Dinner for Schmucks

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS (2010) - July 31, 2010
A mediocre and way over-the-top comedy about a guy who finds out that he has to befriend an idiot in order to bring him to a party his boss is holding.  Mostly unfunny wackiness ensues.  The main problem with this movie is that the humour, for the most part, is just way too broad.  Pretty much the entire supporting cast are absurdly zany and completely unbelievable as anything even resembling real people.  The titular dinner scene was long and painfully unfunny.  The movie was also filled with forced melodrama which felt excessive -- even for this type of film, where you have to expect some third act drama.  I did mostly like Paul Rudd and Steve Carell, and some of their scenes together were decent enough, but for the most part the film just feels like it's trying way too hard, and it doesn't particularly work.  **

The Cry of the Owl

THE CRY OF THE OWL (2009) - July 28, 2010
An exceptionally mediocre movie about a guy who gets caught up in the life of a woman who he had been spying on, who turns out to be even crazier than he is.  Filled to the brim with hokey, often laughably bad dialogue, the whole thing was distinctly inauthentic, with nary a single character who felt like a real person.  It became increasingly clear as the movie went on that the director was going for a sort of stylized, film noir vibe, but for the most part it just doesn't really work.  The first half or so was disastrously bad, as the film starts out as more of a low-key drama, and the aforementioned dialogue and character problems are pretty glaring.  It got a bit more enjoyable once the plot really starts to kick in; it takes some twists and turns towards the end that are completely absurd but reasonably entertaining.  I really have no idea how the director was able to get Paddy Considine and Julia Stiles for this mess (who both gave uncharacteristically bad performances, though with material this bad even the best actor in the world would be hard-pressed to come up with something decent).  *1/2

Inception

INCEPTION (2010) - July 27, 2010 (Third Viewing)
So awesome.  This is definitely a superlative summer movie.  ****

The Kids are All Right

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (2010) - July 26, 2010
A low-key and well-crafted (if a bit bland) drama about a brother and sister who decide to meet their birth-father.  This causes friction with their two lesbian mothers.  The whole thing was quite well acted (I'd be surprised if the cast doesn't get at least one Oscar nomination) and well made, and I definitely enjoyed it, but it's the sort of film that you enjoy while you're watching, then you pretty much completely forget about it almost immediately after.  ***

Youth in Revolt

YOUTH IN REVOLT (2009) - July 25, 2010
A really well made and engaging film about a teenager who falls in love, and then creates a suave, criminal alter-ego to get back to her.  The film is quite entertaining throughout, and features some really solid direction from Miguel Arteta.  It also featured a bunch of memorable supporting roles from people like Ray Liotta and Steve Buscemi, and a really good lead performance from Michael Cera.  I know Cera gets a lot of flack for having a distinctive persona and not changing much from movie to movie, but I think he's an engaging presence on screen.  ***1/2

Salt

SALT (2010) - July 24, 2010
An enjoyable action film about a CIA agent who goes on the run after being accused of being a Russian spy.  Skillfully directed by Phillip Noyce, the film moves at an almost absurdly brisk pace, but the performances (particularly Jolie herself) ensure that we always care about the characters and that it doesn't just feel like a bunch of loosely strung together set-pieces (which it essentially is).  The film also has a refreshingly old-school vibe, mostly eschewing the more blatantly over-the-top CGI shenanigans that have become so prevalent in the action genre of late.  ***

Primer

PRIMER (2004) - July 23, 2010
Completely baffling and yet oddly compelling, this was about a couple of guys who invent a machine that allows them to go back in time; confusing shenanigans ensue.  Seriously, almost as soon as the time travel began, I lost any ability to follow what was going on -- even the mechanics of how they were traveling through time were kind of beyond my comprehension.  Why did they have to stay in a hotel?  How did they know how far they were going back?  What was the deal with that party?  My brain is starting to hurt just thinking about it all.  Hmmm... was this an example of muddled storytelling, or was I just not smart enough to follow this movie?  I'm thinking a bit of both, but maybe I should watch this again.  ***

Ashes and Diamond

ASHES AND DIAMONDS (1958) - July 22, 2010
Well, that was a pleasant surprise. Not that I was expecting this to be bad, but I was unfamiliar with director Andrzej Wajda, and so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  As it turns out, Wajda’s impressive direction was probably the highlight of the film; stylish and filled with intricately-composed, Citizen Kane-esque low angle shots, you can definitely see the influence Wajda has had on directors over the years. I won’t go into spoilers, but there’s a moment towards the end of the film that was as memorable and as visually striking as anything I’ve seen in quite a while. You’ll know it when you see it.  Of course, this wouldn’t have added up to all that much if the film itself hadn’t been up to snuff — the protagonist’s realization, over one long night, that he can’t necessarily do his duty and live a normal life was deftly handled, and though the film wasn’t perfect (it drags slightly in parts) it was definitely quite memorable.  ***

Unthinkable

UNTHINKABLE (2010) - July 21, 2010
A kind of uneven but mostly engaging drama/thriller about the interrogation of a man who claims to have planted three nukes in three American cities.  Not quite on the level of the couple of films by Gregor Jordon that I've seen thus far, this was still enjoyable enough and quite well acted.  ***

Despicable Me

DESPICABLE ME (2010) - July 20, 2010
Fun and enjoyably cartoony, this was a lightweight but quite entertaining film about a super-villain who adopts three sisters as part of his latest scheme.  I think it's probably a bit unfair to compare every computer animated film to Pixar, but... well, it wasn't exactly Pixar.  But it was definitely entertaining.  ***

The Brothers Solomon

THE BROTHERS SOLOMON (2007) - July 19, 2010
A vaguely entertaining film that seriously overstays its welcome, this actually feels a lot like an SNL sketch that goes on a few minutes longer than it should.  It's extremely silly and not quite as funny as it's trying to be, but it's generally entertaining enough.  **1/2

Inception

INCEPTION (2010) - July 17, 2010 (Second Viewing)
So good.  A big summer action film this good is definitely a rare treat.  Plus: more proof that you can't go wrong with a heist movie.  ****

Hunger

HUNGER (2008) - July 16, 2010
A bizarre, intense prison film about a jail in Ireland in the '80s, filled with a bunch of political prisoners.  It was supposedly about a particular prisoner's hunger strike, though that stuff only really came into play in the last little bit of the film.  Mostly, the film focused on a handful of prisoners, and one guard.  A little bit more background would have been nice -- for instance, I didn't realize that the prisoners were living in squalor thanks to a "no wash" strike until about halfway through the film.  I just figured that it was a really terrible prison.  Still, I enjoyed the movie; there was something strangely engaging and almost hypnotic about the grimness of it all.  Steve McQueen's direction was quite good, and though the film was deliberately paced, it was absolutely never boring.  We never particularly got to know any of the characters all that well, but it almost didn't seem to matter (I mean, it would have been nice, but the film definitely had a lot of other stuff going for it).  ***

Sixteen Candles

SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984) - July 15, 2010
An enjoyable film by the sadly departed John Hughes.  I waited way too long to write this for whatever reason, so...  I recall liking this film, but... yeah.  ***

Inception

INCEPTION (2010) - July 12, 2010
Oh sweet Jesus yes.  As hyped as I was for this film, this was just as good if not even better than I had hoped it would be.  I loved everything about this movie.  First off, there is Christopher Nolan's direction, which really is astounding, and is almost certainly his best work to date.  The action is thrilling and exciting, and the film is almost absurdly compelling on a visual level.  The final action sequence (which lasts a good half hour, if not a bit more) is a dazzling piece of work, with a dream within a dream within a dream all happening simultaneously and edited together to perfection.  The performances are just as good; Leonardo DiCaprio probably gives his best performance ever.  Every other role is just as perfectly cast.  Nolan creates a world here that seems entirely plausible; the film's depiction of dreams and the way they work always feels real.  GOOD STUFF.  ****

The African Queen

THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951) - July 11, 2010
I’ve been a fan of John Huston’s for a while now, so the African Queen has definitely been on my to-see list (I’m also a fan of Humphrey Bogart’s, but that just goes without saying. There are only two types of people in the world: Humphrey Bogart fans, and people who have never seen a Bogart movie). Up until a few months ago, thanks to some legal shenanigans involving rights issues, trying to see this movie on home video has been surprisingly difficult. But I’m glad that I never made the effort to get my hands on a dodgy import, because the recently-released Blu-ray looks pretty stunning. It’s sharp, vibrant and without a hint of age.  But what about the movie itself? While I wouldn’t quite put it up there with stuff like the Treasure of the Sierra Madre and the Asphalt Jungle (which I will be watching again pretty soon, as it’s on the list), this is definitely a justified classic. A movie like this, which is really just about the interactions between two characters, lives and dies by its performances. Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn… well, do I really need to finish that sentence? They’re both legendary actors, and their performances here are certainly commensurate with their stature. They also have really great chemistry together, so by the end of the film you’re definitely rooting for them to make it. You’d think that the film might be a bit stagy, but Huston manages to keep things abundantly cinematic, including a few sequences which are surprisingly tense. Good stuff. ***1/2

Tenderness

TENDERNESS (2009) - July 10, 2010
A slow and kind of mediocre film about a guy who has just come out of jail for murdering his parents, and the girl who has developed something of an obsession with him.  Meanwhile, a "mostly retired" cop is on his tail, convinced he's going to murder again.  The film was well made amd well acted, and it was actually fairly compelling in spots, but it was a bit uneven and too leisurely-paced for its own good.  **1/2

Predators

PREDATORS (2010) - July 9, 2010
While not quite the instant classic I might have hoped, this was still a really enjoyable action movie about a random group of soldiers (plus a convict, a doctor and a gangster) who find themselves being hunted on a strange alien world.  Featuring some expectedly primo direction from Nimrod Antal, the film is pretty tense in parts, and has a surfeit of exciting action (it also features what is easily one of the best openings I've seen in a long time).  The eclectic cast is definitely solid, particularly Adrien Brody -- he certainly isn't the most obvious choice for an action lead, but he's completely convincing.  The movie drags a bit around the middle, but aside from that it was quite enjoyable.  ***

Cyrus

CYRUS (2010) - July 6, 2010
Meh.  About a man who meets the woman of his dreams, only to find himself in conflict with her bizarre adult son, who still lives with her.  My main problem with this film is that the premise, and the over-the-top way these characters tend to act (particularly the Jonah Hill character), seems like it would be more at home in the latest Happy Madison or Adam McKay film.  However, writer/directors Jay and Mark Duplass imbue the film with a realistic, documentary-like tone and style which is entirely at odds with the more outrageous elements of the plot.  It feels very incongruous.  The movie is basically entertaining and very well acted, but it's definitely at its best in the quieter moments.  Also: the Duplass brothers' directorial style, with its jittery camerawork and inexplicably random zooms, is completely unappealing.  **1/2

The Invention of Lying

THE INVENTION OF LYING (2009) - July 4, 2010
An enjoyable enough film about a man who discovers lying in a society where everyone always tells the truth and speaks their minds.  All of the performances were quite good, Ricky Gervais in particular.  The whole thing was kind of middling but mostly entertaining.  **1/2

Futurama: Bender's Game

FUTURAMA: BENDER'S GAME (2008) - July 2, 2010
Another fun but somewhat subpar (compared to the best episodes of the show, at least) Futurama movie.  The weakest stretch was the extended fantasy sequence towards the end; it seems to be a rule that all animated shows must do this at some point, and it rarely works all that well.  Oh well, still an enjoyable film.  ***

Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer

AILEEN WUORNOS: THE SELLING OF A SERIAL KILLER (1992) - July 1, 2010
Well, this is a bit of a puzzlement. The list isn’t exactly doc-heavy (this is the first documentary I’ve watched for this blog thus far), so this seems like kind of an odd choice — it’s interesting enough, I guess, but it’s kind of low-rent and not exactly a shining example of what the medium is capable of. Not that I’m a huge documentary guy; I’ll admit that my interest as a filmgoer lies more with fiction than non-fiction. But even as an unseasoned documentary viewer, it’s pretty clear that this just isn’t all that great.  In fact, I had to consult the book itself to see why this mostly unremarkable doc warranted inclusion on a list of essential films. Apparently, it “[sheds] a piercing light on the underbelly of the American character” and is a “riveting, hop-scotching documentary.” Fair enough on the first count, I suppose, though personally I would disagree that this is anywhere near riveting.  I think the main problem here is that the film is never entirely sure about what it wants to be — is it about Arlene Pralle, a woman who bizarrely adopted Wuornos after she had already been arrested for seven murders? Is it about Wuornos herself? Or is it about director Nick Broomfield’s attempts to get access to Wuornos? The film doesn’t really have a clear focus, which prevents it from being quite as effective as it could have been. Pralle is probably the film’s most interesting figure (well, aside from Wuornos herself, but the film seems to have no interest in exploring her crimes in a meaningful way), but Broomfield sort of meanders around, spending just as much time with Wuornos’ incompetent, guitar-playing lawyer, a thread which doesn’t particularly go anywhere. Ultimately, it’s this lack of any kind of unifying thesis that really prevents this doc from being particularly effective.  **1/2

The Last Airbender

THE LAST AIRBENDER (2010) - July 1, 2010
Why, M. Night?  Why?  Though I didn't think that this was the all-out disaster that a lot of people are proclaiming it to be, certainly, it is Shyamalan's worst film, and the first of his movies that I thought was all-out bad.  The main problem is that none of the characters are particularly compelling; they're all kind of bland and without much personality.  That the film is filled with questionable, somewhat clunky dialogue doesn't help matters.  Nor does the fact that the whole thing has that artificial, overly-CGIed sheen.  I was sort of going with it for the first little bit, but about half-way through it started to really lose me, and by the time the requisite epic battle rolled around, I was pretty bored.  I did kind of like Shyamalan's direction; his penchant for long, meticulously composed takes remains intact here, leading to some fairly interesting visuals.  But the movie overall just doesn't work.  **