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.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
The Number 23 (possible spoilers)
I got the feeling that the makers of this movie wanted us to leave the theater trying to count random things to see if they added up to 23, but instead it felt like people came out of the theater arguing about whether they enjoyed it or not. I heard one couple getting into a fairly heated conversation on the way out because he loved it and she hated it. In talking to the owner of the theater (as I often do) I found that people either love it or hate, which is weird because I am on the fence about it. The movie has a very strong opening, a fairly interesting twist and a very nice conclusion but is often a mess in the middle.
Jim Carrey plays a husband and father living a fairly mundane existence as a dog catcher until his wife picks up this book for him to read. The book has an ominous red cover and comes with a disclaimer that reads like a warning label, but he reads the book anyway. To be honest, the voice over of him reading the book is a bit tedious but the images from the novel are a breathtaking dank dark blend of blacks, reds and whites. The book is about a detective who becomes obsessed with the number 23. The number is dripped in mystique and coincidence and draws him into a web of paranoia. In his mind, the detective looks like Carrey, only ripped, with tattoos and having dark sexual conquests with a woman, who looks like his wife (Virginia Madsen). In this opening hour, director Joel Shumacher weaves a very creepy atmosphere where you are never quite sure what is going to happen next. It is helped along by a very creepy, non-sequitur style music. Violins often trail off mid strike in favor of oft putting drums, adding to overall “what is going to happen next” mind state. However, Carrey finishes the novel and we are introduced to the middle section of outlandish paranoia and it becomes a movie that is not quite sure what it wants. Is it a supernatural thriller, dark comedy or a film about obsession? All of those questions seem to fit in the mindless 45 minutes in the middle.
Luckily after that mind numbing section we get a great twist and a most satisfactory ending. I won’t spoil the fun but if you find yourself wondering where the movie is going, please stick with it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. The big question going in was can Jim Carrey do this? I never really doubted it because if you saw The Cable Guy or Man in the moon, you know he can be dark, but this called for something a lot darker, could we believe Jim Carrey having sex in an almost rape like fantasy? Would we believe him going nearly crazy because of a number? Is it possible to forget about how funny he is and watch him delve deep into the psychological thriller? The answer to all of these questions seems to be yes, yes we can. Carrey is slowly proving himself worthy of breaking out of the comedy genre. Yes we have seen him do less funny things, but Truman show and Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind were essentially comedies from a different angle. While this movie has moments of manic like humor, it proves quickly that it is not out to make us smile, but to challenge what we believe people are capable of.
Lastly I want to mention the director. Shumacher has been taking nothing but heat for the last decade over his dismantling of the Batman series and while he stumbled with the Phantom of the Opera movie he has made some very good movies since Batman and it is time people recognize how good he is with the camera. Yes, he made huge disasters but he also made Phone Booth, Tigerland and 8mm all of which were small scale movies proving he has a great talent.
Jim Carrey plays a husband and father living a fairly mundane existence as a dog catcher until his wife picks up this book for him to read. The book has an ominous red cover and comes with a disclaimer that reads like a warning label, but he reads the book anyway. To be honest, the voice over of him reading the book is a bit tedious but the images from the novel are a breathtaking dank dark blend of blacks, reds and whites. The book is about a detective who becomes obsessed with the number 23. The number is dripped in mystique and coincidence and draws him into a web of paranoia. In his mind, the detective looks like Carrey, only ripped, with tattoos and having dark sexual conquests with a woman, who looks like his wife (Virginia Madsen). In this opening hour, director Joel Shumacher weaves a very creepy atmosphere where you are never quite sure what is going to happen next. It is helped along by a very creepy, non-sequitur style music. Violins often trail off mid strike in favor of oft putting drums, adding to overall “what is going to happen next” mind state. However, Carrey finishes the novel and we are introduced to the middle section of outlandish paranoia and it becomes a movie that is not quite sure what it wants. Is it a supernatural thriller, dark comedy or a film about obsession? All of those questions seem to fit in the mindless 45 minutes in the middle.
Luckily after that mind numbing section we get a great twist and a most satisfactory ending. I won’t spoil the fun but if you find yourself wondering where the movie is going, please stick with it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. The big question going in was can Jim Carrey do this? I never really doubted it because if you saw The Cable Guy or Man in the moon, you know he can be dark, but this called for something a lot darker, could we believe Jim Carrey having sex in an almost rape like fantasy? Would we believe him going nearly crazy because of a number? Is it possible to forget about how funny he is and watch him delve deep into the psychological thriller? The answer to all of these questions seems to be yes, yes we can. Carrey is slowly proving himself worthy of breaking out of the comedy genre. Yes we have seen him do less funny things, but Truman show and Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind were essentially comedies from a different angle. While this movie has moments of manic like humor, it proves quickly that it is not out to make us smile, but to challenge what we believe people are capable of.
Lastly I want to mention the director. Shumacher has been taking nothing but heat for the last decade over his dismantling of the Batman series and while he stumbled with the Phantom of the Opera movie he has made some very good movies since Batman and it is time people recognize how good he is with the camera. Yes, he made huge disasters but he also made Phone Booth, Tigerland and 8mm all of which were small scale movies proving he has a great talent.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Breach
A movie that gives away the ending in the first minute should not be suspenseful. It should be a bit annoying to watch when you know how it all wraps up, yet this movie finds a way to be both interesting and suspenseful. The pacing, while slow, is exactly what this movie needed and the director (Billy Ray) knows exactly what to do, which is put the camera up and just watch his actors act. In fact, I even forgot I hated Laura Linney towards the end of the movie. The true stars of the film though are Chris Cooper and Ryan Phillippe. In 2001, the FBI made the biggest bust of espionage in the history of America. An FBI agent had been selling secrets to the Russians since the early 80’s and it had cost lives and millions of dollars. The “based on a true story” picks up 2 months before the capture and we meet Phillippe’s character. He is a young grunt for the FBI trying to make agent and is put on the case of tailing Cooper’s character. He is told it is about sexual deviancy, but the Cooper character is so good, that Phillippe quickly questions the operation. He is let in on the operation and what ensues is a brilliantly paced game of cat and mouse.
The thing that makes this movie better than your typical political cat and mouse film is the performance of Chris Cooper. We know from the very beginning he is a dirt ball and a villain, yet as we watch him on screen we can understand why Phillippe’s character grows to respect and admire him before finding out the truth. Cooper, who I have always found to be overrated, is the perfect mix of wily charm, slimy disgustingness and a faux martyrdom. He will give the creeps right before praying with his family and it is that complexity that throws this movie into a higher level. For his part, Phillippe has turned into quite the little actor and he does great with the young and eager FBI wannabe. He thinks well on his feet, but even when he is struggling with the secrets he manages to keep a hint of cockiness that is exactly what the character needs.
In order to enjoy this movie you have to be able to endure a lot of dialogue. I imagine the script for this bad boy was a long one because it is pretty much all talk. The back and forth between the two main characters, while not extremely brilliant writing, sets the mood perfectly and it never gets annoying. What action we do get is very well made tension. There is a scene towards the conclusion of the film that takes place in a park of some sort that will have you on the edge of your seat and forgetting you already know what happens. That is high praise indeed for a movie thrown into the wasteland of movies called February!
The thing that makes this movie better than your typical political cat and mouse film is the performance of Chris Cooper. We know from the very beginning he is a dirt ball and a villain, yet as we watch him on screen we can understand why Phillippe’s character grows to respect and admire him before finding out the truth. Cooper, who I have always found to be overrated, is the perfect mix of wily charm, slimy disgustingness and a faux martyrdom. He will give the creeps right before praying with his family and it is that complexity that throws this movie into a higher level. For his part, Phillippe has turned into quite the little actor and he does great with the young and eager FBI wannabe. He thinks well on his feet, but even when he is struggling with the secrets he manages to keep a hint of cockiness that is exactly what the character needs.
In order to enjoy this movie you have to be able to endure a lot of dialogue. I imagine the script for this bad boy was a long one because it is pretty much all talk. The back and forth between the two main characters, while not extremely brilliant writing, sets the mood perfectly and it never gets annoying. What action we do get is very well made tension. There is a scene towards the conclusion of the film that takes place in a park of some sort that will have you on the edge of your seat and forgetting you already know what happens. That is high praise indeed for a movie thrown into the wasteland of movies called February!
Ghost Rider
Very rarely do movies like this one come along, a movie that is terrific and terrible and sometimes both at the exact same time. Through the entire movie I found myself on the edge of my seat and then the next moment cringing in pain. I laughed when I was supposed to laugh but laughed just as hard when I wasn’t supposed to. I dropped my jaw at half of the special effects and shook my head in disbelief at the other half. It was just a giant, loud, bright study in just how over the top comic book movies can be without the right touch from a director. I take nothing away from the vision of the director here because it is obvious he likes comic books. He just isn’t quite sure what he is doing half of the time.
Ghost rider is the story of a young man who sells his soul to the devil to make his father well. The Marvel comic was based upon early comics of a western bounty hunter for the devil and is not a comic that I know all that well. I always felt Ghost Rider was a comic best glanced through, not read. The story never appealed to me, but the art was always brilliant. Now here in the film version, Nic Cage plays the perfectly named Johnny Blaze. Cage is an avid comic book fan and this was a bit of a pet project for him and it shows. Cage bleeds his heart and overacting soul into the tortured flame head and often times he gets it right. Some will complain that the comic character never had any hesitation and Cage does throw a certain amount of hesitation into the role, but he really catches the spectacular over the top attitude of the film. Eva Mendes is along for the ride, although she doesn’t have much to do. She looks hot, but not quite hot enough for my taste, for a comic book movie. Sam Elliott pops up as the caretaker, giving us the required exposition and has the coolest effect sequence in the film, if you ask me.
I don’t believe anyone is going to see this movie in hopes of brilliant dialogue or story, because the trailer is all about the flash and there is plenty of flash to go around. There CGI effects go from brilliant to horrible, but I seemed to be the only one who noticed because there was a thunderous applause when the movie ended. The first transition from human to Ghost Rider is dizzyingly painful to watch, but perfect because you can feel how much it would suck to have your skin replaced by blazing fire. The blazing chain is phenomenal looking, but the skull itself is pretty corny looking and the voice is even worse. There is a certain level of cool mythology within the story but you have to really pay attention to catch it because the dialogue can be a bit tired and boring. So in the end, I still can’t figure out if I enjoyed the movie or not. It was a spectacle and unabashedly campy, but it only works half the time. However, in that half it is such a crazy fun ride!
Ghost rider is the story of a young man who sells his soul to the devil to make his father well. The Marvel comic was based upon early comics of a western bounty hunter for the devil and is not a comic that I know all that well. I always felt Ghost Rider was a comic best glanced through, not read. The story never appealed to me, but the art was always brilliant. Now here in the film version, Nic Cage plays the perfectly named Johnny Blaze. Cage is an avid comic book fan and this was a bit of a pet project for him and it shows. Cage bleeds his heart and overacting soul into the tortured flame head and often times he gets it right. Some will complain that the comic character never had any hesitation and Cage does throw a certain amount of hesitation into the role, but he really catches the spectacular over the top attitude of the film. Eva Mendes is along for the ride, although she doesn’t have much to do. She looks hot, but not quite hot enough for my taste, for a comic book movie. Sam Elliott pops up as the caretaker, giving us the required exposition and has the coolest effect sequence in the film, if you ask me.
I don’t believe anyone is going to see this movie in hopes of brilliant dialogue or story, because the trailer is all about the flash and there is plenty of flash to go around. There CGI effects go from brilliant to horrible, but I seemed to be the only one who noticed because there was a thunderous applause when the movie ended. The first transition from human to Ghost Rider is dizzyingly painful to watch, but perfect because you can feel how much it would suck to have your skin replaced by blazing fire. The blazing chain is phenomenal looking, but the skull itself is pretty corny looking and the voice is even worse. There is a certain level of cool mythology within the story but you have to really pay attention to catch it because the dialogue can be a bit tired and boring. So in the end, I still can’t figure out if I enjoyed the movie or not. It was a spectacle and unabashedly campy, but it only works half the time. However, in that half it is such a crazy fun ride!
Monday, February 12, 2007
If I did the Oscar nominations and winners
Real Best Picture nominees: Babel, The Departed, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine and The Queen.
My Best Picture Nominees: Children of Men, The Departed, The Prestige, Pan's Labyrinth (to good to be only in forgien catergory) and Blood Diamond.
My Winner: While The Prestige was my favorite movie of the year, Children of Men was the best one and deserves this award and it is a shame it is not even nominated!
Real Best Actor nominees: Leo Decaprio/Blood Diamond, Will Smith/Pursuit of Happyness, Ryan Gosling/Half Nelson, Peter O'Toole/Venus and Forest Whitaker/Last King of Scotland.
My Best Actor Nominees: Leo Decaprio/Blood Diamond, Will Smith/Pursuit of Happyness, Clive Owen/Children of Men, Edward Norton/The Illusionist and Christian Bale/The Prestige.
My Winner: Will Smith for The Pursuit of Happyness. It may be a bit of a tug at the heart strings role, but he did something with it to the point where I didn't see Will Smith on the screen.
I am skipping the best actress catergory because I don't rememebr seeing a movie this year where a woman had a leading role deserving of an Oscar, but I will say I am hoping Kate Winslet wins just because she is amazing and I don't want Meryl Streep to win just because she is Meryl Streep.
Real Best Supporting actor nominees: Alan Arkin/Little Miss Sunshine, Jack Hayle Early/Little Children, Djimon Hounsou/Blood Diamond, Eddie Murphy/Dreamgirls and Mark Wahlberg/The Departed.
My Best Supporting Actor Nominees: Mark Wahlberg/The Departed, Matt Damon/The Departed, Ben Affleck/Hollywoodland, Eddie Murphy/Dreamgirls and Djimon Hounsou/Blood Diamond.
My Winner: This is probably the toughest one for me because I would be happy with any of these five winning, but I feel Eddie Murphy did the most this year.
Real Best supporting actress nominees: Adriana Barraza/Babel, Jennifer Hudson/Dreamgirls, Abigail Breslin/Little Miss Sunshine, Cate Blanchett/Notes on a scandal and Rinko Kikiuchi/Babel
My Best Supporting actress nominees: Jennifer Hudson/Dreamgirls, Rinko Kikiuchi/Babel, Diane Lane/Hollywoodland, Claire Hope-Ashitey/Children of Men and Maribel Verdú/Pan's Labyrinth.
My Winner: Jennifer Hudson is just undeniable in Dreamgirls, but I believe it is a short lived spark because I don't see her being a huge success in non musical films. She does deserve the victory though, here.
Real Best Dircetor Nominees: Clint Eastwood/ Letters from Iwo Jima, Martin Scorcese/The Departed, Stephan Frears/The Queen, Alejandro González Iñárritu/Babel and Paul Greengrass/United 93.
My Best Director nominees: Martin Scorcese/The Departed, Paul Greengrass/United 93, Christopher Nolan/The Prestige, Guillermo del Toro/Pan's Labyrinth and Alfonso Cuarón/Children of Men.
My winner: It hurts me to say this because Martin Scorcese has deserved at least 2 if not 3 Oscars by this time in his life and I thought I'd want him to win this year until I saw Children of Men. Alfonso Cuarón did such a brilliant job I can't go with anyone else.
Those are the major catergories and my opininos on such matters. Feel free to agree and definitely feel free to disagree!
My Best Picture Nominees: Children of Men, The Departed, The Prestige, Pan's Labyrinth (to good to be only in forgien catergory) and Blood Diamond.
My Winner: While The Prestige was my favorite movie of the year, Children of Men was the best one and deserves this award and it is a shame it is not even nominated!
Real Best Actor nominees: Leo Decaprio/Blood Diamond, Will Smith/Pursuit of Happyness, Ryan Gosling/Half Nelson, Peter O'Toole/Venus and Forest Whitaker/Last King of Scotland.
My Best Actor Nominees: Leo Decaprio/Blood Diamond, Will Smith/Pursuit of Happyness, Clive Owen/Children of Men, Edward Norton/The Illusionist and Christian Bale/The Prestige.
My Winner: Will Smith for The Pursuit of Happyness. It may be a bit of a tug at the heart strings role, but he did something with it to the point where I didn't see Will Smith on the screen.
I am skipping the best actress catergory because I don't rememebr seeing a movie this year where a woman had a leading role deserving of an Oscar, but I will say I am hoping Kate Winslet wins just because she is amazing and I don't want Meryl Streep to win just because she is Meryl Streep.
Real Best Supporting actor nominees: Alan Arkin/Little Miss Sunshine, Jack Hayle Early/Little Children, Djimon Hounsou/Blood Diamond, Eddie Murphy/Dreamgirls and Mark Wahlberg/The Departed.
My Best Supporting Actor Nominees: Mark Wahlberg/The Departed, Matt Damon/The Departed, Ben Affleck/Hollywoodland, Eddie Murphy/Dreamgirls and Djimon Hounsou/Blood Diamond.
My Winner: This is probably the toughest one for me because I would be happy with any of these five winning, but I feel Eddie Murphy did the most this year.
Real Best supporting actress nominees: Adriana Barraza/Babel, Jennifer Hudson/Dreamgirls, Abigail Breslin/Little Miss Sunshine, Cate Blanchett/Notes on a scandal and Rinko Kikiuchi/Babel
My Best Supporting actress nominees: Jennifer Hudson/Dreamgirls, Rinko Kikiuchi/Babel, Diane Lane/Hollywoodland, Claire Hope-Ashitey/Children of Men and Maribel Verdú/Pan's Labyrinth.
My Winner: Jennifer Hudson is just undeniable in Dreamgirls, but I believe it is a short lived spark because I don't see her being a huge success in non musical films. She does deserve the victory though, here.
Real Best Dircetor Nominees: Clint Eastwood/ Letters from Iwo Jima, Martin Scorcese/The Departed, Stephan Frears/The Queen, Alejandro González Iñárritu/Babel and Paul Greengrass/United 93.
My Best Director nominees: Martin Scorcese/The Departed, Paul Greengrass/United 93, Christopher Nolan/The Prestige, Guillermo del Toro/Pan's Labyrinth and Alfonso Cuarón/Children of Men.
My winner: It hurts me to say this because Martin Scorcese has deserved at least 2 if not 3 Oscars by this time in his life and I thought I'd want him to win this year until I saw Children of Men. Alfonso Cuarón did such a brilliant job I can't go with anyone else.
Those are the major catergories and my opininos on such matters. Feel free to agree and definitely feel free to disagree!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Legally Blonde: The Musical.
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.
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.
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!!
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