The Movie Junkies

Ha… Oh right. I have this movie review website. Has it really been three months? Where has the time gone? Oh right. I got a “real job” and then we had that huge “brand launch” thing. Even Netflix thought I abandoned him. He cried and left little red envelope shaped drops all over my front porch. So, to make amends (and because I’ve been watching a lot of gangster movies and a lot of The Black Donnellys lately we’re using words like “amends”) let’s do some mini movie recaps of the movies I’ve seen recently. I know it’s the coward’s way out, but you’ve all waited this long for updates. I figure, you deserve something before we get into the meat and potatoes of real reviews.

And after I poke our Resident Film Student with a stick to get him to start posting his homework. Heh.

Here we go…


Marie Antoinette (2006)

Such a beautiful movie with exciting music that bordered on contemporary rock. Too bad the plot was very lacking. Too bad the character development was practically non-existent. But the costumes were exquisite and the sets…oh the sets. When you shoot on location at the exact palace that these very historic events took place at, it’s hard to screw that up. Of course, it is hard to make Versailles look trashy.

Now, it is no secret that I am not typically a Sofia Coppola fan. And no, I did not like Lost in Translation. I think I like movies with a good strong story. Marie Antoinette’s story is historic and that makes it difficult to divert from, but she could have built a stronger story around an isolated queen, her idiot husband and the revolt of an entire country. That’s a lot of material to work with and she seemed to overlook it in favor of dresses with strawberries on it.

Kirsten Dunst plays our heroine quite well. But with very little dialog in the film, we are left to infer that because she’s ignored and patronized, she’s isolated. I think in many situations this would have been ok; however, she (much like those of the Royal family) shows very little emotion throughout the movie. It is hard to fully grasp exactly how isolated she feels in this foreign land even though everyone speaks fantastic British English.

It's a pretty decent movie, but it felt (at least from a script point of view) a little unfinished.

Rating: ***


Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Alright, I'll admit that I just finished the book for the first time yesterday. This is one of those elementary school books that I totally missed when I was a kid. I think I was scared to read it because of the picture on the cover which was always of a scary wood with creepy eyes and critters hanging out in it. I don't do "scary" when it comes to books - mostly because my imagination is better than anything Hollywood can put together.

With that said, I thought the movie was better. (And so begins the comparison portion of our Movie Review.) The book felt choppy and rushed. The movie flowed better. It also depicted the world of Terabithia with greater clarity than the book did. In the book, the land of Terabithia was seemingly overlooked. In the movie, the production company (Weta Digital: who did the Lord of the Rings Trilogy) did a great job. The kid's "kingdom" was spectacular and the transformation of the "kingdom" from a wooded area (that was totally not scary) to an enchanted kingdom was fantastic.

It was a kid's movie and as such there were mini story lines about bullies, growing up, making friends, not being afraid, your parents aren't horrible and above all else be yourself. Check. The kids who played the main characters were very good. Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson from Zathura and RV) was less of a wimp in the movie and Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Because of Winn-Dixie) was less of a tomboy in the movie.

It was a cute movie. I liked it better than the book. Kids of all ages will appreciate it. Oh and it's not nearly as scary as the cover of the book would imply.

Rating: ***


F**k (2005)

This is a fantastic documentary about the history, use and ultimate censorship of the F-word. The film challenges you to see that F**k as just a word in additional to a taboo expletive. It illustrates in a quite humorous way how the word permeates all facets of life from individuality to extreme pop culture - from in your bedroom to In the Bedroom.

The documentary also dives into the great debate on Free Speech. Since everyone wants to have an opinion on it (on both sides of the argument), there was much analysis on the FCC. Did you know that they now want to start policing satellite radio and the Internet? They haven't be able to do so before now because they have no jurisdiction in space. Ha!

By the end of the film, you too will be desensitized to the F-word. You will also believe that the watch dog activist groups that freak out when there is even a smidgen of indecency on television and the radio, are indeed batshit crazy. You will also probably want to poke their spokespeople in the eyeballs.

Of course, they also showcase some of the most well-loved scenes from the movies that feature the word that will keep you laughing and thinking.

Rating: ***

The Departed (2006) (She Said edition. See the He Said edition here.)

Josh did such a good job recapping it and elaborating on it, that nothing I would say would do it justice. I will give my review; however, this is a movie we totally agree on.

I love big crime dramas with complicated and twisted storylines that tie up all nicely at the end. I didn't have high hopes for this movie because I was still bitter that I will never get back the three hours of my life that Gangs of New York cost me. (Thanks for that Marty.) But The Departed didn't disappoint. It was poignet and dark. It made you think and made you wonder. It made you question people's character both their public and private personas. It was really good.

The best part was when my dad asked me why the good cop and the bad cop were playing both sides against each other - like they were the same guy. I asked him what he was talking about because clearly they are two different people. Turns out my dad, thinking that both cops looked about 18 years old, couldn't tell Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio apart. That alone made the entire movie experience totally worth it.

Rating: ****

Posted by Karen at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Premise: This intriguing crime drama, lands our (un)lucky hero, Slevin (Josh Hartnett), in the middle of a fiasco because of a case of mistaken identity. The Boss (Morgan Freeman) is angry that his son is killed and assumes that The Rabbi (Ben Kingsley) is behind it. Slevin, under constant surveillance by both crime bosses, a relentless detective (Stanley Tucci), and the hired assassin Goodkat (Bruce Willis), finds himself having to find a way to outsmart his adversaries before he gets whacked.

Review: What beats 20 minutes of watching Josh Hartnett in nothing but a towel? Well, a lot of things, but in Lucky Number Slevin, you get at least 20 good minutes of a half naked Hartnett.

Truth be told, I did not have high hopes for this film. The way it was marketed made it seem like a really bad crime movie. And since Josh Hartnett is hit or miss on his movie roll choices (Because seriously…Hollywood Homicide, Pearl Harbor, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later? Poor kid too – good looking, flat actor and poor movie choices. I just don’t see Oscar in his future.) I didn’t think that Slevin had all that much potential.

However, I kind of liked this movie. It was interesting and entertaining. It is one of those movies where there are four or five story lines that go along and get tied up all nice and neat at the end. It was well written and had a thin ribbon of sarcastic humor woven through it. Hartnett delivers this witty dialogue well and maintains the dry humor that brings an element of comic relief to the film.

The bad guys are…well…bad guys. The crime bosses evoke the stereotyped badass persona while the cops obviously ooze with slime. The storyline is loosely tied to horseracing where even the bookies live up to their occupation. The film’s only woman (Lucy Liu) brings the tiniest bit heart and sex appeal to this male dominated cast. She too delivers the dialog at a fast pace that is filled with both humor and common sense.

It’s an odd movie and probably only half of you would enjoy it. I don’t think it knows if it wants to be a mainstream drama type movie or a quirky, off beat Quentin Tarantino type film. It is there where I feel that Lucky Number Slevin suffers. It could easily be construed as a caricature of old crime films because every character, even Slevin, is over the top. The special effects are minor if non-existent, but the story is what really drives the movie.

It is a captivating film despite its shortcomings. I don’t think the trailer (or its title) did it justice. It is better than I originally thought it would be. It is definitely a decent enough movie to rent and watch on a Saturday night.

Rating: ***

Posted by Karen at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

How sad is it that a hopeless film junkie hasn't managed to catch a flick at theater since The Departed? (You can blame my addiction to tequila shots for missing out on a screening of The Prestige about a month ago.) Hell, I've barely taken the time to watch DVD's as of late. Unless you really want a review of Friday the 13th Part IV and V.

However, I took some time out to watch one of my favorites of the year earlier this week. Brick - winner of some prestigious award at Sundance for visuals. So I flipped for it back in July. The question is - would my love for it hold up once I was exposed to the cinematic blessing that was The Departed?

Movie: Brick (2006)
Genre: Drama, Mystery

Premise: Director Rian Johnson's debut film could be categorized as a teen flick or a noir detective flick - either way you'd be half right. You'd also be missing out on what makes the whole thing so special. Brick uses a murder mystery in a high school to tell a story that lends more credibility to its teenage characters than most any other film you'll see this year, while creating one of the coolest, most classical mysteries that's been written since Chinatown.

Review: Trying to even figure out a way to evaluate Brick is kind of a headache. Do you look at it as a classic detective flick? As a teenage caper? As some kind of indie art flick that does its own thing?

Go with option 1 or 3 and you've probably got the best idea.

The flick tells the story of Brendan, a high school loner who looks like every guy you knew who ate lunch alone but talks like Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon. He gets an incoherent call from his ex-girlfriend and two days later, he finds her dead.

Fortunately, Brendan's life of observing people in wallflower mode has given him a keen understanding of the angles of the social scene. He starts asking around, stirring up the few connections he has, and next thing he knows, he's crashing exclusive parties and exploring the local underground.

The trick is how well Johnson matches all these elements up to your typical high school scene. In most cases, it would all play like a lame gimmick: high schoolers + film noir = original idea! But every event, every place, and every character matches perfectly. Each high school archetype gels with the noir characterization it's matched up with. It saves the film: the whole idea never plays like a joke except in the rare moment when Johnson wants it to. And then it kills.

Chalk a lot of this up to the cast. They each manage to walk a tedious line between their roles as students and their roles as detectives, informers, criminals, and femme fatales. Emelie de Ravin (of Lost fame) gets precious few moments as Brendan's ex, but she manages to create a powerful, tragic victim that gives you the only real insight you'll get into Brendan's world. It says something that her screen time leaves you wanting more of her and realizing that Brendan's eyes may not be the best for tellinge her side of the story. Meagan Good is the devil dressed up as a drama vamp and revels in the slimy role. Nora Zehetner plays the socialite Laura with such a sly wit that you spend a good deal of the time just waiting to see what side she lands on. And who the hell expected Lukas Haas (Mars Attacks!, Boys, Lady in White) to re-emerge as the crippled, but disturbingly effective Kingpin?

And seriously, props to Richard Roundtree (Shaft) for popping up as the hardass VP... vice principal.

The real kudos get saved for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Yeah, Tommy from 3rd Rock from the Sun. I hated him, too. But between this, Mysterious Skin, and what I've seen of Manic, it turns out that kid is one ferocious actor. He goes deep and subtle but still manages to flesh out authentic, agonized characters each time around. After seeing the anti-social but unknowingly-passionate mess he creates with Brendan, as well as nailing the hardboiled detective-speak, he looks like one of the front-runners for upcoming actors in a young generation.

That's the story. A dark, twisty, but never-less-than-entertaining trip unfolds. And while it would be a sin against sins to reveal the ending of a mystery flick, it's hard not let you know that Brick continues in the great tradition of tough, bittersweet stories that don't cave in to sap. Levitt's final words in the flick aren't exactly, "Forget it, Jack. It's Chinatown," but they've got the same haunting allure.

So give Brick a spin. It's not for everyone. But for people looking for something cool, something different, and something with some visual flair, it's a kick. After another time through it, I wouldn't say it's the best film of the year, but it's definitely my favorite.

Rating: ****

Posted by Coonrod at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

This is just proof to say that actually see Josh every now and then.



And a special shout out to Hoyt who I hear is a big fan. I'm sorry to both him and our regular readers for our infrequency with the writing. Josh started grad school and is TA-ing (because he's crazy) and I just started a new job (because I am too). However, the holidays are coming and so are the Holiday Blockbusters! I know! Can you believe it?

Hold your breath kids. Here we go!

Posted by Karen at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

The Marine (2006)
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller

I may not be as high brow in my movie choices as my esteemed colleague, Josh the Film Student…although he saw Jackass Number Two. But I went and saw The Marine opening weekend for the simple reason that I have a huge crush on John Cena. Come on! He’s cute, he’s buff, and he’s funny. Well, he’s funny on WWE, but so are most wrestlers. (Yes, I watch wrestling. No, that’s not weird. Yes, you are lame for not watching too.)

Premise:
The movie opens with this bad ass Marine in Iraq going against orders to save several captured Marines from execution. Heroic isn’t it? Well, apparently that didn’t sit well with commanding officers and he is discharged. John Triton now has to face life with out the Corps. His wife (played by Kelly Carlson) suggests they take a road trip to the mountains. On the way, a gang of diamond thieves steals his car with his wife still inside. John, being highly skilled in tracking, hand to hand combat and being an all around bad ass, goes after the diamond thieves. Mostly, he just wants his wife back, and he will do just about anything to get to her.

Review:
This is a movie starring a wrestler. It’s a good movie starring a wrestler, but it’s a wrestler nonetheless. Do you remember the Rock’s first movie? Yeah, it’s just a little better than that.

It’s a predictable movie. After his wife gets kidnapped, the movie is pretty formulaic. John chases bad guys. Stuff blows up. There’s an exciting car chase. We all live happily ever after. The ending is a little thin and they don’t tie many loose ends together, but it ends just like you expect it to.

The exciting part and the part that totally got me all interested and excited was the fact that Cena did all his own stunts. He also threw in some of the more subtle yet classic wrestling movie. He did a great choke hold on one of the henchmen and an FU (one of his signature moves) on the mouthy henchman. It was fantastic.

The stunts were spectacular. The explosions were exciting. The special effects were amazing. The plot was a little thin. I would have liked to know more about the bad guys lead by Rome, (played by Robert Patrick star of Terminator 2: Judgment Day). Rome plays a fantastic villain with a nice balance of no nonsense leadership and humor laced with madness. They even drop a very good line of dialog in reference to this. A henchman named Morgan says, “Man, this guy won’t die. It’s like he’s the Terminator.” They then cut to a shot of the review mirror where Rome looks up and raises and eyebrow. Priceless.

Overall, it’s an adrenaline junkie type of movie. The plot is a little thin, but the fights, explosions and special effects make up the difference. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was definitely a guilty pleasure made that much better because John Cena is hot. Cena’s not bad as an actor. He did dial it down some from the over the top persona he is on Monday Night Raw. Yes, I was drawn to this movie in the first place because of Cena, but I think the pay off was worth it. The movie was definitely a lot of fun.

Rating: ***

Posted by Karen at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Some of you have jobs you take pride in. Some of you have families you love. Some of you have spiritualities that you believe in.

Me, I've been waiting for The Departed.

The Departed (2006)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Premise: A remake of the 2002 Japanese film Infernal Affairs, Martin Scorsese's The Departed tells the story of Colin Sullivan, a young boy that falls into the "good graces" of Irish mobster Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). When Colin (Matt Damon) grows up, he's a star in the Boston State Police, feeding bits of info back to Uncle Frank to keep him one step ahead of the law.

On the flipside is Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), a kid who grew up on the shady side of Irish Boston and tries to become a state trooper. He's hauled into the big office by Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Dignam (Mark Wahlberg) and told his background doesn't fit the mold. But because his past gives him cred in the Irish scene, they offer him an alternative. Go undercover to help them nail Costello. Billy agrees.

Let a bloody, profanity-powered game of Cat-and-Mouse ensue.

Review: Wrapping up The Departed in a neat little package review isn't easy. It's a big movie - over 2 hours and 30 minutes - exploding with twisty plot lines, complex characters, grim aesthetics, and bigger themes.

And when I say bigger themes, I don't say it with hesitation. Hinting at larger ideals involving honesty, social classes, fatherhood, and romantic relationships - just to name a few - Scorsese is a master of making sure no scene exists just to entertain. It exists to say a 1,000 more important things at once.

Don't let that make you think you'll get bogged down in sappy soul-searching, though. As always, Scorsese finds most of his pathos when lives are threatened and bodies are crippled. Violence is in no short supply. You'll be disappointed if you go in looking for a standard cops-and-criminals shoot-em-up; you'll be exhilarated if you go in wanting classic Scorsese.

The plot line may sound generic, but Scorsese stretches and bends it into shapes you haven't seen before. As DiCaprio sinks down into the depths of the mafia and Damon raises to the heights of the State Police, they avoid the cliched roads to their destinations; Damon makes a bid for status by approaching the stunning department psychiatrist with his suave, flawless demeanor. DiCaprio earns his cred by getting his hands bloody however he can. Even the routine scenes (potential new thug is introduced to the head gangster and has to prove himself) are kinetic, shocking jolts of filmmaking. Scorsese is on a war path to make sure you're gripped by every fascinating, disturbing moment.

And God knows he's got the actors to pull it off. There was no second-guessing this cast from the get-go. The only question was, "Who will get buried under the acting chops that the others pulled out." Unfortunately, the only one is Vera Farmiga, the film's sole big female role. Don't blame Farmiga; she does everything she can with what she's given, and she gives the character a vulnerable quality that makes the audience protective of her. But the film often uses her as merely a turning point for some major events, allowing her little room to spread her wings.

The guys get the good stuff. Starting with the smaller main roles, Alec Baldwin brings his huffy, big-s**t head of the FBI into gruff, obnoxious life. Funny how he found some of his greatest work when he started stepping down from lead roles. Martin Sheen creates such an honest, heartfelt mentor out of Queenan - head of the undercover department - that you put your faith in him wholly after just a few minutes of his screen time. Wahlberg works wonders as his opposite - Queenan's hardass partner who'd rather choke on his own vomit than hold back his malicious, skull-cracking version of the truth. Wahlberg had already proved he could act; here, he proves he can act in much, much better stuff than he usually does. (But hey, I still love Four Brothers.)

Now for the trifecta.

An all-out controvesy seems to have broken out over Nicholson's contribution to the film. Most agree it's just the kind of loose, sick, insane performance that was needed to make Frank Costello one of the most memorable screen villains of all-time. Other claim it's Jack on acid, an overblown parody of himself that just falsifies the film's authentic tone. Mark me up in the former category. Nicholson makes this film. (Or half of it.) As far as Boston goes, he's the godd**m Emperor, an unstoppable misogynist that the audience themselves are scared not to like. Anyone who calls him a cartoon character isn't picking up on the same tension that seizes the screen every time he speaks a word to Damon's character.

At first, it seems like Damon got the short of the end of the stick. Playing the facade of "good kid" for Costello, it seems like he won't get much chance to do anything but play it straight. And he does. But it's amazing to see what a complete scumbag Damon can squeeze out of what originally seems like a character just using his everyday charms to make his way. The more work he does on Costello's case and the closer he gets to Farmiga's character, the more you want to throttle him. Despite the fact that his actual actions barely register out of the ordinary. He doesn't overplay the roll: he lives in it, finding the smallest ways to display Sullivan's callousness and still make him human.

The star of the show goes to DiCaprio, though, despite the fact that Damon may well get more screen time. Sinking into the role in a way he hasn't seemed to since What's Eating Gilbert Grape or The Basketball Diaries, he loses all star pretensions that have haunted his career so far. Playing the grittiest role, he nails the internal suffering of someone caught between who they are and who they act like. The joke's on the audience when they realize that - thanks to DiCaprio's lack of any close relationships outside of Queenan or Costello - neither they, nor Billy himself, seem to know who he is. DiCaprio walks the line like few others could. The physical elements - his darker look, angry demeanor, improved Irish accent - just serve to add to what you see simmering on the inside. And if you get the joy of seeing the God-awful British accent DiCaprio busts out in the preview for Blood Diamond, you'll just be all the more impressed. It's the role that earns him the stripes he's been fighting for since Titanic.

As has been said a million times, though, the star of the show is Scorsese. The filmmaking in The Departed calls attention to itself numerous times, and it's definitely in a good way. Whether Scorsese uses a rock song to jack up the drama in certain scenes (the ominous beginning to Stones' "Gimme Shelter", the epic heart of Floyd's "Comfortably Numb", the get-your-ass-ready-to-rock thrust of the Dropkick Murphy's "Shipping Off to Boston"), makes sure to highlight a vicious spray of blood from a bullet hole, or gets close up to one of the beautiful bodies on screen to depict its perfection, the camera lets you know its doing something special. It's a fairly shocking approach to filmmaking, and helps the film to steer clear of falling into a glossy rut. Scorsese wants you too shaken up to do that.

Of course, in the end, it can be said The Departed is almost too perfect. It's a movie made for audiences to love. Not on the usual level, where big blockbusters operate. But on the level where people look at the film and go, "Look at the talent, look at the action, look at the drama... how the hell can I not like it and look at myself in a mirror?" And if that had been the case, God knows I would have loved to tear it apart.

But The Departed never rests on its laurels. There's never a moment when the cast takes over for a weak script, when the action is ratcheted up to coast through a slow period, or a character is allowed a bombastic speech to keep the audience entertained. Indeed, it does result in the film occasionally feeling a tad slow in it's 2:30 running time. But it never feels less than an honest epic. Especially as the clock ticks out and audiences ponder how it could wrap up (and the film proves them wrong... numerous times actually.)

So plainly stated, is it perfect? No. But are the myriads of great reviews and audience response overblown? No a bit. The film is both what people expect - a violent crime thriller - and a hundred things more at the same time. It proves Scorsese can be riveting without losing a step of his artistic credibility. It may be the best synergy of a pure audience-driven spectacle and a dark, artistic nod to all things deeper that you see in years.

The Departed - it's violent, it's beautiful, it's fun, it's cool, it's shocking, it's heartbreaking. I can't say everyone will enjoy it, but I can say it's among the best films I've ever seen that was made for everyone to enjoy.

Rating: ****

Posted by Coonrod at 8:51 PM | Permalink | links to this post

Since moving to Gainesville, I've seen a lot of movies. Which tends to happen when you, you know, study movies. And I'd been meaning to write reviews of them all. A some point, it dawned on me that it wasn't going to happen. Too far behind, too much to write, too many movies coming up (I've got United 93 and Lucky Number Slevin from Netflix, and you can be damn sure I'll be at The Departed on opening weekend.)

So let's do a quick clean-up round. One - two paragraph reviews, with a nice little star rating. Hang on, this could get messy.

The Descent (2005)
Genre: Action, Horror, Thriller

With Dog Soldiers, Neil Marshall proved to be the go-to director for excellent B-grade horror flicks. His follow-up film is more mass audience-ready, sporting a slightly more 'normal' plot. (Though why mainstream audiences didn't jump at the idea of "soldiers vs. werewolves", I'll never know.)

The Descent starts off great. Focusing on a group of women that live for extreme sports, the movie builds complex, intricate personalities for each of the characters. The first half of the film is tight, tense, and really scary. The comparisons that were made to Alien are actually pretty apt. In the second half, when the monsters come into play, the flick swithces into gore overdrive. Sure, it's fun to watch the spelunkers get chased around, attacked, and devoured by sub-human cavemen. But the most potent scenes in the film are actually built out of the everday caving fears such as just getting stuck or a full-force cave-in. Both halves of the film are a good time, Natalie Jackson Mendoza proves to be one of the hottest women on earth, and the flick stands head and shoulders above most recent horror films. But don't be surprised when the whole thing goes bats**t at the end.

Rating: ***

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Genre: Comedy, Drama

Is there anything more I can say about this movie you haven't already heard? Yes, it's funny. Yes, Steve Carell is great in it. And yes, it's making lots of money. What else do you want?

Actually, the good thing about the movie is it earns some big laughs while still coming off like a semi-credible film about a screwed up family. Be prepared for the first 20 minutes to play like a dry indie comedy. But when they take to the road, you'll get some great laughs. Some of the biggest laughs will rub a few people the wrong way, as the movie occasionally goes from intriguing and cutting edge to completley routine for a single chuckle. But overall, it's a sweet story where you wpn't choke on the sappiness. And really, Carell is a damn funny guy.

Rating: ***

A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Genre: Animation, Mystery, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Yeah, if Josh Goodridge sees the low score here, I might be in trouble. But this is one of those films - the more I thought about it, the worse it seemed. If you didn't hear about it, it's an adaptation of a Philip K. Dick novel by director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Waking Life.) It takes place in the near future, with L.A. under the grip of a widespread drug addiction and everyone's moves being constantly monitored. Keanu Reeves plays a cop who is working on the problem and hooked at the same time.

The film is done with rotoscoping (a technique where you film a scene and have someone draw over it so it looks an animated film that comes very close to approximating real life.) It helps the movie's surreal tone. The problem is, they don't stick with said tone. Sometimes it's a heavy political flick about governement oppression. Sometimes it's a stoner comedy about a bunch of addicts living together. Sometimes it's a creepy sci-fi flick with cool effects. Sure, these could blend. But a lot of times they don't, and you're left with some cool-looking scenes that don't add up to a great film. On the flip side, Robert Downey Jr. = pure awesomeness,

Rating: **1/2

Final Destination 3 (2006)
Genre: Horror

I have very strong feelings on B-horror films. And those feeling say, Final Destination 1 was a bad flick, too campy and dumb to really be enjoyable. Number 2 mastered the art of being serious and disturbing when the time called for it, but never taking itself too seriously. And it's an excellent movie. For number 3, they bring back the director of number 1, and the same problems ensue. Fortunately, it seems the dude learned the film needed to be kept at least a little darker to be enjoyable, and there are a few gripping scenes. But again, the movie takes itself as so much of a joke that it's hard to even be entertained by the carnage.

Rating: **

M (1931)
Genre: Crime, Film noir, thriller

A one paragraph review of the German serial killer flick from the 30's. That's difficult. I'll say this: Fritz Lang is one creepy bastard who can stage a dark, disturbing scene. His uses of mis-en-scene, whether to show the rolling ball of an abducted girl or to emphasize the horrible housing in city slums, are breathtaking, even by today's standards. The plot (crooks team up to catch a serial killer so the cops will stop hassling them) may seem novel by today's terms, but was cutting edge at the time. Overall, though, the film manages to mush together political questions, suspense sequences, and notions of horror into an astoundingly filmed package.

Rating: ***1/2

Hustle & Flow (2005)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Musical

So, there's this review that says, "If 8 Mile is Rocky, then Hustle & Flow is Raging Bull." Um... not quite. H&F doesn't have quote that level of disturbing pscyholigical insight. But it is a trip to watch Terrence Howard as a smooth-talking pimp with a dream of being a rap star. The movie is a little grittier than 8 Mile, and Howard's character isn't made to look like a saintly does-no-wrong pimp. It's the moments where he burns up and has to keep his cool (or lash out at one of his girls) that creates such strong tension. And yeah, it turns out Ludacris can really act. Well, for the ten - fifteen minutes he's in the movie. But, yeah, a really strong film.

Rating: ***1/2

Silent Hill (2006)
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Wow. How can a movie look so good, and be this bad? It's almost like they stopped and told Radha Mitchell, "hey, stop emoting when you speak. It's distracting from all this crazy, creepy looking stuff aorund us." Silent Hill is based off a video game, but was done by a reputable director. He managed to outfit the film with very dark, disturbing visuals (the torturer figure with the giant sword stands out as one of the creepiest things on screen in awhile.) But the story line advances so randomnly, it feels so generic, and the acting is so damn horrible that it's hard care just how pretty everything looks.

Rating: **

Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919)
Genre: Horror, Thriller

You've probably seen Cabinet referenced in some way. It's undersood to bee the first ever horror film. And it's a hell of a start. The story has its moments (a carnival comes to town, Dr. Caligari brings his constantly-sleeping somnambulist, people start dying.) If this sounds generic, keep in mind this is 1919 and gave birth to most of these cliches. But the movie works because of thee visuals, which it's best known. Expressionist cinema with odd, out-of-sync sets, masses of shadows, and grotesque characters. You've seen it used 100 times before. But this is where it started. The most engrossing silent film I've ever seen.

Rating: ****

Glen or Glenda (1953)
Genre: Drama

We're not getting into this one. It was for class. But yeah, Ed Wood really was a horrible diector. But it really did make things interesting. This may be a mess and a bad movie, but it's interesting enough to sit through and figure out just why it's bad.

Rating: **

You Can Count on Me (2000)
Genre: Drama

So I've been in love with Laura Linney since I first saw Primal Fear in 1996. Of course I've been stoked about seeing this quiet little drama forever. Though I can't say why it took so long to get around to. It's excellent; small town life rings true, and the movie avoids campy sentimentality to work with deeper, more honest moments. At the same time, it works with stories that can feel a little slow and irrelevant. But the acting is so excellent (esp. on Mark Ruffalo's part), the subtleties so heartbreaking, and the project so heartfelt that ends up a real winner. Just don't watch it when you're tired.

Rating: ***1/2

Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Bad movie

Wow. This movie... it's just fasinating. Yeah, it's Russ Meyer (the director they reference on Seinfeld as having an obsession with large breasts.) The acting is atrociously over the top. And the fights couldn't have looked more fake if they were staged by a blind dude.

But just what happens, the actual events... what leads three random go-go dancers to the ranch home of a pedopihilic old man and his two screwed-up sons... it's a gas.It gets so many points for origniality that you just start to lose track of how awful the whole thing really is.

Rating: ***

Posted by Coonrod at 4:13 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post