Very early on in this movie you realize 2 very inherent problems with it. First of all, the trailer is incredibly misleading. This movie is nowhere near as depressing and sad as you expect it to be. Secondly, Adam Sandler is in it. That is not to say that he is bad in it, but he is in it and that presents a problem because of the character he is playing. Sandler plays a man who lost his family on one of the 9/11 planes and from that day he hasn't been able to get his life back on track. He rides around the city on a motorized scooter, he plays video games all day and doesn't seem t0 grasp the world going on around him. essentially he is playing a child, not unlike just about every other Sandler flick. The biggest difference here is that we are supposed to feel terrible for him and not laugh at him. This presents a problem because Sandler has made an entire career of playing a big kid who yells a lot for laughs, so when you hear him yell it is just funny and here when he yells it is supposed to be incredibly not funny. Luckily for the movie there are things that made this a better film.
The biggest asset to this film is Don Cheadle. This man's talent is phenomenal and the way he can make a scene subtly funny and serious at the same time is mesmerizing. This is best showed during a fight he is having with his wife, played pointlessly by Jada Pinkett Smith. Cheadle stars as a man at a crossroads in life, bored at work, bored at home and friendless. He randomly comes across Sandler who was his college roommate. The two rekindle a very odd friendship and both instantly have a positive effect on the other's life. Cheadle laughs like he has never laughed before and Sandler has found someone who seemingly doesn't remind him of his family. Cheadle feels the need to help Sandler find his way and thus we have the middle to end of this film where sadly the focus is pulled from Cheadle and focused on Sandler and Liv Tyler playing his shrink as improbable as that sounds. Their sessions are painfully redundant and while the music used in the film acts as both a metaphor and literal thing, it gets a bit old to hear Springsteen blaring from the Ipod over and over.
Another asset is the script. The movie, written by it's director is funny, charming and touching and never feel forced. The directing is another story, but the script is wonderful. It gives Sandler a chance to flex some acting muscles, but also allows the Sandler character to not delve far away from what he know as his character to be. There are quite a few metaphors involved in the film- The video games, the kitchen and even the scooter- which makes for an interesting watch, but when it is all said and done, you aren't quite sure what happened. There are 2 or 3 side plots that seem forced, like the crazy patient who wants to go down on Cheadle, although they attempt to tie her to the major theme of the film, not all that effectively either, but Don Cheadle is just so amazing it is worth it just to watch him act. What he does with his face, with the props around him or even the way he puts his jacket on really tells something about his character and what he is going through. I almost wish his mid-life crisis were the focal point of the film. However, Sandler does a good job, he is just paying for his past sins in movies.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Shooter
If you ever want to see what the difference between talent and lack of talent is, just look at Marky Mark and Vanilla Ice. At the beginning of the 90's both were world wide stars for being white rapper and when that light faded Vanilla Ice went to VH-1 and Marky Mark became an A-list actor. The path probably was not an easy one and he will always live by that Marky Mark moniker but here he is in 2007 starring in one seriously kick ass action film. The body count is high, the fires are big and bright and very few things on this planet seem to be as cool as Mark Wahlberg walking in slow motion with that confident swagger in his step. Wahlberg stars as a former army sniper with a wicked eye for snipering and an undying loyalty to the concept of the flag. The opening sequence shows us how good he is in combat and it proves to set up a movie that is perhaps the most perfectly titled movie, ever. Everything you need to know is in the title. he is a shooter and boy what a shooter he is. I have seen many movies featuring many awesome shooting scenes, but the one that takes place int he opening of this one are just as good as any of them
After that opening sequence we get a bit of a downside on the violence but a pretty good political/espionage thriller. We know their is a conspiracy theory afoot and we see it through the eyes of an F.B.I agent played by Michael Pena (Crash) as he tries to show that Wahlberg did not attempt to kill the president. The people behind the shooting and the framing are led by a delightfully devious Danny Glover and while we do not know who they are or what they do, we do know they can apply some serious hurt. Wahlberg spends a good bit of this film in pain from being shot and watching him, as an ex-army guy show tricks on how to stop bleeding and fix wounds is pretty cool. I have no idea if any of that stuff is possible, but I don't really care, but for the sake of the movie is was fun to watch. Hurt, he stumbles to a very beautiful Kate Mara (Brokeback Mountain). She helps him get well and the movie avoids the usual sex subplot, which was good because it would have shown Wahlberg's character to be less than he is, not to say the sexual tension was not shown, they just didn't act upon it. After he feels healed Wahlberg goes back to work and we get to enjoy some serious brutality.
Wahlberg stabs 2 guys, chokes one one shoots about 4 dozen more and then eventually sets quite a few on fire with some sick napalm bombs. Watching guys flying back on fire in slow motion elicited some serious applause from the audience and made me cheer, as I have a habit of doing during movie violence. Wahlberg proves very much up to the task of being the leading action man, beyond the silly ape movie and Pena should grow into the character actor role very well. Rhona Mitra, the possessor of the sexiest voice ever, hides her sexy accent in a mostly pointless role in the F.B.I which made me sad, but when that is the biggest flaw in a movie, I think it is safe to say, the movie rocks. And that is what this movie does, it rocks. It moves fast and loud and it never gets old watching bullets pierce skulls. Also, one of the most gruesome things ever is to see blood against snow. WOW and not in that fake blood horror movie way, I mean it looks real and disgusting. There are also some good laughs to counteract the blaring testosterone. I also liked the ultimate end here. They went the dirty route, not the safe, pro government route.
After that opening sequence we get a bit of a downside on the violence but a pretty good political/espionage thriller. We know their is a conspiracy theory afoot and we see it through the eyes of an F.B.I agent played by Michael Pena (Crash) as he tries to show that Wahlberg did not attempt to kill the president. The people behind the shooting and the framing are led by a delightfully devious Danny Glover and while we do not know who they are or what they do, we do know they can apply some serious hurt. Wahlberg spends a good bit of this film in pain from being shot and watching him, as an ex-army guy show tricks on how to stop bleeding and fix wounds is pretty cool. I have no idea if any of that stuff is possible, but I don't really care, but for the sake of the movie is was fun to watch. Hurt, he stumbles to a very beautiful Kate Mara (Brokeback Mountain). She helps him get well and the movie avoids the usual sex subplot, which was good because it would have shown Wahlberg's character to be less than he is, not to say the sexual tension was not shown, they just didn't act upon it. After he feels healed Wahlberg goes back to work and we get to enjoy some serious brutality.
Wahlberg stabs 2 guys, chokes one one shoots about 4 dozen more and then eventually sets quite a few on fire with some sick napalm bombs. Watching guys flying back on fire in slow motion elicited some serious applause from the audience and made me cheer, as I have a habit of doing during movie violence. Wahlberg proves very much up to the task of being the leading action man, beyond the silly ape movie and Pena should grow into the character actor role very well. Rhona Mitra, the possessor of the sexiest voice ever, hides her sexy accent in a mostly pointless role in the F.B.I which made me sad, but when that is the biggest flaw in a movie, I think it is safe to say, the movie rocks. And that is what this movie does, it rocks. It moves fast and loud and it never gets old watching bullets pierce skulls. Also, one of the most gruesome things ever is to see blood against snow. WOW and not in that fake blood horror movie way, I mean it looks real and disgusting. There are also some good laughs to counteract the blaring testosterone. I also liked the ultimate end here. They went the dirty route, not the safe, pro government route.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
When you grow up with something it is hard to imagine it in a different form and that was the problem plaguing me for the first half of this movie. I am used to the turtles in their original animated form, or as live action characters and in this new incarnation, they are neither the old school animation nor live action. Instead, they are lean mean fighting machines. These turtles have rippling biceps and are darker and nastier than the turtles of my youth. The usual one-liners are mostly replaced by angst and self doubt. Leonardo is more cocky and Rafael is even more of a hot head. Donatello's intelligence is minimized, but at least Michelangelo is still the clown of the group. Splinter is an old Jewish grandpa, Casey Jones is a clumsy slapstick artist and April O'Neil is some sort of exotic explorer with a better body than any human being could possibly possess. Oh, and Shredder is nowhere to be found. The Footclan is operated by a woman trying desperately to hold back her Asian accent and failing miserably. yet, through all of those changes, the movie turns out to be quite good, if a bit uneven.
Shredder is replaced by 4 stone creatures trying to hold on to their immortality and 13 odd looking creatures varying in size and oddness. The plot is basically that 3,000 years ago 5 siblings were trying to rule the world and when one found eternal life the other 4 were turned to stone. Seeking redemption, the living brother spends the next 3,000 trying to figure out how to undo that cruse. He awakens his siblings, still in stone form, looking amazing, too. They realize what he is up to and they attempt to turn on him. Enter our Turtles. Our, over the hill, past their prime, always at odds turtles. Raphael and Leonardo come across as real characters with depth and love. They are really the heart of this ride and watching them fight each other is actually really hard to watch because I love them both so much. Yet, they make the movie go. Along with excellent voice work from Sarah Michelle Gellar, Patrick Stewart and Chris Owens. The 4 turtles are voiced by voice over professionals, many of which I recognized from video games and cartoons.
The main problem I had with this movie was the lacking of good fighting and the wise cracking the turtles did while fighting. The live action movies and the cartoons always had good long fights between the turtles and the foot clan and this only had one and even it was minimal. Also, the jokes, few and far between, mostly missed or only garnered little chuckles. There was one exception, for me and it probably made the movie worth it, although I am not sure how many other people find such puns to be as hilarious and I do. Once you let go of what preconceived notions you have about the turtles, it turns out to be a very fun ride of a movie. The animation took a little time to get used to because it just seems so unlike any animation I am accustomed to, but when I got used to it I found it to be very detailed and very well done. I am sure not how well it will do, but they definitely left room for another movie and they made me want to go home and watch The Secret of the ooze, for the jokes, the fighting, the dancing and the Vanilla Ice.
Shredder is replaced by 4 stone creatures trying to hold on to their immortality and 13 odd looking creatures varying in size and oddness. The plot is basically that 3,000 years ago 5 siblings were trying to rule the world and when one found eternal life the other 4 were turned to stone. Seeking redemption, the living brother spends the next 3,000 trying to figure out how to undo that cruse. He awakens his siblings, still in stone form, looking amazing, too. They realize what he is up to and they attempt to turn on him. Enter our Turtles. Our, over the hill, past their prime, always at odds turtles. Raphael and Leonardo come across as real characters with depth and love. They are really the heart of this ride and watching them fight each other is actually really hard to watch because I love them both so much. Yet, they make the movie go. Along with excellent voice work from Sarah Michelle Gellar, Patrick Stewart and Chris Owens. The 4 turtles are voiced by voice over professionals, many of which I recognized from video games and cartoons.
The main problem I had with this movie was the lacking of good fighting and the wise cracking the turtles did while fighting. The live action movies and the cartoons always had good long fights between the turtles and the foot clan and this only had one and even it was minimal. Also, the jokes, few and far between, mostly missed or only garnered little chuckles. There was one exception, for me and it probably made the movie worth it, although I am not sure how many other people find such puns to be as hilarious and I do. Once you let go of what preconceived notions you have about the turtles, it turns out to be a very fun ride of a movie. The animation took a little time to get used to because it just seems so unlike any animation I am accustomed to, but when I got used to it I found it to be very detailed and very well done. I am sure not how well it will do, but they definitely left room for another movie and they made me want to go home and watch The Secret of the ooze, for the jokes, the fighting, the dancing and the Vanilla Ice.
Borat
Usually when I have a serious reaction about not wanting to see a movie it is for good reason because when I end up seeing said movie, I hate it. Some prime examples are The Blair Witch Project, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Gangs of New York and Anchorman. All of those movies were movies I had no desire to see and when I finally gave in and watched, they confirmed my original opinion. People say you have to see a movie before you can judge it and anyone who knows me can document how against seeing this Borat movie I was. However, the amount of people telling me to watch it and telling me they thought I would enjoy it in a way forced me into renting it. So, I did and I watched it and I have to say my original opinion was not correct. This movie is actually worse than I thought it would be. Never before has a movie that is supposedly 90 minutes of rolling on the floor laughter filled me with such contempt for supposed comedy.
I am not sure what the point here is, critics say it is what America needs as a wake up call but what about this movie is particularly shocking? Should I be outraged that rodeo people show blind hateful ignorance to Muslims and gays? Should I be mortified that frat boys drink hard and are misogynistic morons? Please someone tell me!?!?!?! So people washing their face in the toilet is what passes for comedy? Really? Wait now I get it, nevermind. Yes it is funny as is a man holding supposed poop in a bag because he has never seen a toilet. HILARIOUS! It took some serious brains to put together this travesty of a film.
This is no difference between this nonsense and Tom Green in the mid to late nineties and what Johnny Knoxville and his band of idiotic miscreants are doing now. It requires no real skill or talent to wrestle with a very obese man. None what so ever, anyone could do that. People aren't willing to do that, but does that make it a skill? Does Evil Knievel really have a skill, or is he just nuts? It is the same thing here. I have a tremendous respect for Sasha Baron Cohen for managing to stay in character no matter what. It is obvious to tell he could be a skilled actor if he had the desire to be, but this is just one terrible bit and one terrible bit.
Stewart and Colbert are the names of hilarious political satire, those are the ones providing the wake up call, this piece of garbage is just helping to further the obnoxious stereotype that comedy is easy. It movies like this that spawn really bad home videos being uploaded onto youtube every day. Yes we get it, he makes out with a woman who turns out to be his sister, FUNNY!! Oh and she is a hooker, an award winning one at that, truly biting stuff. Really, I mean Tony Kushner must have helped write this movie. Thank you Sasha for raping me of 90 minutes of my life and thank you everyone who told me I would enjoy this film for getting me to watch it so I can finally know what I am talking about when I say this movie is truly truly a heinous act of crime committed against film.
I am not sure what the point here is, critics say it is what America needs as a wake up call but what about this movie is particularly shocking? Should I be outraged that rodeo people show blind hateful ignorance to Muslims and gays? Should I be mortified that frat boys drink hard and are misogynistic morons? Please someone tell me!?!?!?! So people washing their face in the toilet is what passes for comedy? Really? Wait now I get it, nevermind. Yes it is funny as is a man holding supposed poop in a bag because he has never seen a toilet. HILARIOUS! It took some serious brains to put together this travesty of a film.
This is no difference between this nonsense and Tom Green in the mid to late nineties and what Johnny Knoxville and his band of idiotic miscreants are doing now. It requires no real skill or talent to wrestle with a very obese man. None what so ever, anyone could do that. People aren't willing to do that, but does that make it a skill? Does Evil Knievel really have a skill, or is he just nuts? It is the same thing here. I have a tremendous respect for Sasha Baron Cohen for managing to stay in character no matter what. It is obvious to tell he could be a skilled actor if he had the desire to be, but this is just one terrible bit and one terrible bit.
Stewart and Colbert are the names of hilarious political satire, those are the ones providing the wake up call, this piece of garbage is just helping to further the obnoxious stereotype that comedy is easy. It movies like this that spawn really bad home videos being uploaded onto youtube every day. Yes we get it, he makes out with a woman who turns out to be his sister, FUNNY!! Oh and she is a hooker, an award winning one at that, truly biting stuff. Really, I mean Tony Kushner must have helped write this movie. Thank you Sasha for raping me of 90 minutes of my life and thank you everyone who told me I would enjoy this film for getting me to watch it so I can finally know what I am talking about when I say this movie is truly truly a heinous act of crime committed against film.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Premonition
I do not need my movies to make sense for me to enjoy them. I really don’t. If everything else is in working order, sense is just a bonus. See any David Lynch movie for proof of that. So, the fact that it is never known why Sandra Bullock is experiencing her week like this- Thursday, Tuesday, Saturday, Monday, Friday, Sunday and Wednesday- is not inherently a problem. What is a problem though, is that it isn’t a very good movie. It isn’t a terrible movie, either. It just isn’t any good. It is 100% average in every way.
Sandra Bullock is a mother who finds out her husband has died in a car accident, but when she wakes up the next day he is awake and she cannot figure out what is going on. As the movie goes on, she starts to piece together what is happening as she writes down what happens in each day and starts to think chronologically. Julian McMahon is the ill fated husband and all he gets to do is look concerned at Sandra and kiss his kids. Not really sure why he would take such a role, but I guess any chance to show something other than his Nip/tuck persona has to be jumped on. Bullock actually doesn’t do to badly here. She manages to slowly go crazy without relying on over the top acting choices to show her breakdown. Sadly, the director does not follow her lead and often relies on typical tactics to show fear or intensity, like quick edits, an unfocused lens and so on.
Paycheck, Déjà vu, Run Lola Run, Groundhog day, and various episodes of TV shows have all covered ground like this before and many of them do it better without the gaping plot holes. I can’t say much about them without giving away the ending of the movie, although if you see it you will pick up on them very quickly and that is where the problem lies. I don’t even care that with 30 minutes left they tried to turn it into some religious thriller to give the movie power or a punch, but what bothered me is how the writer and director never went through their own time line to make sure there were absolutely no mistakes. A film that weaves through time like that has to be extra careful during the editing and re-watching process to make sure nothing got through them and sadly quite a lot did get through them here. This movie also suffers from an incredibly abrupt and weak ending, ruining any chance of redeeming itself.
Sandra Bullock is a mother who finds out her husband has died in a car accident, but when she wakes up the next day he is awake and she cannot figure out what is going on. As the movie goes on, she starts to piece together what is happening as she writes down what happens in each day and starts to think chronologically. Julian McMahon is the ill fated husband and all he gets to do is look concerned at Sandra and kiss his kids. Not really sure why he would take such a role, but I guess any chance to show something other than his Nip/tuck persona has to be jumped on. Bullock actually doesn’t do to badly here. She manages to slowly go crazy without relying on over the top acting choices to show her breakdown. Sadly, the director does not follow her lead and often relies on typical tactics to show fear or intensity, like quick edits, an unfocused lens and so on.
Paycheck, Déjà vu, Run Lola Run, Groundhog day, and various episodes of TV shows have all covered ground like this before and many of them do it better without the gaping plot holes. I can’t say much about them without giving away the ending of the movie, although if you see it you will pick up on them very quickly and that is where the problem lies. I don’t even care that with 30 minutes left they tried to turn it into some religious thriller to give the movie power or a punch, but what bothered me is how the writer and director never went through their own time line to make sure there were absolutely no mistakes. A film that weaves through time like that has to be extra careful during the editing and re-watching process to make sure nothing got through them and sadly quite a lot did get through them here. This movie also suffers from an incredibly abrupt and weak ending, ruining any chance of redeeming itself.
Monday, March 12, 2007
The 300
Have you ever wondered what a head flying through the air looked like? Ever wondered what elephants look like as the plunge to their death off of a cliff? Have you wondered what a tree or wall made up of dead human bodies would look like? Do you want to hear what the loudest slap in human history sounds like? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions than The 300 is just the movie for you. Yes, that's right, a wall made up of dead human bodies. By the way, a wall made up of dead humans is actually very cool looking. In fact, everything in this movie is cool looking. The capes, the shields, the masks, the guys, the girls, the creatures and the blood. Oh the blood. The only thing cooler than the look of the blood is the sound swords make as they pierce human flesh with such force that it feels like you are watching a rape scene, only a gorgeous looking rape scene. Never before has a movie been so much in love with loud sounds and dead bodies piling up. Also, its a freaking awesome movie.
I have to claim ignorance at the source material here. I have read a ton of Frank Miller, but this is not one of his graphic novels of which I am familiar. I very much want to read it but if I were to buy it now I would look like a comic book poser and I can not have that, so until the hype of the movie dies down, I will have to trust that director Zack Snyder stayed true to the text. yes, text, screw you non comic book people. The movie is pretty basic in the plot. A war tyrant who thinks he is a God is on the warpath and Gerad Butler, the King of Sparta will not go down with a fight...errr..fights. Many Many fights. Some of the most amazingly choreographed big battles I have ever seen. I have to wonder how many hours went into synchronizing the Sparta soldiers' turns and twists. The Butler makes a fascinating king, never letting his guard down and showing no weakness, yet in his eyes there is always something going on. I enjoyed that we didn't always know what that thing was, though. The movie isn't really about the plot, though. The movie is about the visuals, about the effects.
Right in the opening credits we get an idea of just over the top this movie is going to be. We get these big brassy sweeping orchestral music over the loud thumps of the production companies pounding the screen and from there, we get two hours of loud. Two hours of earth shattering, ear popping noise. A sword being removed from the sheath sounds like two cymbals being crashed in front of your face and decapitations sound like you would expect a decapitation to sound like if you had to experience one. By the time the movie has ended, you will be very well versed in the art of the be-heading, trust me. If it sounds like I am complaining, rest assured, I am not. This movie is glorious, large, takes no prisoners and never once apologizes for it. It is what pure testosterone driven adrenaline would look like if you could visualize it. The colors and shots are breath taking, even black looks like a magical color when it is part of a wolf's fur coat. There are sections of scenery that look as if they are right out of the graphic novel and a lot of the voice over narration sounds like direct graphic novel portions as well. As far as the script goes it is weak, there is no denying that, but there are some seriously gangsta one liners as well that will leave you laughing and cheering at the same time.
If you are easily grossed out, hate loud noises, are offended by nudity, don't like war movies or are just a big ole pansy, stay away. This movie is only for those who can handle it. This movie is for people who love to watch people get hit, or watch race car races in hopes of seeing some crazy tire flying accident. Also, this movie is for people who want to see the single most amazing battle sequence, this side of Lord of the Rings. You have been warned. However, if you do enjoy all of those things, go see this movie in theaters. It needs to be seen on the big screens with the surround sounds. Also, get there early because you are going to want to see the new Spiderman 3 trailer on the big screen. It is by far the best trailer I have ever seen, period!
I have to claim ignorance at the source material here. I have read a ton of Frank Miller, but this is not one of his graphic novels of which I am familiar. I very much want to read it but if I were to buy it now I would look like a comic book poser and I can not have that, so until the hype of the movie dies down, I will have to trust that director Zack Snyder stayed true to the text. yes, text, screw you non comic book people. The movie is pretty basic in the plot. A war tyrant who thinks he is a God is on the warpath and Gerad Butler, the King of Sparta will not go down with a fight...errr..fights. Many Many fights. Some of the most amazingly choreographed big battles I have ever seen. I have to wonder how many hours went into synchronizing the Sparta soldiers' turns and twists. The Butler makes a fascinating king, never letting his guard down and showing no weakness, yet in his eyes there is always something going on. I enjoyed that we didn't always know what that thing was, though. The movie isn't really about the plot, though. The movie is about the visuals, about the effects.
Right in the opening credits we get an idea of just over the top this movie is going to be. We get these big brassy sweeping orchestral music over the loud thumps of the production companies pounding the screen and from there, we get two hours of loud. Two hours of earth shattering, ear popping noise. A sword being removed from the sheath sounds like two cymbals being crashed in front of your face and decapitations sound like you would expect a decapitation to sound like if you had to experience one. By the time the movie has ended, you will be very well versed in the art of the be-heading, trust me. If it sounds like I am complaining, rest assured, I am not. This movie is glorious, large, takes no prisoners and never once apologizes for it. It is what pure testosterone driven adrenaline would look like if you could visualize it. The colors and shots are breath taking, even black looks like a magical color when it is part of a wolf's fur coat. There are sections of scenery that look as if they are right out of the graphic novel and a lot of the voice over narration sounds like direct graphic novel portions as well. As far as the script goes it is weak, there is no denying that, but there are some seriously gangsta one liners as well that will leave you laughing and cheering at the same time.
If you are easily grossed out, hate loud noises, are offended by nudity, don't like war movies or are just a big ole pansy, stay away. This movie is only for those who can handle it. This movie is for people who love to watch people get hit, or watch race car races in hopes of seeing some crazy tire flying accident. Also, this movie is for people who want to see the single most amazing battle sequence, this side of Lord of the Rings. You have been warned. However, if you do enjoy all of those things, go see this movie in theaters. It needs to be seen on the big screens with the surround sounds. Also, get there early because you are going to want to see the new Spiderman 3 trailer on the big screen. It is by far the best trailer I have ever seen, period!
Black Snake Moan
This is how I imagine a meeting between Sam Jackson and his agent, except I will not be swearing like I imagine Jackson does.
Agent: Sam, I got a script here for you to read
Jackson: Man, you know I hate reading. What is it called?
Agent: Black snake moan
Jackson: I'm in!
Agent: Sam, remember how XXX was not about porn and how Snakes on a plane turned out to be a bad move, perhaps we should read things from now on.
Jackson: Well what is it about.
Agent: You play a former blue's musician with a biblical name and whose wife cheated on him with his brother.
Jackson: Nah, that's boring.
Agent: Oh wait, you get to chain a white girl to a radiator
Jackson: Now that's what I am talkin about, I am in!
Yes, the movie that poses the question "What would happen if a black man chained a white girl to his house radiator?" is finally here. Oh and what a movie it is. We get sex and vomiting before the first line of dialogue happens. We get an extremely hot, yet trashy Christina Ricci reaching to the depths of her inner core and ripping her inner nymphomaniac from the inside and wearing it on her outsides. No one has ever really writhed around in grass in such heat that wasn't an animal. We see Sam Jackson being his usual bad ass self and we get an almost laughable premise, yet we also get a movie that through all of its crazy over the top antics turns into a pretty touching story. Yes, I said it is touching.
First off you need to dispel yourself of the trailer. This movie is not that crazy. Yes, it has crazy is in it, but it is not founded in crazy. Sam Jackson, who hasn't acted in a few years at least gets back to his core as a very broken man, looking for any reason to hurt someone. His name is Lazarus, which obviously has some symbolism in it, yet it isn't exactly obvious. If you do not know the bible, Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus and in this movie, you can say that meeting the over acting Ricci saved his life, or brought back his dead spirit. However, he also plays the Jesus role, taking care of a girl who is in worse shape than himself. Him washing her off has obvious Mary Magdalene undertones, but that is about as biblical as the movie gets. As far as plot goes, here it is: Ricci is in love with a more than capable Justin Timberlake but he has to go off to the Army and every time she starts to remember being molested as a youth she has to have sex to make those memories disappear. One night she gets in the wrong car and gets beat nearly to death. Jackson, a farmer in the town, finds her, fixes her up and in town hears that she is essentially the town bicycle and takes it upon himself to "save her." He is trying to cure her both of her actual physical sickness and her emotional sickness.
Jackson, a veteran stage actor, gets back to his loud, but not way over the top acting style he displayed until he became "Samuel L. Jackson" as it were. He is an honest hardworking man trying to regain his life and he is quite good here. He counteracts Ricci's sometimes over the top behavior with a strong stable force. Justin Timberlake who is only in the beginning and end does a very serviceable job in a role that requires a pretty severe mental breakdown and a fair share of paranoia considering he isn't on screen much. It is sometimes hard to take him seriously because of the baby face and the voice, but I think he has it in him to be a very good actor. There are a few other supporting players, but the movie belongs to Ricci and Jackson. And, the music. Oh what music it is too. This score is powered by crazy blues guitars and that down south funk for drums. The music is inspiring, scary, haunting and yet often gorgeous creating the perfect mood. There are 2 scenes in particular where the music becomes a character. The first one is when Sam Jackson busts out his sick looking purple electric guitar for the first time and wails on it for Ricci. During the scene, the power keeps flickering off and on because of the storm and the way the music cuts in and out it is like a third character in the scene, haunting Ricci's memories and haunting the audience's ears. Also in that scene the thunder and lightening hit in rhythm making it sound very much like a percussion section.
The second time music plays into this is towards the end of the movie and symbolizes the big change in the two characters, so I won't give it away, but it is electrifying, proving that director Craig Brewer knows how to use music to emote because his most effective scenes in Hustle and Flow were also found through the scenes utilizing music. To be honest, this should have been a very gimmicky film and should have grown tired quickly but it didn't. Yes, Ricci gets to be a nuisance at times, but you forgive it because when it gets to where it is going, you are ultimately satisfied.
Agent: Sam, I got a script here for you to read
Jackson: Man, you know I hate reading. What is it called?
Agent: Black snake moan
Jackson: I'm in!
Agent: Sam, remember how XXX was not about porn and how Snakes on a plane turned out to be a bad move, perhaps we should read things from now on.
Jackson: Well what is it about.
Agent: You play a former blue's musician with a biblical name and whose wife cheated on him with his brother.
Jackson: Nah, that's boring.
Agent: Oh wait, you get to chain a white girl to a radiator
Jackson: Now that's what I am talkin about, I am in!
Yes, the movie that poses the question "What would happen if a black man chained a white girl to his house radiator?" is finally here. Oh and what a movie it is. We get sex and vomiting before the first line of dialogue happens. We get an extremely hot, yet trashy Christina Ricci reaching to the depths of her inner core and ripping her inner nymphomaniac from the inside and wearing it on her outsides. No one has ever really writhed around in grass in such heat that wasn't an animal. We see Sam Jackson being his usual bad ass self and we get an almost laughable premise, yet we also get a movie that through all of its crazy over the top antics turns into a pretty touching story. Yes, I said it is touching.
First off you need to dispel yourself of the trailer. This movie is not that crazy. Yes, it has crazy is in it, but it is not founded in crazy. Sam Jackson, who hasn't acted in a few years at least gets back to his core as a very broken man, looking for any reason to hurt someone. His name is Lazarus, which obviously has some symbolism in it, yet it isn't exactly obvious. If you do not know the bible, Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus and in this movie, you can say that meeting the over acting Ricci saved his life, or brought back his dead spirit. However, he also plays the Jesus role, taking care of a girl who is in worse shape than himself. Him washing her off has obvious Mary Magdalene undertones, but that is about as biblical as the movie gets. As far as plot goes, here it is: Ricci is in love with a more than capable Justin Timberlake but he has to go off to the Army and every time she starts to remember being molested as a youth she has to have sex to make those memories disappear. One night she gets in the wrong car and gets beat nearly to death. Jackson, a farmer in the town, finds her, fixes her up and in town hears that she is essentially the town bicycle and takes it upon himself to "save her." He is trying to cure her both of her actual physical sickness and her emotional sickness.
Jackson, a veteran stage actor, gets back to his loud, but not way over the top acting style he displayed until he became "Samuel L. Jackson" as it were. He is an honest hardworking man trying to regain his life and he is quite good here. He counteracts Ricci's sometimes over the top behavior with a strong stable force. Justin Timberlake who is only in the beginning and end does a very serviceable job in a role that requires a pretty severe mental breakdown and a fair share of paranoia considering he isn't on screen much. It is sometimes hard to take him seriously because of the baby face and the voice, but I think he has it in him to be a very good actor. There are a few other supporting players, but the movie belongs to Ricci and Jackson. And, the music. Oh what music it is too. This score is powered by crazy blues guitars and that down south funk for drums. The music is inspiring, scary, haunting and yet often gorgeous creating the perfect mood. There are 2 scenes in particular where the music becomes a character. The first one is when Sam Jackson busts out his sick looking purple electric guitar for the first time and wails on it for Ricci. During the scene, the power keeps flickering off and on because of the storm and the way the music cuts in and out it is like a third character in the scene, haunting Ricci's memories and haunting the audience's ears. Also in that scene the thunder and lightening hit in rhythm making it sound very much like a percussion section.
The second time music plays into this is towards the end of the movie and symbolizes the big change in the two characters, so I won't give it away, but it is electrifying, proving that director Craig Brewer knows how to use music to emote because his most effective scenes in Hustle and Flow were also found through the scenes utilizing music. To be honest, this should have been a very gimmicky film and should have grown tired quickly but it didn't. Yes, Ricci gets to be a nuisance at times, but you forgive it because when it gets to where it is going, you are ultimately satisfied.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Zodiac
David Fincher is a brilliant director. He has created cult classics such as Se7en and Fight Club, as well the great films- The Game, Panic Room and Alien 3. In fact he is the only director who has never made a bad film, in my opinion. Well, that all changed with Zodiac. Zodiac is 2hrs and 40mins of pure unadulterated boredom! Actually, that is a bit harsh, I was interested for about 30mins worth of material. Granted most of that 30 minutes came towards the end and by that time I was so bored I just wanted the thing to end. Suspense is something Fincher does better than most and in this movie there was almost none of it. It has to be about the least interesting movie made about an interesting subject, ever.
The movie is about the Zodiac killings that ravaged northern California from 1969 until the mid 70s and the movie has no problem taking its time covering from 1968 until 1992. Now, movies often will span decades, but they usually show things in an interesting fashion, or just show things that happen. Nothing seems to happen in this movie after the last killing. In fact, even the killings are incredibly uneventful for the most part. Jake Gylenhall, Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo are each obsessed with this case. Jake is a newspaper cartoonist, Downey is a crime beat writer and Ruffalo is the detective assigned the case. The obsession ruins all 3 lives and also ruins 3hrs of my life. Each of the men are good, solid actors and here is no different. Downey is quirky, charming and funny, as usual. Jake is earnest and intense and Mark Ruffalo has the swagger and charm he usually carries with him, but it is all wasted in a script that doesn't deserve the talent it got.
The case was never solved and it probably won't ever be solved, although the movie makes a very good case for one particular suspect, but by the sounds of the people leaving the theater, no one really cared. In fact, with the exception of a brilliant scene towards the end of the movie taking place in a basement, I could have done without this entire mess. I can only hope this was a fluke for Fincher and he hasn't pulled an M. Night Shyamalan and lost all of his talent. Perhaps if he had focused more on what the case did to these people's lives and less time on the actual facts of the case, this movie would have been worlds more interesting, but since it was based off a book that was more concerned with finding the actual killer, maybe it wasn't all Fincher's fault. Well, here it is March and I already have my first big disappointment of the year in film.
The movie is about the Zodiac killings that ravaged northern California from 1969 until the mid 70s and the movie has no problem taking its time covering from 1968 until 1992. Now, movies often will span decades, but they usually show things in an interesting fashion, or just show things that happen. Nothing seems to happen in this movie after the last killing. In fact, even the killings are incredibly uneventful for the most part. Jake Gylenhall, Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo are each obsessed with this case. Jake is a newspaper cartoonist, Downey is a crime beat writer and Ruffalo is the detective assigned the case. The obsession ruins all 3 lives and also ruins 3hrs of my life. Each of the men are good, solid actors and here is no different. Downey is quirky, charming and funny, as usual. Jake is earnest and intense and Mark Ruffalo has the swagger and charm he usually carries with him, but it is all wasted in a script that doesn't deserve the talent it got.
The case was never solved and it probably won't ever be solved, although the movie makes a very good case for one particular suspect, but by the sounds of the people leaving the theater, no one really cared. In fact, with the exception of a brilliant scene towards the end of the movie taking place in a basement, I could have done without this entire mess. I can only hope this was a fluke for Fincher and he hasn't pulled an M. Night Shyamalan and lost all of his talent. Perhaps if he had focused more on what the case did to these people's lives and less time on the actual facts of the case, this movie would have been worlds more interesting, but since it was based off a book that was more concerned with finding the actual killer, maybe it wasn't all Fincher's fault. Well, here it is March and I already have my first big disappointment of the year in film.
Half Nelson
If you watch movies for strictly entertainment value and need for your movies to reach a conclusion that is clear concise and happy, I suggest staying far far away from this intimate gem of a movie. However, if you want to watch a movie with phenomenal acting, a great score, amazing camera work and allows you to reach your own conclusion about what is going to happen after the movie ends, go out and rent this one! The mesmerizing Ryan Gosling stars as an 8th grade history teacher and girl's basketball coach whose interesting and edgy teaching tactics has allowed him to reach the students in a very real way. He is also a drug addict. Early in the film he sees an old girlfriend while coaching and in order to cope he smokes crack right at the school and as he is laying on the floor a student walks in and finds him. The student is played by Shareeka Epps and that scene is the first off quite a few amazing scenes. Gosling perfectly downplays his addiction, even as he is high and the young Epps proves up to the task as she remains calm and helpful. A very unlikely friendship is born in that moment and it proves to be the moment that really gets the film rolling.
Throughout the movie, Gosling shoots, smokes and snorts all kinds of different drugs, but for the most part it never affects his teaching. The moments in the classroom allow us to see just how good Gosling already is and lets us see just how good he is going to be with each and every film. See, it is easy to see someone physically unravel due to drugs- messed up hair, black circles under the eyes and constantly sweating- but Gosling manages to do more than that. His mannerisms perfectly capture a man whose world is spiraling out of control and he doesn't know what to do. We continue to watch the movie because of him and because of the friendship blossoming between student and teacher. Epps comes from a broken home, whose brother is in jail for dealing drugs and not rolling on his supplier. The supplier, played by a great Anthony Mackie, helps out Epps family and seems likable enough, except that he takes Epps on drug runs with him. We are supposed to probably hate him but Mackie plays him real and not like a stock drug dealing movie character. We can see he does truly care about Epps but the drug world is the only world he knows.
To be honest, plot wise this movie isn't big on it. It is a character study. A study on what happens to a man when he can no longer fool himself into thinking he has his addiction under control. A study on friendship in the most unlikely of places. The movie doesn't treat teenagers as kids but as people. The young girl is capable of fending for herself and being a very Good friend, even when her teacher does not deserve it. It is hard to say I liked the movie, because I am not sure it is the kind of movie you can like. I appreciated it. I appreciated the acting, the writing and everything else in this movie. I was drawn to the characters and to their individual problems, but mostly I was drawn to Ryan Gosling. This kid is only 26 and has racked up very impressive displays of acting and I cannot wait to see what he is going to do next. I also enjoyed that the ending allows each individual to reach his or her own conclusion.
Throughout the movie, Gosling shoots, smokes and snorts all kinds of different drugs, but for the most part it never affects his teaching. The moments in the classroom allow us to see just how good Gosling already is and lets us see just how good he is going to be with each and every film. See, it is easy to see someone physically unravel due to drugs- messed up hair, black circles under the eyes and constantly sweating- but Gosling manages to do more than that. His mannerisms perfectly capture a man whose world is spiraling out of control and he doesn't know what to do. We continue to watch the movie because of him and because of the friendship blossoming between student and teacher. Epps comes from a broken home, whose brother is in jail for dealing drugs and not rolling on his supplier. The supplier, played by a great Anthony Mackie, helps out Epps family and seems likable enough, except that he takes Epps on drug runs with him. We are supposed to probably hate him but Mackie plays him real and not like a stock drug dealing movie character. We can see he does truly care about Epps but the drug world is the only world he knows.
To be honest, plot wise this movie isn't big on it. It is a character study. A study on what happens to a man when he can no longer fool himself into thinking he has his addiction under control. A study on friendship in the most unlikely of places. The movie doesn't treat teenagers as kids but as people. The young girl is capable of fending for herself and being a very Good friend, even when her teacher does not deserve it. It is hard to say I liked the movie, because I am not sure it is the kind of movie you can like. I appreciated it. I appreciated the acting, the writing and everything else in this movie. I was drawn to the characters and to their individual problems, but mostly I was drawn to Ryan Gosling. This kid is only 26 and has racked up very impressive displays of acting and I cannot wait to see what he is going to do next. I also enjoyed that the ending allows each individual to reach his or her own conclusion.
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