RIFIFI (1955) - Nov. 30, 2007 (Second Viewing)
A classic heist film -- features a twenty minute heist scene which is almost silent (there's no dialogue or score), and which is probably the best twenty minutes in any movie ever. It's riveting and absolutely fascinating to watch. The rest of the film is also quite excellent, featuring some stellar direction by Jules Dassin, and a really phenomenal lead performance from Jean Servais. ****
Short reviews of all the movies I see, rated out of four. Reviews containing spoilers are marked with an (S).
Friday, November 30, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Barton Fink
BARTON FINK (1991) - Nov. 27, 2007
This was easily the Coen brothers' most flat-out strange film -- about a writer who moves to Hollywood as a screenwriter and promptly gets writer's block, this gets more and more bizarre as it progresses. It's very well made, and features a really impressive performance from John Turturro. This seems like the type of movie David Lynch wishes he could make; it's got a similarly odd vibe, but it never feels like weirdness for weirdness' sake. I've been thinking about it a lot since I watched it, so I think a repeat viewing is definitely necessary. ***1/2
This was easily the Coen brothers' most flat-out strange film -- about a writer who moves to Hollywood as a screenwriter and promptly gets writer's block, this gets more and more bizarre as it progresses. It's very well made, and features a really impressive performance from John Turturro. This seems like the type of movie David Lynch wishes he could make; it's got a similarly odd vibe, but it never feels like weirdness for weirdness' sake. I've been thinking about it a lot since I watched it, so I think a repeat viewing is definitely necessary. ***1/2
Saturday, November 24, 2007
The Mist
THE MIST (2007) - Nov. 24, 2007
About a sinister mist that rolls into a small town, trapping a bunch of people in a supermarket and bringing with it an assortment of strange monsters, this was a sporadically very well made horror film. It begins and ends very strongly, and there are some fairly tense scenes peppered throughout. The main problem is that the film is very talky, and the dialogue is sometimes somewhat iffy. There's also a whole subplot involving an ultra-religious nutjob (effectively played by Marcia Gay Harden) which is ridiculously over-the-top, and -- unless you have a very pessimistic view of humanity -- almost completely implausible. Frank Darabont's direction was quite good, though, and Thomas Jane proves yet again that he has what it takes to be a leading man in Hollywood. **1/2
About a sinister mist that rolls into a small town, trapping a bunch of people in a supermarket and bringing with it an assortment of strange monsters, this was a sporadically very well made horror film. It begins and ends very strongly, and there are some fairly tense scenes peppered throughout. The main problem is that the film is very talky, and the dialogue is sometimes somewhat iffy. There's also a whole subplot involving an ultra-religious nutjob (effectively played by Marcia Gay Harden) which is ridiculously over-the-top, and -- unless you have a very pessimistic view of humanity -- almost completely implausible. Frank Darabont's direction was quite good, though, and Thomas Jane proves yet again that he has what it takes to be a leading man in Hollywood. **1/2
Saturday, November 17, 2007
The TV Set
THE TV SET (2006) - Nov. 17, 2007
A really enjoyable and oddly depressing film about a writer who tries to make a TV show for a major network, and the many compromises he has to make along the way. It was well written and well directed, David Duchovny was expectedly good as the writer, Ioan Gruffudd was surprisingly not terrible, and Sigourney Weaver was quite effective as a horrifyingly clueless executive (it's a bit scary to think that people like her actually exist out there). ***1/2
A really enjoyable and oddly depressing film about a writer who tries to make a TV show for a major network, and the many compromises he has to make along the way. It was well written and well directed, David Duchovny was expectedly good as the writer, Ioan Gruffudd was surprisingly not terrible, and Sigourney Weaver was quite effective as a horrifyingly clueless executive (it's a bit scary to think that people like her actually exist out there). ***1/2
Friday, November 16, 2007
Invisible Target
INVISIBLE TARGET (2007) - Nov. 16, 2007
Though I certainly wouldn't put it in the same league with the scary-awesome Flash Point, this was a sporadically effective action film about a group of cops trying to take down some jewel thieves. Or something like that, I dunno -- one of the film's problems is that the plot, involving double crosses and way more plot threads than it needs, is almost ludicrously convoluted. All I really want is to see people getting kicked in the head, I don't need all this back-story and setup. Aside from that, the action is generally pretty good, though it's a bit more over-the-top and wirey than I'd like. But there are some good fights here, and I was never completely bored. **1/2
Though I certainly wouldn't put it in the same league with the scary-awesome Flash Point, this was a sporadically effective action film about a group of cops trying to take down some jewel thieves. Or something like that, I dunno -- one of the film's problems is that the plot, involving double crosses and way more plot threads than it needs, is almost ludicrously convoluted. All I really want is to see people getting kicked in the head, I don't need all this back-story and setup. Aside from that, the action is generally pretty good, though it's a bit more over-the-top and wirey than I'd like. But there are some good fights here, and I was never completely bored. **1/2
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Futurama: Bender's Big Score!
FUTURAMA: BENDER'S BIG SCORE! (2007) - Nov. 15, 2007
Futurama is back, and it's just as glorious as I would have hoped. No... more glorious. This film manages to take everything that was great about Futurama -- the characters, the humour, the interesting sci-fi plots -- and crams it into a very entertaining hour and a half film. Good stuff. ***1/2
Futurama is back, and it's just as glorious as I would have hoped. No... more glorious. This film manages to take everything that was great about Futurama -- the characters, the humour, the interesting sci-fi plots -- and crams it into a very entertaining hour and a half film. Good stuff. ***1/2
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Beowulf
BEOWULF (2007) - Nov. 14, 2007
About a warrior who comes to a town to fight the monster that has been plaguing them, this was sporadically very engaging, but a failure for the most part. A couple of the action scenes, at the beginning and then the end of the movie, were very well done and quite exciting. But for the most part the film falls flat. It isn't really about anything, and aside from Beowulf himself (and a memorable character played by John Malkovich) none of the characters were very well developed or interesting. The movie just sort of goes from one random scene to the next. Then there's the animation. It works quite well whenever there's action on the screen, but once the characters actually start talking it completely falls apart. The technology has seemingly not improved at all since the Polar Express, as all the characters still have that off-putting, creepily zombie-like pallor. They look all wrong, and worse, they can't even properly convey a full range of emotions -- there are times where the voice work is very good, but it's clear that the limitations of this technology simply can't keep up with them. They're stiff. It's like the voice of Marlon Brando being superimposed onto Josh Hartnett's face (though in defense of Hartnett, even he is able to convey more emotion than these plasticy people-impostors). Blech. **
About a warrior who comes to a town to fight the monster that has been plaguing them, this was sporadically very engaging, but a failure for the most part. A couple of the action scenes, at the beginning and then the end of the movie, were very well done and quite exciting. But for the most part the film falls flat. It isn't really about anything, and aside from Beowulf himself (and a memorable character played by John Malkovich) none of the characters were very well developed or interesting. The movie just sort of goes from one random scene to the next. Then there's the animation. It works quite well whenever there's action on the screen, but once the characters actually start talking it completely falls apart. The technology has seemingly not improved at all since the Polar Express, as all the characters still have that off-putting, creepily zombie-like pallor. They look all wrong, and worse, they can't even properly convey a full range of emotions -- there are times where the voice work is very good, but it's clear that the limitations of this technology simply can't keep up with them. They're stiff. It's like the voice of Marlon Brando being superimposed onto Josh Hartnett's face (though in defense of Hartnett, even he is able to convey more emotion than these plasticy people-impostors). Blech. **
Saturday, November 10, 2007
P2
P2 (2007) - Nov. 10, 2007
A simple and surprisingly effective thriller about a young woman who gets trapped in an empty parking garage and finds herself being terrorized by a psychotic security guard. The film wastes no time setting everything up, and does a good job keeping a fairly consistent level of tension throughout. It's well directed, and the cinematography gives the parking lot a nicely ominous look. There's nothing particularly fresh here, but the movie takes a familiar story and executes it quite admirably. I don't think Wes Bentley is ever really fully convincing as the villain, but that's a minor complaint. ***1/2
A simple and surprisingly effective thriller about a young woman who gets trapped in an empty parking garage and finds herself being terrorized by a psychotic security guard. The film wastes no time setting everything up, and does a good job keeping a fairly consistent level of tension throughout. It's well directed, and the cinematography gives the parking lot a nicely ominous look. There's nothing particularly fresh here, but the movie takes a familiar story and executes it quite admirably. I don't think Wes Bentley is ever really fully convincing as the villain, but that's a minor complaint. ***1/2
Friday, November 09, 2007
Blade Runner
BLADE RUNNER (1982) - Nov. 9, 2007 (Fourth or Fifth viewing)
Wow. This is pretty much a masterpiece, and getting to see it, restored and looking pristine on the big screen, was amazing. For one thing, this has to be one of the best looking movies ever made -- Ridley Scott's direction is pitch-perfect (the whole future noir look is a stroke of genius), and the look of the futuristic city is absolutely stunning. The special effects are also really impressive; this film looks a lot more convincing than most contemporary movies, despite being 25 years old. The plot, involving a private investigator who has to take down errant androids, is almost secondary to the visuals and the atmosphere, but it still manages to make an impact. We never learn all that much about the central character, but we get snippets here and there, and he certainly becomes a compelling character. There are also some really great moments, such as the final cat-and-mouse chase between Harrison Ford's character and Rutger Hauer's, culminating in what has to be one of the greatest scenes in the history of cinema. There's no doubt about it, this is an absolute classic. ****
Wow. This is pretty much a masterpiece, and getting to see it, restored and looking pristine on the big screen, was amazing. For one thing, this has to be one of the best looking movies ever made -- Ridley Scott's direction is pitch-perfect (the whole future noir look is a stroke of genius), and the look of the futuristic city is absolutely stunning. The special effects are also really impressive; this film looks a lot more convincing than most contemporary movies, despite being 25 years old. The plot, involving a private investigator who has to take down errant androids, is almost secondary to the visuals and the atmosphere, but it still manages to make an impact. We never learn all that much about the central character, but we get snippets here and there, and he certainly becomes a compelling character. There are also some really great moments, such as the final cat-and-mouse chase between Harrison Ford's character and Rutger Hauer's, culminating in what has to be one of the greatest scenes in the history of cinema. There's no doubt about it, this is an absolute classic. ****
Monday, November 05, 2007
Lions for Lambs
LIONS FOR LAMBS (2007) - Nov. 5, 2007
Less a movie and more a ham-fisted screed, this had to be one of the preachiest movies I've seen in a long time. I'm talking Michael Moore levels of preachiness. There wasn't a single character here who felt authentic, or who wasn't there to put across some point of view. Matthew Michael Carnahan, who wrote this year's equally mediocre The Kingdom, is quickly shaping up to be a really terrible writer, and has absolutely no idea how to create characters who are interesting or seem real in the slightest. The film is reasonably well directed and very well acted, but it's all pretty much moot, as there is only the vaguest pretense here that this is anything but a blatant political statement. **
Less a movie and more a ham-fisted screed, this had to be one of the preachiest movies I've seen in a long time. I'm talking Michael Moore levels of preachiness. There wasn't a single character here who felt authentic, or who wasn't there to put across some point of view. Matthew Michael Carnahan, who wrote this year's equally mediocre The Kingdom, is quickly shaping up to be a really terrible writer, and has absolutely no idea how to create characters who are interesting or seem real in the slightest. The film is reasonably well directed and very well acted, but it's all pretty much moot, as there is only the vaguest pretense here that this is anything but a blatant political statement. **
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