A Christmas Carol

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (2009) - Dec. 18, 2009
Another disappointing and visually unappealing mo-cap fiasco from the once-talented Robert Zemeckis.  I think I've already made my issues with Zemeckis' ill-advised ultra-real mo-cap style fairly clear, so I won't repeat them.  As for the movie itself, its main problem is that Scrooge just isn't a particularly interesting character, and since we're all abundantly familiar with his jerk to nice-guy character arc, the movie tends to feel a bit dull and pointless.  It doesn't help that there isn't really any conflict in the story -- there isn't much at stake for Scrooge to become a nice guy, other than Tiny Tim's life, I guess.  I don't know, the whole thing was basically entertaining I guess, but kind of dull.  **

The Princess and the Frog

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (2009) - Dec. 16, 2009
A mostly enjoyable though kind of disappointing cartoon from Disney -- Disney's first traditionally animated film since Home on the Range, which is why it's disappointing that it's not better than it is.  The film has definitely proved that there is still a place for traditional animation (or at least there should be), as it looked really really good.  The story, involving a girl who is transformed into a frog thanks to a voodoo curse, was fine, if not anything really groundbreaking -- I can appreciate that Disney is trying to play it safe since this is their first 2D outing in a while, with traditional animation  lamentably being an oddity these days.  The problem is that the film really starts to lag a bit in its midsection -- with the two main characters as frogs, surrounded by overly-quirky characters in a visually unappealing swamp (at least compared to the film's vibrant rendering of 1920s New Orleans).  However it starts and ends quite well, and I was definitely never bored.  If nothing else, the film is worth it just for its dazzling animation.  **1/2

Five Minutes of Heaven

FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN (2009) - Dec. 15, 2009
A really well made and extremely well acted film about a former UVF member who agrees to meet the brother of a man he killed several years earlier.  The film is really well directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, and features some surprisingly tense moments.  However, it is the performances that really stand out, particularly Liam Neeson, who proves yet again that he's one of the best actors working right now.  ***1/2

Whatever Works

WHATEVER WORKS (2009) - Dec. 14, 2009
A really enjoyable comedy by Woody Allen about a grumpy old coot (a self-proclaimed genius) who befriends (and later marries) a young, small-town girl.  Easily Allen's funniest film in ages, this actually felt a lot like the films of his heyday, though not quite on that level in terms of quality.  It was definitely right up there with his better films of late, and a definite reminder that the Woodster can still knock 'em out of the park when he feels like it.  The film was at its strongest for the first hour or so, and runs out of steam ever-so-slightly by the end, but it was still quite enjoyable throughout and featured a surprisingly strong lead performance from Larry David.  ***1/2

Armored

ARMORED (2009) - Dec. 12, 2009
An enjoyable thriller about a group of armored truck drivers who decide to rob the truck that they're driving; things don't go according to plan.  This is Nimrod Antal's follow-up to Vacancy, which was superb.  This wasn't quite in the same league, but it was definitely enjoyable and really well directed (other than a short car chase which was a bit too heavy on the old shaky-cam).  ***

Fired Up

FIRED UP (2009) - Nov. 29, 2009
An enjoyable and wacky comedy about a couple of guys who decide to go to cheerleading camp in order to meet girls; wackiness ensues.  The movie unfolds pretty much exactly how you think it will, but it's quite entertaining throughout, and features a number of genuinely funny moments.  ***

Ninja Assassin

NINJA ASSASSIN (2009) - Nov. 28, 2009
A really silly but mostly enjoyable film about a member of an elite group of ninjas who goes rogue.  The action was completely over-the-top (and a bit cgi-heavy) but was mostly enjoyable.  The main characters were all kind of bland, but pretty much got the job done.  **1/2

Mission: Impossible 3

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 (2006) - Nov. 26, 2009 (Second Viewing)
While I think I enjoyed this a bit more this time around, it's still definitely not on the level of J.J. Abrams' directorial follow-up, Star Trek.  The action is all very well done, and it's quite entertaining throughout, though I still think it's probably a bit too action-heavy in the second half.  ***

Fantastic Mr. Fox

FANTASTIC MR. FOX (2009) - Nov. 26, 2009
I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about this going in -- Wes Anderson is such a great director of live action, it seemed to me like he was just wasting his time dabbling in animation (much like what Zemekis has been doing for the last little while).  Fortunately, I couldn't have been more wrong -- this was an utterly charming film, and the shift from live action to animation has done nothing to dull Anderson's ability to create a really compelling group of characters; this is easily right up there with all of Anderson's best films.  The retro animation style is a bit off-putting when only seen in small chunks, however within the context of the film it works beautifully.  But no amount of great visuals would have helped much if the story were weak -- however, this isn't the case at all.  The film is funny, touching and really enjoyable throughout.  ****

2012

2012 (2009) - Nov. 21, 2009
About the events surrounding the end of the world in 2012, mostly revolving around a divorced author struggling to maintain a relationship with his kids, and a scientist who was one of the first to discover what was happening to the Earth.  The film definitely overstays its welcome a bit at over two and a half hours, and the plot/characters are far from fresh, but just for the spectacle of it all it's definitely worth watching.  Roland Emmerich is pretty much a master at destroying things on a huge scale at this point, and his direction in the action scenes is refreshingly devoid of the old quick-cut/shaky-cam.  Plus, the film features some of the best special effects that I've seen in a while, so the destruction is almost always fairly convincing.  ***

The Men Who Stare at Goats

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS (2009) - Nov. 13, 2009
An enjoyable if somewhat episodic and rambling film about an American reporter in Iraq who gets caught up with a with a man who claims to be a member of elite group of soldiers with paranormal abilities.  The performances were all quite good, and it was well made, but it wasn't quite as engaging as I might have hoped.  ***

The Box

THE BOX (2009) - Nov. 7, 2009
About a couple in '70s-era Boston who receive a mysterious box containing a button, and are told that if they press it, they will receive a million dollars but someone who they don't know will die.  Oddball shenanigans ensue once the couple decide to start investigating who's behind the box.  The film features expectedly primo direction from Richard Kelly, who does a great job of establishing and maintaining an atmosphere of dread.  The problem is that the film just gets more and more bizarre as it goes along, eventually introducing a lot of bizarre sci-fi plot twists which may or may not hold up to scrutiny.  ***

Monsters vs. Aliens

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS (2009) - Nov. 5, 2009
A silly but enjoyable cartoon about a woman who is turned into a giant, and is subsequently locked up with a few other wacky monsters, and eventually called upon to save the Earth from a sinister alien.  It's not exactly Pixar, but then it didn't really seem like it was trying to be anything other than innocuous fun.  And for what it was, it was quite enjoyable.  ***

This Is It

THIS IS IT (2009) - Nov. 1, 2009
A really enjoyable but kind of sad concert film, documenting Michael Jackson's rehearsals for what was to be his final set of concerts, if he hadn't died.  It's sad because it shows that Jackson, despite outward appearances, was ready and completely able to put on a really great show, and was still clearly just as passionate of an entertainer as ever.  It's always apparent that this is just a rehearsal and not a real show, but it's just as apparent that the concert would have been pretty great.  ***1/2

Law Abiding Citizen

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (2009) - Oct. 31, 2009
Though the film gets progressivly sillier and more far-fetched as it goes along and starts to wear out its welcome a bit towards the end, this was a basically entertaining film.  About a man whose family is killed, and who then embarks on what has to be the most ridiculously elaborate revenge scheme ever committed to film, this was an extremely ludicrous but mostly enjoyable film.  **1/2

Southland Tales

SOUTHLAND TALES (2006) - Oct. 28, 2009
A bizarre film about a bunch of characters in Los Angeles in a not-too-distant future in which America is essentially a police state and at war.  A kind of strange mishmash of genres, sort of sci-fi and satire and dark comedy all at once -- I can see why the reviews were mixed, but I thought it was pretty great.  It's sort of ambiguous and weird and quirky, but it definitely worked for me.  Richard Kelly's direction is stellar, which certainly helps.  The performances were all quite good, and the film was just intriguing all the way through.  Good stuff.  ****

Saw VI

SAW VI (2009) - Oct. 27, 2009
Slightly better than the last few films in the Saw saga, this one focused on a smarmy health insurance executive who made the mistake of turning down Jigsaw's request for a procedure that could have cured his cancer, which was obviously not the smartest call on his part.  This one featured another new director who, like the last guy, is bland, but still a huge step up from the flashy hackery of Darren Lynn Bousman.  The film is almost ridiculously low rent -- it's almost surprising that a theatrical release can get away with such low production values, but I guess that's becoming part of the charm of the Saw movies.  All the stuff with the hapless executive was quite entertaining, but I found myself losing interest every time the film cut to Hoffman's shenanigans, with the exception of the scene in which an increasingly shifty Hoffman is on the verge of being found out by his colleagues (Hoffman definitely needs to go -- he's easily one of the lamest villians ever).  **1/2

Paranormal Activity

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (2007) - Oct. 23, 2009
About a couple who think that they're being haunted, and who set up cameras to record themselves while they're sleeping, this was a genuinely creepy film.  It's kind of slow and pretty uneventful for the most part, and yet there's something about it that's oddly terrifying.  ***1/2

Them

THEM (2006) - Oct. 19, 2009
A simple but effective horror movie about a young couple who wake up one night to find their home besieged by invaders.  The film was well directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud, and definitely did a good job of keeping things fairly suspensful.  Though the first half was definitely more effective than the second, it was still quite enjoyable throughout.  ***

The Stepfather

THE STEPFATHER (2009) - Oct. 17, 2009
Though I haven't seen the original on which this was based, I have to assume that it was better than this.  About the latest family of a killer who goes from family to family, weaseling his way in and then killing them when they don't meet his standards.  The main problem with this movie was that it just wasn't all that interesting, with long stretches in which not all that much happens.  Once it's established that the eldest son of the family is suspicious of the stepfather, the film essentially just spins its wheels without much of note happening for long stretches of time.  The suspicious son, who is essentially the main character, is super bland, which doesn't help matters.  Nor does the fact that the film is ridiculously watered down, even by the usual tame standards of a PG-13 horror film -- when the bloodiest part in a thriller like this is when the main character cuts himself while shaving, you know you've got problems.  Despite all that, the film featured competent (if somewhat bland) direction from Nelson McCormick, and up to a certain point I was thinking that the movie was pretty bad but not outright terrible.  But then there was the ridiculously anti-climactic finale, which had to have been the worst ending I've ever seen for a movie like this.  It was frustratingly bad. Seriously, what were they thinking?  *