Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY (2006) - July 31, 2006
Though it wasn't quite the laugh riot I was hoping it would be, this was still an enjoyable film about the wacky misadventures of a Nascar driver. The performances were all good, particularly John C. Reilly as Will Ferrell's slow-witted best friend. The movie was entertaining, though probably a tad on the long side. But then there was the part involving Michael Clarke Duncan getting really really angry, which was one of the funniest things I've seen in a while, and worth the price of admission alone. ***

Miami Vice

MIAMI VICE (2006) - July 28, 2006
Well, that was a bit of a let-down. A surprisingly dull movie about... I don't know, drug busts? It wasn't really about anything, nor were there any characters worth caring about. The performances were all fine, with the exception of the usually excellent Gong Li, whose accent made Jackie Chan look like Michael Caine, and who gave a surprisingly wooden performance. The problem with this movie was that it was too long, but even worse, it just wasn't all that interesting. The best part of this movie was the trailers. I don't think I've ever seen that many good trailers before one movie (Black Dahlia, Children of Men, the Departed, and Borat). **

My Super Ex-Girlfriend

MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND (2006) - July 26, 2006
This movie is pretty much the definition of mediocre. It wasn't really bad, but it wasn't good either. I wasn't outright bored, nor was I fully entertained. The direction was bland, and the script was chock-full of cliches. The performances were good though, and the movie had an affable vibe that kept it from being all-out boring. Meh. **1/2

Find me Guilty

FIND ME GUILTY (2006) - July 23, 2006
After movies like xXx and the Fast and the Furious, Vin Diesel reminds us that yes, he really can act. Diesel, wearing a fat suit and a wig, gives a really engaging performance, his best since Boiler Room. About a mobster who chose to defend himself, entertaining the courtroom in the process with his wacky antics, this was well made and entertaining throughout, despite a longish running time of around two hours. Though on paper it seems as though Diesel's character might be a bit one-dimensional, Diesel's performance goes a long way in making sure that this isn't the case. I'm puzzled as to why this didn't get a wider release. ***1/2

Clerks II

CLERKS II (2006) - July 22, 2006
Kevin Smith redeems himself after the less than stellar Jersey Girl. Featuring the type of clever dialogue Smith became known for, the movie is actually quite funny at times, and enjoyable all the way through. Smith's only downfall is that he clearly sucks at plotting, and falls back on cliches way too often, which is why his movies are at their best when people are just talking. I remember the original being a bit better than this (I should probably watch it again), but it was still good. ***

Lady in the Water

LADY IN THE WATER (2006) - July 19, 2006
Well, you've got to hand it to Shyamalan, he's definitely trying something different. Whether or not he succeeded, I'm not so sure. A fairy tale-like film about a mythical being who somehow ends up in an apartment building, and needs help from the residents to get home. The performances were uniformly excellent, and the visual look of the movie was as superb as you'd expect from Shyamalan. But Night's trademark super-slow pace hurt the film, as did the somewhat underdeveloped characters and the ill-advised attempts at humour (though there were a few chuckle-worthy moments, on the whole I think Shyamalan should stick to drama). I'm glad the Shamster is trying something different, but on the whole this didn't really work. **1/2

X-Men: The Last Stand

X-MEN: THE LAST STAND (2006) - July 19, 2006
A decent but essentially mediocre superhero film, though it definitely could have been worse. I was enjoying it up until about half-way through, after which I was still basically entertained, but I was just getting a bit sick of it. It wasn't all that compelling. It was certainly well acted, and competently directed by Brett Ratner, but... I don't know. There was a lot of stuff happening, and I don't know if it all tied together as well as it should have (if that makes sense). **1/2

Jason and the Argonauts

JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963) - July 16, 2006
Though cheesy and badly dated, this was essentially entertaining. About Jason, and his quest to travel to the other side of the Earth to procure a magical artifact. I don't think there's a single element of this film that has aged well. Ray Harryhausen's special effects, though obviously not even a little bit realistic, were a highlight. **1/2

District 13

DISTRICT 13 (2004) - July 15, 2006
This movie starts with an elaborate chase scene which, even if the rest of the movie had sucked, would have been worth the price of admission alone. It then follows it up with a bunch of action scenes that are just as good, if not better than the first one. Good stuff. The plot, involving a walled-up slum in France, is interesting enough to keep things moving during the down-times (which are long enough to keep the action from becoming overwhelming, and short enough to ensure the film maintains a brisk pace throughout). The movie was really well directed, particularly the action (it's always nice when a director realizes that you don't need to have a million cuts a second to make an action scene exciting). ***1/2

You, Me and Dupree

YOU, ME AND DUPREE (2006) - July 12, 2006
First off, I should say that I just don't buy Matt Dillon as a romantic lead. I've got nothing against him, I think he's a good actor, but he's just wrong for this type of part. He just doesn't have the kind of charisma to pull it off (plus he's got kind of a sleazy vibe going). As for the other performances, Kate Hudson was fine, and Owen Wilson was Owen Wilson. The movie itself was a predictable, unfunny, overlong bore. It wasn't good. It was flatly directed, and filled with cliches. Of course, it's hard not to wallow in cliches in a genre as well-worn as the romantic comedy; the trick is to make it feel fresh even when it's not. This did not feel fresh. *1/2

Foreign Correspondent

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940) - July 11, 2006
Joel McCrea stars as an American reporter who goes to England and finds himself embroiled in a sinister conspiracy. It was entertaining throughout, featuring typically stellar direction by Hitchcock, and an engaging performance from McCrea. ***

High Sierra

HIGH SIERRA (1941) - July 7, 2006
While it wasn't really a bad film, considering that this was basically a heist movie starring Humphrey Bogart, this wasn't quite as electrifying as one might hope. Bogart is quite good (no surprise there) as a man who is released from jail and immediately recruited for a heist. The movie isn't really about the heist, though. A big chunk of the screen-time is devoted to Bogart's attempt to woo a girl, a subplot that's almost entirely pointless and doesn't really go anywhere. The movie is never entirely boring, mostly thanks to Bogey's performance, but aside from that it was pretty underwhelming. **1/2

Little Miss Sunshine

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006) - July 6, 2006
A delightful, entertaining and surprisingly funny film about a family and their journey to get to a beauty pageant. The film featured one of the best ensemble casts I've seen in a while; every role was played to perfection (Alan Arkin was a scene-stealer as the surly grandpa, and Steve Carell proved he can do drama as well as he does comedy). The movie was really well written, and the characters became people we really cared about. It was also one of the funniest films I've seen in a while (who knew a car horn could be so funny?), and did a really good job balancing the hilarity and the poignancy. This was one of the best movies I've seen in a while. ****

Superman II

SUPERMAN II (1980) - July 2, 2006
Another enjoyable Superman movie, though this was probably the weakest of the three. Zod, with his obsession with making people kneel before him, made a good villain, and Christopher Reeve was as good as ever as Superman. Though I have to say, Superman's apparent ability to give a person a mini-lobotomy by kissing them is a little bit disturbing. What's the deal with that? ***

Superman

SUPERMAN (1978) - July 1, 2006
Like Superman Returns, this was quite good, but quite long. Though this film's run-time seemed a bit more justified, given the fact that it covered everything from Krypton's explosion, to Clark Kent landing and growing up in Smallville, to his eventual move to Metropolis and emergence as Superman. It was hard not to compare it to Superman Returns; while Christopher Reeve was just as good if not better than Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey is clearly the superior Lex Luthor. Also, the special effects in this one seem pretty hokey, particularly when compared to Superman Returns. I think Superman Returns is the superior film, but this was still pretty good. ***