After Hours

AFTER HOURS (1985) - July 31, 2005
An entertaining and really well directed film about a guy who goes out one night and finds himself stuck in one misadventure after another, all while trying to get back home. Another winner in the "lots of stuff happening in a short amount of time" genre. The stuff that happens to the main character gets increasingly bizarre as the film progresses, but it works as the whole film has a sort of stylized, off-kilter vibe to it. Griffin Dunne is good in the main role, and Martin Scorsese's direction ensures that the film is always interesting to look at. ***

Sky High

SKY HIGH (2005) - July 27, 2005
An enjoyable film about the son of the two greatest superheroes in the world, who begins attending a high school for heroes called "Sky High." Suffers from a weak second half in which the main character learns that hanging out with the "cool" kids is not all it's cracked up to be (which happens in the most played-out, predictable way possible. As well, the identity of the super villain should come as a surprise only to the most slow-witted children in the audience). Aside from that, the film is entertaining throughout (though it does begin to wear out its welcome a bit in the latter half) and features good performances by all the leads, and some really enjoyable performances from people like Kurt Russell, Bruce Campbell and Dave Foley. Though it can't really compare to something like Spider-Man or the Incredibles, it is for the most part a fun way to spend an hour and a half. ***

The Devil's Rejects

THE DEVIL'S REJECTS (2005) - July 23, 2005
A flawed but effective horror film. About a family of psychopaths who go on the run when their house is raided by the cops. Rob Zombie's directing style, which consisted almost entirely of close-ups, took a while to get used to (but I did eventually get used to it). There were some sequences in the film which were really well done, and quite gripping. But the film also felt a bit long at times, and some scenes seemed a bit superfluous (the scene where the cops bring in the over-the-top film critic stood out as being especially unnecessary; the whole Marx brothers connection went nowhere and seemed to be there solely so Zombie could prove that he's seen stuff other than '70s horror films). But the movie was pretty much entertaining all the way through, and the good moments definitely outweighed the bad. ***

Crash

CRASH (2004) - July 16, 2005
A well made movie about a bunch of people in LA dealing with racism. It tended to be a little heavy handed at times, but that's a pretty minor complaint as the movie was really well acted and directed. At under two hours it was surprisingly short for a movie of its type, and was quite entertaining throughout. It was maybe even a bit too short, as there were so many characters the movie didn't really have time to develop all of them properly. But that's another minor complaint. ***1/2

Time after Time

TIME AFTER TIME (1979) - July 15, 2005
You just can't go wrong with a movie about time travel, and this is certainly no exception. About H.G. Wells, who actually manages to invent a time machine, only to have it stolen by Jack the Ripper. Wells then follows him into the future to attempt to catch him. The inevitable fish-out-of-water jokes ensue; Wells also meets a bank clerk played by Mary Steenburgen and falls in love. The film was well directed and entertaining throughout. My only real complaint is that it lags slightly in the middle, but aside from that this was a really good movie. ***1/2

The Island

THE ISLAND (2005) - July 13, 2005
Hmmm... This actually started out fairly well. The first forty-five minutes or so, with the clones living out their day-to-day lives inside the artificial community, and Ewan McGregor's character slowly realizing something is wrong, was entertaining and reasonably interesting. And even for a while after that it remained entertaining. But then, as if to make up for the relative lack of action in the first hour, Michael Bay cranks the action into super-mega-overdrive, thrusting the audience into one boring and incredibly long action sequence after another. The movie, at almost two and a half hours, was oppressively overlong. The problem essentially being that none of the action was particularly interesting or exciting. The worst offender was an insanely long car chase that seemed to be going for the record for most cars flipped over on the highway. It was pretty much the exact same car chase from Bad Boys 2, and just as bad. It was just so incredibly over-the-top, it was mind-numbing. Michael Bay seems to be operating under the assumption that seeing cars get destroyed is inherently exciting. It isn't; there needs to be something more, something other than an endless parade of chaos and explosions. This movie should have been around 90 minutes; everything from the last hour and a half could have easily been edited into half an hour (most of the action could be cut down quite a bit, and the car chase could be excised altogether, as it did nothing to move the plot forward and was only there so Bay could blow stuff up real good). It's too bad because the idea for the film is pretty good and I did enjoy the first hour or so. *1/2

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (2005) - July 11, 2005
I have to admit, my opinion on this movie is not without bias; I'm not sure what I'd think of it if it weren't for the classic 1971 film. But that film exists, and this one just cements my opinion that remakes are a waste of talent and time (yes, I know, this supposedly isn't a remake, it's an adaptation of the book -- but certain things look so similar to the original film, particularly the chocolate field and river, that it's impossible to deny that the original film has influenced this one). My main problem with this film is the character of Willy Wonka, as portrayed by Johnny Depp. He's unpleasant. He isn't likeable. And this is where my bias comes in, but he just can't compare to Gene Wilder's Wonka. There is a sense of wonder and awe that Wilder had that is particularly lacking in Depp's Wonka, and in the whole film in general. The problem there being that the whole movie is so stylized, and funky looking, by the time we get to Wonka's chocolate factory there is a certain ho-humness about it. It looks basically like a slightly sleeker version of the 1971 factory, and I guess I was expecting something slightly more fantastic given the overall visual sensibility of the film. But going back to the character of Wonka, with Gene Wilder there was still that mean streak, that feeling of spoiled kids getting their due, but there was also a sense of humanity in his character. You get the sense that he is still like a kid in a candy store; he has a certain awe and reverence for his own creation. Depp, on the other hand, seems to be disgusted by everything and everyone around him, and has a blasé attitude towards the whole factory. BUT despite all that (and that sure is a lot of criticism) I didn't hate this film. Being a Tim Burton film it was expectedly well directed, and entertaining on a purely visual level. And it was basically entertaining, if a little long. Plus the kid playing Charlie was good, as was his whole family. First Planet of the Apes and now this. Tim Burton should stick to his own material. **1/2

Fantastic Four

FANTASTIC FOUR (2005) - July 9, 2005
This movie wasn't really bad per se, it was just extremely mediocre. It was sort of entertaining (though too long), but the underdeveloped characters and juvenile humour ensure it'll never hold much appeal to anyone other than eight-year-olds. As for the performances, Chris Evans and Michael Chicklis were the only two who really did a good job. Jessica Alba was wooden and unconvincing as Susan Storm, and Ioan Gruffudd, while basically fine, didn't really have the necessary charisma to be a good Reed Richards. And Julian McMahon wasn't nearly sinister enough as Doctor Doom. He was pretty evil, I guess, but not really in a cool super villain kind of way, more in a crazy weirdo kind of way. I mean, here's a movie where it would be okay for the villain to give the requisite "here's why I want to take over the world" speech, and he doesn't even do it. And why couldn't they give the Thing his brow?? How hard would that have been? I don't get it. As far as recent superhero movies go, this isn't nearly as terrible as Catwoman, but it isn't even in the same league as stuff like Spider-Man, Batman and the Incredibles. **

Dangerous Crossing

DANGEROUS CROSSING (1953) - July 8, 2005
About a woman who goes on a cruise with her husband, who promptly goes missing. She soon finds that there is no trace of him, and that nobody even remembers seeing him. The film was well directed, and essentially entertaining. The main problem was that the main character wasn't all that likeable; she spends the bulk of the film in a panicked frenzy ("oh you must believe me! You must!"). It probably doesn't help that the actress playing her wasn't all that great. Still, the mystery of the missing husband was reasonably compelling, and at a short 75 minutes the film never really overstays its welcome (though it was on the verge of doing so a few times). **1/2

Spartan

SPARTAN (2004) - July 7, 2005
A well made thriller about a Marine who tries to rescue the president's daughter. Features a lot of twists, and a lot of the sort of strange dialogue Mamet is known for. It's also interesting in that there is almost no exposition; Mamet never really explains anything to the audience, it all just basically unfolds. That could have been bad, but it worked. Val Kilmer was really good in the main role, as was pretty much everyone else in the movie. ***

Dark Water

DARK WATER (2005) - July 6, 2005
Another mediocre movie. The problem with this movie was that it just wasn't interesting. It was plotless, and was essentially all about Jennifer Connelly and her struggles as a newly single mother. The problem there being that she isn't all that interesting of a character. She was essentially a crazier version of the struggling single mother from the Ring. But at least in the Ring there was the whole mystery of the tape to keep us occupied; here we have nothing but the mother's plight. And yet at the same time the movie did seem to be going for a tense, Ring-like atmosphere (the film, with its stark, gray shots of the city, seemed to be inspired in more ways than one by the Ring). Long sequences which are supposed to be scary such as one set in the basement of the building, and several in which the mysterious upstairs apartment is investigated, attempt (and fail) to create a creepy vibe. In the end, this movie fails as a character study, and fails as a horror movie, essentially rendering it pointless. There were, however, some good supporting performances by John C. Reilly, Tim Roth and Pete Postlethwaite. I just wish one of them had been the focus of the movie. *1/2

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

MR. & MRS. SMITH (2005) - July 6, 2005
What happened to you, Doug Liman? This was a mediocre action movie. For the first hour or so, there wasn't too much action. This would have been good, except for the fact that the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie characters aren't really developed at all; the movie hammers home the fact that they no longer connect with each other by having them spend the entire first hour or so making pointless small talk. They start to become a little more interesting in the second half, but there really isn't much time for anything but action at that point. Which was essentially the biggest problem with the movie -- as soon as the Smiths discovered each other's true identities, the action began and pretty much didn't end until the credits rolled. And that's fine I guess, but it got to be a bit much after a while. I mean, the action was generally well done (no shaky-cam/quick-cuts, which I liked) but it was overwhelming. It's like going to a buffet and being forced to continue eating long after you're full. Some of the action scenes were actually pretty good, as was some of the stuff with the Smiths discovering just how much they've lied to each other, but at that point I was well past the point of caring. **

Street Smart

STREET SMART (1987) - July 4, 2005
Christopher Reeve stars in this film about a reporter who gets mixed up with a pimp when he fakes a story. Even though he has less screentime, the real star of the film is Morgan Freeman as a sinister pimp who is likable one moment, and vicious the next. His performance is electrifying and magnetic, and every time he's not on screen I was basically just waiting for him to return. It's certainly no surprise he was nominated for an Oscar. It's too bad he seems to only play nice guys these days, because he was really good here (not that he isn't always good, but this was certainly one of his better performances). ***

Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON (2004) - July 3, 2005
An entertaining romantic comedy about a washed-out tennis player who begins to regain his stride after he falls in love. The movie offers little by way of surprises (it features the requisite fake breakup, and triumphant victory for the protagonist) but it still remains quite enjoyable throughout, thanks mainly to charismatic performances from both of the leads. Paul Bettany in particular was quite good, and Jon Favreau and Sam Neill were both good in smaller parts. ***

War of the Worlds

WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005) - July 1, 2005
I didn't realize Steven Spielberg was even capable of making a movie this good anymore. This is easily his best film since Jurassic Park, and his first movie since then that doesn't feel oppressively overlong (it is perhaps a tad on the long side, but in this case that's a minor complaint). The scenes where the aliens attack, particularly the first one, are really well done and quite riveting. The characters aren't all that great, but they serve their purpose of moving the movie along from one big set-piece to the next. Steven Spielberg proves here that when he wants to be, he is still the master of big-screen spectacle. If only the stuff in between the action had been better, this could have been an instant classic. ***1/2