Showing posts with label movie reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movie reviews. Show all posts
Friday, May 21, 2010
Cemetery Junction
I think I may have already found my favorite movie of the year. "Cemetery Junction" is the latest collaboration between Steve Merchant and Ricky Gervais, and possibly the best comedic pairing since Laurel and Hardy. This venture veers somewhat from the norm of what we usually see from them as "Cemetery Junction" is quite heartwarming.
The premise is not a complex one. Set in the 70's, three friends who have grown up together in a small town now struggle with accepting or changing the circumstances of their lives. The performances by all are solid, lots of young British unknowns anchored by veteran actors Ralph Fiennes and Emily Watson.
I have read quite a lot of reviews for this film which slam it for being to Hollywood in the depiction of times, and blowing over how tough it was in England in the 70's. Now I am not British and also was not even alive in the 70's, but this movie, I thought did a great job expressing the social transition of the 70's. Maybe it wasn't as grim as the 70's actually were, but this movie was not about being grim. More importantly it honestly showed the struggle of young 20 somethings having to make the decision of what they wanted their lives to be. A topic that is timeless. I don't know anyone who knew exactly what they wanted at 20, even though we are lead to believe that we should. All I know is that you can't ask for more of a movie than walking out of it and feeling happy and hopeful. That is exactly the reaction that it evoked in me, so I will ignore all the nay sayers that don't think it was depressing enough. It is a British "Garden State" without all the pompous pretense.
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The premise is not a complex one. Set in the 70's, three friends who have grown up together in a small town now struggle with accepting or changing the circumstances of their lives. The performances by all are solid, lots of young British unknowns anchored by veteran actors Ralph Fiennes and Emily Watson.
I have read quite a lot of reviews for this film which slam it for being to Hollywood in the depiction of times, and blowing over how tough it was in England in the 70's. Now I am not British and also was not even alive in the 70's, but this movie, I thought did a great job expressing the social transition of the 70's. Maybe it wasn't as grim as the 70's actually were, but this movie was not about being grim. More importantly it honestly showed the struggle of young 20 somethings having to make the decision of what they wanted their lives to be. A topic that is timeless. I don't know anyone who knew exactly what they wanted at 20, even though we are lead to believe that we should. All I know is that you can't ask for more of a movie than walking out of it and feeling happy and hopeful. That is exactly the reaction that it evoked in me, so I will ignore all the nay sayers that don't think it was depressing enough. It is a British "Garden State" without all the pompous pretense.
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Sunday, April 25, 2010
REVIEW: THE LOSERS
The Losers, which was released this weekend, though based on the graphic novel of the same name is basically a rehash of the A Team. CIA black ops agents get double crossed by flamboyant bad guy and they go renegade to clear their names. Not by any means a ground breaking concept and not by any means executed in a ground breaking manner, but I did enjoy it. It was fun and mindless, and I thought the cast turned in some very likable performances.
I feel I can't really judge this movie too harshly, because lets be honest we don't go to movies like this to be impressed. I will say that had I hated the cast, this movie would have been unbearable. Aside from an unnecessarily camp performance by Jason Patric as the bad guy, and an incredibly forced love story between Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Zoe Saldana, the rest of the character interactions are easy going and mostly playful. I was begrudgingly impressed with Chris Evans who did pull off the comic relief for the film, so who knew he could do more than just be hot?! I think that Idris Elba turns in a note worthy performance for most of the movie... until the very end when his story just kind of fell apart.
So, yes, this movie has its plot holes, and clichéd characters, but is it fun to watch? Yes. As long as you leave reason and sense at home.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men
Looks like it might be good, right? Well you would be very, very wrong. I had really high hopes for this film with it being John Krasinski's directing debut, and even adapting the screenplay from David Foster Wallace's book of the same title. Alas, hoping something will be good and it actually being good are two very different things as this movie proves.
The premise, if you can actually put one together for this movie, is that a boring, uppity, plain Jane, smarty pants ( Yeah, I said smarty pants!)gets dumped and interviews the most vile men around or in some cases the strangest men. To prove what you ask? Who the hell knows! She is working on her PHD for psychology, so we can assume it has something to do with that. At its best it plays out like a mediocre student film with one or two interesting scenes most notably with Christopher Meloni reenacting a story of meeting a heartbroken woman at the airport. At its worst, which is most of the movie, its choppy, scattered, but mostly you just don't care what happens next. At the end of it all I could think was, " Why would someone want to tell this story?"
The premise, if you can actually put one together for this movie, is that a boring, uppity, plain Jane, smarty pants ( Yeah, I said smarty pants!)gets dumped and interviews the most vile men around or in some cases the strangest men. To prove what you ask? Who the hell knows! She is working on her PHD for psychology, so we can assume it has something to do with that. At its best it plays out like a mediocre student film with one or two interesting scenes most notably with Christopher Meloni reenacting a story of meeting a heartbroken woman at the airport. At its worst, which is most of the movie, its choppy, scattered, but mostly you just don't care what happens next. At the end of it all I could think was, " Why would someone want to tell this story?"
We all know that men can be shitty at times.... people are shitty at times. Its the human condition. So please if you are going to just string together a bunch of scenes with men being shitty have a point to it, a statement, an opinion. Something. I have no idea what this was about, or why I should have even cared. So I am sorry John, but BOO to this, and also I am not completely sure you are not a bit of an ass for thinking this was a worthwhile story. No, I take that back. I am sure you are lovely, but this movie still sucks.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Dorian Gray
It's been many years since I've read the original novel by Oscar Wilde. My memory is fuzzy on some of the details, so I will stick to just reviewing this work of film.
First off, the casting was superb. I want to dislike Colin Firth, I try with all my being, but I just can't do it. He's too good. He plays Henry Wotton, the Lord that takes Dorian under his wing, and shows him the way of the world. Drinking, Opium, Prostitutes, Funny looking masks, all in a days fun for Mr.Wotton. Dorian, the timid protagonist reluctantly joins in. It doesn't take long for him to lose his innocence, and embrace the seedy underworld of London. Mr. Gray falls for the amateur actress Sibyl, and you start to believe, maybe this is the end to his vagrancy. But alas, he tosses her aside in a quick minute, to follow Wotton down the rabbit hole. Oh, yeah, there's a painting in there. Right. Almost forgot. But if I have to mention that "The portrait of Dorian Gray" involves a painting that captures his soul, so he can remain ever young, and unscarred, then you should read the book first.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Coco Before Chanel
Anne Fontaine directs this biopic about the one and only Coco Chanel. It is not an expansive story following her throughout the years, but more, a very specific snippet of how Coco Chanel became “Coco Chanel”. With Audrey Tatou starring as the ever so elegant and somewhat cold Coco, it is impossible to not enjoy the film. She brings the steely and calculated Coco to life, all the while showing us a tragic and fragile person just underneath the surface. You do not need to be a fan of fashion, or this iconic woman to appreciate the story being told. It is the tale that the French do best. A strong and stubborn woman picks herself up and forges her way to defy all odds and social classes barring her wit and her soul to make herself her own woman.
With a very strong and likable cast, delivering witty and sometimes heartbreaking dialogue, you really do manage to feel for everyone. Benoit Poelvoorde playing Etienne Balsan best exemplifies this, as you cannot help but enjoy every second that he is in a scene, even when he is being less than a gentleman. I am never sure whether to give the writers or the actors in French movies credit for how well each character is developed. It is probably a mixture of both, but the depth and humanity to each person is so much more than we usually witness in films made in the states. I will say that while the characters and the acting was enough to make one enjoy the film, there was something lacking in the story itself. It is a strange position to find yourself in when at the end of the movie you go, “That’s it? That wasn’t even the interesting part.” The film takes too much time in the beginning to take us where we need to get. The opening scene should have either been completely cut or been expanded upon to have some sort of actual impact or importance to the rest of the film. There is no need to show a scene when the character tells us the story of it three times in the movie. The ending also leaves much to be desired, but that may just be me getting irritated with actual timelines and biopic timelines. When you go on a journey with a character, seeing and feeling the sacrifices they make in dignity and in love, there is a part that feels cheated with just a nice little montage wrap up at the end.
The film is worth the watch for the complex and entertaining characters. I dare you to fall in love with each of them for their flaws and their strengths. The film is beautifully shot and flows well from one scene to the next. I feel that we would need a sequel to do the story real justice though.
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