13 Going on 30

13 GOING ON 30 (2004) - Mar. 30, 2011
A cute film about a 13 year old who, after making a wish that comes true, wakes up as her 30 year old self and finds that her life isn't quite what she imagined it would be.  Slight, but well made and quite enjoyable.  ***

Sin Nombre

SIN NOMBRE (2009) - Mar. 29, 2011
A really well made film about a young girl traveling through Mexico with the goal of getting to her family in the States; meanwhile, a young member of a tough Mexican gang finds himself on the run when he kills his gang leader.  Featuring some really impressive direction from Cary Fukunaga, who eschews the type of gritty, documentary-style visuals you might expect from a story like this in favour of something much more cinematic.  Fukunaga does a really great job of creating characters who seem real and who become people who we come to care about.  There's also something kind of fascinating about seeing the way that this Mexican gang operates.  The film is quite tense in parts and very enjoyable all the way through.  ***1/2

Identity

IDENTITY (2003) - Mar. 28, 2011
An enjoyable thriller about a group of characters who find themselves at the mercy of a killer when they're all trapped in a motel together during an intense rainstorm.  Though it wasn't anything particularly special, it was a solid enough thriller with a neat twist that I didn't really see coming.  ***

Mildred Pierce (1945)

MILDRED PIERCE (1945) - Mar. 27, 2011
The film starts with a literal bang as we see a character get shot; it’s a pretty great way to start the movie, and a guarantee that it has your attention right from the get-go. From there, Mildred Pierce’s story unfolds in flashback — and there is a fair amount of story to be told. I can see how a six part miniseries was made from this material, as quite a lot happens in this movie (and I can only imagine that quite a bit more had to be cut from James M. Cain’s novel). That’s not to say that the film feels rushed or disjointed; it definitely doesn’t. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz, who was prolific, putting it mildly, with a stunning 173 films to his credit (according to his IMDb page, at least). He also directed another film that I’ve already watched for this blog, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and I’m sure I’ll be talking about at least a couple more (including Casablanca, a film widely regarded as one of the best of all time). Curtiz was never known as a flashy director, but he was no visual slouch, either. Pierce is frequently classified as a film noir, which seems like a bit of an odd categorization (aside from the murder-mystery framing device, the film has little in common with typical film noir), though there are definitely some noirish stylistic flourishes here. It’s a good looking film. The movie also moves at a really fast pace — sometimes it’s a little too easy to get distracted when you’re watching a movie at home, but this one had my undivided attention from the memorable opening right to its closing moments.  Mildred Pierce is quite melodramatic — and that’s not a bad thing. Melodrama is frequently derided as being a lesser form of storytelling: mere soap opera, not worthy of serious consideration. And certainly, bad melodrama is painful to watch. But if done right (as it is here), the heightened emotions of melodrama can be quite compelling. And of course, I have to mention the performances, particularly Joan Crawford — Crawford deservedly won an Oscar for this film, which revitalized her flagging career. This is a role that could have easily been overplayed, but Crawford really nails it. There’s a great depth to her character, and I think a lot of the credit for how well the film works must go to Crawford.  ***1/2

Paul

PAUL (2011) - Mar. 27, 2011
Though not quite on the same level as the previous two Simon Pegg / Nick Frost collaborations, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, I don't think this was aiming quite as high.  That's not a slight on this film; Paul is perfectly content to be a laid-back road movie (with an action-heavy third act), rather than the more involved genre deconstructions of Dead and Fuzz, and on that level it suceeds quite admirably.  I really, really enjoyed this movie.  It helps that Pegg and Frost have amazing chemistry -- I think at this point they're inching their way onto the list of all-time great movie duos.  In fact, I think the opening 15 minutes or so, before they actually meet Paul and the plot starts kicking in, may have been the best part of the film.  I certainly enjoyed all the alien road trip shenanigans, but Pegg and Frost are so great together I would have been perfectly happy if the whole thing had just been a plotless ride across the country.  ***1/2

Hobo With a Shotgun

HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN (2011) - Mar. 26, 2011
An enjoyably over-the-top '70s/'80s grindhouse homage about the eponymous Hobo (played memorably by the great Rutger Hauer) who finds himself in a town overrun by crime and at the mercy of a vicious murderer.  Director Jason Eisner does a great job of making the film look like something that could have been made a few decades ago, and though the film is perhaps not quite as awesome as I hoped it would be (it drags in parts) it is quite enjoyable and sporadically pretty funny.  ***

Battle: Los Angeles

BATTLE: LOS ANGELES (2011) - Mar. 25, 2011
I should have known that the guy behind the absolutely worthless Texas Chainsaw prequel (not to mention Darkness Falls, another terrible horror film) couldn't possibly have a good -- or even just decent -- movie in him.  About a group of generic soldiers who find themselves right in the middle in an alien invasion in L.A., this film confirms without a doubt that Jonathan Liebesman has absolutely no business being anywhere near a camera.  That he still has a career after his string of absolutely awful films is a puzzlement, to say the least.  And they're giving him another big movie -- Wrath of the Titans.  I don't get it.  Filmed with a drab, drained-of-all-colour visual style (even the pre-invasion stuff), the film pretty much never looks good.  Worse, Liebesman films everything -- from action to dialogue -- in tight close-ups with the shakiest camera imaginable.  You can basically follow what's going on, but the overactive editing style combined with the shaky camerawork and Liebesman's complete lack of finesse as a director makes for some completely unengaging action set-pieces.  And the film is essentially ALL action.  We get about ten minutes at the beginning to establish the bland, generic soldiers and then it's pretty much non-stop action until the credits roll.  I was sort of going with it for a while, but the terrible action combined with the complete lack of characters worth caring about completely wore me down.  I was exceptionally bored by the end of the film, and very much ready for it to be over.  Boo-urns.  *1/2

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE (1985) - Mar. 24, 2011 (Umpteenth Viewing)
Good times.  I'm happy to see that this movie has held up splendidly, as I absolutely loved it as a kid and was afraid it wouldn't be quite as good as I remembered.  This is Tim Burton's first movie, and he puts in some of his best work here -- the film is eminently watchable, and quite stylish without being overbearing.  It's also really funny, and very enjoyable throughout.  Pee-wee himself proves to be a very likable protagonist, and the supporting characters are all quite memorable.  Special mention must also go to Danny Elfman, whose almost ridiculously memorable score is a clear highlight (and probably one of my favourite scores ever).  ****

Hachi: A Dog's Tale

HACHI: A DOG'S TALE (2009) - Mar. 23, 2011
A well made tearjerker based on the true story of the dog on Japan whose owner died, and who spent the rest of his life waiting for him at a train station.  It's a little cheesy, but it's well acted (particularly Richard Gere -- that guy doesn't act enough) and generally well made.  And of course, seeing poor Hachi wait for a person who will never come is thoroughly tear-inducing.  ***

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

THE GOODS: LIVE HARD, SELL HARD (2009) - Mar. 22, 2011
A mostly entertaining comedy about a brash traveling car salesman who begins to realize that he might want to settle down.  Though the film is amusing in parts, it mostly squanders its very funny cast.  But it was enjoyable enough, I guess.  **1/2

The Illusionist (2006)

THE ILLUSIONIST (2006) - Mar. 21, 2011
As far as 2006-released, turn-of-the-century magician movies go, The Prestige is the clear victor.  However, this was still an enjoyable enough film about a talented magician who falls in love with a girl from the upper class.  The film is entertaining throughout, and quite well acted, if nothing entirely special.  Though it did make me realize that you just cannot go wrong with an ending in which a character realizes that they've been conned while dramatic music plays (ie. Spiral, The Usual Suspects, Primal Fear, etc.).  ***

Network

NETWORK (1976) - Mar. 20, 2011
This is a film that came out more than thirty years ago, and yet has hardly aged at all: desperate TV execs ready to do anything for a top-rated TV show, the decline of network news, the rise of exploitative reality TV — aside from some of the outdated technology (and a scene in which Robert Duvall wears a tux with a shirt that looks an awful lot like the puffy shirt from Seinfeld), this is a movie that could have come out yesterday.  There are also some eerily close parallels to the current Charlie Sheen fiasco. It’s very hard to see the Peter Finch character — who has a public breakdown and starts spouting off his own off-kilter world view in a very public forum — and not think of Sheen. When Finch (in a really amazing performance) says stuff like “I’m imbued with some special spirit. It’s not a religious feeling. It’s a shocking eruption of great electrical energy,” it’s very hard not to think of Charlie Sheen. All Finch is missing are references to tiger blood and winning.  This is also a surprisingly funny film. I didn’t realize going in, but there are some pretty memorable moments of dark comedy in this movie. I’m thinking, for example, of a great scene in which a group of revolutionary Marxists attempt to renegotiate their contracts with a bevy of lawyers and TV execs.  There’s definitely a lot to like here, including Lumet’s solid direction, the great performances, and a memorable scene with Ned Beatty that’s downright electrifying. Even if the rest of the movie were terrible, I still think it would probably be worth recommending if only for that one scene alone.  ***

Unknown

UNKNOWN (2011) - Mar. 19, 2011
A really enjoyable thriller about a man who, while on a business trip in Germany with his wife, gets into an accident and wakes up to find his life has seemingly been stolen.  I have to say, I liked this a lot more than I thought I would.  There are definitely shades of Hitchcock here, and the film featured some really solid direction from Jaume Collet-Serra, who manages to keep things intriguing and suspenseful throughout.  There were some pretty great scenes here -- a couple of highlights included a scene with Liam Neeson trying to grab a pair of scissors (which struck me as particularly Hitchcockian in its execution) and a surprisingly thrilling car chase (which was probably one of the better car chases I've seen in a while).  Where Collet-Serra falls down horribly, however, are the hand-to-hand fight scenes, which are edited into oblivion and nearly incoherent.  That was disappointing, but there were only a couple of fight scenes so it wasn't a big deal.  As for the performances, Liam Neeson was obviously quite good, as was Diane Kruger as the scrappy cab driver who helps him out.  Sebastian Koch was pretty much wasted in a small, thankless role, but Bruno Ganz was quite memorable as an ex-Stasi private eye (there was a scene towards the end with Ganz and Frank Langella that was pretty much worth the price of admission alone).  ***1/2

The Adjustment Bureau

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU (2011) - Mar. 18, 2011
A basically enjoyable high-concept romance about a man who discovers that the whole world is manipulated by "Adjusters" (ie. Angels) who report to "the Chairman" (ie. God); he falls in love only to be told that he cannot be with her because it isn't meant to be (why these Adjusters cannot simply tinker with his brain a bit -- an ability that we see they have -- to make him not love her anymore is never quite explained).  This is a fairly ho-hum romantic drama elevated by the intriguing concept and the above-average performances by Matt Damon and Emily Blunt (who definitely have great chemistry).  I was losing interest a bit towards the end, but the film won me back with a really great sequence in which Damon and Blunt confront the Adjusters and try to change their destiny.  ***  

The Thirteenth Floor

THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR (1999) - Mar. 16, 2011
An interesting sci-fi film about the investigation after a man -- the head of a a company that has created a virtual replica of 1938 -- is murderd.  I think the film had the misfortune of coming out at around the same time as the Matrix, which obviously had a similar premise and pretty much destroyed this film.  Featuring above-average direction by Josef Rusnak who, along with cinematographer Wedigo von Schultzendorff, does a pretty great job of evoking a very film noir vibe (it's quite Blade Runner-esque).  They overdo the fog machine a bit, but other than that it's a really nice looking film.  There are some pretty intriguing ideas here, and Rusnak does a great job of keeping things interesting and mysterious throughout.  This is definitely the kind of smart sci-fi that we just don't see enough of these days.  Also, there's a revelation towards the end that I didn't see coming at all -- it was pretty mind-blowing.  My only real complaint is that Craig Bierko seems to be miscast in the main role; he's pretty wooden.  He's fine, I guess, but someone with a bit more charisma would have definitely been nice.  ***1/2

The Escapist

THE ESCAPIST (2009) - Mar. 15, 2011 (S)
Blarg.  About a aging convict who starts planning his escape after finding out that his daughter has become a junkie, this movie squandered its above-average cast (including Brian Cox, Damian Lewis and Joseph Fiennes) -- none of the characters are particularly interesting or even very well developed, which makes a great actor like Cox feel pretty much completely wasted.  Director Rupert Wyatt also makes the somewhat disastrous choice of cutting back and forth between the preparations and the escape itself, which robs the escape of any real momentum (any time you start getting into it -- whammo, back to the prison) and which makes the prison stuff feel like wasted time (the surfeit of bland, underdeveloped characters also makes the prison stuff a bit of a tough slog).  The prison stuff does improve a bit towards the end (there's a couple of pretty great scenes between Cox and Lewis) but it's kind of too late by then.  Then there's the "hey, guess what??  It was all a dream!" twist ending, which pretty much just made me want to punch the movie right in the nose.  *1/2

Men At Work

MEN AT WORK (1990) - Mar. 14, 2011
Not so good.  About a couple of laid-back garbagemen who find themselves caught up in a scheme involving murder and political corruption, this was just not a particularly good movie.  The first little bit, with the two men (played affably by Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez) just doing their thing (including getting into some wacky shenanigans with a couple of rival garbagemen, and planning to open a surf shop -- a plot thread that goes nowhere) was enjoyable enough.  Once the over-the-top plot starts to really get into gear, the film kind of goes off the rails.  **

Severance

SEVERANCE (2006) - Mar. 13, 2011
An enjoyable film about a group of co-workers who venture out for a business retreat to a cabin in the woods, only to find themselves picked off one by one.  Another above average horror film from Christopher Smith, this was also quite funny and engaging.  It takes a while to get started (it's something like an hour into the film before stuff starts to really happen), but it was definitely quite enjoyable throughout.  ***

Four Lions

FOUR LIONS (2010) - Mar. 10, 2011
A really dark comedy about a group of bumbling suicide bombers in London.  There's some connection here to In the Loop -- one of the same writers, I think -- and though that is the superior film, this was still quite enjoyable and sporadically pretty funny.  I particularly liked the third act, where things get hilariously dark.  ***

Mars Needs Moms

MARS NEEDS MOMS (2011) - Mar. 9, 2011
A surprisingly enjoyable film about a kid whose mom is kidnapped by aliens from Mars, and who must go rescue her.  Refreshingly old-school in execution, this feels like a film that could have been made in the '80s (aside from motion capture, the medium in which it is told) -- Simon Wells' solid direction eschews quick cuts and shaky-cam in favour of something a bit more old fashioned, and John Powell's rousing score feels like something John Williams or Alan Silvestri might have done a couple of decades ago (albiet not quite on their level).  The characters are all very likable, and overall it's just a really fun adventure -- though I'm still not crazy about the super-real mo-cap character designs, it probably worked better here than in any of Zemeckis' mo-cap films (or maybe I just didn't notice it as much because I was actually enjoying this film, unlike Zemeckis' abysmal mo-cap trilogy).  ***1/2

Redbelt

REDBELT (2008) - Mar. 8, 2011
About a Jiu-jitsu master with a strict honour code (much to his own financial and personal detriment) who finds himself mixed up in the world of professional fighting, this was a really well made film.  Though I was kind of iffy on it at first (David Mamet has that very specific, laboured style that can take some time to get used to), Mamet ultimately does a really great job of establishing this world and the characters who live within it.  The cast, with people like David Paymer, Tim Allen, Joe Mantegna, and a scene-stealing Ricky Jay, is uniformly pretty great.  Then there's Chiwetel Ejiofor in the main role, who gives an absolutely outstanding performance -- one of his best (and I'm now convinced that he would have been a billion times better as Bond than Daniel Craig).  He creates a really compelling character, and the story surrounding him unfolds in a really interesting way.  Good times.  ***1/2

High Lane

HIGH LANE (2009) - Mar. 6, 2011
A decent horror film about a group of friends who go climbing -- their planned route turns out to be closed, so they decide to make their own trail (never a wise choice).  Sort of like Cliffhanger + The Descent + Texas Chainsaw Massacre (plus a few others), there's nothing particularly fresh here, but it's decently made and mostly entertaining throughout.  **1/2

Drive Angry

DRIVE ANGRY (2011) - Mar. 6, 2011
Meh.  About a man who escapes from hell in order to rescue his baby granddaughter from a satanic cult, this was just as ridiculous as the description makes it sound.  Certainly, this is a movie that knows exactly what it is and runs with it, embracing its R rating and trying to be as fun as possible (with the possible exception of Nicolas Cage, who was far more subdued than you'd think).  And it does start out pretty fun -- but the movie is 104 minutes long and probably shouldn't be any longer than 80.  I was never bored, but I was certainly very ready for it to be over when it finally did end.  **1/2

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop

A WOMAN, A GUN AND A NOODLE SHOP (2009) - Mar. 5, 2011
Ah, now that's how you do a remake.  A remake of the Coen brothers' Blood Simple, only with the action transposed to 19th century China.  The film takes the main story beats of the Coens' film, and manages to do something pretty different with them (if by virtue of the setting and time period alone).  Featuring typically exquisite direction from Zhang Yimou, this was a seriously good looking movie.  It also managed to be pretty riveting throughout -- watching the various characters each deal with the situation at hand was quite enthralling.  ***1/2

Summer Wars

SUMMER WARS (2009) - Mar. 4, 2011
Though not quite on the same level as Mamoru Hosoda's previous film, the Girl Who Leapt through Time, this was still a well made film about a kid who gets invited to a friend's country home for the weekend, not knowing that she wants him to pretend to be her boyfriend.  Meanwhile, a sinister virus is wreaking havoc in an internet-like virtual world, eventually taking control of the miltary in an attempt to cause as much chaos as possible.  It's kind of an odd mix of genres -- family drama / romance mixed with a high-concept action premise, but it essentially works.  The film is a bit slow, and drags in parts, but it's definitely well made and unique.  ***

Let Me In

LET ME IN (2010) - Mar. 3, 2011
About... well, about the exact same thing Let the Right One In was about (it's an extremely faithful remake -- perhaps to a fault) this was a well made film that just felt a little too samey to ever really get into.  Though there were a few changes here and there (plus the change of setting to 1980s USA), for the most part this felt so similar to Let the Right One In that I'm a little confused as to why it even needs to exist.  Why put so much time and effort and talent into something that essentially boils down to a very handsomely made photocopy?  Something that does very, very little that the original didn't already do?  Director Matt Reeves is obviously quite talented, but this just seems like a waste of his time.  **

Rango

RANGO (2011) - Mar. 1, 2011
About a pet chameleon who finds himself the sheriff of a wild west-style town, this was a bit of a disappointment from Gore Verbinksi, and marks two not-so-great films in a row from the man (after the convoluted last Pirates film).  One of the main problems here is that aside from Rango himself, all of the characters are pretty bland and uninteresting, making it tough to care about the fate of their town.  Westerns are obviously pretty rare these days, so it was nice to see a straight western without much irony -- but the film just isn't that great.  I was never bored, but I was never particularly involved, either.  There were, however, some surprisingly exciting action set-pieces, and the whole thing was decent enough, if not particularly memorable.  **1/2