SORORITY ROW (2009) - Sept. 30, 2009
A mediocre slasher film that feels like it came out ten years too late, this was about a group of sorority sisters who cover up a murder when a prank goes seriously awry -- a few months later, they start getting killed one by one on the last night of school. Though the film actually starts out fairly strong, it just isn't very well written, and so I found myself seriously losing interest during the film's lengthy midsection. Once the killer sprung into motion I was basically entertained for a while, but the film's climax went on far longer than it should have (Carrie Fisher pops up towards the end and livens things up considerably, though her part was lamentably small). **
Short reviews of all the movies I see, rated out of four. Reviews containing spoilers are marked with an (S).
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Messages Deleted
MESSAGES DELETED (2009) - Sept. 28, 2009
A surprisingly shoddy film about screenwriting teacher who gets a couple of messages from murder victims just before they are killed, and soon finds himself the prime suspect for their murders. Everything about this film feels ridiculously low-rent, from Rob Cowan's bland, downright incompetent direction (which is a big reason that this film doesn't work -- a lot of sequences that are clearly meant to be suspenseful or exciting just fall completely flat) to the score to the second-rate performances (even Matthew Lilard, who I like, did his best but was clearly miscast as a leading man type). It's surprising, given that it was written by Larry Cohen, who recently wrote the above average thrillers Cellular and Phone Booth -- this probably would have been quite a bit better with a better director and slightly higher production values, but it still wouldn't have been on the level of those two films. Oh well. *1/2
A surprisingly shoddy film about screenwriting teacher who gets a couple of messages from murder victims just before they are killed, and soon finds himself the prime suspect for their murders. Everything about this film feels ridiculously low-rent, from Rob Cowan's bland, downright incompetent direction (which is a big reason that this film doesn't work -- a lot of sequences that are clearly meant to be suspenseful or exciting just fall completely flat) to the score to the second-rate performances (even Matthew Lilard, who I like, did his best but was clearly miscast as a leading man type). It's surprising, given that it was written by Larry Cohen, who recently wrote the above average thrillers Cellular and Phone Booth -- this probably would have been quite a bit better with a better director and slightly higher production values, but it still wouldn't have been on the level of those two films. Oh well. *1/2
Sunday, September 27, 2009
The Time Traveler's Wife
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE (2009) - Sept. 27, 2009
Though not nearly as good as the book it is adapted from, this was an enjoyable and well made film about the romance between a man who periodically and uncontrolably time travels, and the woman who has known him since she was a child. The film sort of feels like a really simplified version of the book, which I guess was probably necessary given how dense the novel was -- it's a shame to lose the intricate nature of the book, where a lot of the time travel stuff was woven in in a really ingenious way, but for what it was the film pretty much succeeds. Certainly, both Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams gave stellar performances, which went a long way towards making up for some of the film's deficiencies. The movie's chick-flickiness felt more overt towards as it went along, and my attention did wane slightly towards the end, but for the most part this was a decent enough adaptation, if not at all on the same level as the novel (but I have to say, jeers to the filmmakers for replacing the book's melancholy, pitch-perfect ending with something a bit more upbeat and generic). ***
Though not nearly as good as the book it is adapted from, this was an enjoyable and well made film about the romance between a man who periodically and uncontrolably time travels, and the woman who has known him since she was a child. The film sort of feels like a really simplified version of the book, which I guess was probably necessary given how dense the novel was -- it's a shame to lose the intricate nature of the book, where a lot of the time travel stuff was woven in in a really ingenious way, but for what it was the film pretty much succeeds. Certainly, both Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams gave stellar performances, which went a long way towards making up for some of the film's deficiencies. The movie's chick-flickiness felt more overt towards as it went along, and my attention did wane slightly towards the end, but for the most part this was a decent enough adaptation, if not at all on the same level as the novel (but I have to say, jeers to the filmmakers for replacing the book's melancholy, pitch-perfect ending with something a bit more upbeat and generic). ***
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Jennifer's Body
JENNIFER'S BODY (2009) - Sept. 26, 2009
About a high school girl who starts eating her classmates after she's turned into a demon of some sort, this was a pretty mediocre film. Featuring ineffectual direction from Karyn Kusama, who does a pretty terrible job of generating any kind of suspense, and who seems to flinch away from any real violence -- I'm not sure why she even directed a horror film, since it seems like she's uncomfortable with the genre. Diablo Cody's quirky, super-stylized dialogue doesn't work nearly as well here as it did in Juno (it feels almost like Cody is parodying herself in parts, though I'm sure that wasn't the intention), though I did get used to it after a while. The film's main problem was that the horror stuff was pretty lame, it wasn't funny enough to work as a comedy, and the characters weren't really interesting enough to carry the film on their own (they were basically just variations on characters we've seen in a million other high school movies). **
About a high school girl who starts eating her classmates after she's turned into a demon of some sort, this was a pretty mediocre film. Featuring ineffectual direction from Karyn Kusama, who does a pretty terrible job of generating any kind of suspense, and who seems to flinch away from any real violence -- I'm not sure why she even directed a horror film, since it seems like she's uncomfortable with the genre. Diablo Cody's quirky, super-stylized dialogue doesn't work nearly as well here as it did in Juno (it feels almost like Cody is parodying herself in parts, though I'm sure that wasn't the intention), though I did get used to it after a while. The film's main problem was that the horror stuff was pretty lame, it wasn't funny enough to work as a comedy, and the characters weren't really interesting enough to carry the film on their own (they were basically just variations on characters we've seen in a million other high school movies). **
Saturday, September 19, 2009
[REC] 2
[REC] 2 (2009) - Sept. 19, 2009
An awesome follow-up to the original [REC], which is definitely just as good as that film if not even a little bit better. Taking place just after the events of the first film, this one finds a group of soldiers entering the apartment with a doctor in an attempt to figure out just what the disease is all about. Featuring some amazingly tense sequences as well as some seriously sweet action, this was definitely one of the more flat-out enjoyable films I've seen in a while. ***1/2
An awesome follow-up to the original [REC], which is definitely just as good as that film if not even a little bit better. Taking place just after the events of the first film, this one finds a group of soldiers entering the apartment with a doctor in an attempt to figure out just what the disease is all about. Featuring some amazingly tense sequences as well as some seriously sweet action, this was definitely one of the more flat-out enjoyable films I've seen in a while. ***1/2
Road, Movie
ROAD, MOVIE (2009) - Sept. 19, 2009
A surprisingly boring film about a young man who decides to take his uncle's truck, a beat up old truck from the '40s that's been outfitted as a traveling movie theatre, and drive it across India's desert. He picks up some quirky characters along the way. There are so many problems with this film I don't even know where to start. It's visually not compelling at all, as the protagonist quickly leaves the city and spends the rest of the film driving across the barren desert. The main character was completely bland and not even nearly interesting enough to carry the film. The two main supporting characters are ridiculously quirky and are never developed beyond their initial quirkiness. There's a subplot about mobster-controlled water wells that feels out of place and goes absolutely nowhere. Blech. The official TIFF guide called this the "new Cinema Paradiso," which as far as I'm concerned is a crime. *1/2
A surprisingly boring film about a young man who decides to take his uncle's truck, a beat up old truck from the '40s that's been outfitted as a traveling movie theatre, and drive it across India's desert. He picks up some quirky characters along the way. There are so many problems with this film I don't even know where to start. It's visually not compelling at all, as the protagonist quickly leaves the city and spends the rest of the film driving across the barren desert. The main character was completely bland and not even nearly interesting enough to carry the film. The two main supporting characters are ridiculously quirky and are never developed beyond their initial quirkiness. There's a subplot about mobster-controlled water wells that feels out of place and goes absolutely nowhere. Blech. The official TIFF guide called this the "new Cinema Paradiso," which as far as I'm concerned is a crime. *1/2
Air Doll
AIR DOLL (2009) - Sept. 19, 2009
An odd misstep for Hirokazu Koreeda, this wasn't bad by any means, but it definitely wasn't on the same level as Koreeda's previous films. About a sex doll who comes to life and then begins to see what life is like as a human, including working at a videostore an starting a romance with one of her coworkers, this was definitely well made, but it was kind of odd and something about it just didn't quite work. It was just as slow as Koreeda's previous films, but unlike those I definitely felt the slowness -- the usual richness of character typical of a Koreeda film seemed lacking. It probably didn't help that the film focused mostly on the air doll, who just didn't seem to be an interesting enough character to carry the entire film. **1/2
An odd misstep for Hirokazu Koreeda, this wasn't bad by any means, but it definitely wasn't on the same level as Koreeda's previous films. About a sex doll who comes to life and then begins to see what life is like as a human, including working at a videostore an starting a romance with one of her coworkers, this was definitely well made, but it was kind of odd and something about it just didn't quite work. It was just as slow as Koreeda's previous films, but unlike those I definitely felt the slowness -- the usual richness of character typical of a Koreeda film seemed lacking. It probably didn't help that the film focused mostly on the air doll, who just didn't seem to be an interesting enough character to carry the entire film. **1/2
Ong Bak 2
ONG BAK 2 (2009) - Sept. 19, 2009
A disappointing follow-up to the awesome Ong Bak (and a sequel in name only, as the presence of Tony Jaa is the only thing tying this to the original), the muddled story involves a young prince (or at least I think he was a prince) who escapes after his family is murdered and subsequently joins a group of bandits and trains to fight. The movie itself was pretty poor, but at least I was never entirely bored. However, there really wasn't enough really good action -- there were exactly two above average action sequences, including a final action scene that was pretty awesome. So it wasn't bad, I guess, but it was certainly nowhere near the instant classic that the first one was (but it is pretty hard to go wrong with a movie in which someone does a somersault off an elephant and then kicks someone in the head). **1/2
A disappointing follow-up to the awesome Ong Bak (and a sequel in name only, as the presence of Tony Jaa is the only thing tying this to the original), the muddled story involves a young prince (or at least I think he was a prince) who escapes after his family is murdered and subsequently joins a group of bandits and trains to fight. The movie itself was pretty poor, but at least I was never entirely bored. However, there really wasn't enough really good action -- there were exactly two above average action sequences, including a final action scene that was pretty awesome. So it wasn't bad, I guess, but it was certainly nowhere near the instant classic that the first one was (but it is pretty hard to go wrong with a movie in which someone does a somersault off an elephant and then kicks someone in the head). **1/2
Friday, September 18, 2009
The Good Heart
THE GOOD HEART (2009) - Sept. 18, 2009
It's pretty much impossible to go wrong with a film starring the great Brian Cox, and this was certainly no exception. About a cantankerous old bartender who befriends a down-on-his-luck young man and decides to train him to take over his bar once he dies (he has a bad heart and expects to go at any moment). The film was kind of oddly quirky but it was well made and quite enjoyable throughout. ***
It's pretty much impossible to go wrong with a film starring the great Brian Cox, and this was certainly no exception. About a cantankerous old bartender who befriends a down-on-his-luck young man and decides to train him to take over his bar once he dies (he has a bad heart and expects to go at any moment). The film was kind of oddly quirky but it was well made and quite enjoyable throughout. ***
Leaves of Grass
LEAVES OF GRASS (2009) - Sept. 18, 2009
Featuring some above average writing and direction from Tim Blake Nelson (his first film in about eight years), this was a really good movie about an esteemed professor who returns home only to find himself embroiled in a scheme cooked up by his drug dealing twin brother. Edward Norton, playing both brothers, was superb, as were all the other actors. ***1/2
Featuring some above average writing and direction from Tim Blake Nelson (his first film in about eight years), this was a really good movie about an esteemed professor who returns home only to find himself embroiled in a scheme cooked up by his drug dealing twin brother. Edward Norton, playing both brothers, was superb, as were all the other actors. ***1/2
Phantom Pain
PHANTOM PAIN (2009) - Sept. 18, 2009
About a cycling enthusiast who loses his leg after an accident, this was a decent film featuring a really good performance from Til Schweiger. The direction was okay (despite an almost comical overabundance of musical montages set to cheesy soft rock songs), and it was definitely well acted, but I can't say I was ever particularly into it. **1/2
About a cycling enthusiast who loses his leg after an accident, this was a decent film featuring a really good performance from Til Schweiger. The direction was okay (despite an almost comical overabundance of musical montages set to cheesy soft rock songs), and it was definitely well acted, but I can't say I was ever particularly into it. **1/2
Last Ride
LAST RIDE (2009) - Sept. 18, 2009
A really well made and well acted film about a father and a son traveling across Australia. Featuring a really good performance from Hugo Weaving, the film was exceptionally slow-paced but quite enjoyable throughout. It helped that both of the main performances were so good, and that the father and son dynamic between them seemed interesting and real. ***
A really well made and well acted film about a father and a son traveling across Australia. Featuring a really good performance from Hugo Weaving, the film was exceptionally slow-paced but quite enjoyable throughout. It helped that both of the main performances were so good, and that the father and son dynamic between them seemed interesting and real. ***
Vincere
VINCERE (2009) - Sept. 18, 2009
A good looking but otherwise fairly crappy film about a woman who had a romance with Mussolini before he became Prime Minister of Italy, had his kid, and was subsequently cut out of his life entirely. She later wound up in an insane asylum when she continually insisted that Mussolini was her husband. The film started out pretty well, but it's clear almost immediately that Mussolini is a much more interesting character than this woman, and he leaves the film at about the forty minute mark, never to be seen again. The film then gets more and more dull as it essentially just consists of the woman trying to convince various people that Mussolini is her husband. The cinematography was quite good, but a keen sense of style just wasn't enough to save this film. *1/2
A good looking but otherwise fairly crappy film about a woman who had a romance with Mussolini before he became Prime Minister of Italy, had his kid, and was subsequently cut out of his life entirely. She later wound up in an insane asylum when she continually insisted that Mussolini was her husband. The film started out pretty well, but it's clear almost immediately that Mussolini is a much more interesting character than this woman, and he leaves the film at about the forty minute mark, never to be seen again. The film then gets more and more dull as it essentially just consists of the woman trying to convince various people that Mussolini is her husband. The cinematography was quite good, but a keen sense of style just wasn't enough to save this film. *1/2
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Solomon Kane
SOLOMON KANE (2009) - Sept. 17, 2009
A mostly entertaining if somewhat routine adventure movie about a greedy plunderer and mercenary who renounces his evil ways when he finds out that the devil wants his soul; he is forced back into action when a young girl he has befriended is kidnapped by evil forces. Reasonably well made and featuring an expectedly good performance from James Purefoy, I was pretty much entertained all the way through, though it did lose its momentum at times, and I was never a hundred percent into it. **1/2
A mostly entertaining if somewhat routine adventure movie about a greedy plunderer and mercenary who renounces his evil ways when he finds out that the devil wants his soul; he is forced back into action when a young girl he has befriended is kidnapped by evil forces. Reasonably well made and featuring an expectedly good performance from James Purefoy, I was pretty much entertained all the way through, though it did lose its momentum at times, and I was never a hundred percent into it. **1/2
Kamui
KAMUI (2009) - Sept. 17, 2009
Slow-paced and somewhat underwhelming, this was a kind of mediocre film about a wandering rogue ninja who finds respite in a small fishing villiage. The movie didn't really have much of a plot, and most of the time there really wasn't all that much driving it forward -- it felt pretty meandering, so my interest was seriously waning at times, particularly in the middle of the film. The movie does, however, begin and end with some really good action. But for a movie with both pirates (who hunt sharks) and ninjas, this was definitely a disappointment. **
Slow-paced and somewhat underwhelming, this was a kind of mediocre film about a wandering rogue ninja who finds respite in a small fishing villiage. The movie didn't really have much of a plot, and most of the time there really wasn't all that much driving it forward -- it felt pretty meandering, so my interest was seriously waning at times, particularly in the middle of the film. The movie does, however, begin and end with some really good action. But for a movie with both pirates (who hunt sharks) and ninjas, this was definitely a disappointment. **
High Life
HIGH LIFE (2009) - Sept. 17, 2009
A basically enjoyable if somewhat aimless film about a group of dim-witted criminals who decide to rob an ATM. Timothy Olyphant was quite good in the main role, and the direction was decent enough, though the film's origins as a play are fairly apparent -- it's quite dialogue heavy, with the type of self-aware, writerly dialogue that's hard to pull off, which sort of works and sort of doesn't. Also, the washed-out, poor man's Kaminski cinematography was really unappealing to look at. Other than that, the film was decent enough (I particularly liked the classic rock soundtrack). **1/2
A basically enjoyable if somewhat aimless film about a group of dim-witted criminals who decide to rob an ATM. Timothy Olyphant was quite good in the main role, and the direction was decent enough, though the film's origins as a play are fairly apparent -- it's quite dialogue heavy, with the type of self-aware, writerly dialogue that's hard to pull off, which sort of works and sort of doesn't. Also, the washed-out, poor man's Kaminski cinematography was really unappealing to look at. Other than that, the film was decent enough (I particularly liked the classic rock soundtrack). **1/2
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Cell 211
CELL 211 (2009) - Sept. 16, 2009
A surprisingly enjoyable film about a young prison guard, on the day before his first day of work, who ends up getting stuck in the prison during a riot, and who passes himself off as a prisoner to get by. The film was well directed and quite enjoyable, though it faltered a bit in the third act. Aside from that, it was fast-paced, and I really wouldn't be surprised if it wound up getting remade by Hollywood. ***
A surprisingly enjoyable film about a young prison guard, on the day before his first day of work, who ends up getting stuck in the prison during a riot, and who passes himself off as a prisoner to get by. The film was well directed and quite enjoyable, though it faltered a bit in the third act. Aside from that, it was fast-paced, and I really wouldn't be surprised if it wound up getting remade by Hollywood. ***
The Angel
THE ANGEL (2009) - Sept. 16, 2009
Well, I guess it has to happen at least once per festival -- the film wasn't exactly fast-paced, and I was tired from waking up so early every day, and I fell asleep. For pretty much the entire more, other than the first twenty minutes or so. It seemed decent from the first twenty minutes, if somewhat slow, a bit overly gritty in its visuals, and with a somewhat tired premise (a young mother tries to overcome a heroin problem). NO RATING
Well, I guess it has to happen at least once per festival -- the film wasn't exactly fast-paced, and I was tired from waking up so early every day, and I fell asleep. For pretty much the entire more, other than the first twenty minutes or so. It seemed decent from the first twenty minutes, if somewhat slow, a bit overly gritty in its visuals, and with a somewhat tired premise (a young mother tries to overcome a heroin problem). NO RATING
The Front Line
THE FRONT LINE (2009) - Sept. 16, 2009
A dull film about a group of extreme left wing Italian terrorists who operated in the late '70s and early '80s. Decently directed with a hand-held, though thankfully not overly-shaky style (which seemed similar to the style of the Dardenne brothers, who produced this film), the film isn't particularly interesting despite the seemingly fascinating subject matter. Meh. **1/2
A dull film about a group of extreme left wing Italian terrorists who operated in the late '70s and early '80s. Decently directed with a hand-held, though thankfully not overly-shaky style (which seemed similar to the style of the Dardenne brothers, who produced this film), the film isn't particularly interesting despite the seemingly fascinating subject matter. Meh. **1/2
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Loved Ones
THE LOVED ONES (2009) - Sept. 15, 2009
A better than average horror film about a guy who is knocked out, only to wake up and find himself the prisoner of a seemingly meek but actually psychopathic girl that he rejected -- things just get worse and worse from there. Featuring solid direction from first-time director Sean Byrne, the film did a really good job of establishing and maintaining a pretty high level of tension. Good stuff. ***1/2
A better than average horror film about a guy who is knocked out, only to wake up and find himself the prisoner of a seemingly meek but actually psychopathic girl that he rejected -- things just get worse and worse from there. Featuring solid direction from first-time director Sean Byrne, the film did a really good job of establishing and maintaining a pretty high level of tension. Good stuff. ***1/2
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