The Decade's Best - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

David Fincher’s – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
David Fincher’s 2008 film stands up with any of his best films by telling a wonderful story, getting fantastic work out of his actors, and utilizing ground breaking special effects that are so good you don’t even know you are watching them much of the time.
The story of Benjamin Button is that of a child born of unusual circumstances. He was born old and as he ages his body gets younger. Born practically deaf, blind, and with arthritic bones as he ages all of these things get better becoming more youthful and spry as he ages. Raised by an adoptive mother, Queenie, he lives in the retirement home she manages and is surrounded by older people that look similar to himself at his young age. The story here is Benjamin’s life and the experiences he has, there is no great struggle, no horrible emotional issues over his condition, no real plot whatsoever. We just are along for the ride and that structure is really hared to grab on to as we experience this film for the first time. Films aren’t made in this fashion all that often, especially major studio fare like this, and the film only grows in richness on multiple viewings.
The one thing that pops out at you first in foremost in the film is the absolutely breathtaking cinematography and special effects. Fincher frames and designs every shot with such meticulous precision you could pull almost any shot from the film and use it as a background on your desktop. The lighting, the framing, and the camera moves are endlessly beautiful and what makes it even more impressive is that a majority of the shots had to have effects work added later. Thankfully the effects work in the film is second to none and it’s almost astonishing that it wasn’t ILM or WETA doing the work. Digital Domain has long been a successful effects studio but they took it to another level creating a photo realistic representation of Brad Pitt and aging him up all while replacing the actors head in the original shot. The make-up team also needs to be applauded for their fantastic work with aging up the actors on set and to the company that made them look younger in countless scenes and it all looks unnoticeable.
The narrative is also worth the price of admission and it isn’t just a technical wizardry show. Eric Roth applied the finishing touches to this script and brought it all together in the end. Every actor is great and has an interesting story to share through their on screen proxy. Captain Mike is brought to life with wonderful glee and heart by Jared Harris. Capturing the crude and loveable nature of a drunken sailor he shows Benjamin the ropes in the ways of women and drinking. Taraji P. Henson plays Queenie and nails the loud and opinionated New Orleans native. Full of love for her family and religion Henson nails the part without going way over the top that can come with a role that easily could have fell into stereotype. Jason Flemyng wins us over as Benjamin’s abandoning father and Fincher keeps the relationship from sinking into melodrama and instead is a respectful understanding. Cate Blanchett was robbed of an Oscar nomination if you think those things matter as her turn as Daisy, Benjamin’s long longed for love. She plays the character from her teens to her death bed and evolves every time we see her, becoming more wise and less of a youth showing some incredible range as an actress. Finally, Brad Pitt plays button from four years old till he is a memory sixty year old man in the body of a teenager and he does a marvelous job. Bringing a child’s curiosity to Benjamin as a boy and playing sly when people assume his age is far older then it really is in his youth, Pitt expresses this all with subtle ease. You can also see his longing just underneath his eyes for Daisy and he expresses Benjamin’s love with out waving his hands and making a scene.
Full of technical mastery, wonderful characters, and wonderful turns by all actors involved there is a whole lot to love in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Full of little quirks and stories, an epic romance that spans decades, and an examination of life unlike any we have really seen before, the picture is a very unique one. Fincher crafts another masterpiece to add to his resume and his third amazing partnership with Brad Pitt. A film that will only grow with age, it think we will find it to become one of the more loved and remembered films of the year and decade as time moves on. A timeless tale, the film came along and was produced at just the right time so that the picture can maintain a timeless look pulling off a character and performance from Pitt that would never have been possible until its release. So if you brushed this one off in 08 do yourself a favor and revisit this wonderful tale as I think you will find that it will only get better as you experience it again and again.

Review: Brüno

Sacha Baron Cohen is back at it with his follow up to 2006’s Borat which chronicles his homosexual Austrian fashion expert character, Brüno, is an often hilarious series of bits and skits that doesn’t overstay its welcome and is not nearly as groundbreaking do to the actor’s previous work.
Brüno is the biggest fashion expert in any German speaking country, besides Germany, and is a very open and flamboyant man about his lifestyle, sex life, and personal views. The loud mouthed bad boy of the fashion circuit, Brüno’s credentials are destroyed when a gaff at a major fashion event gets him blackballed from the European fashion world. With no where left to go, Brüno, heads off to LA to become a star as we follow his trials and tribulations to gain notoriety in the city of the stars.
Irreverent, loud, controversial, and absurd are a few adjectives that pop into my head when thinking about the film, but probably don’t even begin to do the film justice with just how far the film is willing to go. Now, I will say here, I was never offended and you shouldn’t be either if you have an open mind and are willing to sit back and enjoy the fun and silliness of the proceedings. And at its core, that is all this film is, Sacha Baron Cohen acting silly while exposing people for their true intentions and feelings on being around a rather upfront homosexual.
If you aren’t aware of Cohen’s shtick, he acts in character and dupes real people, well most of the time, into thinking he is in fact a real person. With that hilarity usually ensues over the awkwardness and caught off guard nature of Cohen’s antics produce.
Now does Cohen pray on the dim, ignorant, and idiots of our society, sure, but he doesn’t try to drum these people up as a representation of our society as a whole. When you rowel up a crowd of drunken red-necked Arkansasians and pull an elaborate homoerotic gay joke on them live and in person, you can kind of guess where it is going to go. But if you’re ignorant enough to assume that this is how everyone in Arkansas or the south acts, then the joke is on you too. Sure he is able to pull the wool over some intelligent peoples eyes but for one to complain that he is praying on the weak is a poor argument, because regardless of whom he getting after, it is usually quite funny.
The thing about Brüno, the film, this time out is that it felt a bit more staged then Borat. The finale with Pamela Anderson in his previous effort seemed obviously staged and was actually not that funny since it appeared that way. This time though, the Brüno character is so funny on his own accord Cohen is able to get us to still laugh, even when we doubt the legitimacy of the act on the screen. The film actually goes way over the top at times as well and is clearly not trying to be “real” by any means; and these over the top antics usually involve a penis to boot.
Fair warning though, anyone that is squeamish to any of the topic discussed so far, just be warned there is plenty to see here that will not settle with you very well. Many shots of the male genitalia are sprinkled throughout and possibly the funniest scene of the film has Cohen’s penis, well at least he said it was his, splashed across the entirety of the screen going out of control. Now there are no bodily fluids at play if that is what might scare you off, but there are many erotic situations staged, simulated? sodomy and felatio, trips to a swingers party, and more; they do not hold back. And it’s all played to jokes, quite effectively actually, and if you can have a light heart about it, I’m sure you will get a laugh or two out of it as well.
Lastly, Sacha Baron Cohen again shines in his ability to create such a well versed and hilarious character that he is some how able to stay in as chaos and nonsense unfolds around him. It really is remarkable, his abilities to be so witty and quick in character and never break form outside a sly smile he quickly hides and quells. His performance is worth the price of admission, as it was in Borat, though I am glad that this is probably the end of these types of films for him and look forward to getting to see more of him in straight forward motion pictures; and he will also avoid the risk of the shtick becoming stale, because it is already not as fresh as it was three years ago.
In the end, Brüno has plenty of laughs for those that aren’t put off by the material but isn’t start to finish hilarious at only 80 some odd minutes. You will find plenty of fun and enjoyment out of the picture when you are watching the first time but I am interested to see how it plays out on repeat viewings as I’m not quite sure how it will hold up. If you are a fan of Borat, and you aren’t a homophobe, then you should find plenty to enjoy again here as it is more of the same, but that is a bit of a problem in that it is more of the same and not really groundbreaking in any way other than Cohen taking things even further than he did the first time around. With all that said though, it made me laugh quite a lot and quite hard and if you are interested by the trailer then you should by all means see it as it lives up to what it’s selling, but nothing greater beyond that.
Brüno is a B

Review: I Love You, Beth Cooper

Chris Columbus will have a tough time picking up the pieces of his career after this atrocious and unwatchable mess that everyone involved with should be ashamed of for participating in or even letting it get to production.
I am not going to sum up the plot because it doesn’t matter, if you see this film you are a stark raving mad idiot that deserves every ounce of punishment you will endure for paying to see this film. About as fun as sticking your dick in a blender, it is a boring, unoriginal, offensive, and painful experience from start to finish.
Setting itself up as the anti-teen movie, it succumbs to teen flick cliché almost immediately. The film thinks it is being pro gar, but actually comes off as homophobic as the assumed gay character, then even cops out at the end of whether he is really gay or not. Add to this the stereotyping of all military men being major douche bags, a romance that would never happen in a million year between the leads, the endless attempts to be cool by referencing endless movies and then bragging about the reference, the film is just an annoying mess.
The pacing is awful, the editing is horrendous, and the actors involved are a herd of C and D grade actors (aside from the main characters parents, Cynthia Stevenson and Alan Ruck, they are the only redeemable actors). The script is also just so unhumorous, empty of any originality, and such an unidentifiable main character, or any character in fact, it is almost shocking that this was made and anyone gave any money to make it.
I really don’t even want to talk about this movie anymore, but I heard even if you are a fan of the book that this is almost a completely different story being told. Nothing great from the book is apparently executed here and neither is anything in the film outside one flashback sequence near the end revolving around towel whipping.
The only redeemable aspect of the film is Hayden Panettiere’s almost shocking display of skin in a surprising side boob shot from the much clamored after Heroes star. And that pretty much sums up the appeal of I Love You, Beth Cooper, if you are interested in the title characters side boob there is something for you, otherwise there is no other possible reason you should go see this almost guaranteed lock for worst studio picture of the year and up one of the worst films I have ever seen.
It’s an F, but I wish I could create a new rating to convey how awful this film is.
DO NOT SEE THIS FILM!

Review: Tokyo Sonata

This Japanese import is an engaging and effective look at the struggle of feeling trapped by a countries traditions and cultures, that minus an odd 20 minutes near the end, is pretty solid all around.
The Sasaki’s are an ordinary middle class family living a rather normal existence in modern Japan. Composed of mom, dad, and two brothers, the family is full of different personalities. Mom, Megumi is a stay at home of sorts but doesn’t waste away at home miserable. In fact she seems to be quite content with her role in the family and is happy to support her children and husband. The two sons are a bit separated in age with the younger, Kenji being a decent kid with flares of acting up in school that gets him into a bit of trouble but steers himself onto a path of learning the Piano; and it becomes something he is rather passionate about. His older brother, Takashi, is a bit of a recluse, never showing up at home till the following morning while he sleeps all day. Spending his nights, working, going to class, or just being out, he is a bit disconnected from his family, especially his father, but his parents don’t try and change him, letting the child live his life to his own accord. The father of the house, Ryûhei, seems to have a nice stable job with a large company, but suddenly finds himself without one as his role is outsourced to China for younger and cheaper labor. Terrified of reporting back to his family, Ryûhei decides to act like he is going to work everyday still and as time goes on things slowly become more and more unstable in the home as everyone is hit with the feeling of breaking free of the conformity chains that bind to their current lives.
Letting the drama unfold is the best way to enjoy this family, so I will delve into the characters and plot no more. But this family’s journey is filled with sadness, anger, and comedy for us to enjoy at the film is quite effective in its ability to affect us. Now let me dive into the problem point of this film and that is a purposeful but bizarre detour that three of our main characters take in the film final act. Are family is reaching a breaking point as their worlds change and crumble around them and the director, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, takes them each on a bizarre attempt at running away/escaping from their current lives. The sequence starts off really well, I must admit, with some brilliant comedy work going on with the events unfolding around Megumi, but thinks quickly get so random and out there it is just bad. There is too much of a tonal shift and I appreciate what Kurosawa was going for with the attempt to escape conformity, but these emotions were all pretty much conveyed and could have been done so far more in tune with tone the film established. The film does right itself and shine again in the final scenes, and ends on a near perfect note, and thankfully making up for the tarnish the sequences preceding it laid on the film.
The film takes more interesting and realistic turns through out the film that are both surprising yet relatable since they are grounded in reality. The films characters are easy to identify with as well and that is a testament to some strong acting and writing by everyone involved. The arc’s these characters take over the course of the film are quite interesting to dissect as well and will both bother and elate you with their paths. The film is also quite funny at times and has a few moments of hilarity thrown in as well where I found myself laughing aloud quite hard.
Teruyuki Kagawa is very good as Ryûhei and is heartbreaking at times at his desperation and the feeling of being lost he conveys. But he also shows range in his ability to deliver a deadpan joke as well that will have you pulling a 180 on your feelings in a scene before whipping you right back around. And his characters hypocrisy and anger that comes out towards the end is shocking and appalling yet he lets us still feel compassion for this man that is at an obvious crossroads in his life. Kyôko Koizumi is also quite good as the mother of the household and while she plays quiet and soft spoken, she doesn’t go over the top when she good and brings reserved and level headedness to the proceedings. I will say though, she got the short straw when it came to the awkward sequence I mentioned earlier, while it might start well, it quickly erodes into almost an unwatchable mess. Inowaki Kai and Yû Koyanagi are both good as the brothers in the household and while Kai gets more to work with, in which he shows a quiet confidence that really pops, Koyanagi makes the most of his brief scenes as well. Special mention needs to go out to Kanji Tsuda who steals every scene he is in and provides many of the films laughs as a fellow out of work ex-classmate of Ryûhei’s that shows him the ropes of keeping afloat and keeping your home feeling like they still have a job.
In the end, Tokyo Sonata is 80% really good blend of drama, tragedy, comedy, and interesting characters. The other 20% is an awkward and abrupt change of pace that almost destroys everything that was built up before it. The film rights itself in the end and upon reflection elevates its better parts over the awkward with ease. An interesting study of the human condition and it ability to conform to a world it doesn’t even know, there is plenty of messages to take away from this film, and the more attuned you are to Japanese culture the more rewarding the experience will be. With that said if you are ignorant to said culture there is still plenty for us Westerners to connect with as well.
Tokyo Sonata is a B

The Decade's Best - Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Pete Docter’s – Monster’s, Inc. (2001)
Pete Docter’s Pixar debut was a heartfelt and hilarious look into the world of monsters and what they do on the other side of our closet doors.
Sully, a tall and furry blue monster, is the leading scarer at Monsters Inc., a company that harvests children’s screams to power the monster world’s electrical supply. Sully’s door operator is a fast talking eyeball named Mike and he enjoys Sully’s success and celebrity more than the lead scarer does. Monsters Inc. has been noticing a drop in scare production recently on their scare floor and it isn’t do to a lack of trying by their scarers. Kids simply aren’t that scared any more and they are finding that they are having to retire more and more doors to the shredder every week that have gone dry of scares.
Just as Sully is about to break the all-time scare record, his nemesis Randall loads a door to try and get some after hour scares, only Sully comes across it trying to return some paper work and takes a peek inside to find nothing. When Randall comes back with his scream canister, he finds the room empty as well and retires for the night from mischievous activities. Sully’s fear of getting caught by Randall catching him in the act isn’t even his biggest problem. As a child, Boo, which are apparently toxic to the monster world has escaped through the door which has been sent back into the factory. Sully, who is stuck with the child, upon detection of contamination will be quarantined seeks out the help of Mike and while they try to find a way to put Boo back in her door discover an even sinister plot at Monster Inc. beyond Randall’s action.
Docter and company at Pixar successfully created a world that we can believe monsters troll around in and seemed to have a lot of fun creating some unique and fun monsters to inhabit their world. Filled with plenty of nods and winks there is more originality at play in this foreign world. From the factory system for the doors, the ideas that scares fuel the monsters world, or even the fact that all monsters don’t start as hardened scarers and can even be scared themselves at all ages. The comedy is also broad age wise with something for the kids and adults alike. Be it sight gags, character driven humor, or well written jokes the humor always works and never really let’s up.
The film is actually quite scary at times and it kind of surprises me that kids connect with it as well as they do with some of the images they throw at us here. In fact, it was rather risky I feel for Pixar to bank on a monsters story that would win the hearts of kids everywhere, but the main characters are so easy to love and get behind I think that over powers any fear in the end.
Sully our main hero is as nice as a guy you can get and leaves any sense of terror he instills in his job, at his job. At home he is a light hearted and easy going monster that works hard to be the best at his job everyday, and John Goodman’s laid back and calm demeanor suit him perfectly. Mike on the other hand is a wound up and klutzy spaz of sorts that is as neurotic as he is loud mouthed. Never shutting up, Billy Crystal brings Mike to life and is one of the more endearing characters Pixar has made so far. Props also need to go out to Pixar for creating such an adorable and loveable character in Boo with little more than her eyes to tell us how she feels. Her brief dialogue and noises are played for laughs more than anything, but they tell us so much through her eyes. Steve Buscemi is also great as the sleazy and vile Randall and he creates a character that fits the monster just right.
In the end, Monsters Inc. is a fine effort by Pixar that is on par with their second tier efforts. And if that isn’t saying something about Pixar in that their second tier stuff is still some of the best stuff of the decade I don’t know how to better laude the studio. Funny and adorable and punctuated with a jaw dropping final chase through the door warehouse that takes us everywhere in the world and racing at blazing speeds along the door lines. Also ending on a near perfect note and never dragging from start to finish you can’t really find a whole lot to complain about and helped firmly plant Pixar as the finest studio working today, both animated and live action, period.

Review: Moon

Duncan Jones makes his feature debut with this fantastic sci-fi film that digs into the psyche of the mind and what it means to be human and it is all fueled by a marvelous performance by Sam Rockwell.
Helium-3 has saved the earth’s energy problems. A world on the verge of destroying itself through pollution and death over the planets fossil fuels, the savior of all our problems comes from a substance that is able to be harvested from the dark side of our Earth’s moon. Lunar Industries is the company that has made this all possible and it maintains its crops and harvesters with one man out posted on their lunar base, Sarang.
That man is Sam Bell and he is at the very tail end of his three year contract with Lunar Industries as he anxiously awaits returning home to his wife and young daughter. As the final days wind down, Sam begins to start losing it a bit and finds himself trying to keep it together so as the robotic helper GERTY does not notice his ailments in fear of what might happen if he can’t finish out his contract. Passing the time as best one can, Sam, begins to have lucid dreams and sees odd visions that lead to an unfortunate incident and a mystery unfolds that he never even imagined possible that will cause him to look into himself and try and discover his true nature and place in life.
To spoil this film in anyway for you will only take away from any surprise and greatness this film can take hold over you. Revolving around almost exclusively Sam Rockwell as Sam Bell it seems like it might be quite the stretch that he can hold your attention for an hour and forty minutes almost single handedly, but the man does with relative ease. The role of Sam Bell allows Rockwell to wear many hats and show an extremely broad range and this film just goes to show that he is possibly the most underappreciated actor in Hollywood working today. The subtleties and nuances he brings to Bell are just perfect and give the character so much life and substance with us seeing very little of his life with even less back story. And the questions he has to grasp are handled in such a way that he also opens the viewer up to a lot to think about both Sam and the human existence and what that all means.
Now the film is a fairly heavy sci-fi affair. There are no aliens running amok or anything like that, it is just an idea film and is a wonderful study on the ideas it puts under the microscope. The film also plays its cards differently at almost every turn here as well and while some of these things might seem like you have seen these ideas before are kept fresh by Jones and writer Nathan Parker’s takes on the picture and Rockwell’s interpretation of all these ideas.
The film making in the picture is also top notch as well. An indie film, the production values and effects are just fantastic from start to finish. The moon exterior shots are wonderful and the set for the Sarang feels altogether classic sci-fi but futuristic in its look that it feels like an almost timeless film from the get go.
Kevin Spacey also deserves props for bringing GERTY to life and giving him the subtle emotions needed to go along with the robots “face” that provides a number of laughs in the film. And speaking of laughs, Rockwell charisma and humor shine through just enough in the picture to keep things a bit light in a rather dreary and perplexing situation the film takes us in.
Finally, the score by the great Clint Mansell is superb, giving Up’s score by Michael Giacchino a run for its money for best of the year. I was sitting there in the opening credits, which are also very well done even if they are a rip off of the Panic Room credits, and the music instantly captures your attention. And just as I was thinking to myself, “wow this music is great,” Mansell’s name pops up on the screen and it all made perfect sense. Now if we can only get him more work doing stuff like this and The Fountain more often.
In the end, Moon is an amazing sci-fi film and film in general. Hopefully it will not go unnoticed as Rockwell’s performance is worth the price of admission alone and Jones’ direction, storytelling, and filmmaking just happen to be superb as well. One of the finest achievements of the year so far, if you do not find this in my top 5 at the end of the year we have had our self a nice healthy dose of masterpieces in film for the 09 calendar.
Moon is an A+

The Decade's Best - Minority Report (2002)

Steven Spielberg’s - Minority Report (2002)
Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Phillip K. Dick’s story is a rare blend of sci-fi, social commentary, major effects, action, noir mystery, and fun that is a blast to try and figure out and experience.
Set in the not to distant future murder has been essentially eradicated in the Washington D.C. area do to a new agency called Precrime. Using three psychics who are capable of seeing heinous crimes in the future, Precrime is able to take their memories and investigate the crime before it happens and bring the offender to justice before they ever actually get to commit the crime. As Precrime is about to be voted on to be taken nationally, Precrime Chief John Anderton and his organization are under put under audit by Danny Witwer who represents the Department of Justice. Anderton, who lost his only son to kidnapping, unfortunately finds himself to psychotropic narcotics sold illegally on the streets and sits alone at home alone watching videos of his son and ex-wife as paranoia that Witwer is after his job and Precrime festers on his brain. The paranoia hits its apex when the next murder that comes across Precrime’s table is that of one Leo Crow and the murder is Anderton himself. Having to avoid arrest, Anderton is forced on the run from Precrime and goes on a search for answers as to why and how he was set up. The mystery slowly unfolds as Anderton takes drastic step after step to get the answers to his crime.
Tom Cruise stars as Anderton and him and Spielberg work very well together. The biggest action star at the time, Spielberg plots fabulous and sprawling chase scenes that take us all over the futuristic Washington D.C. The city itself was conceived by a team of futurists who lead the design teams as to where they should be heading with their futuristic ideas for the city and Spielberg uses every nuance to great effect. From the eye scanners, virtual experiences, magnetic car system, and police advancements, Spielberg has a wonderful world of toys and elements to play with and he makes the most. From the car jumping escape scene, the spider police probes, and the non-lethal weapons displayed in fights Spielberg creates some great fights and tension that make the man on the run film fresh again.
The twists and turns keep on coming as the picture unfolds and Spielberg never lets the tension die as he grabs you by the collar and rarely lets you breathe. Pairing the chase with the mystery around the crime slowly unfolding between Anderton and Witwer’s investigation give the film substance making the action actually mean something as everyone, the character and the viewers, work towards the deadline that is the time the murder is supposed to occur. Spielberg also keeps a steady stream of humor around as well and the film is just a marvel of genre juggling that can only be handled by a few directors out there.
The film is even capable of raising a few intriguing questions to the viewers to discuss with the morality of incarcerating people who have committed no crime or the essential enslaving of a human being for their gifts.
The acting in the film is also quite good across the board with Cruise having one of his better turns and getting a bit more to do outside the normal big budget fare he was involved in. Added on top of this was Colin Farrell’s mainstream coming out party in getting to play the confident and cocky Witwer. Samantha Morton also gets to shine and breakout as the pre-cog Agatha getting to show a wide range from the weird to touching as the confused seer.
In the end, Minority Report is as action packed and fun filled as you could ask a film to be. Entertaining and interesting from start to finish, it is almost a perfect example of how to do sci-fi for the mainstream audience. Great effects, smart story, clever action, and solid turn by a superstar make this film both accessible and great. While it may succumb to a couple of Spielberg trademarks, a bit long and a hair to “cute” with its humor, it by no means ruins the picture and is entirely forgivable given the fantastic quality of everything else at play. So if you are a fan of sci-fi, big budget spectacle, or one of our best directors firing on all cylinders, then Minority Report was one not to miss.

The Decade's Best - The Good Shepherd (2006)

Robert DeNiro had a long gestating dream project about the origins of the C.I.A. Sitting on it for ten years he was finally able to bring it to fruition in 2006. Taking on a pacing and tone of its title character Edward Wilson, a collected, cold, calculated, subtle, and methodical man that helps give birth to secret the intelligence game as an agency in the United States, the Good Shepherd moves along deliberately but is full of intrigue and an epic story.
Edward Wilson isn’t the most socially outgoing individual, but smart as a whip and thorough in everything he does he was a logical recruit for the intelligence game, after graduating from Yale, in WWII. A Skull and Bones secret society member, he gets one of his society brother’s sister pregnant in a one night stand and ends up in a family he didn’t ask for while betraying the woman he loved right before heading off to Europe. After his work there, the General that recruited him pins him to an upper position at the newly formed CIA and in the fight against communism in the Cold War. Along his path, Edward becomes entwined with a Russian operative, Ulysses, and their paths cross through the years over important intelligence issues between the two rival countries. Intrigue also arises among British intelligence agents, apparent Nazi sympathizers, and among his own colleagues and the F.B.I. as the mantra, “don’t trust anyone,” never leaves any of our characters minds.
The film cuts back from the failed investigation of the CIA’s Bay of Pigs invasion and flashbacks to Edward’s path to the CIA. An epic story covering around 60 years of Wilson’s life the films journey will always keep you on your toes and guessing who might be gunning for whom. Based off real events and people it makes the film that much more interesting that these origins and series of events occurred in some similar capacity in history and the ground these men were breaking is remarkable. If you are a fan of spy films, international espionage, and elaborate intelligence games there is plenty here for you and while it might not be in your face and action packed scenes it rewards observant viewers with subtle clues and nuances sprinkled throughout for the sharp eyed.
Among all the spy stuff DeNiro also creates a tragic tale of love and family life around the world of Wilson. His doomed love, his forced marriage, his job keeping him from his son; it all plays for rather sad stuff. Wilson’s lack of ability to be a great family man is intriguing with how spectacular he can be at his job. Its makes Edward’s success that much more tragic even while he paves the way for this countries intelligence programs.
DeNiro not only made a meticulously crafted and intriguing picture but he also assembled a phenomenal cast on top of that. Matt Damon plays Wilson with such restraint and coldness it is one of his most underrated turns. His ability to create such a believable character with Wilson’s skills as an agent yet make him so emotionally blocked out from the world is remarkable. He also is fantastic at letting out a small spark when around his love Laura, making him as human and relatable as Wilson can be. Angelina Jolie is also quite good in her turn as Wilson’s estranged life and accurately represents the crumbling marriage Wilson and her have. DeNiro brings a bit of a smile to your face in his short role as well, alleviating the seriousness of everything with a bit of humor as the coordinating general who got the CIA off the ground. The rest of the cast is full of amazing character actors and stars from through out the years. William Hurt, Michael Gambon, Lee Pace, John Turturro, Gabriel Macht, Joe Pesci, Timothy Hutton, Billy Crudup, and Alec Baldwin. To try and list all their work is a bit much, but Turturro is a stand out, as is Baldwin and Crudup, with Pace holding his own against the likes of Damon.
In the end, The Good Shepherd is an epic and intricate look into the origins of the CIA. The tone and pacing of the film isn’t the most inviting but if you can get into it it’s constantly a rewarding experience. Full of great performances, twists and turns, and it’s all grounded by the fact the story is based upon the true origins of the agency. An engaging and wonderful spy film that is light on action but makes up for it in intrigue, The Good Shepherd is about as good as a spy movie can get with its feet firmly planted in reality by giving an accurate representation of what the life of a spy was truly like.

Previous Entries:

Children of Men - (2006)
King Kong - (2005)

09 So Far, What is the Average Rating...

So a few days ago I wrote an article summing up the year so far and how I thought we were having a pretty solid year being put together. Well, we might have some standouts, but I did a little math I got what the average score was for movies I've seen so far this year and the results are pretty average.

09 Films are average a score of 7.56 or a C for the year so far, so maybe we aren't really having quite the stand up year I thought. Hopefully the rest of the year can bring our average up a bit, and the scary thing is I know there was a good amount of crap I haven't even seen and probably won't either.

So put it on the record that we are at a C Average for 09 and lets see where it ends up before the winter and again at the end of the year.

The Decade's Best - Children of Men (2006)

In 2006 Alfonso Cuarón crafted one of the best sci-fi, dystopia, and adventure pictures of the decade in Children of Men. A smart, fast paced and thrilling ride that grabs you from the first scene and never let goes, Children of Men is a can't miss adventure.
The year is 2027 and the last baby born was in 2008 and the global infertility has caused mass chaos across the world leaving England as the last somewhat secure and peaceful place to live. That is beginning to change though as a terrorist group known as the Fishes has been reeking havoc across the country planting bombs and causing disturbances in the name of proper treatment of refugees. Our hero Theo, played by the always great Clive Owen, is almost blown up by one of these bombs when getting his morning coffee and we get a glimpse of life of a non-refugee in this dystopia London. Illegal Refugees are being rounded up daily, the middle class parts of town are run down and violence is at every turn. When Theo is abducted by a group of fishes he finds out that his ex-wife is their leader and that they need his help for an important cause to the refugee movement.
From here Cuarón expands the vision of the ravaged world even further by showing us how the upper class still live a high society life as the world crumbles around them. Living in a gated community and full of pompous activities the rich carry on like nothing is wrong and are more concerned with greed than the decline of the human race. After getting what he needs from a cousin Theo reports back to his ex, Julian, and they head off on their path which may save humanity in the end.
The film is so effecting do to the fact that something like global infertility isn’t too out of the ball park as a possible pandemic the world could endure. The film touches on pandemic flu, global destruction, terrorism, governmental violation of human rights, it was a very Bush era inspired commentary on where the world might be heading if that mentality is allowed to survive. A loss of civil rights, moral treatment of citizens and immigrants, positioning for political gain, and the violent reactionary nature of the human condition when posed with a crisis are all strongly represented in the picture and we aren’t too many steps removed from heading in this direction at the sign of a global crisis.
On top of the so close to reality its scary plot the filmmaking on display at this picture is second to almost none. Cuarón’s craft and vision is mind blowing in the film. He stages elaborate single takes that are more than just walking up and down a long corridor. Characters are flying in and out of the shot, buildings blow up, platoons of soldiers run through the streets, tanks roll through blowing stuff up; insanity is everywhere. Cuarón uses his camera to build so much tension by never letting us leave the action it almost distracting at how amazing the shots are. The high points are the final chase at the end through the streets of the immigrant city and the mind blowing scene that unfolds in a car once the party is under attack. The number of elements at play is just shocking and everyone that pulled off the shot from the f/x to the actors deserves huge accolades.
In the end, Cuarón rolled together some great actors; Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, and Chiwetel Ejiofor all deliver great supporting turns, impeccable direction, and fantastic effects work. A film packed to the brim with ideas about society and where we could be heading it is as thought provoking as it is compelling and thrilling. A truly great sci-fi film that stands up with just about any great one out there will only continue to grow in its appreciation over the years and is definitely one of the finest produced and most compelling films of the decade. So if you missed out the first time, and a lot of people did, do yourself a favor and check out Children of Men ASAP!

Previous Entries:
King Kong - (2005)

Review: Public Enemies

Michael Mann is back with a period biopic that chronicles the life of John Dillinger in his glory days as a criminal and the results are superb technically but it is missing that special something to make it an absolutely amazing film.
Now, what is that special something? I don’t know. But as we pick up our film and follow Dillinger from just after his turn in prison and up until his death we never get that twinge that this film is amazing. With that said, it is almost flawless everywhere you turn. The costumes, cinematography, the performances, the direction, the pacing, it is all great and one can’t really find a complaint with the movie, it was just missing something.
Paired with the heists and romance in Dillinger’s life on the run is the pursuit of enemy number one of the depression era U.S. by Melvin Purvis and J. Edgar Hoover and the beginnings of the F.B.I. Divided up about 70-30 between Dillinger and F.B.I. the film is about the larger than life Dillinger at its core. But the looks into the rise of the F.B.I. is just as engaging and compelling, especially since much of the time we follow them we are thrown into the thick of an investigation on the edge of a shoot out.
As we follow Dillinger’s courting of Billie Frechette and the occasionally bank job here or there we quickly catch on to who this guy was. A fast talking, well calculated, and passionate man that carries those feelings into his love for cars, robbing banks, and loving Billie, Dillinger was quite the character. We are treated to a couple bank robberies here and there but the bulk of the films action comes from standoffs between Dillinger and his criminal colleagues with the F.B.I. The action in the film is solid, but a bit sparse up until the later half of the film. The most thrilling scene in the film is the infamous breakout Dillinger had once incarcerated in Indiana and was apparently painstakingly accurate in it recreation. So, while the action is very good, don’t go in expecting a shoot out a minute type film, there is a lot more to it than that.
The romance between Billie and Johnny takes up a majority of the first half of the film and this is all good and well because Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard work great together and are convincing as the new couple. These scenes are matched up with the early attempts by Purvis and Hoover to get the F.B.I. off the ground and trying to help bring a stop to crime in Chicago where folks like Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson are running wild. Purvis’ struggle to hunt these men and get the most out of the men he has who are not cut out to chase armed and dangerous men.
The actors in the film are top notch across the board and they are anchored by the always great Johnny Depp who is fantastic as the charismatic Dillinger. Now, don’t take that statement of charisma as being flashy, Dillinger and Depp are nothing of the sort. Depp’s directness and earnestness mixed with a sly sense of humor just make the performance pragmatic yet controlled that leaps off the screen. Bale is great again here as well in the supporting capacity after a so-so turn in Terminator earlier this summer. As Purvis he is cold, calm, and calculated but might be in a little over his head. Bale is able to portray the man still confidently and not like an idiot even when the character might be overstepping his bounds keeping Purvis’ demeanor consistent across the board. I also find it quite astonishing as well in Bale’s performance that once you go back and think about it after you learn about Purvis’ demise, Bale was giving hints of this in the man during his performance just barely sitting there behind his eyes; great stuff. Marion Cotillard delivers a fine little performance throughout and knocks it out of the park in her final few scenes. I don’t want to spoil anything but you will know what I am talking about when she just shines in the final act of the film. Along the way we also get a lot of spot performances from a wide and talented ensemble. Billy Crudup is the brightest stand out from these as J. Edgar Hoover and just shines as the hardened and smooth talking start up administrator of the F.B.I.
In the end, Public Enemies is an extremely well made and entertaining film. Anchored by fantastic performances by Depp and Bale the film will have you complaining about next to nothing. Solid action, good story telling and solid pacing it will engage from start to finish. Sadly, something is missing to make this an A+ picture and I can’t really put my finger on what it is, it just didn’t give me that overall feeling of awe. It is a nice balance of Dillinger and the upstart of the F.B.I. and I think if you focused on either anymore the picture would have started to bloat. With that said, you still shouldn’t miss it as it is one of the finer pictures of the year and an excellent crime drama for the adults to enjoy this summer.
A-

Review: Tulpan

Sergei Dvortsevoy makes his narrative feature debut out of Kazakhstan is an interesting look into a sheep herder’s life and the battle between the young and old school’s of thought in society in the country.
The film opens with the attempted arrangement of Asa, a young soldier looking for a start to his new life, and Tulpan, an elusive daughter and the apparent last eligible woman around for him. The rub is that he can’t get his own heard until he is married, which would allow him to fulfill his dream of living as a high class rancher with a loving wife, but Tulpan and family seem untaken by him. So instead of moving on, Asa is thrown back into a life of near servitude to his brother in law who tends his own flock while Asa’s sister raises the kids at home. Not very good at being a shepard, Asa is constantly at ends with his brother in law, Ondas, and putting strain on the families home life as long as he is a guest in the house. The film plot grows as all of Ondas’ sheep begin having still birth’s and when that puts a threat on his business and the family’s hopeful move; he can’t afford any mistakes for Asa. Added to Asa’s current troubles is his friend Boni is constantly pressuring to move with him into the city and live a life of more excitement and more women to boot.
How things fold out for everyone is the crux to this story as they struggle through adversity and try and get their lives back on track. The thing is, the story sounds sad, but it is told surprisingly up beat and has a sly sense of humor about things from time to time. The film is shot extremely well and there are some impressive single takes that kind of take you everywhere and stay with the action for a long time. It’s never fancy technically, but keeps the actors working at a high caliber while drawing out the tension of a few later scenes in the film around the birthing of a couple of lambs.
The film is subtle and quiet and is full of extended takes, maybe a bit too lingering at times, but it does a good job at setting up and putting us in the same kind of isolation the characters are in. The film also gives us a really interesting take on the family life of a herder as well. All under one roof, with kids of varying ages, I think I would go mad out there. It is interesting to see how all of the family patrons pass the time and a bit unfortunate for us to have to endure the screeching singing of the family daughter,
The actors in the film are all first timers or very inexperienced and you would never really know. Askhat Kuchencherekov plays Asa and he brings the charming bumble head to life. As he tells stories of his navy past, tries and herds the flock, or do his ear exercises you can’t help but smile at him. He also really nails the scenes where he pours his heart out to Tulpan and shows great focus and ability in his big final scene with the birthing lamb. Ondas Besikbasov is also very good as the brother in law Ondas and he nails the subtleness of the character. A loving and caring husband and father is always right underneath the surface of the hardened and controlling boss he has to be to Asa and his kids when at work. Besikbasov was the most impressive of the cast and I hope he finds himself some more action work down the line. Last to get some mention is Tulepbergen Baisakalov as Boni who is played to dimwitted perfection. While not playing him like an idiot, there is just enough silliness and hopeless dream to him to make him laughable yet sincere in his desires and hopes for himself and Asa.
In the end, Tulpan is a nice little foreign flick that is a bit deeper then it might seem on the surface. Engaging just from being a look into a world we can’t really imagine, there is also a compelling story that arises among a number of quality performances. Sweet and good hearted, the film has its emotional ups and downs but will leave your feeling a bit elated and hopeful by the end. A bit of editing and maybe a little more plot might have helped this picture be even better, but it still stands as a fine piece of budget international filmmaking that can really when you over even with the simplicity it has to offer.
B-

The Decade's Best - King Kong (2005)

This is the first of a new column I will be writing for the remainder of the year culminating with a best of the decade list when it is all said and done. It's almost hard to believe the first decade of this new millennium is almost over, but that just means we get to start debating what where the best films of this young century and why we think so. Over the next six months we will have a series of essays of my reflection and discussion on what made these films great to me and why I would love for you readers to seek them out. So sit back, take a gander, and let me know what you think. Agree, disagree, call me an idiot, but let me know in the comments why you loved it, hated it, or thought these films were just ok. So without further ado I give you my first entry into the series...

Peter Jackson's - King Kong (2005)
After Peter Jackson finished the Lord of the Rings trilogy he could have made any, and I mean any, film he wanted to. He could have released a three hour film about a box of Cheez-it’s that cost 100 Million to make and it would have made its money back; well maybe. But Jackson choose to dive head first into another classic tale and one that he had held dear since his childhood, King Kong.
Jackson adored the original and wanted to bring it to life for a new generation from his point of view on how to best tell the story and the results are stupendous. The spectacle and scale on hand for the picture is just astonishing. Assembling a solid ensemble of Naomi Watts as Darrow, Jack Black as Denham, and Adrien Brody as Driscoll he pegged a couple Oscar nominees/winner and got solid dramatic work out of an unproven outside the comedy genre. Jackson also did some solid casting at the second tier as well with the great Kyle Chandler hamming it up as Bruce Baxter and Thomas Kretchmann to play the hardened captain of the Venture. His best casting might have been in letting Andy Serkis back into the mo-cap room to bring Kong to life in convincing and heartbreaking fashion.
Serkis’ performance paired with Weta’s best work to date animating Kong was a site to behold on the big screen. Giant beasts have never looked better then the savage Kong who had a history just by looking at the scars and disfigurements all over his body. Added to the brilliant character design was impeccable animation that allowed you to connect and feel for Kong as his face was full of life and expression.
Kong would have been enough to wow the crowds, but Weta went even further with their meticulous recreation of NYC of the era and some incredible shots that are all digital that look so good it’s almost impossible to think they are fake. Added on top of this is scene after scene of new bugs, creatures, dinosaurs, and monsters roaming Skull Island and the diversity of the beasts is staggering. Jackson’s creativity and design team helped Weta bring this amazing world to life through its inhabitants and the action we get to see unfold in it.
And the action is jaw dropping. The brontosaurs stampede through the valley is simply a scene that is almost untouchable at the sheer scale and intensity when it comes to fantasy films. These huge beasts plowing through the ravine, on the run from some raptor like predators, all the meanwhile our heroes and hapless crew are being trounced and destroyed as they try to survive running through the mess of feet below. From the big cliff edge u-turn to the massive pile up of the finale your jaw is on the floor and you believe this world is real.
Just when you think Jackson can’t top that, he pulls out one of the most epic fights of the decade in Kong vs. the T-Rex’s. In absolutely brutal and epic battle spanning all over the island, in not only serves as an amazing action sequence and effects display, but builds characters arcs as the fight goes on and our damsel and her beast begin to understand one another.
Jackson never lets go of the viewers neck once we step foot on Skull Island and somehow manages to also make us fall for Kong and the good that resides in the beast. It all culminates in the heartbreaking, tear inducing, finale through the streets of New York City and to the top of the Empire State Building that is as awe inspiring as anything on Skull Island both technically and blows it out of the water emotionally. I still have trouble watching this film once it gets to the third act and it is a struggle to be able to even watch once Kong heads up that fateful climb.
The only thing you can really ask from the film to be changed is exercising the Jimmy/Hayes plot which serves zero service to the overall proceedings and would tighten up the film to almost a fever pitch pace, even at three hours, if removed.
In the end, King Kong is an epic fantasy adventure that is old school story telling at its best. A simple plot, beast take girl, boy save girl, girl try and save beast, Jackson fills the screen with relentless wonder and non-stop action, thrills, and beauty. A truly spectacular display of storytelling, special effects, and imagination, one can only harbor a few minor complaints along the way. Jackson solidified himself as one of the top directors of his generation with this film and has one of the most impressive resumes of the decade; one that he can maybe even put over the top if his adaptation of The Lovely Bones goes over well at the end of this year. See King Kong for the classic tale, outrageously insane special effects, and one of the most tragic and heartbreaking characters ever to be created for the silver screen in Kong.

09 - The Half Way Point

09 The Year So Far…
So how are we doing in the great land of movies in this year now half gone? We have a couple of great movies, quite a few good ones, and even an instant classic on our hands. The summer season is turning out a fairly positive product so far this year with only a couple of duds in the mix. Animation is having a strong year with a couple of end of the year best of contenders and another comic book adaptation will be vying for that top 10 crowd again as well.
While there are only a couple top 5 contenders to come out this year, the level of quality in film is at a higher level than 08 at this point and I think we are on track for a better year in film that last year and maybe even pass the excellent 07 as well. So let’s look at a month by month breakdown and try and figure out the best of the year so far…

January
Here I go talking about how great the year is and January has absolutely nothing to really speak of for itself. Taken came out this month, and was phenomenal and a ton of fun, but it was for all intensive purposes a 08 release as we were the last territory to practically get the film. For that reason I included it in my 08 list for the best of and we are left with nothing else to really talk about in the month.
Notorious was a decent enough flick, but will not be seen anywhere near any best of lists at the end of the year.

February
Coraline was the crown jewel of February and was not only an excellent little story, but a showcase of excellent stop motion animation and awesome use of 3-D technology. Henry Selick returned with probably his best work to date and one I can’t wait to revisit on Blu-Ray later this year.
Push was a fun sci-fi flick with a couple of solid action scenes. The film had a lot going for it and will probably gain a good cult following once it hits cable and the home video market.
The International was a decent thriller as well from the month and included a contender for best scene of the year with an amazing shoot out at the Guggenheim, you can check this one out now on home video.

March
Who Watches The Watchmen? That was the question we were all asking ourselves as this hotly anticipated flick rolled out into theaters and the results were fantastic. Polarizing film goers and critics alike there wasn’t really a middle ground with this flick. I happened to love it and Zack Snyder did a fantastic job of realizing this amazing universe to the big screen.
We also got a solid comedy in I Love You, Man, with both Jason Segel and Paul Rudd in top form leading a very funny, though a bit conventional, comedy that kept the laughs coming from start to finish.
Duplicity was also ignored for such a high profile lead couple in Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Smart and full of twists, this one had you guessing till the end and was a rewarding movie for those that actually went and saw it.

April
April saw the brilliantly dark Observe and Report that was fucked up and full of laughs. Seth Rogen and Jody Hill put together a hell of a movie that wasn’t afraid to take risks and subvert itself for laughs, can’t wait to see this one again.
The Soloist also was an extremely well made movie that was executed to perfection. The lack of conclusion of the film will hold some back from praising it, but the performances are top notch and the story is inspiring.
State of Play also went relatively unnoticed and it was a rather compelling and current newspaper drama. Russell Crowe was great as always and with a solid supporting cast of Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, and Helen Mirren, people need to find this one on video.

May
Star Trek was the first great film of summer 2009 and the audiences and critics agreed. I thought it was a fun and exciting film, but I am not anointing it as the best film of 2009 as some fans were but it is definitely one of the better ones.
The Brothers Bloom also finally got its wide release, and while I saw it last year, and it almost made my top 10, there are few better movies you could have seen this calendar year. Rachel Weisz, Adrian Brody, and Mark Ruffalo are all having a blast in this heist caper and it is all directed superbly by sophomore slump avoiding director Rian Johnson.
Up is the one that takes the cake for the month and frontrunner for best film of the year so far. Pixar continues their brilliant run and have made one their top three films yet potentially. Do not miss this movie, it is a must see.

June
June started off on the right foot with the crazy and quite funny Hangover that is destroying the box office along with Up. With a group of solid actors at its core and a fantastic concept the laughs keep coming and while not the funniest movie ever, but pound for pound not few films keep the solid laughs coming like this.
Away We Go is end of year list type stuff with an amazing script, acting, and direction that keeps you feeling elated from start to finish. One of the best on screen couples in years, John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph shine under Sam Mendes and the film is accessible without being conventional and is a resounding breath of fresh air for romance in film.
Add to these two quality films comes Moon, the second best film of the year so far and a beautiful piece of sci-fi cinema. Throw in an amazing score and the best performance of the year to date from Sam Rockwell and you have a film that should not be missed, and it’s a directorial debut to boot from Duncan Jones.
Woody Allen also shines again this month with the hilarious and skewering Whatever Works. Attacking society and romance from all angles, Allen calls for everyone to just relax a bit and not do everything everyone says you should do and the results is a film that could have been a bit better assembled but is full of too many great performances and laughs to ignore. Patricia Clarkson and Larry David are both worth the price of admission here as well.

I would say we are off to a pretty good start this year. A couple of big summer blockbusters could have been better than they were, Transformers and Wolverine, but they also could have been far worse. Sam Rockwell is an Oscar contender, as is Up and Moon and Away We Go will both probably join Up in my Top 10 at the end of the year. We should have a pretty great year in the movies if the second of 09 is as good as the first and it could potentially be even better.

Avatar, Inglorious Basterds, Nine, Public Enemies, Shutter Island, Harry Potter, 500 Days of Summer, Funny People, Invention of Lying, Where the Wild Things Are, Thirst, Funny People, Amelia, Ponyo, District 9, 9, A Serious Man, An Education, The Informant, Zombieland, The Road, New York I Love You, Bruno, Anti-Christ, The Box, Wolfman, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Ninja Assassin, Brooklyn’s Finest, Invictus, Lovely Bones, Sherlock Homes…There is still a lot left to go in 09!

Review: Whatever Works

Woody Allen returns from Europe and heads right back to New York City in this “classic Allen” tale that allows Larry David to be exposed to a bigger audience then HBO for the hilarious and brilliant man that he is.
Boris Yellnikoff is a genius, a self proclaimed genius at that, and was once almost nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. He lives out his days since his first divorce making conversation, or should we say yelling at, with friends over racism, the failure of our species, and the strangle hold of religion among many other things in between his sessions of teaching children chess. One day when returning home, a young southern girl right off the bus asks him for some food and a place to stay. After insulting her intelligence, ability, and almost everything about her he agrees to help get her on her feet and in turn shows her around the city a bit. Well a month goes by and the girl, Melodie is still around and even taking on a bit of Boris’ philosophy on life. In the meanwhile, Boris’ mates begin to wonder why he hasn’t kicked her to the curb yet and Boris begins to wonder that himself. But living by his almost born again philosophy, “whatever works,” his and Melodie’s deal carries on and eventually even begins to grow.
Now, if you have ever seen a Woody Allen film before you know for the most part what you are getting into. Older guy, younger girl, things might happen while analyzing of society and romance ensue. Allen loves these themes, and while he hasn’t been as “conventional Allen,” about it as of late he still is looking at these themes. Well the results here is his funniest film in years and while maybe not as skillfully made as Match Point and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, I found myself laughing out loud consistently here, especially at just about everything out of Larry David’s mouth.
Now I will throw out this warning, if you are religious, to the right, or don’t enjoy the dissecting of the social ignorance of our species, and don’t have a sense of humor about yourself and these themes, and you probably don’t if you fall in these categories, then this might not be your cup of tea. David spouts fire at the dimness of our society and makes us, rightfully so, look trivial and pathetic; and Allen doesn’t even touch on our obsession with celebrity and pseudo-celebrity which is beyond appalling in its own right. I found a connection with Boris and agreed with him on just about everything he said and that really helped me enjoy the film a great deal.
In fact, the film only ever really waivers when Boris leaves the picture. The film’s focus shifts towards Melodie in the beginning of the third act and I am not sure this was quite the best choice. The film redeems its misstep in the end, and actually Boris is a background character for almost the entire third act, but the other characters lives we focus on are thankfully a bit more compelling than Melodie’s odd departure.
Larry David as I mentioned is just great and right at home working off of Allen’s material and I am here to report that he isn’t just playing Larry David in curb here. Sure there are comparisons to be made, but Boris is more forward, brash, and pessimistic than the character Larry David and the actor Larry David creates something original if still familiar; and always hilarious.
Evan Rachel Wood is a lot of fun as the sexy southern dim witted belle that allows for Allen to basically assault the ideals of the church going, gun totting, right wing south and the amount of comedy that comes from the ignorance should be a wake up call for anyone that connects with any of the characters that fall into Melodie’s camp. Wood disappears into the character and hits most notes just about right and on the money with only a couple missed beats along the way.
Patricia Clarkson steals the show and doesn’t show up for almost two thirds of the film. When she does show up though, she bursts onto the scene and will have you laughing at every little turn her character takes. Same goes for Ed Begley Jr. who steps right in and steals the spotlight in even less screen time than Clarkson. In fact, both of the characters take similar paths once they show up and the way Wood mirrors their arcs Begley’s is able to be told quicker and remain fresh and funny.
In the end, Whatever Works is an often hilarious look at love, romance, and society. David doing Allen will have you laughing out loud from nearly start to finish and while the film waivers a bit at the beginning of the third act it rights itself by the end. Allen could have finely tuned his film a bit more as well I imagine a trim here or there might have helped a bit, but he achieves what he set out to do and that was make you laugh and you will do that aplenty. Skewering the idiocy of this country and ourselves while basically calling for everyone to just relax a bit and do whatever works instead of forcing what we are “supposed” to do, I couldn’t agree more and if you feel the same as me you will quite enjoy Whatever Works.
Whatever Works is a B+

Review: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

The third film in the trilogy is superior to the awful second, but doesn’t have the heart and all around quality of the first film in the series; and it utilizes the use of 3-D fairly well in a couple of key action scenes.
Diego, Manny, and Sid are all living together in there own unique little herd among some of the other animals in the valley that are still hanging around after the last films inconsequential flood. Manny and Ellie, his mastodon companion, are now expecting and Diego is beginning to feel a little out of place with Manny settling down and the feeling that he is loosing his edge as a saber toothed tiger. Sid in the meanwhile discovers a set of eggs in a cave under an ice sheet the he accidentally broke throw. Sid’s desire to be a parent after seeing Manny’s happiness encourages him to hatch the eggs and it turns out that he has himself a set of three dinosaurs. Diego decides to head off on his own and leave the pack just before Sid’s newest children’s real mother shows up in the valley to take back her babies and in the process takes Sid back as well from where she came from. Manny, Ellie, Diego and company all decide to head after him into the cave and discover that there is a dinosaur jungle underneath the ice and valley they have been living on for years. Their adventure leads them into the path of Buck, a rouge weasel, and he promises to lead them along the path and help them avoid the threats that are inherent to the land.
The film works so much better then the previous because there is an actual plot and goal to the picture that is more substantial then a looming flood. The search for Sid is a rather simple plot device but it gives us a goal to move forward that we care about. But the film works the best when Buck is on the screen and Simon Pegg is getting to have a blast in the character. The possum brothers are thankfully more reserved and in the background in this film allowing for the comedy to be less childish and a little more grown up. But don’t take that for granted as the film is still for sure a kid’s movie.
There are still a number of silly kid moments and the story is geared towards a younger audience. The action is very well done and the 3-D makes all of these scenes pop with more success than Monsters vs. Aliens. Add to this some relatively quick pacing and the film will keep you engaged for the most part with the surprisingly sub-par Scrat vignettes not playing nearly as well as they did in the previous films.
One just wonders how the film can’t put together less then an hour of quality film. Between the action scenes and the Scrat stuff, the writers really only have to come up with about fifty minutes of quality story. Now, what they come up with is ok, but it isn’t as engaging as the first film and there isn’t nearly the amount of heart and compassion for these characters as there was in that one. With the quality of action in this picture and the introduction of a fun character like Buck, if they could have just got the story to a higher level this could have been a pretty good to great family film. Instead they decided to still pander to the kids rather then respect them and they are left with an entertaining but average film.
The voice work in the film also feels rather dialed in and sub par outside Pegg and Leguizamo as Sid. Leary is ok as Diego, with little to actually do, but Romano and Latifah as our mastodon heroes are just rather dull and bland. Thankfully, Pegg is stealing every scene with the search party and in Diego’s one scene alone Bill Hader is great as some potential prey for the cat.
In the end, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is solid family entertainment that could have been a lot more. Filled with some great characters set up in the first film, the filmmakers at Blue Sky have failed to really grow any of them and give them depth over the course of the two sequels. Still, kids will enjoy it quite a bit, and adults will enjoy the action that goes along with enough jokes that you will at least get a little kick out of. Not a major success by any means, but a huge step in the right direction for the series after an abysmal second act and hopefully they can find us a richer story for the already in the works sequel.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a C

Review: Food, Inc.

The latest documentary to come around to educate us about what we eat is more of a call for regulation mixed with education on the subsidizing and corporate environment of our food in this country and it does it entertainingly without grossing you out.
Our guides for this education lesson are a pair of prominent authors in the pulling back of the vale on the food industry. Eric Schlosser is the author of Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan who has written a couple books on the subject and the two basically take us back and forth discussing varying topics and education us on how are food is raised, grown, produced, and enlighten us on how we are not eating what we think we are. We are sold the idea of these classic farmers still laboring to grow us plants, raise our livestock in wide open spaces, and all with a nice red barn in the background. But the truth is that we have streamlined and made the process cost effective while simultaneously harming and sacrificing quality over quantity and where only a handful of companies are controlling the food market.
Slaughter houses are in environment that is unsafe and unsanitary for everyone involved from the animal, to the employee, to the consumer. And while we are still raising animals to be killed for our dinner plates the process has become brutal and appalling on a number of levels. Animals are mistreated, drugged, and forced to live in inhospitable environments that are helping to spread disease and death through not only the livestock but into our homes.
Added to the unsanitary nature our meat is being produced, our plants are being genetically modified. Now, before you get all up in arms, this isn’t a bad thing, the problem comes from the patenting of seeds and plants and allowing the corporations to control the entire life span of those products and are threatening and/or ruining farmers finances over patent infringement. You find in the meat industry as well that that the corporations are strangling its farmers from change by holding them financially hostage by keeping them in debt.
In fact, the main message of the film is that these companies are going along unregulated and unmolested in the way that they carry themselves and their companies. Getting ex-employees and supporters into prominent government positions that allow the un-regulation to continue and the film is trying to raise awareness that this needs to stop. They are essentially the new big tobacco and we need greater regulation and control over these companies that have far too much control in power to keep things the way they want to, even if it is at our expense.
There was one thing that did bother me about the film though and that was this lady who comes on as an activist and I can’t take her seriously even with her story because she comes across as someone grabbing for attention and I don’t buy that she isn’t looking for pity; why else would she be here? I feel like the filmmakers also try and use it as a cheap attempt getting an emotional reaction out of the audience. Other than that, no real complaints.
In the end, Food, Inc. is full of a number of intriguing facts and delivers them very easily and without preaching to you. The film is slickly produced but felt like it could have been even more effecting. Calling for action on the government level the time for change is a now. The incorporating of the food industry is contributing to our poorer health, poor work places, and awful treatment of employees and animals in their system and the time for change is now. We have to make the change though and the film finishes with steps as to what you can do with the hope that our food processes and industry can become better for everyone involved. The film will only help this change so I encourage you to seek it out.
B-

Review: My Sister's Keeper

Nick Cassavetes latest adaptation is done well but strangely lacks any earned emotional punch and comes across as just expecting your emotion from the subject matter instead of working for it.
Kate has leukemia and she isn’t winning the fight. Her sister Anna has been a great medical asset for her through the years, constantly contributing to her recovery since she is a perfect match for Kate; and this is not a mistake. Anna was engineered to be a perfect match and born specifically to help keep Kate alive. Anna is sick of helping out though and decides to scratch some money together and sue her parents for the medical rights to her body, allowing her to make all decisions on whether or not she helps out her sister. The sisters mother is an ex-lawyer and will do anything for Kate and isn’t afraid to be a bitch to get it. So when her daughter sues her, which will lead to essentially the death of Kate, as she is in renal failure, she defends her and her husband in the case for Anna’s medical emancipation. The film from here jumps between flashbacks of the family’s life and drama surrounding the case over Anna.
Now, obviously this film is not a happy tale. The story deals with a very sad subject matter and things never look very good in the present day of the story. Add into this all the family drama over the court case and you would think you would have pretty emotionally poignant film, right? Well, not really. For the first half hour or so you are actually a bit disoriented as each family member gets there moment of narration and explains things a bit, plus we are trying to figure out who these people are in the middle of crisis; it’s not the easiest task. The film as a whole is actually a bit of a mess when it comes to keeping track of time, not so much that you can’t figure it out, but it takes you out of the picture as you gather yourself.
As I mentioned in the intro, I also don’t think Cassavetes really did a whole lot to help us feel for any of these characters outside of Kate. Sure we feel sad for these people, but we don’t really connect to them unless we have unfortunately had to go through some sort of medical crisis as they have. Thankfully I haven’t, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able to feel strongly for these people and what they are going through. We feel like we are skimming the surface on a lot of these characters and the only one we really connect with is the one that gets the most focus; which I already mentioned is Kate. Cassavetes and company practically don’t even touch on two of the family members, the brother and aunt, who are always around but we barely get anything out of them at all. And I understand, the book has more room to breath and flesh people out, but should you have eliminated a these characters since they were not essential to this film’s version of the story and used that extra time on them for the main characters; it is a fine line.
When the film does work though, it works quite well. Most of the film is average melodrama affair that never elevates itself except for the middle part of the film that focuses on Kate’s love interest and their escapades. This part of the film really pulls you in after the jumbled start and you really feel for these two kids as they fall in love. The only thing about it though is that they wuss out on the emotional punch in the end of their tale.
Also of note, the music used in this film is beyond awful. Someone should never work again for the music selection on display here. It is distracting at how bad and disgusting it gets as they pump sappy sentimental awful music through the soundtrack.
Alec Baldwin’s lawyer character brings some needed humor to the proceedings and is the most entertaining element of the film. Abigail Breslin plays Anna and is a bit all over the place in how convincing she is, but I guess she comes out on top in the end. Jason Patric is good as the dad and while there isn’t a lot to him in the film he brings a good performance throughout. Cameron Diaz is appropriately bitchy and over protective in the role of the mom, but her character is written with some serious flaws that are a bit spoilerish. Let’s just say her character doesn’t act the way you think she would and she comes across as bad, but it’s the writing, not her. Sofia Vassilieva plays Kate and is the stand out in the film. She is incredibly convincing as a cancer stricken patient and is upsetting to watch at times. The blood, the vomiting, its hard to watch and she does it all, props to her for that and she did a good job in most dramatic scenes as well.
In the end, My Sister’s Keeper is an interesting story that plays easily to your emotions but could have been much more. Is it too thinly written characters, in need of a longer run time, to jumpy of a timeline, or poor direction? I don’t know, but you feel like the film could have been more affecting then it was as well as the story more engaging on the screen. But the performances are all good for the most part and it never really drags and will hold your attention even if it doesn’t affect you as strongly as it could. So if you are up for a tear jerker type film, you could do far worse but you could also do far better, so don’t expect anything amazing but you shouldn’t be too disappointed.
C-

Review: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Michael Bay returns to the robot fighting business and the results are a gorgeous, long winded, and many times pointless adventure that didn’t really learn anything from the first film’s short comings.
Sam Witwicky is about to head off to college. Two years removed from his last adventure with the Autobots and Decepticons galaxy spanning battle for survival. The Autobots are now part of an elite global team called NEST and they travel the Earth looking for the remaining Decepticons hiding on our planet. Meanwhile, Sam and his girlfriend Mikaela are preparing for a long distant relationship as she stays behind to help keep her dad on his feet since leaving prison. As he packs, Sam finds a shard of the All Spark from two years earlier in the sweatshirt he was wearing and when he touches it something happens to him that he can not explain. Meanwhile, Optimus Prime and company take out a pair of Decepticons in hiding and learn of a plot for a “return of the fallen.” Sam is off at college for merely a day, and experiences some weird symbol visions to boot, when Bumblebee, his first car and protector, shows up from home and takes him to see Optimus and they discuss that a war is coming and that Sam and the humans may be at risk. From here, the Decepticons plot begins to unfold and Sam is sent on the run to protect the information in his head that he doesn’t quite understand.
Now, where to begin? First off, the effects are fantastic on par with Terminator for the best of the year but I am not quite sure if the action in this one lives up to the action in that film. The first hour or so of the film is on par with the first Transformers film. It’s fairly quickly paced, there are a few scenes where it is a bit much, and a plot line that is absolutely pointless and useless (the college roommate). There is a great action set piece to open the film and an epic fight in the woods between Optimus and some key Decepticons, but after this fight the film really starts to drag. And the reason it drags is because it is essentially the start of a new movie where we have to learn the origins and background of our new threat in the film. This stuff, while a bit long winded, probably would have worked if it was the opening of a film, but we get like 20-30 minutes of plot, background, and origins that is all there to set up a lackluster adventure tale and the final battle which is the entire third act.
Once the film gets to Egypt everything seems to almost be moving in slow motion as nothing is really happening yet the plot isn’t really moving forward. Bay does a great job at setting up this epic battle and while we certainly get a few quality bits and fights out of it, we spend far too much time following around the human counter parts doing very little to entertain or move things forward. I mean, what worked in the first film? If they had stayed with Sam and the Transformers and got rid of all the government and computer stuff and stripped the military guys to the bare minimum and you have a tight action packed and much shorter film that would have been even more greatly received. Here we have less sub plots but Bay still wastes a bunch of time going to them for no noticeable reason. I applaud him for just about nailing the right amount of the military personal this time, but he throws in this presidential advisor plot that does nothing for us, everything at the Coms base is pointless, and everything with the roommate and Turturro (who is actually bearable and no where near as annoying as he was in the first film) are a complete waste of time and are either redundant exposition or are a series of crude jokes you just wonder what they were thinking.
When it comes to the Transformers, there are just too many of them and the ones they exploit are annoying and you just want them to more or less go away. A new set of twin Autobots are actually a despicable and racist stereotype that are so poorly handled you are just asking yourself how did these two non-humorous and annoying robots get probably the most screen time in the film. In fact, it seems that unless you are a robot that can make dick and fart jokes or curse you don’t get to be on the screen all that much. I mean, did know one listen to anyone after the first film, we wanted more Optimus and Bumblebee not a couple of dumbass comedians when we asked for more robots. In fact, Bumblebee is completely underutilized and could have easily taken the place of these two clowns in the film, especially since they are actually capable of squeezing out some clever and fun humor from the character when they want to.
Also, I know you aren’t supposed to think so hard when watching a big summer movie like this, and I wasn’t I promise, but there were some glaring continuity errors and plot that were either contradictory or weren’t really thought out very well and while not ruining the film, they will cause you to go, “wait a second,” and will be serious fooder for anyone wanting to rip this film to shreds.
Though I will say, I did enjoy the parts I came to see. All of the Transformers, minus the twins and a misconceived elder Decepticon that shows up, are a joy to watch and have some pretty grand fights. When the action is focused on the robots the film is a blast, but unfortunately we don’t get as much as we want; again. There was some good humor between Sam and his parents as well, but the overkill it a bit, and the relationship between our two stars works a lot better in the film with LaBeouf and Fox doing as good enough job as they could with what they are given. And I am pretty much just rambling now so let’s just get to the end.
In the end, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen works when it is focusing on what it does best, fighting robots, but is oddly paced and feels drug out for nothing of any kind of substance. Things are just happening for little reason sometimes and the plot in the later half of the film is almost an exact rip off (even down to the path and buildings) of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusades search for the cup of Christ. The first third of the film shows promise, even if similarly flawed to the first film, but eventually grows so big and has so little substance that we feel like we are waiting for something interesting to happen; and thankfully it is entertaining when it does. But I don’t know, fans of the first film will have some fun but I find it hard for anyone to merit this as being better then the first and if you weren’t a fan of the first one stay far, far, away; there is nothing for you here.
Revenge of the Fallen is a C-, and I don’t know how well that will hold up.

Review: Every Little Step

This documentary dives into the behind the scenes fight for Broadway glory as we follow the audition process for A Chorus Line revival show and the results is a fascinating look into the lives of these performers and the rare chance to observe these people bare everything in their soul as they wish for that shot at being a star.
The film moves between recordings from the original session where A Chorus Line was conceived where Michael Bennett and a number of his friends, all dancer and actors share their stories about how they made it got their chance or break, or failed to, while also peeking in on the auditions of the planned revival cast in 2006. The people producing the revival show all had a hand in the original production and through them and these tapes of their original conversations that inspired the characters in the show; we learn how the original production came together as we watch the revival’s pieces slowly fall into place.
Michael Bennett who passed away years before this film is seemingly brought to life through the passion of his peers and the tapes of his voice we get to here. The way the original show came together was a bit of an endurance match and groundbreaking for the time and the film is full of fun stories and struggles that they had to go through to make this play happen.
The story in modern day is just as compelling as we follow the casting of a few of the key characters in the production and we get to know some of the actors auditioning a little bit better so they are not just a nameless face dancing on screen. The film takes on the appeal of a reality competition of American Idol or similar production except it isn’t glamoured up or commercialized. We watch these people perform in a practically empty room in front of a few people who’s opinions matter and they pack is slowly whittled down to final auditions.
The ability to see these people bare it all and leave it all on table in the audition is a fascinating process and here we get to see it in its most pure form. You will find yourself making judgments and attaching yourself to certain actors and rooting for them to move on to the next round. The amount of suspense they get out of watching the audition process is almost a bit surprising and it will have you glued to your seat through the very end.
Outside being a history lesson on the original production and a look at the making of the revival the film also serves as a tribute/biography of Michael Bennett who spearheaded this production to life and actually lived quite an interesting life. They pull no punches when discussing his life and while it is a bit of a praise fest for the man, they don’t romanticize him like they could have and everything said seems rather honest.
In the end, Every Little Step is an entertaining and surprisingly tense documentary on a little know topic. Sure Broadway shoes are everywhere and we have all seen them, but few have any idea what the behind the scenes process to get one of these off the ground is really like. So many people and so much heart are poured into bringing these shows to life it is quite engaging and incredible to witness. While the film might drag a bit in the middle and could have covered a few more cast members it still does a fine job of balancing history with pulling back the curtain on the auditioning process which makes for a rather interesting amalgamation of story telling that works quite well for this doco and makes you want to see the production of the show as you walk out of the picture.
Every Little Step is a B-

Best President Ever!

He's a geek, love him even more!

And John Hodgman is great as always.

Review: Chéri

The latest from Stephen Frears starts off well enough, having fun and well spirited but by the end is a bit of a sappy, overly dramatic, melodrama that almost negates the good start.
Lea is a courtesan, one of the best at that, in France. She is so successful at what she does that she is even able to lives a lavish and expensive lifestyle even when she isn’t courting and entertaining a man. She owns her own place, has beautiful clothing, and in home service help. The only problem is that she got this being a courtesan and that does not bode well for her social life as no decent woman of her social stature will socialize with a know courtesan. So Lea is left to socialize with her peers, both retired and working, and while she didn’t particularly enjoy there company she was left with no other options. Madame Peloux was one of these women, since retired, but wealthy and in good living conditions as Lea she spends her time entertaining guests having dinners, tea, and social functions seemingly all the time. Peloux and Lea spend most of the time going back and forth trying to out class or out wit one another with who is leading a better life in what is ultimately a dick measuring contest between two women. Peloux’s son Chéri, a nickname derived by Lea, is a bored and socially exhausted nineteen year old. Taking in drinking, whoring, and late nights almost every night of the week, Chéri feels like he needs a change and jumps on Chéri’s invitation to get away for a while at her retreat in Normandy. The two head off and sparks begin to fly leading to more than each of them expected and a tale that will pull them together and apart as the years go on.
The film is quite sharp to look at and rather entertaining for the first hour or so. A narrator takes us through our story and there is plenty of good humor and knowledge to be learned about the world of whoring in early 20th century France. The film moves at a whip pace and is charming, witty at times, and creates a fun world to hang around in.
It’s when the film’s tone quickly changes and becomes more of a story of jealousy and pettiness then anything. These two somewhat likeable leads quickly become rather unlikable and there isn’t a lot to get behind in the end when it is all said and done. Even the fun narrator disappears for the most part at this point and it’s almost like watching a completely different movie. Frears’ film does look fantastic though, and script is rather well done as well. Fans of period films will have plenty to like as they do a great job of recreating the social scene of the early 20’s Paris scene, but unfortunately the films story couldn’t pull through from start to finish.
The acting in the film is a bit of a mixed bag here as well as everyone has ups and downs in the cast and no one really knocks it out of the park. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Lea and she is a bit all over the place. Cool, sexy, and smart one minute, then hamming it up a bit while taking it a bit over the top in some of the more intense scenes during the later part of the film; she never finds her grove. The worst moment of the film comes from her as well when she calls out Chéri’s name awaking from a dream that is just awful, you will know what I mean. Rupert Friend is quite good as Chéri most of the time, but his performance still feels uneven from time to time and he comes across a bit too whiney and weak for my taste in the later part of the film. Kathy Bates is the closest to being great as Charlotte Peloux; though even she has moments of being a bit much at times it is mostly effective and the funniest part of the film. Felicity Jones plays a suitor for Chéri and she is quite good with what little she has to work with. I feel like I have seen her somewhere before, but I am looking forward to her upcoming work regardless as she is a young actress to watch (look for her to break out in Cemetery Junction if she has a big part). Other than that, Frances Tomelty is solid as Rose, Lea’s main attendant and she takes advantage of ever scene she gets.
In the end, Chéri is a mixed bag that is by no means horrible, but isn’t that great either. The film starts off with a ton of potential that slowly melts away and never comes back to the fray. The performances can be a bit all over the place, but are quite solid when they are in fine form. Frears made quite a pretty and fine looking film but the tonal shift and drop in a compelling finale hold this back from being anything above an average period picture.
Chéri is a C

Review: Year One

Harold Ramis is back behind the camera for his latest with his new Apatow friends and the result is a intermittently humorous film that is rather mediocre to not funny for over half the film.
Oh and Zed are a pair of tribesmen that are quite the pair of failures in their tribe. Zed is the worst hunter in the group and Oh is a gather which says a lot about these guys masculinity. Between bitching about being the outcasts of the tribe, the two bitch about how they can’t get a woman and after an incident at the Tree of Knowledge the Zed is banished from the tribe and Oh reluctantly follows him out into the world. Along there way they encounter various faces from the Old Testament and we are treated to a seemingly series of vignettes that take us all the way to Sodom where Zed and Oh are left with the task of saving their love interests who have become enslaved.
Now, let me just get this out of the way, this movie isn’t very good. In fact, if you don’t like Cera and Black playing Cera and Black then you will loathe this film as that is basically all this movie is. Now, I happen to enjoy Cera’s shtick, but I must admit it is getting old and I pray Edgar Wright makes him do something different in Scott Pilgrim, and he did make me laugh on a couple of occasions in the picture; same goes for Black. But overall the film is just a real bore, not very funny, and leaves you feeling extremely disconnected to everything.
There isn’t a story thread at all in the movie, we just jump around from one scene to the next which is supposed to be funny because it makes fun of some Bible stuff? Now, I am not a religious man, but I can really appreciate some good religious humor, but there is nothing more here besides a couple Jew’s aren’t athletic jokes and that is about as smart as the religious humor gets. 90% of all the other gags and bits in the movie revolve around fecal matter, urine, flatulence, dick, anal sex, and vagina jokes; really that is the best you can do? I found myself comparing this to History of the World Part I while watching this and while that isn’t even near being Mel Brooks best film, it is a masterpiece next to this mess. Sure that movie was a series of vignettes as well, but it was set up and delivered to us that way. The film sets itself up to be some journey for knowledge and with a purpose but serves a simply a vehicle to try and jump from one joke to the next. On top of this, some scenes just end seemingly in the middle with consequences at risk and the next scene starts immediately as nothing happened with no resolution whatsoever. None of the humor comes from the writing, or characters, or the story it is all a series of humorless gags and skits that has me seriously doubting whether I want to see a third Ghostbusters film since it is being written by the same pair of writers, Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, that whipped out this miserable piece of shit.
The acting in the film is fairly weak all across the board as well. Jack Black is Zed and is at his most annoying and is as bad as he has been in years. I have liked him in most everything he has done, especially of late in Tropic Thunder and Kung Fu Panda, but this might be the dumbest and worst performance of his career. Michael Cera, as Oh, supplies the most laughs in the film, but he has been far better in many other works; and lets hope Paper Heart is as great as the preview looks or else Cera might be in some serious trouble. (Seriously dude you don’t have to be the same guy every time, and I might have to disown you if you screw up Scott Pilgrim and don’t show any energy that Scott Pilgrim has almost all the time, I have faith Edgar Wright will keep you in line) David Cross is annoying and I love David Cross, so that is saying something. If you screw up having a brilliant comedian like Cross in your movie, you know you are in trouble. Oliver Platt was a bit to over the top in the picture for me, but at least he looked like he was having some fun in the role. Same goes for hank Azaria as Abraham, who pound for pound was the funniest person in the film. Olivia Wilde is hot and has a couple of decent jokes, so she did fine, but for some reason they left Juno Temple to almost play a mute for 95% of the time she is on screen, it was really odd that she never talked. I was happy to see June Diane Raphael get a nice role to work with, and actually be fairly funny from time to time, as she was great in her small part in Flight of the Conchords and am glad to see her getting more work. As for the rest of the cast, they are rather forgettable and one trick ponies and no one elevates their game to stand out from the crowd in this weak ensemble.
In the end, Year One is a mess and one that you should probably avoid. If you are a fan of Cera and Black being Cera and Black then you might find some enjoyment. But like I said, I have been a fan of both and I couldn’t find a whole lot to enjoy in the picture. Ramis just completely mis-fired here and his first mistake was thinking the writing was any good in the script, which he helped contribute to, and then let them ruin the picture in the editing room even further. The third act of the film is the strongest, but none of the comedy comes anywhere close to being as good as some of the great work we have gotten of late from the genre. So I have to say this is a rental at best, as there are a few laughs, but the more and more I think and write about this picture, the worse and worse it gets in my mind. If the trailer did nothing for you, the movie won’t either.
Year One is an F

Review: Away We Go

Sam Mendes quickly returns with his latest film which is the anti thesis to his previous Revolutionary Road and the results are a fantastic look at parenting filled with heart, humor, and soul all rounded out by fantastic performances from everyone involved.
Burt and Verona are in love, they are also having a baby, but they aren’t getting married either; and none of these things are really creating much of a problem either. The problem they really have is finding a home. The couple moved close to Burt’s parents because they wanted to be a part of their granddaughter’s life, or so Burt and Verona thought. When those plans go south the two endeavor on a road trip searching for a possible home for them to settle down in and they decide to head to places wear they know some family and friends are already in place. The trip takes them through a number of parenting experiences as well and it helps the couple formulate how they want to raise their family and shape their lives.
To spoil anymore in this film would be a shame for the viewer. It never follows convention and is a refreshing take on a “romantic” story that doesn’t feel cookie cutter and pander to our intelligence. In fact, the humor in this film can be quite high brow at times but has plenty of broader humor to go along with it as well. And even though there are plenty of laughs in the film, the film has a rich soul and heart that this couple carries that we can just feel and feeds us with its warmth and had me smiling from ear to ear from nearly start to finish.
Mendes film is a refreshing look at love and it’s so nice to see a film that doesn’t fall into the pitfalls of convention. It never has “that scene” that you find in most films where we have to tear apart the main duo in the film and none of the scenes or gags are found in any film I have seen. The dialogue is also rich, surprising, and often hilarious and props must go out to Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida who create a quick, sweet, and almost never dragging picture for Mendes to work with.
The actors in the film also elevate to levels you wouldn’t expect, with the leads both probably turning in the best performances of their careers. John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph play Burt and Verona and their chemistry is wonderful. Not once do we not buy them as this amazing and in love couple as they bounce back off each other with ease. Krasinski finally breaks out of being Jim from the office and molds this wonderful character that has some amazing range and will have you busting out laughing any time he tries. Maya Rudolph also brings a tenderness and maturity to the picture while still giving us plenty of humor to boot. She really steps out as a potential star and I look forward to her getting some more serious work here in the future. The cast is also full of great work from a couple of actors in each city that we visit. Catherine O’Hara and Jeff Daniels shine as Burt’s parents and are the pair you wish we could have had more of the most in the picture. Jim Gaffigan and Allison Janney play a pair of mediocre parents in Phoenix and are the polar opposites of one another seemingly in the short time we get with them; with Janney’s over the top turn being hilarious to almost being too much. Maggie Gyllenhaal creates a wonderfully contrived and deep parent that just makes you shake your head at the absurdity of everything that pours out of her mouth. Chris Messina and Melanie Lynskey are a great poignant and heart aching couple that are also full of life and might share the most aching moment in the film. Lastly, Paul Schneider is good as an abandoned husband and really captures the struggles of single parenting and the fear it can bring to a couple.
In the end, Away We Go is a wonderful film that sticks with your and keeps you entertained from start to finish. Full of laughs, heartfelt moments, and the feeling of true love between Verona and Burt that just pops off the screen. Unconventional and completely refreshing there is a whole lot to love in this picture and seems like a lock for my top ten at the end of the year. The film might catch you a bit off guard with a bit of a tonal change in the third act, but it is all a part of this amazing couples journey and you will feel that finding home can be an important and pivotal moment for a family to begin their life together. Do not miss this film!
Away We Go is an A

Review: Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Tony Scott’s latest with frequent collaborator Denzel Washington is a mediocre affair that is poorly written and can’t even muster much style out of Scott either.
Walter Garber is introduced to us as an everyday transit authority civil servant that mans and maintains the New York City subway traffic so that it flows with ease and there are no delays for the many commuters it sees daily. Ryder and his crew are taking over the Pelham 123 train and after stopping it mid tunnel they detach the lead car and Ryder gets in touch with the sectors operator, Garber. Ryder demands ten million for the hostages he has on the train car and that he will execute one per minute the money is late. The police and mayor are both pulled into the fray and while the police have position on the train car, they are holding out for the possible negotiations; that don’t go entirely too smoothly. Garber and Ryder begin a series of discussions that expose them both for more then they led on to believe while the lives of the hostages are hanging in the balance as they wait for the money to arrive and more plot ensues.
No the problem with all of this is nothing makes logical sense with the way they handle the situation at the police level and Ryder is written so poorly it hurts sometimes. The decisions made by the officials are just so dumb and make no sense you will just find yourself saying, “What?” over and over again. I mean, things like listening to the biggest idiot in the transit department instead of the one police intel is giving, or the complete lack of accountability or compassion anyone seems to have for the loss of life taking place in the picture. Throw in a stereotypical and uninventive chase like segment with the rushing of the money, and the film even calling out the stupidity of some of the films own actions, its hard to really get too invested or take anything too seriously ever.
Plus, on top of all of this, Ryder’s character lacks so little originality and just awful dialogue he never achieves anywhere near the level of character the writers think he is. They are going for this crazy and darkly humorous guy that you are supposed to kind of like and get a kick out of as a sort of anti-hero to some extent, but he is so cold blooded and repetitive he just becomes almost eye rolling obnoxious and almost completely unentertaining.. Even outside of Ryder, the lines are rather lame and corny with only a couple jokes and one liners really working in the film at all.
The film is more subdued style wise for a Scott film but the production value is quite high on the picture to boot. But like I said, the good looks and high caliber actors can’t really elevate this picture to anything above what it is, a mediocre tale with little flare, fun, or excitement. The film is also rather dull and simple for most of the film, being pretty much a back and forth between the transit headquarters and the train car conversation; with actually a seemingly fair amount of repetitive shots.
The actors in the film also do nothing special in the picture with nobody standing out even from the rather average turns in the film. Denzel Washington plays Garber and does the best of the actors involved, though we have seen plenty of better work by him in a number of films. James Gandolfini pretty much mails it in with nothing to do even really from the script that is even weaker from a character standpoint then it is story and dialogue. John Turturro again has nothing to work with and plays a very dull and straight forward hostage negotiator. Lastly there is John Travolta as Ryder, who is just not that convincing as the tough talking crazy genius that Ryder is supposed to be. Like I said, the script is awful to begin with, but Travolta doesn’t bring a whole lot to the table either delivering ever single line of motherfu**er, which is uttered a million times by Ryder much to our chagrin, exactly the same every time; did the writers not have a thesaurus?
In the end, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 is not one of Tony Scott’s best efforts and doesn’t have the thrills, humor, or social awareness it thinks it has going for it. The script is awful in so many ways, the action is non-existent and poorly conceived and the attempts at humor fail almost every time. Even a group of quality actors turn in rather lame performances all around and are unable to elevate the material one bit. The film has a moderate entertainment value, and wasn’t the worst thing in the world, it just doesn’t really work as well it thinks and one can’t help but notice things falling flat. I can’t give you much of a recommendation for this film, even if you are fans of Scott, Denzel, or Travolta. If you catch it on cable it might hold your interest, but don’t go out spending your money on this there are far better films you could be seeing at the theater right now.
1 2 3 is a D-