Spider-Man 3 (2007) - April 26, 2007
Sam Raimi needs to direct all superhero movies. A few other directors could also be allowed (Bryan Singer is good too), but really, Raimi has proven to be the perfect comic book director. He just gets it. He's great at action, and just as good at drama; he also knows how to blend the two without one ever overwhelming the other. And while this film probably isn't quite as good as Spider-Man 2, that's a pretty hard movie to top. ***1/2
Short reviews of all the movies I see, rated out of four. Reviews containing spoilers are marked with an (S).
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Next
NEXT (2007) - April 25, 2007
What's the deal with Nicolas Cage? 2007 isn't even half-way over, and he's already been in two really bad movies. I'm not sure which was worse, this or Ghost Rider. About a guy who has the power to see two minutes into the future, who falls in love and gets caught up in a plot to destroy L.A. by a bunch of generic Eurotrash villains. Where do you even start with this cheesy movie? There was the dialogue, which was pretty much atrocious. The special effects were shoddy (putting it kindly). Nicolas Cage's power is completely illogical (how does he decide which moments to replay? Is it like time travel? It doesn't make sense). Much of the mid-section of the film is dedicated to Cage's romance with Jessica Biel, which is just gross (the fact that he's sporting the old pedophile hairdo doesn't help). Well, it wasn't all bad I guess. The performances were okay, with the exception of Julianne Moore (playing a tough-as-nails cop who apparently spends her free time pushing target dummies and then shooting them in the chest), who gave a surprisingly bad performance and who was clearly phoning it in. There were a couple of reasonably enjoyable sequences with Cage utilizing his power, and the film was competently directed by Lee Tamahori (though I will never understand how he went from the excellent drama Once Were Warriors to stuff like this). But, just... Blech. **
What's the deal with Nicolas Cage? 2007 isn't even half-way over, and he's already been in two really bad movies. I'm not sure which was worse, this or Ghost Rider. About a guy who has the power to see two minutes into the future, who falls in love and gets caught up in a plot to destroy L.A. by a bunch of generic Eurotrash villains. Where do you even start with this cheesy movie? There was the dialogue, which was pretty much atrocious. The special effects were shoddy (putting it kindly). Nicolas Cage's power is completely illogical (how does he decide which moments to replay? Is it like time travel? It doesn't make sense). Much of the mid-section of the film is dedicated to Cage's romance with Jessica Biel, which is just gross (the fact that he's sporting the old pedophile hairdo doesn't help). Well, it wasn't all bad I guess. The performances were okay, with the exception of Julianne Moore (playing a tough-as-nails cop who apparently spends her free time pushing target dummies and then shooting them in the chest), who gave a surprisingly bad performance and who was clearly phoning it in. There were a couple of reasonably enjoyable sequences with Cage utilizing his power, and the film was competently directed by Lee Tamahori (though I will never understand how he went from the excellent drama Once Were Warriors to stuff like this). But, just... Blech. **
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Vacancy
VACANCY (2007) - April. 21, 2007
A really effective, suspenseful thriller about a couple who check into a seedy motel only to find themselves unwitting participants in a snuff film. I really liked this movie; it spends just enough time setting up the characters so that we're rooting for them, and then proceeds to progressively notch up the tension, barely letting up until the credits roll. Nimrod Antal's direction and the cinematography were really good; this was a really nice looking film. Antal is up there with Fincher as far as making a dark scene look really good. The film features a perfect running-time (just under an hour and a half) and is really entertaining throughout. This was just a tight little thriller; it may not be all that original, but it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do, and it does so stylishly and effectively. ****
A really effective, suspenseful thriller about a couple who check into a seedy motel only to find themselves unwitting participants in a snuff film. I really liked this movie; it spends just enough time setting up the characters so that we're rooting for them, and then proceeds to progressively notch up the tension, barely letting up until the credits roll. Nimrod Antal's direction and the cinematography were really good; this was a really nice looking film. Antal is up there with Fincher as far as making a dark scene look really good. The film features a perfect running-time (just under an hour and a half) and is really entertaining throughout. This was just a tight little thriller; it may not be all that original, but it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do, and it does so stylishly and effectively. ****
Friday, April 13, 2007
Grindhouse
GRINDHOUSE (2007) - April 13, 2007
This was a bit disappointing. Featuring two full-length films, one by Robert Rodriguez and one by Quentin Tarantino, neither of which were all that great. Rodriguez's film - Planet Terror - about some kind of zombie infestation, was pretty mediocre, but then it's Robert Rodriguez so I wasn't expecting much. It was Tarantino's film, Death Proof, which was truly disappointing, as it was easily the weakest of all his films. Its main problem was that it felt disjointed, with two unrelated groups of girls being victimized by Kurt Russell's Stuntman Mike (who was easily the best thing about the whole film). The first batch of girls talk a lot and then get killed, and then the second (completely unrelated) batch of girls talk a lot and then almost get killed, and then get revenge. That's about it. It was decent enough I guess (especially compared to Rodriguez's film) but certainly not up to Tarantino's high standards. As for Planet Terror, it started off enjoyable enough, but quickly grew tedious with its unending action and explosions. Towards the end it started to feel less like a film, and more like being forced to watch someone else play a bad videogame. ** for Planet Terror, **1/2 for Death Proof, and overall: **1/2
This was a bit disappointing. Featuring two full-length films, one by Robert Rodriguez and one by Quentin Tarantino, neither of which were all that great. Rodriguez's film - Planet Terror - about some kind of zombie infestation, was pretty mediocre, but then it's Robert Rodriguez so I wasn't expecting much. It was Tarantino's film, Death Proof, which was truly disappointing, as it was easily the weakest of all his films. Its main problem was that it felt disjointed, with two unrelated groups of girls being victimized by Kurt Russell's Stuntman Mike (who was easily the best thing about the whole film). The first batch of girls talk a lot and then get killed, and then the second (completely unrelated) batch of girls talk a lot and then almost get killed, and then get revenge. That's about it. It was decent enough I guess (especially compared to Rodriguez's film) but certainly not up to Tarantino's high standards. As for Planet Terror, it started off enjoyable enough, but quickly grew tedious with its unending action and explosions. Towards the end it started to feel less like a film, and more like being forced to watch someone else play a bad videogame. ** for Planet Terror, **1/2 for Death Proof, and overall: **1/2
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Hot Fuzz
HOT FUZZ (2007) - April 12, 2007
Though not quite the instant classic that Shaun of the Dead was, this was a really fun, sporadically hilarious and always entertaining send-up of buddy-cop action films. It actually was a pretty good parody of the overblown, Michael Bay style action film, particularly towards the end. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have really good chemistry together and are both quite funny, and the film contains a number of genuine laughs. Where else are you going to see an old lady get jump-kicked in the head? ***1/2
Though not quite the instant classic that Shaun of the Dead was, this was a really fun, sporadically hilarious and always entertaining send-up of buddy-cop action films. It actually was a pretty good parody of the overblown, Michael Bay style action film, particularly towards the end. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have really good chemistry together and are both quite funny, and the film contains a number of genuine laughs. Where else are you going to see an old lady get jump-kicked in the head? ***1/2
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Knocked Up
KNOCKED UP (2007) - April 11, 2007
An enjoyable but way overlong romantic comedy about a one-night-stand that leads to a pregnancy, and the wackiness that ensues. Seth Rogen and Ketherine Heigl were both good in the main roles, and the film was pretty funny in parts, but man was it long -- well over two hours, which is just overkill for a movie like this. The parts were Rogen hangs out with his friends were the funniest parts of the film (with a bizarre Total Recal reference being the clear highlight); I wish there had been more of that stuff and a lot less of the stuff with Heigl's romantically dissatisfied sister. **1/2
An enjoyable but way overlong romantic comedy about a one-night-stand that leads to a pregnancy, and the wackiness that ensues. Seth Rogen and Ketherine Heigl were both good in the main roles, and the film was pretty funny in parts, but man was it long -- well over two hours, which is just overkill for a movie like this. The parts were Rogen hangs out with his friends were the funniest parts of the film (with a bizarre Total Recal reference being the clear highlight); I wish there had been more of that stuff and a lot less of the stuff with Heigl's romantically dissatisfied sister. **1/2
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Cabin Fever
CABIN FEVER (2002) - April 8, 2007
Though not as good as Eli Roth's follow-up, Hostel, this was still an entertaining and reasonably effective horror film. About a group of teenagers who head out into an isolated cabin in the woods only to get infected by some kind of flesh-eating virus. The main problem is that the characters never really become people we care about, despite a reasonably lengthy portion at the beginning in which not much happens. It probably doesn't help that the performances, for the most part, aren't the best. The film looked good though; it was well directed by Eli Roth, and did feature some fairly effective sequences, particularly towards the end. ***
Though not as good as Eli Roth's follow-up, Hostel, this was still an entertaining and reasonably effective horror film. About a group of teenagers who head out into an isolated cabin in the woods only to get infected by some kind of flesh-eating virus. The main problem is that the characters never really become people we care about, despite a reasonably lengthy portion at the beginning in which not much happens. It probably doesn't help that the performances, for the most part, aren't the best. The film looked good though; it was well directed by Eli Roth, and did feature some fairly effective sequences, particularly towards the end. ***
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