so he bumps Jennifer Hudson from lead vocalist to background singer and issues arise. Hudson quits the group and drinks heavily while the group becomes the biggest group ever. The montage showing the Dreams during the rise to fame is one of the most cliché, boring things in the movie and almost derails it because it comes right after the most amazing scene in the film. That scene comes in the form of two songs: “It’s all over” and “And I am telling you I’m not going”. The first part of this scene is a brilliantly staged confrontation or eruption song featuring everyone one of the leads singing and the second half is a bring down the house, powerful song in which Jennifer Hudson comes to life and performs that song ina way tat I can’t imagine anyone else ever singing it again, ever. To be honest, I was not at all impressed with Hudson until that moment and in that song she got an entire audience on her side and proved her ability.
Beyonce also has a killer ballad towards the end of the film, which I believe was written for the film, that showcases she actually can sing, even if her character is not supposed to be able to. Murphy could be considered a scene stealer because this is the first time I have ever actually witnessed him acting and his “Jimmy’s rap” number was so good I was bummed when it ended. Nevertheless, in my opinion, this movie belongs to Jamie Foxx. He oozes charm like a snake and is the conflict of the film, yet when it is all said and done you still end up feeling kind of bad for him and that is quite an accomplishment considering his character is pretty much vicious. I know Jennifer Hudson is getting most of the accolades for the movie and everyone is predicting she is here to stay, but I think this role is kind of monumental and probably not a good showcase for a long time actress. I believe this because Hudson doesn’t wow me through the whole film; it is pretty much when she sings that she can sustain life on screen and so if she does musicals all the time, then maybe. Also, it wouldn’t hurt if she mixed some control in with her power on the vocal side. That being said it really is worth the price of admission to hear her tear into 2 or 3 songs in this mostly enjoyable film.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)