THE INVASION (2007) - Aug. 24, 2007
A sort of mediocre fourth adaptation of Jack Finney's novel, this one finds Nicole Kidman as a psychiatrist who slowly realizes that something is amiss. The film is mostly entertaining, and there are some good moments, but for the most part it doesn't really work. A big problem is that much of the film is unintentionally (I assume) silly (such as the part in which Kidman's patient tearfully describes how her husband killed their dog, which would be fine except the dog's name is something wacky like Bobo, and she keeps saying it, so the whole scene becomes somewhat comical). The film looks good though, and it's well acted, it's just a bit uneven. **1/2
Short reviews of all the movies I see, rated out of four. Reviews containing spoilers are marked with an (S).
Friday, August 24, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Vacancy
VACANCY (2007) - Aug. 14, 2007 (Second Viewing)
An absolutely riveting and crackerjack thriller, I think this film is pretty much perfect; it's very well made and well acted, and it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do with gusto. I also love the way this movie looks. Nimrod Antal and his cinematographer do a really fantastic job giving the film (which takes place almost entirely at night) a unique, sinister look. Antal's direction is spot-on, and if there is any justice in the world he has a big career ahead of him. ****
An absolutely riveting and crackerjack thriller, I think this film is pretty much perfect; it's very well made and well acted, and it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do with gusto. I also love the way this movie looks. Nimrod Antal and his cinematographer do a really fantastic job giving the film (which takes place almost entirely at night) a unique, sinister look. Antal's direction is spot-on, and if there is any justice in the world he has a big career ahead of him. ****
Monday, August 13, 2007
Cross-Country Romance
CROSS-COUNTRY ROMANCE (1940) - Aug. 13, 2007
An entertaining if somewhat unremarkable film about a young heiress who runs away on the day of her wedding and stows away with a doctor; wackiness (and love) ensues. This plays out pretty much exactly like you'd think it would, but it was well acted and enjoyable throughout. ***
An entertaining if somewhat unremarkable film about a young heiress who runs away on the day of her wedding and stows away with a doctor; wackiness (and love) ensues. This plays out pretty much exactly like you'd think it would, but it was well acted and enjoyable throughout. ***
Sunday, August 12, 2007
They Met in Bombay
THEY MET IN BOMBAY (1941) - Aug. 12, 2007
Clark Gable is pretty much perfect as a charming jewel thief who, along with a competing female thief, wants to steal a rare necklace. The film takes a bizarre turn in the second half, with Gable winding up fighting the Japanese alongside the British army in China. The first half is generally a lot better than the second half, but it's still enjoyable throughout, if only for Gable's charismatic performance. ***
Clark Gable is pretty much perfect as a charming jewel thief who, along with a competing female thief, wants to steal a rare necklace. The film takes a bizarre turn in the second half, with Gable winding up fighting the Japanese alongside the British army in China. The first half is generally a lot better than the second half, but it's still enjoyable throughout, if only for Gable's charismatic performance. ***
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Love Crazy
LOVE CRAZY (1941) - Aug. 11, 2007
About a man who, in order to prevent his wife from divorcing him after a misunderstanding, pretends to be insane. It's mostly entertaining, and there are a few genuinely funny moments, but it's generally not quite as good as the wacky premise would lead you to believe. It feels more like a series of funny scenes than anything else, and the protracted finale (in which William Powell dresses as a woman to evade capture) goes on a bit longer than it needs to. **1/2
About a man who, in order to prevent his wife from divorcing him after a misunderstanding, pretends to be insane. It's mostly entertaining, and there are a few genuinely funny moments, but it's generally not quite as good as the wacky premise would lead you to believe. It feels more like a series of funny scenes than anything else, and the protracted finale (in which William Powell dresses as a woman to evade capture) goes on a bit longer than it needs to. **1/2
Friday, August 10, 2007
Rush Hour 3
RUSH HOUR 3 (2007) - Aug. 10, 2007
Hmm... Well, that wasn't too good. I don't remember the first two Rush Hour movies too well, but I know that they were better than this. The film relies mostly on silly and lame humour (I don't think I laughed or even cracked a smile once), and features some really bland action (what happened to you, Jackie Chan??). The film moves along at a fast pace (or at least a lot of stuff happens), but I can't say I was particularly entertained. **
Hmm... Well, that wasn't too good. I don't remember the first two Rush Hour movies too well, but I know that they were better than this. The film relies mostly on silly and lame humour (I don't think I laughed or even cracked a smile once), and features some really bland action (what happened to you, Jackie Chan??). The film moves along at a fast pace (or at least a lot of stuff happens), but I can't say I was particularly entertained. **
Sunday, August 05, 2007
The More the Merrier
THE MORE THE MERRIER (1943) - Aug. 5, 2007
A delightful romantic comedy about a woman who, during the housing shortage during WWII, takes in two lodgers -- a older man and a younger man; the older man subsequently decides to play Cupid for the woman and the younger man. Though it was probably more enjoyable during the wackier first half (a sequence in which the older man tries to prevent the other two from seeing each other was a highlight), that's a minor complaint, as it was quite entertaining throughout. Joel McCrea and Jean Arthur were both very good and had definite chemistry as the couple, and Charles Coburn was just as good as the older matchmaker. I think contemporary directors need to take a closer look at films from the '30s and '40s, because they really knew how to do romantic comedies back then. ***1/2
A delightful romantic comedy about a woman who, during the housing shortage during WWII, takes in two lodgers -- a older man and a younger man; the older man subsequently decides to play Cupid for the woman and the younger man. Though it was probably more enjoyable during the wackier first half (a sequence in which the older man tries to prevent the other two from seeing each other was a highlight), that's a minor complaint, as it was quite entertaining throughout. Joel McCrea and Jean Arthur were both very good and had definite chemistry as the couple, and Charles Coburn was just as good as the older matchmaker. I think contemporary directors need to take a closer look at films from the '30s and '40s, because they really knew how to do romantic comedies back then. ***1/2
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Free Zone
FREE ZONE (2005) - Aug. 4, 2007
Wow. I went in with low expectations, but I don't think it's possible to lower your expectations enough to enjoy this film. Pretentious to the extreme, plotless, and featuring a couple of main characters who we never really get to know, and whose actions and motivations remain mysterious throughout, I'm really not sure what the point of this movie is supposed to be. Maybe it's supposed to be some kind of allegory, I don't know -- that bizarre ending has to be a political metaphor or something, though I have no idea what it's supposed to mean (nor do I care). Pretentiously directed by Amos Gitai, and featuring murky cinematography that looks like it was shot with a camcorder from Wal-Mart, this featured a reasonably good performance from Natalie Portman and little else. This film is actually kind of inspiring, because if a movie this bad can not only get made, but get a star as big as Portman, maybe I have a chance after all. 1/2*
Wow. I went in with low expectations, but I don't think it's possible to lower your expectations enough to enjoy this film. Pretentious to the extreme, plotless, and featuring a couple of main characters who we never really get to know, and whose actions and motivations remain mysterious throughout, I'm really not sure what the point of this movie is supposed to be. Maybe it's supposed to be some kind of allegory, I don't know -- that bizarre ending has to be a political metaphor or something, though I have no idea what it's supposed to mean (nor do I care). Pretentiously directed by Amos Gitai, and featuring murky cinematography that looks like it was shot with a camcorder from Wal-Mart, this featured a reasonably good performance from Natalie Portman and little else. This film is actually kind of inspiring, because if a movie this bad can not only get made, but get a star as big as Portman, maybe I have a chance after all. 1/2*
Friday, August 03, 2007
Hot Rod
HOT ROD (2007) - Aug. 3, 2007
A surprisingly funny film about an aspiring stuntman who decides to try to pull off one big stunt to raise enough money to save his adoptive father's life. Since Adam Sandler has apparently lost the ability to be funny, Andy Samberg seems to be a fairly decent replacement. It actually reminded me a lot of Happy Gilmore, right down to the fact that the main character needs to raise money for a loved one. The movie is exceptionally silly, and the jokes are somewhat hit and miss, but there are more hits than misses -- and some of the hits are big ones (I laughed so hard that it brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion). I would imagine that with the film's bizarre, oddball sense of humour, it'll be a love it or hate it type of thing. The film also eschews things like plot and character development in favour of lots of gags, but it worked. I thought it was probably one of the funniest movies I've seen in a while. ***
A surprisingly funny film about an aspiring stuntman who decides to try to pull off one big stunt to raise enough money to save his adoptive father's life. Since Adam Sandler has apparently lost the ability to be funny, Andy Samberg seems to be a fairly decent replacement. It actually reminded me a lot of Happy Gilmore, right down to the fact that the main character needs to raise money for a loved one. The movie is exceptionally silly, and the jokes are somewhat hit and miss, but there are more hits than misses -- and some of the hits are big ones (I laughed so hard that it brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion). I would imagine that with the film's bizarre, oddball sense of humour, it'll be a love it or hate it type of thing. The film also eschews things like plot and character development in favour of lots of gags, but it worked. I thought it was probably one of the funniest movies I've seen in a while. ***
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Logan's Run
LOGAN'S RUN (1976) - Aug. 2, 2007
A cheesy and almost ridiculously dated sci-fi film about a future society in which everyone lives inside a domed-in compound and must submit to execution at the age of 30. The film never really explains what happened to the outside world, or why this society insists on killing people when they reach 30. The design of the whole city, the special effects and the score all date the film quite badly, and make it nearly impossible to forget you're watching a movie (even Metropolis -- from 1927 -- presents a more believable vision of the future). The film itself is essentially entertaining throughout, though there are parts (such as when Logan and his female companion run into the rambling old man) which feel a bit on the long side. **1/2
A cheesy and almost ridiculously dated sci-fi film about a future society in which everyone lives inside a domed-in compound and must submit to execution at the age of 30. The film never really explains what happened to the outside world, or why this society insists on killing people when they reach 30. The design of the whole city, the special effects and the score all date the film quite badly, and make it nearly impossible to forget you're watching a movie (even Metropolis -- from 1927 -- presents a more believable vision of the future). The film itself is essentially entertaining throughout, though there are parts (such as when Logan and his female companion run into the rambling old man) which feel a bit on the long side. **1/2
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
The Bourne Ultimatum
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (2007) - Aug. 1, 2007
A pleasant surprise. Although Paul Greengrass' quick-cut/shaky-cam direction gets a bit annoying, particularly during the car chases, there actually are some fairly effective action scenes in here (an early scene involving Bourne trying to help a reporter evade the authorities is a highlight). The action scenes, at their best, are gritty and real in a way that's sorely lacking from most contemporary action films (but at their worst -- such as the car chases -- they are almost incoherent). As for the film itself, it feels sort of episodic, with Bourne traveling to a new country every twenty minutes or so and getting involved in some action-heavy hijinks. It's mostly entertaining throughout, if only for some of the better action scenes. ***
A pleasant surprise. Although Paul Greengrass' quick-cut/shaky-cam direction gets a bit annoying, particularly during the car chases, there actually are some fairly effective action scenes in here (an early scene involving Bourne trying to help a reporter evade the authorities is a highlight). The action scenes, at their best, are gritty and real in a way that's sorely lacking from most contemporary action films (but at their worst -- such as the car chases -- they are almost incoherent). As for the film itself, it feels sort of episodic, with Bourne traveling to a new country every twenty minutes or so and getting involved in some action-heavy hijinks. It's mostly entertaining throughout, if only for some of the better action scenes. ***
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)