Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Sherlock Holmes (2009)


Back in the day, I was a big Guy Ritchie fan. I loved “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and have felt that every G. Ritchie film since then has been a pale comparison to his directorial debut.

However, that reign has ended with “Sherlock Holmes”. While critics and fans are giving the flick mixed reviews, I’m going to throw my hat into the ring and say I loved it.

I’m a fan of Sherlock Holmes and own all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes’ works in one huge volume, so I can’t be accused of loving an updated version without some knowledge of the original.

And that is what I loved about Guy Ritchie’s interpretation – that Holmes wasn’t just some sissy thinker – but he was a lover and a fighter. And maybe Robert Downey Jr. isn’t everyone’s ideal of what Holmes should look like, but he looked fine to me.

The story unfolds and makes good use of characters from the original works, even if some of the characters were barely in the original novels (Rachel McAdams’ Irene Adler) and also set us up for a sweet sequel that will (hopefully) unveil Moriarty.

As for the cinematography itself, the style is all Guy Ritchie (especially the fight scenes – which I loved) and the script has some brilliant witty repartee between Holmes and Dr. Watson. I also loved Holmes narrative and how this narrative unfolded on the screen.

Speaking of Dr. Watson – the only thing I did not enjoy about this film is Jude Law. He made a fine Dr. Watson and it won’t stop me from viewing a sequel, but I just can’t stand the guy – not even a little.

Even though the Academy won’t give it any awards, “Sherlock Holmes” is definitely worth viewing. It is a thoroughly enjoyable flick with action, adventure, romance and laughter.

Trailers can be viewed by scrolling down to the end of this page. Stay tuned – I’ve got some more holiday flick viewing to do before the end of the week.

End.

Avatar (2009)


When you state that you are the “King of the World” you aren’t leaving yourself much wiggle room for success with your next project. But it does leave the door wide open to your critics. With Avatar, James Cameron has given the critics (and fans) an opportunity to criticize (or praise) everything about this movie for what seems like years while it was in production. Writing a review seems almost passé now (even though the film has only been out for a week), but I’m going to throw my two cents in anyway.



For those critics that state that there is no storyline in this movie and/or that it is weak, should rethink that point. There is a story and it isn’t weak. The problem with the story is that it has been done a hundred times in movies – it isn’t original. It is the same story that was told in Dances with Wolves and The Last Samurai (to name two examples). Indigenous people are run off of their land by another group of people that are less than ethical about their reasons for wanting the land – oh, and there is a love story.

Putting aside the storyline, the real triumph of this film is the creation of new technology (the Pace/Cameron camera system). This technology will change the way 3D films can be made forever. James Cameron and Vincent Pace should be given props for that alone – regardless of whether Avatar is a good film or not. How many people (critics?) are visionaries in their fields of expertise that could create a new way to make movies after all these years? To come up with an original idea in an industry that occasionally seems all played out? That is the triumph of Avatar.

End.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

[REC] (2007)

In keeping with my current zombie theme, I thought I’d also review a 2007 Spanish film titled [REC].


The film follows a young reporter who hosts a show called “While You Sleep” and on this particular night, she is filming what occurs in a fire station after the residents of Barcelona are all comfortably tucked away in their beds.


While the city of Barcelona is sleeping soundly, all hell breaks loose at an apartment building where a woman has apparently gone crazy. And it pretty much all goes downhill from there. The residents of the apartment building along with the crew from the fire station, the report and her cameraman are all trapped in the building, which is locked-down and placed under quarantine.


What begins as a harmless conversation between the reporter and a sick, little girl that resides in the building about her dog (which is at the vet) leads to a much deeper story (with a bit more consequence to the rest of the quarantined residents).


This movie kept me jumping – particularly after the electricity to the building was shut off and the latter part of the film was shot in the dark, thus allowing us to view the film through the eyes of the reporter and her cameraman with night-vision goggles.


I won’t give away the ending, but – a great, fast-paced zombie scare.


End.


PS: The film had a US makeover last year titled Quarantine (which I did not see) in case subtitles are not your thing.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Zombieland (2009)

A great companion movie to the classic Shaun of the Dead (click here to see my review), Zombieland just rocks! I most definitely will be purchasing this movie when it comes out on DVD and plan to watch it every October (if not multiple times before each Halloween). It made me jump out of my skin as well as laugh out loud. What a great combination.


The movie stars Woody Harrelson, who over the years I have grown quite fond of as he has matured into an interesting actor to watch – even if briefly – in such high quality flicks as No Country For Old Men. And Mr. Harrelson does not disappoint here. While this film is definitely a comedy – Woody brings a certain nuanced charm to his role that makes you see where he is coming from and forget that he was ever in Cheers.


The film also stars relative newcomer Jesse Eisenberg who starred in Adventureland earlier this year (notice the reoccurring theme in the title that pans out in more ways than one if you’ve seen both pics). And while I enjoyed Mr. Eisenberg in Adventureland, he was over the top in Zombieland with his dedication to his list of “rules” that must be followed if one is ever caught in a zombie apocalypse. As the narrator of the film, he set the entire tone.


Along with the zombies (and one great cameo which I won’t let out of the bag), Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin round out the cast. I saw Emma Stone in Paper Man earlier this year, and the girl definitely has range. I also love seeing Abigail Breslin continue to grow. She needs to keep finding roles that show her ability to move forward as an actress along the lines of Jodie Foster and not Lindsay Lohan.


In addition to great laughs and scares, the movie had an awesome soundtrack that fit with knocking off zombies to a T. Check it out in theatres now (see trailers below).


And take a look at this sweet picture of me as a zombie. You can zombify yourself at the Zombieland website.


End.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Goodbye Cruel Summer

Now that fall has definitely come, I thought I’d recap a handful of the other “summer” movies that I saw and move straight into October. To finish off the summer...

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
There are so many things I’d like to say, particularly about Megan Fox. But I don’t want to waste my energy. I’ll just ask “why”?

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
We went to see this twice to fully appreciate and capture all of the nuances of the film and how it works with the book. Frankly, while I enjoyed the movie, I wish that the producers, etc. had decided to make this book into two movies also (as they are doing with book seven). So much happens in this book that the movie had only a passing reference to what was really the story of the “half-blood prince”.

That being said, I once again think that all involved in the movie did a great job with the interpretation and adaptation of the story. I think that David Yates is a great director (see the British TV series “State of Play”). The only bad thing I have to say about this film is that I wish it had been rated PG-13 so that they could have pushed the story a bit further.

District 9 (2009)
This film was really brilliant. Disguised foremost as a sci-fi film and secondly as a message against prejudice (via apartheid), it actually was a love story. Love between a father and son and love between a husband and wife. I’ve said it before – Brilliant. And if it is still playing in a theatre near you – go.




Julie and Julia (2009)
The story of Julia Childs and her husband, Paul was just lovely. I wanted to read their respective memoirs and letters after seeing the movie because they had such a genuine love and respect for each other. Julie Powell is portrayed as a bit of a whiner and subsequent blog articles I’ve read have pegged her as someone who did this as a publicity stunt (Julia Childs herself thought this).

However, I totally disagree (and so do some foodie critics). If you take a look at Julia’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”, it is a bitch to follow and cook from – not an easy task and surely not worth spending a year of your life slaving over it if you just want publicity – somewhere there has to be a love of cooking – or why kill yourself over it.

Good for Julie – even if Julia didn’t approve – this story made for a feel good movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. And as usual, Meryl Streep was phenomenal.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Most of you know (if you know me at all), that I cannot stand Brad Pitt. I don’t even like him a little – the reasons are multi-fold (and I won’t bore you with them now if you don’t already know them).

But I can stomach him in an ensemble flick and for as many reasons as I despise Brad Pitt, I love Quentin Tarantino – thus bringing balance into the world – well, my world anyway.

What an exciting movie! I absolutely enjoyed this film. If you read about the film online, you will see that there are all types of “Easter egg” info out there re: the origins of the story, etc. For example, Eli Roth (the “Bear Jew” and director of such films as “Hostel”) actually directed the movie inside this movie titled “Stolz der Nation”, a Nazi propaganda film.

When the movie was first released, there was some criticism from Jewish, religious publications that sited the film as “revenge porn”. But seriously, who wouldn’t want it to go down this way? SPOILER ALERT – Hitler, an avid filmgoer is murdered in a movie theatre watching a propaganda film. This is pure genius coming from a man who is also an avid film buff and began his career working in video rental store.

Next up – The Informant!, Zombieland and Whip It. Along w/ a few DVD gems I’ve seen over the last few months. In honor of Halloween, check out the Zombieland trailers at the bottom of this page.

End.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

The Tale of Two Comedies

Below are the reviews of two recently released comedies – a romantic comedy and an “oh-so not” romantic comedy that have been raking in the bucks – even with “The Transformers” hot on their heels.

The Proposal (2009)
The romantic comedy of which I speak is “The Proposal” starring Sandra Bullock and the “It” guy of the moment – Ryan Reynolds (see posted “Paper Man” review below).

While I really wanted to love this movie (because of aforementioned Mr. Reynolds) it was in actuality only mildly entertaining. The best parts of the movie featuring Mr. Reynolds and Ms. Bullock were played out in the previews – leaving the viewer with little to laugh out during the actual movie. The two exceptions to this are the impeccable Betty White and the scene stealing Oscar Nunez (The Office).

I really wanted this movie to be much more enjoyable than it was – but that is strictly because I’ve got a crush on Ryan Reynolds. The movie was OK – especially if you just focus on Ryan – but it was fairly formulaic. However….


The Hangover
(2009)
I really didn’t have high expectations for this film because I was not a fan of “Old School” (in fact, I hated that movie) and Todd Phillips directed both films.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to thoroughly enjoy this film (and not just because Bradley Cooper was the lead – which, by the way – I had lunch with him in LA a few years ago – but I digress).

This movie had me laughing out loud the entire one hour and 40 minutes. The movie seems formulaic – a group of guys headed to Vegas for a bachelor party. But you are looking at a group of men in varying stages of their lives and I’m not sure any one in the group has yet to become a man.

You’ve got Alan (Zach Galifianakis) who very likely has never even been on a date with a woman and comes across slightly slow. Then there is Stu (played by the brilliant Ed Helms – also of “The Office”) who is straddled with a bitch of a girlfriend (Rachael Harris - also brilliant) and just really needs to man up. The least likable character of the whole bunch is Phil (Cooper) who is married with a gorgeous wife, a beautiful son and still acts like a whiney baby (he actually drove me crazy with his pathetic excuses for why he hated his life so much). And finally, there is the groom, Doug (Justin Bartha) who actually gets left out of most of this tale. Together they might make up one fully functioning adult.

I could write that the journey of searching for Doug (who apparently goes missing after one night in Vegas), bonds Alan, Stu and Phil into an everlasting friendship – but that would be searching for a deeper meaning than this film has to give. This movie is just plan fun and high jinx. There is no deeper meaning and it should be enjoyed for what it is – a movie made for no other purpose than to make you laugh. The only regret that I have about this picture is the ending stills that run over the credits. I think the movie would have been better served to leave the holes in the story as is and let the viewers’ imaginations run wild.

I have only one bad thing to say about this movie - Heather Graham.

Viewers can definitely wait to watch “The Proposal” on DVD, but “The Hangover” is worth an immediate viewing – and most likely – a repeat viewing too.

End.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Los Angeles Film Festival 2009

I recently attended the Los Angeles Film Festival on behalf of the Montana Film Office (follow them on Facebook and Twitter). And while I did work quite a bit at the festival, I found time to squeeze in four movies and have posted my thoughts below.

Enjoy.

Paper Man
The premiere film at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival featured a picture that stars one of the hottest actors on the scene today (Ryan Reynolds) but is not destined to be a big hit. The picture centers on a blocked writer, Richard (Jeff Daniels) that still clings to his imaginary childhood friend Captain Excellent (Reynolds).

Berated constantly by his overachieving, surgeon wife (Lisa Kudrow), Richard struggles to write his follow-up novel and befriends a local misfit, Abby (the brilliant Emma Stone). The story details their rocky (and quirky) friendship and culminates in the realization that things are not quite always what they seem.

This film was good, but a little off in a few places. One to watch on DVD.


Weather Girl
This film premiered at Slamdance and has been on the film festival circuit for sometime. But the LA viewing was special because the cast and crew found out that the film is being picked up for national distribution July 10.

This is a film that does deserve a big splash, but most likely will get swallowed up by all the summer blockbuster movies (including Harry Potter opening five days later). A cute romantic comedy, it features Tricia O’Kelley (The New Adventures of Old Christine) as the title character (Sylvia) who suffers an on-air meltdown during a Seattle morning news show. The source for her anguish is the co-hosts of the show, Mark Harmon (NCIS) and Kaitlin Olsen (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia).

Sylvia is a little prickly and a bit hard to get close to, but luckily she surrounds herself with family and friends that help her see the error of her ways and are able to steer her in the right direction. The cast is made up largely of TV actors including Jon Cryer and Marin Hinkle (Two and a Half Men), Ryan Devlin (Veronica Mars) as well as Alex Kapp Horner (also on Old Christine) and is rounded out by the always entertaining Jane Lynch (Glee).

I just really enjoyed this picture and laughed all the way through it. Definitely worth seeing if you get the chance. See trailers for this film at the bottom of this page (boxes 1 and 3).


Passenger Side
This is the story of two estranged brothers that set out on a day-long road trip. Tobey (Joel Bissonnette) asks his brother Michael (Adam Scott) to drive him around LA but won’t tell him why. Michael only agrees because his mother makes him, but the trip does open Michael’s eyes to a world that he is not familiar with and definitely uncomfortable in.

I don’t want to say too much more about the film, because the film is about the discovery of truth and to say anything more will be to give too much away. I will say that the camera work in this film is sub-par and the car scenes are very jerky. You can wait for DVD on this one, but the secrets revealed slowly throughout the day-long journey are insightful.


Hollywood je t’aime
This is the story of a love triangle between a man, a man and a city.

Jerome (Eric Debets) has just been dumped by his lover Gilles (Jonathan Blanc). While on the surface, he seems fine with the decision and has moved on – in reality that is not the case. The movie begins in France and is filmed all in black and white to portray the despair that Jerome feels over this loss.

Jerome decides that in order to get over Gilles, he will leave the dreary confines of Paris and vacation in Los Angeles (this portion of the film is in color). As is the case with so many people that move to Hollywood, Jerome dreams of becoming a movie star.

Of course, the odds of this happening in two weeks are slim, but Jerome has some moderate success and an eclectic group of people takes him under their wings after a mishap at his hostel.

But ultimately, while Jerome does love Hollywood he love Gilles even more – Gilles and his new lover haunt Jerome’s dreams. Ultimately he knows that running away does not solve the problem and that he must return to the city of love to confront his desires.

“Hollywood je t’aime” was directed by Jason Bushman. My co-worker Korin and I had the opportunity to meet him while we were at LAFF and he is quite a nice young man. Very proud of his film, but also very humble. This film has not been picked up for further distribution, so if you are interested, you will have to look for it on DVD. One caveat – you shouldn’t watch this film if homosexuality or graphic sex make you uncomfortable.

Well – that’s it for indie film reviews this summer. Next up "The Hangover", "Transformers" and "The Proposal".

Stay tuned.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Terminator Salvation (2009)

A year ago when I heard that “Terminator Salvation” was coming out, I was so excited that the movie would be a re-boot similar to “Star Trek”. However, after missing the premiere three weeks ago (and hearing all the bad reviews), I decided to lower my expectations and review this movie as just another summer blockbuster. With that in mind – the movie was entertaining. Some good effects, some bad effects. Below – my brief review.

Christian Bale was less than spectacular as John Connor – he wasn’t that impressive and his part was barely there. Sam Worthington’s character, Marcus, was much more compelling, but could have been more fleshed. And Mr. Worthington needs to work on his American accent – he slipped more than a few times into his native Australian tongue.

The part of the movie I loved the most is actually a spoiler alert – so I won’t give it away here, but I will say that there is a nice tie to the FOX TV show, “Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles”. In the “Sarah Connor Chronicles”, Sarah (Lena Headey) can’t understand why future John (Thomas Decker) would not only align himself with certain Terminators but also actually have feelings for one, Cameron (Summer Glau). This is explained at the end of “Salvation” that made it all worth watching.

If you didn’t enjoy “Terminator Salvation”, then maybe you should check out the now cancelled “Sarah Connor Chronicles” on DVD. To see my review of this show, click here.

End.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

I should preface this review with one caveat. If you don’t like B-horror movies (particularly schlock horror), don’t waste time reading this review. If you do appreciate the genre – feel free to read on.

Drag Me to Hell” was wonderfully entertaining and I’m so pleased to see Sam Raimi return to his “The Evil Dead” and “Army of Darkness” days.

The movie begins with Christine (Alison Lohman), a generally unassuming young lady who is a loan officer at a bank. There isn’t much about her that would indicate that she has much ambition or gumption. However, she hears her boyfriend’s mother stating that her son should aim a bit higher.

That tidbit of info, combined with competing against a jerk in her office for an assistant manager position at the bank, fire her up – and when she returns to the office she takes immediate action – she denies an elderly woman an extension on her mortgage.

Big mistake.

This woman isn't just a feeble, elderly woman – but a gypsy that immediately puts a curse on Christine. And that seals her fate. Her boyfriend, Clay (Justin Long) can’t understand her paranoid delusions, but loves her enough to defy his parents AND loan her $10k to banish the demon from this dimension. By the way – the exorcism is one of the best scenes in the movie – definitely schlocky – love that talking goat!

Christine’s doomed fate makes for great, scary entertainment. I jumped out of my seat and screamed dozens of times and Lorna Raver’s, Mrs. Ganush (the gypsy) creeped me out to be sure.

And, just when you think you know the end – you don’t. That is what makes this movie well worth the time. My only regret - no Bruce Campbell.

Trailers for the movie can be viewed below.

End.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Star Trek (2009)

I’ll start by stating, that if you have not already gone to “Star Trek”, then stop what you are doing right now and GO!

I am not a “Trekker” by any means – I can’t rattle off trivia about the show in my sleep. But I have watched more than my fair share of the original series, “Next Generation”, “Deep Space Nine”, “Voyager” and (my favorite) “Enterprise”. And I am a fan of the overall series and what Gene Roddenberry created.

That being said, I’m a huge J.J. Abrams from back in the days of “Felicity”. And the man is a frakkin’ genius. He didn’t create a prequel to the Star Trek series – he rewrote science fiction history with his re-boot of this classic series.

The movie explains how the two lead characters (Kirk and Spock) developed into the men that they are “today”. And it brought a whole new level of appreciation to the characters that Shatner and Nimoy played in the original series.

J.J. Abrams honored all the franchises by sprinkling the film with in-the-know references. The great scene at the beginning with the canyon running through Iowa was a direct reference to an episode of “Enterprise” that rivals our 9/11. Abrams and his crew (many of the folks also work with him on “Lost”) wrote a great story that was also deeply entertaining.

And the support cast was superb. I loved the performances from Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (Bones), John Cho (Sulu) and Anton Yelchin (Checkov). I’m not going to give a more thorough review, because in this instance, seeing is really believing – and until you go you just won’t believe how great it really is.

However, I do have to end the review giving props to my brother who worked a camera crane on this pic and shot a number of scenes including the car chase scene, the winter planet scene and the entire parachute/fight scene on the drill (just see the movie and it will make more sense).

Below are trailers from the pic. Enjoy!

End.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Before I begin my review, I should preface that I do not read the X-Men series comic books and don’t know the mythology of the story.

With that being said, it is my second favorite movie time of the year (after the Academy Awards) – summer blockbuster season. As the first official movie of the season, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” kicks the season off to a decent start.

The opening credits were wonderfully shot, setting up the story of two brothers that don’t always see eye to eye, but have each others’ backs. This definitely is a key plot point to what happens throughout the rest of the film.

The first half of the movie was great. It moved along at a good clip and was full of action. I didn’t even mind the fact that some of the effects didn’t look great (Wolverine’s “claws” lacked something) and the pointless inclusion of the storyline regarding Chris Bradley/Bolt (Dominic Monaghan).

I loved the scene with Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and John Wraith (Will i Am) road into New Orleans to find Remy LeBeau/Gambit (Taylor Kitsch). And that is where my interest started to wane. Once Wolverine arrives on the island, I started to lose interest. The storyline of Weapon XI didn’t interest me (and he really creeped me out).

Overall, I was entertained for the first 80 minutes and slightly let down towards the end. It was definitely worth seeing however if you enjoy the summer blockbuster season as much as I do.

Next up – “Star Trek”. Can’t wait.

End.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Valkyrie (2008)

***Disclaimer: Before I begin this review, I should confess (if you don’t already know), that Tom Cruise is my favorite actor. He’s had a rough few years due to some very bad publicity. But – he is still laughing all the way to the bank. That being said – I do believe I can write a fair review. After all, I never was a big fan of Legend either.***

I will admit that I wasn’t too excited about Valkyrie. Mainly because it just didn’t feel like a movie one should watch during the holiday. Movies about war don’t usually inspire peace and love (in my mind).

However, this account of a true-to-life failed attempt to assassinate Hitler was fascinating. It made me want to know more about the real life account after viewing the film.

There was quite a bit of bad publicity surrounding this film (and Mr. Cruise) prior to its release from how ridiculous his eye patch was to how Germany wouldn’t let him film in the country because of his scientology beliefs (which actually was not the case). It is too bad that this publicity occurred, because I think it caused people to only focus on Mr. Cruise and not the actual story.

The film is full of great actors including Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp, Kenneth Branagh and Eddie Izzard. They all immerse themselves in their roles that for not even one minute do you think about the fact they are all speaking with their native accents (none of which is German).

The intricacies that these men went to to fabricate their plan was unbelievable. I can’t believe that so many individuals were able to execute this plan without word leaking out to the enemy. The plan had to be executed perfectly and while I knew the plan doesn’t end up succeeding, I actually thought it might – the suspense was that good!

While the movie won’t win any Academy Awards – it is well worth a look see.

End.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

No SAG Strike

Check out this spot created by a few SAG members and other film unions to protest the upcoming strike. Congrats to the crew that had the guts to make this clip and stand up for what they believe in!