30 Days of Night, Into the Wild, Across the Universe

30 Days of Night - File this under - 'What took them so long to come up with this brilliant idea?' The setting is Barrow, Alaska - the northernmost town in the United States. It's isolated for miles and miles on all sides. It snows all the time. Once a year, the small town is plunged into darkness for an entire month. This year, a mysterious Stranger (the electrifying, as always, Ben Foster) has arrived. He's destroyed all their cell phones. He cut off all their power. He killed all the sled dogs. He's burned many of the cars. Those that chose to stay (the last airplane leaves at sundown and a plane won't be back until dawn) are effectively cut off from the outside world. Being plunged into darkness for a month sounds creepy enough but when you throw a gang of supernatural vampires into the mix it's downright scary. A small band of survivors unite to try to last through the darkness and make it to daylight. They are led by Sherriff Eben (Josh Hartnett) and his estranged wife Stella (Melissa George). When I told my mom this movie was a love story, I wasn't joking. It kind of is. Stella and Eben have a lot of issues and, really, when is it a better time to realize how much you love someone than when you are being stalked by bloodthirsty vampires? (See, there's something for everyone here). The movie is directed by David Slade who last directed the fantastic film Hard Candy and he does an equally impressive job here. There's a lot of quick cuts. There's a lot of fast action. And, there's a lot of blood! His overhead shots of vampires ransacking the small town are glorious. The movie isn't exactly scary but I've seen a million horror movies and so I'm a bit jaded by now. It actually plays a little more like a Western to me (maybe I like Westerns now?). It's definitely got the swagger and attitude down. The acting is solid but nothing spectacular (it is a horror movie, after all). Hartnett particularly impressed me because I'm so used to him feeling so rigid and stiff in his roles. He actually shows quite a bit of emotion here, especially in the last act of the movie. George is the weakest link here. At times, her performance is strong but there's something about her that just annoys me (Sorry but it's true). Of course, Ben Foster steals all the scenes he is in. This is pretty much the perfect role for him. He's a great character actor who seems to love characters who are a little bit strange, to say the least. Maybe his mantra is: 'The crazier the better.' And he's great at it. Here's hoping he keeps making movies like this and keeps playing such complicated, crazy, wonderful characters. The movie starts with a hectic, gritty intensity and it doesn't let up. The movie is definitely sinister, violent and unrelentingly violent. I'm over zombies, let's return to the vampire genre! And this is a great way to start that trend!
Grade: B

Into the Wild - There are movies that you instantly forget you ever saw. There are many of those. There are movies that are enjoyable or even thought-provoking that stick with you for a few days or a few weeks, sometimes months and years. There are many of those as well. Then, there is the rarest of films - the kind that burrows into your soul. The kind that you just know will live with you forever. The kind that is absolutely unforgetable. Into the Wild is the latter. Honestly, I'm not sure how to even review this movie. In a way, it's beyond words. There's too much beauty, too much tragedy, too much unexplainable perfect-ness to try to capture in a paragraph or two of clumsy words. But I'll try. Into the Wild follows recent college graduate Chris McCandless (Emile Hirsch in a performance so powerful and astonishing, it's really hard to see how he can't be Oscar nominated in January) who burns his social security card, cuts up his credit cards and gives away his life savings to Oxfam. He leaves behind his family (Dad William Hurt, Mom Marcia Gay Harden, sister Jena Malone), gets in his car and just hits the road. We follow him on a series of life changing / life altering experiences and adventures. He meets a lot of great characters played by a lot of great actors (Holy Kristen Stewart! I was right, I was right. She can act!). He takes the name Alexander Supertramp and sets off to see it all. He does rapids from the desert into Mexico (without the permit that would require him to wait 12 years!). He works in a wheat field with Vince Vaughn. He forms a kind of tramp family with the lovely Catherine Keener. He has a moment of true clarity with an apple. All of these adventures, with hippies and nude colonies, Reno and the dirty streets of Los Angeles, moutains and deserts and sweet young love left unconsummated, his true goal is to go North - to Alaska. When he gets there he lives in a Magic Bus for over three months. He hunts (killing a moose which he writes is the biggest tragedy of his life), he pretends he's a bus driver having conversations with his imaginary passengers, he reads, he just lives. And then, well, nature has its funny ways. It's, perhaps, the biggest tragedy of all that the earth that he so worshipped and adored ultimately destroys him. To look at Emile Hirsch in those final few scenes is utterly painful. He looks so pained, to gaunt (you know, the Academy loves when actors lose a lot of weight for roles!!!). The cinematography is stunning. Sean Penn's rebellious direction is superb. The acting is downright brilliant. Hirsch, like I said, deserves to be nominated for an Oscar. I've been a fan of his for years but this is the performance that will cross him over into the mainstream - if he wants to. He gives his all to this role and the result is beyond words. The supporting cast is great as well especially turns from Hal Holbrook, Catherine Keener and Kristen Stewart. The bottom line is that this movie is just plain amazing. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best movie of the year and I can't forsee anything beating it. I'm sure some people out there might find the main character to be a pompous, stubborn asshole, but I see him (as does Penn) as some sort of martyr. His story is inspirational. If I had the guts, I would love to do the same thing. Is there anything wrong with this movie? I could say I didn't love Jena Malone's wise-beyond-her-years narration but that would just be nitpicking. As far as I'm concerned, this movie is as close as you can get to perfect.
Grade: A+

Across the Universe - Sometimes being visually daring doesn't exactly pay off. Sure, this movie looks great. It's got style by the truckload but that doesn't help a boring cliche filled script and loads of mediocre performances. The movie, of course, is set to Beatles music. And the songs are mostly great. The actors are up to the challenge of singing them. But sometimes it's overload. I'm pretty sure the only reason the character of Prudence is even in the movie is so they have an excuse to sing 'Dear Prudence' at one point. She's absolutely the most unnecessary character in recent memory. A few other characters show up just so they can randomly sing songs as well. In a way, the movie is an acheivement in art, design, style and dance. However, it's still a movie and as a movie it suffers from not having a strong script. It suffers from using every 60s era cliche it can possibly find. It suffers from being a little too strange for it's own good. It suffers from being about 40 minutes too long. (It's called editing Julie Taymor, please embrace it next time). There's no character development. No character arcs. No lessons learned. Nothing. But let's ignore the fact that the characters never learn or develop and remain completely one-dimensional because the movie looks great! No, I'm not that easy and you shouldn't be satisfied that easily either. Maybe what irked me the most was that it didn't follow the one very simple rule of musicals. You can pretty much get away with murder in a musical as long as you follow this one simple rule: All songs must advance the plot. This movie fails miserably at that. Jim Sturgess does a fine job playing the main character Jude, a man who leaves Liverpool to find his father in America and instead finds and falls in love with Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). Wood... annoys me sometimes. In some movies I love her and in some movies I don't. I loved her in Pretty Persuasion and Down in the Valley. I didn't like her here. Dana Fuchs pretty much steals the show as Sadie, a very Janis Joplin type singer. Her rendition of Helter Skelter is easily the best part of the film. The movie isn't so bad, however. There are some great scenes. I particularly loved the bowling alley scene, the 'Happiness is a Warm Gun' scene and the 'Let it Be' scene (eventhough, again, random characters who only serve a function to sing and then disappear). It's not the best movie of the year (nowhere near it) but its not the worst either. It's more or less a two hour long glorified music video.
Grade: C-

Michael Clayton, We Own the Night

Michael Clayton - This is the kind of movie that is a little bit hard to explain. Why? Well, it takes all of about the entire two hours to finally get a grasp on what exactly is going on. Guess what? I love movies like that. Also, the plot is just a little bit complicated. George Clooney plays Michael Clayton, a "fixer" for a high-powered law firm in New York City. Said firm is representing a manufacturing company, U North, in a class action libel suit that says their weed repelent has killed family members. Tom Wilkinson is the lawyer in charge of that case (but also, he's sort of making a case against them). Tilda Swinton is a sort of public relations person for U North. Sydney Pollack is the head honcho at the law firm. These are the main characters you need to worry about. The movie surely requires a lot of attention, but it's not the convoluted jigsaw puzzle I'm making it sound like. There are a lot of secondary characters involved in the story that make explaining it difficult. There are also various important pieces of information that I wouldn't want to give away. The film makers aren't spoon feeding the audience but they also haven't made the movie something you can't understand (David Lynch didn't direct it, after all). To make things generic, the basic plot is not unlike 'A Civil Action' or 'Erin Brokovich.' But unlike either of those films, this film works on a much higher level. It unfolds in a spell binding way. It's completely engrossing (except for the middle section which dragged a bit for me but whatever). The story telling is mesmerizing. The dialogue is pitch perfect. And those performances! The spotlight surely falls on Clooney - as it always does. He's amazing, for sure (especially while the credits role - don't look at them - look at everything that is happening in Clooney's face... those 2 minutes alone are nomination worthy). But the real stand-out here is Wilkinson. He does over the top with a subtle nuance and it's just perfect. He's on my short list for Best Supporting Actor. Holding it down for the ladies is the amazing Tilda Swinton. You can have your Cate Blanchett. I'll take Tilda. She's amazing to watch. There is a particular scene in which she practices a speech while getting ready for work that just knocked me out. The movie is not without it's flaws of course. It's hardly convincing that lawyers wouldn't know better than to assume Clayton died in a fiery car crash when there was clearly no body. Also, the final 10 minutes is terribly predictable and cliche. Although, Clooney and Swinton somehow make it almost work. Maybe I'm just getting tougher. After all, pretty much every movie that comes out after September wants to be considered for an Oscar. If this movie was released in, say, April, it probably would have gotten a higher grade.
Grade: B

We Own the Night - There's a lot to like with We Own The Night. Unfortunately, there's a lot to dislike as well, especially after last year's fantastic The Departed. This movie will inevitably be compared to that movie and it's almost not fair. But guess what? Both are complicated mob/cop movies. The Departed is as close to perfection as possible. Compared to Scorsese's masterpiece, We Own the Night is mediocre at best. The movie which takes place in the 80s (wonderful setting) in New York City follows Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix), a nightclub manager who has a hot girlfriend (Eva Mendes) and a decadent drug fueled lifestyle. Meanwhile, his brother Joseph (Mark Walhberg) just got promoted to the captain of the drug inforcement task force on the police department. Their father (Robert DuVall) is also a respected and veneered police officer. That's the basic plot. What are the fatal flaws here? The characters are terribly contrived. The storyline is a little bit nonsensical (I really don't want to ruin anything but Phoenix's character makes such a drastic character change near the end that I just personally find hard to believe). There are quite a few boring parts. The acting is superb but that's to be expected with such a high caliber cast. The on-screen family, however, has little chemistry together. Mendes' character is annoying and a bit ridiculous (she and Phoenix take part in the most gratitous, unnecessary sex scene in recent memory). There's a lot of things that don't make a lot of sense (where is the cop back-up? why is DuVall so mad at Phoenix just for managing a nightclub? why would the drug dealer just hang around in the city?) . They give us reasons for some of this stuff but they don't satisfy my curiosity. But the movie definitely isn't all bad. The two shootouts are well done with a lot of shaky camera, which makes them more exciting. The final cat and mouse game in the long grass is thrilling and engrossing. There's a car chase in the pouring rain that will make your heart stop beating. Overall, the movie is barely more than average.
Grade: C+

The TV Set - I would definitely recommend this movie. It's fun and funny, witty and well done. It's an interesting look at how exactly a television show gets made. Grade: B-

Lucky You - Ah, my most hated film genre - the romantic comedy. It is my mortal enemy. This movie is about 30 minutes too long. It's also a shame that Texas Hold Em' is so 2005. But, kudos for small roles from Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Shannon. Grade: D

Reign Over Me - I'm about 3/4 of the way through this movie right now and it's so boring that I am doing this instead. I heard so much about Adam Sandler being Oscar worthy? Are you kidding me? Don Cheadle is wiping the floor with him. Grade: D (as of right now anyway).

In the Valley of Elah, Feast of Love, and more!

In the Valley of Elah - There are people who didn't like Paul Haggis' directorial debut Crash because it was soapy and over-dramatic. I absolutely loved Crash but I do understand where said critics are coming from. The thing about In the Valley of Elah is that it proves that Haggis embraced one of the most wonderful tools a director has in his arsenal: restraint. Instead of going with the interconnected multiple story lines, Elah follows one main story throughout the film. Instead of going for the overly-emotional, this film embraces understated performances, namely from Tommy Lee Jones who is just spectacular in this movie. It is actually very brave of Haggis to make serious changes to the style that won him Best Picture at the Oscars. It's even more impressive that it works so well for him. To the story, Hank (Jones, in his best performance) goes searching for his son (Jonathan Tucker - although he's barely in it) and he meets a lot of military people who don't really want to tell him much. He tries to get help from the cops. At first they don't want to help him find out where his son is either. He starts investigating by himself but is soon joined by a cop played by Charlize Theron. One of the things I like about the movie is it doesn't preach it's message. Clearly, it's got quite a few negative things to say about the war in Iraq but it's all done very subtley and the film isn't a two hour tirade against it. Tommy Lee Jones' performance could quite possibly be the best of his career. He is the strong, silent type and brings so much emotion to the role. Theron is strong as well but nothing to write home about. Sarandon may be a tad underused but she's powerful and perfect when she's featured. The film isn't necessarily long (2 hours) but it feels long. At first I wasn't sure I liked the ending but the more I think about it, the more I do. I was waiting for a conspiracy, the other shoe to drop, so to speak. But, sometimes, the motives for things aren't so cut and dry. War changes people. In the Valley of Elah is a strong film about the effects of war on people. It's also a solid crime thriller. I'm not sure it will win Best Picture but there will probably be at least three Oscar nominations (Jones, Sarandon, Screenplay). It's an easy film to get interested in. It's captivating and very moving.

Grade: B

Feast of Love - Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this movie. I thought it was going to be just another sappy, cheesy love story. But I was pleasantly surprised. It's a funny, smart, sexy, tragic story about relationships - not just romantic relationships but the relationships we form with different people in our lives. The movie stars Morgan Freeman as Harry, a college professor who is struggling with the death of his son to a drug overdose and who extends his leave of absence at the University of Portland. Meanwhile, he becomes a sort of father figure to numorous other characters including Bradley's (Greg Kinnear) hopeless romantic but bad luck with love coffee shop owner. At first he's married to Kathryn (Selma Blair). But then she leaves him for another woman. Next he gets married to Diana (Radha Mitchell) who is having an affair with a married man, David, played by Billy Burke. The affair was going on before she met Bradley and it continues up until she marries Bradley and then continues when she leaves Bradley for David. While Bradley is unlucky in love, star crossed young lovers Chloe and Oscar (Alexa Davalos and Toby Hemingway - each prettier than the other) fall in love at first sight and their passion and love overcomes the fact that they have no money, only a dream for the future where they'll live in a house with a foyer. This film peels back the layers of humanity and explores the different personalities within people. The number of intimate moments (so much nudity) and personal insecurities are too many to count and list. But isn't that like in real life? This film is very realistic. Very rarely do you see movies like this on-screen. Is it a little watered down? Sure. But it's more realistic than most 'romance' movies. The best story line probably follows Freeman and Jane Alexander as an interracial couple hurting deeply from the loss of their son but the strength of their relationship allows them to deal with the grief in separate ways. It's no light-hearted chick flick. Thank God! It's interesting and tender and heartbreaking and just plain realistic. It's not a romantic drama. It's a human drama and it's surprisingly endearing.

Grade: B-

Hot Fuzz - The movie is mostly funny and well done. Lots of great action film throw backs. However, it's about 25 minutes too long. Still, enjoyable. Grade: C+

The Game Plan - Ugh. There were a few things I laughed at so it makes it better than Good Luck Chuck, for sure. The Rock isn't a great actor but at the very least he has charm and charisma. Predictable. Whatever. Grade: D+

October Movie Preview

October 5 - I'll be rushing to see Feel the Noise since I love urban dance movies. The Heartbreak Kid, I guess, is the big draw. I'm not really a fan of Ben Stiller's but I'll check it out anyway. In non-movie news, the new season of Friday Night Lights premieres. If you don't watch it, you don't know what you're missing. It's the best show on television. Period.

October 12 - Michael Clayton opens wide. I can take or leave George Clooney but I'll be there because of Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson (who looks like he rocks this movie!). Elizabeth: The Golden Age opens. Cate Blanchett will probably be Oscar nominated. The movie stars a lot of pretty people - Cate, Clive Owen, Abbie Cornish, Samantha Morton. Too bad the whole thing just looks so unnecessary. Lars and the Real Girls opens in limited so if you live in a city you can see Ryan Gosling have sex with a blow-up doll. Color me jealous. Then there is a potentially good / potentially bad movie starring one of my movie star boyfriends (I should make a list of them all, huh?). We Own The Night stars Joaquin Phoenix and I'll be there because he's SEXY.

October 19 - The coolest idea for a vampire movie EVER opens, 30 Days of Night and it stars Ben Foster so you know it's going to be way cool. Some probably-dumb sports movie spoof called The Comebacks open. Jan from The Office is in it. Too bad that won't make me go see it. Ben Affleck's directorial debut Gone Baby Gone opens. It stars his younger (cooler) brother Casey Affleck. It's based on a book by the guy that wrote Mystic River. It may be awesome. We'll see if Ben is a better director than he has been an actor lately. Rendition opens. It stars lots of Oscar winners/nominees (Meryl! Reese! Jake! - Peter Sarsgaard gets no love in the trailer because he's never been nominated). I sort of think this movie has TRAINWRECK written all over it. Reservation Road opens in limited. More Joaquin although the movie looks like an In The Bedroom rip-off. Things We Lost in the Fire opens. It stars Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro. The trailer is, quite possibly, the worst trailer ever made. I have faith in Benicio. I do NOT have faith in Halle. Wristcutters: A Love Story opens in very limited release. With a name like that, man, you know it's my kind of movie.

October 26 - The trailer for Dan in Real Life only makes me feel sad for Steve Carrell and his choice of films as of late. But it doesn't matter almost because no one is going to see that movie. Wanna know why? Saw IV opens. I liked the first one, hated the second one and loved the third one. We'll see where this one falls in the spectrum.