October 2015

The Martian
Stars - Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Sebastian Stan, Kate Mara, Jeff Daniels
Plot - An astronaut left on Mars by his crew who thought he was dead, must learn to survive until they can come save him.
Thoughts - The Martian is a big ole' crowd pleaser of a movie. It's funny, it's smart, it's engaging, it's got a great cast full of great performances. But it is also sort of forgettable, and it has a pretty anti-climactic ending. Still worth seeing though.
Grade - B

Sicario
Stars - Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin
Plot - A woman is brought in on a top secret mission involving drug smuggling between Mexico and the US.
Thoughts - I'm guessing not many people saw this, which sucks, because we need more smart movies for adults. However, this also could have been a slightly better movie, and perhaps more people would have seen it. Benicio Del Toro kills it in this movie which is pretty solid despite a lackluster ending.
Grade - B

The Walk
Stars - Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Plot - Based on the true story of a French tight rope walker who decides to walk between the twin towers in NYC.
Thoughts - It's a shame this movie is so boring, because the actual tight rope walk scene is so fantastic, it will make you fall in love with the magic of movies all over again.
Grade - C

Unfriended
Plot - A group of friends are terrorized one by one via social media on the anniversary of their friends death.
Thoughts - I actually sort of didn't hate this? Sure, it's gimmicky (filmed entirely on Web cams and via Skype). Sure, it's sort of a cliche scare fest. But the hell if it isn't a fast paced, fun little creative experiment, that maybe doesn't always succeed, but will at least keep you interested.
Grade - C+

Steve Jobs
Stars - Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels
Plot - Steve Jobs goes head to head with various co-workers, employees and friends while building a legacy.
Thoughts - I guess there are people who don't like screen writer Aaron Sorkin's fast paced, non stop style. Those people might not like this super talky, character driven movie. But I love Sorkin, and there haven't been very many movies as good as or better than this all year. Also, I haven't seen DiCaprio in The Revenant yet, but Fassbender is going to be tough to beat for that Oscar.
Grade - A-

Bridge of Spies
Stars - Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance
Plot - A lawyer helps broker a trade of Spies during the Cold War.
Thoughts - I realize how lucky I am to live in a world where Steven Spielberg is still making movies. However, I've always had a fundamental problem with Spielberg movies, and that is how uneven they feel.  Just when you are about to fall asleep from boredom,  he throws in some amazing scene of a plane being shot down, or people trying to climb over the Berlin Wall. Plus, Hanks is probably our most reliable movie star actor, and Mark Rylance steals the whole movie. Feels even longer than its 2 hour and 20 minute run time, but still worth watching.
Grade - B

Don Jon / Rush

Earlier this year, I saw a movie called The Internship, which was a pretty ridiculous comedy starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. It wasn't a good movie but it was funny and charming and I gave it a B-. Now I'm not trying to say The Internship was a better movie than Don Jon or Rush, but their grades are about to equal or less than B-. Why? Did it have to do with the fact that I saw The Internship in the middle of a pretty disappointing summer where the stakes weren't as high? Or is it just because I've been looking forward to Don Jon and Rush and found them both sort of disappointing? Whereas, I had no expectations of The Internship other than for it to make me laugh, which it did? Who knows. Maybe I'm just getting meaner as the year goes on.

Don Jon is Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut. He also wrote it and stars in it as Jon, a New Jersey bartender who sleeps with a different hot girl every week but would prefer watching hardcore porn to all the sex he is having. Then he meets a hard 10 named Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), who turns his world upside down. She's pretty much the perfect woman to him, although he still would rather watch porn, which, of course, causes major problems with their relationship. Don Jon is deftly directed by Gordon-Levitt, who is confident in his characters and story telling and does a really great job directing this movie. It didn't bother me that the movie was super raunchy (although it did bother the 80 year old woman who, I guess, came to see Robin and Black Widow in a love story and walked out after 15 minutes). The performances here are all top notch, with best in show going to Johansson and her hysterically spot on New Jersey accent and mannerisms and Tony Danza, who all but steals the movie away from every one else. The great thing about the movie is how it steers clear of cliches every step of the way. I didn't see the ending coming a mile away, which is a nice change of pace, but it also felt very organic and realistic. Still, Don Jon seems sort of self-absorbed. The repetition of scenes (we see the same thing over and over again) gets exhausting, and there isn't a single likable character in the entire movie. The worst thing I can say about this movie is that despite its 90s minute running time, it feels twice that long. Bad pacing will kill a movie every time. This isn't a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination. Parts of it are actually pretty funny and the performances are all around great. Maybe I was expecting too much, but I was certainly a tad disappointed with the final product.

Where Don Jon tries to be sexy and almost entirely fails, feeling sleazy instead, Rush is very sexy. I never thought I would use the words Ron Howard and sexy in the same paragraph, but there it is. Rush is the true story of Formula 1 race car drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) and their 1976 rivalry. Hunt is a gorgeous, carefree, charismatic Brit who loves to drink and womanize and drive cars really fast. Lauda is the straight-laced Austrian who attacks racing from an intellectual space and knows there's a 20% chance he might die on any given race day. He's willing to except that but not a percentage more. Like Don Jon, the performances in this movie are pretty spectacular, especially Bruhl, who is a revelation. Howard directs this movie with a dizzying excitement, with a sort of energy that makes you think he is falling in love with movies all over again. The final act of this movie is edge of your seat excitement; you couldn't take your eyes from the screen if you wanted to. That's the good news. The bad news is the first two-thirds of the film are largely dull and forgettable. Race after race. So much exposition that it's exhausting. Sure, there is all the sexiness dispersed here and there (thanks to Hemsworth and Natalie Dormer and Olivia Wilde), but mostly the first two-thirds is just boring. So, Howard has managed to make a really great ending to a movie, but not much more. It's a shame and, again, a disappointment.

Don Jon - C+
Rush - B-

Friday Top Five: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

This has been my hardest top five, so far. Sure, Dustin Hoffman and Robert DeNiro have amazing filmographies filled with classic roles in iconic films, but I wasn't even alive when either of them were in their prime. I've grown up with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I've watched his career unfold in real time, and he's built a resume of movies that are varied and solid. Plus, he is arguably the best actor of my generation (okay, maybe, Ryan Gosling, but who wants to argue??). Either way, I could have made a top five list out of the movies that didn't make my list (The Lookout, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Manic, and, my personal favorite, 10 Things I Hate About You) and been totally happy with it. His directorial debut, Don Jon, is in theaters today and I am pretty excited to check it out. But, for now, here are the top five films I came up with for my list:

05. As Joe in Looper (Rian Johnson, 2012)
The prosthetic make-up was a bit more confusing than intended for me, but underneath all of that, Gordon-Levitt gives a performance so confident that it's hard to ignore the make-up. As a cold, hard killer, he manages to be intense while also showing a caring side. He is funny and bad ass at the same time, sometimes within the same scene. Looper was my favorite movie last year and it has just as much to do with Gordon-Levitt's incredible performance as it does with Johnson's brilliant time travel script.
Best Quote: "So why don't you do what old man do and die?"

04. As Tom in (500) Days of Summer (Marc Webb, 2009)
As the tagline says, This is not a love story, but it is a story about unrequited love and Gordon-Levitt carries this quirky film on his shoulders. He manages to be completely charming and endearing while acting in ways we know are unhealthy. His comedic timing matches his acting ability and he and co-star Zooey Deschannel have great chemistry. And what can't Joe do in this movie?? He laughs, he cries, he sings, he dances! He can do it all!
Best Quote: "I don't know how to tell you this, but... there's a Chinese family in our bathroom."

03. As Tommy in Stop-Loss (Kimberly Pierce, 2008)
This is a movie that is terribly underrated. Not nearly enough people have seen it and that's a shame. We get career best performances from Ryan Phillipe and Channing Tatum (at least until he made Magic Mike). But, it's Gordon-Levitt who steals the show as the mentally unstable soldier back from Iraq who can't quit cope with being home from war. His performance as this man who maybe needs violence in order to feel normal is flawless. His final moments on screen will break your heart.

02. As Brendan in Brick (Rian Johnson, 2005)
As the high school Sam Spade, Gordon-Levitt sets out to solve his ex-girlfriend's murder in this highly stylized film noir flick. This is Rian Johnson's directorial debut, and it is pretty much perfect. I love this movie so much that I don't even know how to describe how great it truly is. It's everything you want in a movie - it's cool as hell, the dialogue is incredible, the plot is complicated and smart, the direction is memorable, and the performances are all so great, especially Joe and his high school private eye who can't be distracted or deterred from his goal. Brick is a fantastic movie and one you definitely must see if you haven't already.
Best Quote: All of them??? But how about: "Maybe I'll just sit here and bleed at you."

01. As Neil in Mysterious Skin (Gregg Araki, 2004)
This is not an easy film to watch. It's about child abuse and the way it formed the lives of two very different boys, who grew up to be two very different young men. Gordon-Levitt's performance is something sad and beautiful. He totally inhabits the cockiness of youth, the swagger of thinking you will live forever. But deep down, there is so much anger and pain. Gordon-Levitt and the other lead, Brady Corbet, give about the best performances that two people can give.
Best Quote: " I met Wendy Peterson when I was ten. She was eleven, one grade ahead of me in school. If I wasn't queer we would have ended up having sloppy teenage sex and getting pregnant, contributing more fucked-up unwanted kids to society. But instead, she became my soul-mate. And... one true partner in crime."

Lincoln

Everything I have heard about Lincoln thus far has been overwhelmingly positive. People are calling it the best movie of the year, and a masterpiece. While I liked the film, I wouldn't go that far. For the most part, for me, Lincoln is merely an acting showcase for some of the best performances of the year.

Steven Spielberg's Lincoln follows about a month in his life after he's been reelected for his second term and when he's trying to get the 13th amendment (abolishing slavery) passed through the House of Representatives. What follows is a beautifully acted, well directed movie in which every character actor you can think of talks and talks and talks and talks and talks and talks (and then talks some more!) for two and a half hours. These characters give speeches and tell anecdotes and three scenes later someone very long windedly reiterates exactly what a different character has said already. But the glacial pace and ridiculously long dialogue scenes weren't even my biggest problem with the film. My biggest problem was this: when you think about Abraham Lincoln, arguably the greatest president in history, what are two things you think about immediately. Your answer will most likely include The Gettysburg Address and his assissination. This movie shows you neither. You can argue that the movie focuses on that month long period, and that's fine. But the movie does give you the Address and his death (in a way) without showing either, and I think that's a cop out. Like my boyfriend said, it would be like watching a three hour movie about the Titanic and then having it end with some old white guy saying, "Oh, well, the ship sank." After we already sat through a movie with no action to speak of, at least give us something!

Spielberg is considered the greatest living filmmaker, but he's never been one of my favorites. I will say that I unabashadly love two of his films - Jaws and Schindler's List. There are moments of greatness in this film, like many of his other films. Two particular scenes that come to mind, are a beautifully shot Lincoln standing in front of a window while talking to his wife, and Lincoln's son Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, all but wasted in a small and fruitless role) following a wheel barrow of body parts near the end. Both of those scenes stand out as being closer to art than movie making. But, for the most part, this is a long-winded and flawed historical epic (which means it will win all kinds of Oscars).

The saving grace here are the performances. Daniel Day-Lewis, who is the greatest living actor, becomes Abraham Lincoln to the point where it is a little scary. It's uncanny how much he looks like the great man, especially in profile. I think he's well on his way to winning a third Oscar because his performance is that good and natural. I had no problem beliving that this was actually President Lincoln. And the great thing about this performance is how different it is from his last Oscar winning role in There Will Be Blood. That performance was loud and bombastic and showy. His Lincoln is refined and subtle, a beautifully powerful performance. It's hard to think of any actor stealing the show from Day-Lewis, but co-star Tommy Lee Jones very nearly does. One can argue that this is just another wise cracking version of every character he's ever played before. But, I disagree. He is responsible for the single greatest scene in the movie and if that scene in his office near the end isn't his Oscar nominee clip, then I don't know what to say. The final member of the trifecta is Sally Field. All I know about Mary Todd Lincoln is that she was supposedly crazy, but Field makes her so much more complicated. Instead of a crazy lady, she's a woman grieving for a lost son and trying to live with a man who is beloved by everyone.

The most fun part of Lincoln, however, is playing Spot the Character Actor. Between this movie and Argo, I think every character actor working in Hollywood had a job for at least a few weeks. In Lincoln, the great supporting cast includes David Strathairn, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Haley, Bruce McGill, Tim Blake Nelson, Lee Pace, Jared Harris, Lukas Haas, Dane DeHaan and more.

So, while Lincoln is being hailed as a masterpiece, I tend to disagree. It's a good movie, that's for sure, and the three main performances are so stellar that they definitely deserve Oscar nominations (to say the least). However, Lincoln, for me, didn't live up to the hype.

Grade: B-

Looper

The very first thing I said to my boyfriend as we left the theater after seeing Looper was, "If you didn't like that movie, we are breaking up right now." Luckily, he agreed with me and thought it was the best movie we had seen this year.

Quite a few years ago, I happened upon a little indie movie called Brick. When I was growing up, I wasn't like normal kids and while they watched animated Disney movies, I watched movies like Chinatown and The Maltese Falcon. So Brick, which married film noir with high school, seemed like it was almost tailor made for me. Plus, it starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt, an actor who I loved since his days on 3rd Rock from the Sun. It also co-starred an actor named Noah Segan who I had never seen before but who I gravitated to immediately. Plus, it was written by this first time writer / director named Rian Johnson. I immediately thought "No one writes dialogue better than this guy" (and I still feel that way all these years later). Brick and these three guys quickly became personal favorites. A few years later these three teamed up again for The Brothers Bloom which was just as good with characters so vivid and dialogue so fresh. Needless to say, I was excited for Looper. I had high expectations, for sure. I knew it would be good, but I wasn't completely prepared for how great it would be.

Looper takes place in 2044 in Kansas. Time travel hasn't been invented yet, but 30 years in the future it will have been. It will immediately be outlawed but, since it will be impossible to hide a body in the future, some very mean men will use it as a way to transport their targets back to "present day" where special assassins (loopers) will kill the targets, dispose of the body, collect their fee, get high using eye drops, party with hookers and so on. When a mysterious and super deadly figure called The Rainmaker takes over in the future, he begins to do something called "closing the loop." This means that the loopers future self will be sent back to be disposed of. In the case that this happens, you kill your future self, end your looper contract and go on your merry way, where you can live your life for the next 30 years waiting for the day your fate comes a-calling. But, unforunately for Joe (Gordon-Levitt), his future self is portrayed by Bruce Willis, so when he hesitates for just a moment, Older Joe, since he is Bruce Willis, proceeds to be a complete bad ass. He knocks Younger Joe unconscious, steals his truck and takes off into the city. Younger Joe wakes up knowing he's got to find his older self and kill him before his boss (Jeff Daniels) sends his thugs (led by Noah Segan) to find him. The cat and mouse game eventually leads to a farm owned by Emily Blunt's Sara. She lives there with her son, Cid (Pierce Gagnon), and they take in Younger Joe.

Honestly, the plot sounds more confusing than it is. And this is thanks to Johnson's stellar writing. Time travel movies can usually veer into confusing "what is happening" territory but that never happens with Looper. It's mind boggling and keeps you thinking but it's never difficult or impossible to understand or follow. The greatest thing about Looper is that you think it's about one thing - this showdown between your current and future self - but that's only really the first 30 minutes or so. Then Emily Blunt shows up. It quickly becomes something else entirely and I'll say it, something so much better than I expected. But the best writing and directing in the world can't help you if you don't have the right cast. And Johnson has the perfect cast.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an actor I am so familiar with. I loved him when he was starring in little-seen indies (Manic, Mysterious Skin) and I loved him when he was stealing very big movies from actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises). But here, in Looper, he's nearly unrecognizable thanks to make up that makes him look more like Bruce Willis. His performance is intense and searing and it's made all the more real because he completely becomes someone else. Speaking of Willis, he's great too. When I first saw the trailer, I thought the make up effects were going to be distracting. I didn't think Gordon-Levitt looked anything like Willis, but I was wrong. When they are together on screen, you can see it. Although, I will argue that it's not even necessary. The two actors have such a great chemistry that it doesn't even matter whether or not they look alike. Willis manages to be a tough bad ass (like in the scene where he SHOOTS EVERYTHING!!!!!) and imbibes that with tenderness. Even when his character is doing despicable things, you still feel for him. Emily Blunt all but steals the movie for me. Her emotional and subtle performance brings a whole lot of heart to this movie. I know Looper may not be the kind of movie the Oscars love (although they did nominate Inception and this is just as good, if not better), but I'm holding out hope for a Best Supporting Actress nominee for her, as well as a Best Original Screenplay nomination for Johnson. Daniels does a stellar job with a small role as he manages to be both funny and ferocious. Paul Dano is, I think, the only actor under 30 who can hold his own on the screen with the likes of Daniel Day Lewis and Robert DeNiro so, of course, he manages to bring a whole lot to a very small part. Pierce Gagnon was 5 years old when they made this movie but somehow manages to deliver a performance so devastating that it's hard to believe he hasn't been in the business for 30 years. Then there is Noah Segan. I've followed his career closely and I'm so impressed with his Kid Blue, a villain but also, maybe not. I found his character fascinating and of all the great characters in this movie, I wanted to know more about him. I didn't see him as such a bad guy. Just someone who is so eager to please, that he'll do just about anything for someone to tell him he's doing a good job (and we can all relate to that!). This movie will surely put him on the map and I'm not entirely prepared to share him with the world. It's that weird moment when your favorite thing is about to become really popular. I mean, you want to hold it close and keep it to yourself, but at the same time, it's your favorite thing for a reason so, really, it should be everyone's favorite thing. So, you're welcome world. You can share Noah Segan with me.

I hope this review made some sort of sense and it wasn't just be babbling for however many paragraphs. I have been thinking and talking about this movie non stop for two days and so it's hard to sort through all of my thoughts. This movie gives you so much to think about it. Johnson is officially three for three in my book and I'm so excited to see what he does next. Looper is the sort of movie that will inspire a generation. In fact, in twenty years or so, the next generation of filmmakers will be asked about their influences. I think they will cite the complete works of David Fincher, last year's Drive and Looper. And that thought gives me a lot of faith in the future of the film world.

Grade: A

Summer Movie Survey

One of my favorite blogs to read about films on line is The Film Experience. Recently, he featured a few different people answering a series of questions about their summer movie going experiences. I thought I'd steal borrow the survey and fill it out myself. Here goes...

Best Movie I Saw This Summer:
The Dark Knight Rises. I'm realizing not everyone loved it as much as I did, but I thought it was a perfect wrap up to the best superhero trilogy of all time. It was a thrilling, intense, dark, but ultimately uplifting film and I couldn't have loved it anymore.

Thing I Actually Learned (at summer movie camp!):
That maybe I was too quick to jump on that whole Blake Lively can really act bandwagon after her turn in The Town because she was certainly the weakest link in Savages.

Major Summer Crush:
Oh, where to start?? Michael Shannon in Premium Rush. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in The Amazing Spider-man. Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman. The entire cast of Magic Mike.

Moment I <3 So Much I Thought My Heart Would Burst:
Beasts of the Southern Wild - Hushpuppy running through that infectious party scene with sparklers. So much beauty, innocence, hope, freedom.

Princess Merida, Katniss, or Hawkeye?
I'm a sucker for Jennifer Lawrence and The Hunger Games so Katniss all the way. We need more strong female characters being represented in young adult films. Women who have to fight for survival and not just lament having to pick over a boring vampire or an even more boring werewolf.

If Only "Hulk" Had Smashed...
Whoever thought that terrible ending for Premium Rush was a good idea. Way to (almost) ruin a perfectly fun late summer movie.

Mash-Up ~ Summer Movie Characters I'd Like to Introduce (and why):
Giovanni Ribisi from Ted and the cast of Magic Mike, because, even though I hated Ted, I loved Giovanni and his super sweet dance moves deserved a much better show case. Girls like skinny semi-creepy dudes, too, you know!

Rank the Magic Mike Strippers:
1. Magic Mike (Channing Tatum)
2. Dallas (Matthew McConaughey)
3. Ken (Matt Bomer)
4. The Kid (Alex Pettyfer)
5. Big Dick Richie (Joe Manganiello)
6. Tito (Alex Rodriguez)
7. Tarzan (Kevin Nash)

At Least the Theater Was Air Conditioned:
Ted. I think I laughed once, although I can't for the life of me remember why.

Best Old Movie I Saw For The First Time This Summer:
Oldboy. What the hell took me so long?? It was FANTASTIC!

Line Reading That Stuck in My Head:
It's a movie that isn't released yet, but I've seen the trailer so many times and I think it might be the best line of the year... "Why don't you do what old men do - and die." -Joseph Gordon-Levitt from the upcoming Looper.

Premium Rush -OR- An Open Love Letter to Michael Shannon

I apologize in advance if I get slightly off topic but I'd like to take a moment to talk about my favorite actor - Michael Shannon, a man who steals the hell out of every scene he's in, who comes onto the screen like a feral animal, a force of nature and manages to rachet up the intensity level; and he does all of this while appearing to do nothing at all. That's called skills.

I often wonder how other actors feel about working with Michael Shannon. I'm sure they are clamoring to work with him because he's so good and because they always say working with great actors makes you a better actor yourself. But there also must be some part of them that is hesitant. Even if you are at your absolute best, Michael Shannon is going to be better than you.

A few days ago, I watched a movie called Machine Gun Preacher (review in a nutshell: solid movie but way, way, way too long). It's a true story and stars Gerard Butler as an ex-con who completely turns his life around and focuses his attentions on helping orphaned children in the Sudan. I'm not Gerard Butler's biggest fan but this was a career best performance for him. However, the movie also featured Michael Shannon in the supporting role of Butler's childhood friend turned junkie biker turned saved Christian. In just a few key scenes, Shannon manages to steal the entire movie. He's done this before, and from much bigger named and more talented co-stars (see also: Revolutionary Road which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, but it was Shannon who you were thinking and talking about for months). I don't know what it is about him because I never studied film and I don't know all the technical aspects of acting. I'm just a girl who loves movies more than anything else in the world and who likes to write about them here even if no one reads it. So, I can't really say what it is about Michael Shannon. All I know is that he's my absolute favorite actor and there is just something about his performances, intensity, passion that jumps off the screen and grabs a hold of me and doesn't let me go for the duration.

That being said, he's the absolute best thing about Premium Rush, obviously. Premium Rush is a decent movie, but with the addition of Shannon (and star Joseph Gordon-Levitt), it becomes a better movie, almost a good movie. Shannon co-stars as a dirty cop with a bad gambling habit who spends the entire movie chasing after Gordon-Levitt's Wile character who is transporting an envelope with a ticket worth a lot of money from the Upper East Side to Chinatown. While this movie could primarily be seen as style over substance, the performances are what bring it to a whole other level. Shannon is incindiary as the dirty, lying cop. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also solid too. He's gone from child TV star to indie movie darling and now you can tell he is having the time of his life as a fledgling movie star. His enthusiasm and charisma just jumps off the screen. Premium Rush can be seen as just a bike chase movie but it's also a pretty good thriller and has a solid story as well. But it's Gordon-Levitt, and, especially, Shannon who make it a better movie.

Grade: B-

Catching Up on Summer Movies

So, I sort of temporarily abandoned blogger but it was only because, for some reason, it wasn't allowing me to update. It looks like that might be fixed now so I have returned. In my absence, I was trying to keep up with things over on tumblr. If you want to read my recent full reviews go here: http://thiscinephile.tumblr.com/. For now, however, I will just post little quickies to get up to date.

Rock of Ages - Very similar to Burlesque but without the awesome performances courtesy of Cher and Stanley Tucci. The story of a young girl who tries to make it in Hollywood in the 80s, Rock of Ages was a huge success on Broadway. Julianne Hough has potential. She can dance and sing and act (her level of talent goes in that order too) but lacks any sort of chemistry with Diego Boneta, who also has absolutely no charisma whatsoever. Catherine Zeta-Jones is a titan of the musical world (Chicago) and takes a one-dimensional, slightly annoying role and proves why she is a superstar. Russell Brand and Alec Baldwain are forgettable at best. Paul Giamatti manages to give a great performance in the role of an unlikeable jackass. Then there is Tom Cruise. If you are going to see Rock of Ages, go see it for Tom Cruise. I'm not his biggest fan. But as Axl Rose clone Stacee Jaxx, Cruise, who makes his entrance in assless chaps, is all in. His dedication to this character is ridiculous and he parades around this movie like a peacock, so showy and vain and just damn good. The music in the movie is super fun (and there's a lot of it), but ultimately it's just a Tom Cruise vehicle. Somehow, this movie just didn't jive for me. Something was lacking and missing. Grade: C+

Magic Mike - Under the direction of Steven Soderbergh, Magic Mike becomes so much more than a movie about male strippers. The dialogue is rich and flows realistically. It's also genuinely funny and has a lot of heart. The filmmaking is just great and I especially loved the way the film seemed so vivid at night, but was sort of muted and washed out during the day, looking how you feel with a hangover. The performances are great, as well. Channing Tatum, this is story is based on his life, is clearly the best dancer and is so charming and charasmatic that he just keeps begging his haters to find faults with his seriously improved acting. Cody Horn is a great find and has great chemistry with both Tatum and Alex Pettyfer. Saepking of Pettyfer, this is his finest performance to date (especially during his second half unraveling) and proves he is much more than a pretty face. Then there is McConaughey, so dirty and grimy and slimy and hilarious as the perverse father figure of this group of lost boys. All in all, I loved Magic Mike. Soderbergh and this talented cast created a film that is downright good. Grade: B+

Ted - It seemed everyone in the audience with me loved this movie. I did not. Ted wasn't completely without laughs but mostly I found it boarish and just plain boring. I don't feel like rehasing a negative review so head over to Tumblr to read the whole thing if you want. Grade: D-

The Amazing Spider-Man - The film wastes a lot of time with the first act that doesn't necessarily go anywhere. The movie isn't really all that long (compared to other summer comic book movies) but it sure as hell feels like it. The best thing about this movie is Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. He just completely nails it and you almost don't want the original trilogy to exist because this movie will always be compared to those movies and Garfield doesn't deserve that. He is extraordinary. The Amazing Spider-man is at its best when it's this cute indie love story inside this epic film. When it's at its best, I'm so glad they decided to reboot it. The 3D aspect of the film also ratchets up the fun quotient. I'm not a big fan of 3D but if there was ever a superhero who begged to be in 3D, then it's Spider-man! The other downside is that I felt cheated out of a villain. Horror movies are only as good as their villains and it takes the Lizard nearly two thirds of the movie to arrive, and then he's more misunderstood then villainous. Emma Stone is sassy and witty and adorable as Gwen Stacy. The Amazing Spider-man is, indeed, amazing. It's ultimately a fun, exciting and sweet summer movie. Grade: B

Savages - Savages was a strange kind of movie for me. It's a really well done film, both dark and gritty and kind of funny. There's sex, drugs, violence and it has an actual plot, which is pretty for a summer movie. Plus, the cast is universally pretty great. Still, I was expecting more. Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch are pot growers who are in love with the same woman (Blake Lively) and get involved with a Mexican drug cartel headed by Salma Hayek and her sociopathic goon Benicio Del Toro. The plot and script is mostly great, engaging, interesting, thrilling and intense. Some of the dialogue, however, is a bit cheesy / corny / dumb (mostly Lively's voice overs). The cinematagraphy is great as well. The major problem for me was the terrible / preposterous / ridiculous / stupid ending. Seriously, there had to be a better ending out there somewhere!! Hayek, Del Toro and John Travolta are all hammy great. Johnson is sensitive and endearing. Lively is the weak spot, of course. But Kitsch finally put his summer blunders behind him. This the kind of intense, dark, gritty work the actor should be doing, not fluff like Battleship. Grade: B-


The Dark Knight Rises - The best movie of the year, so far, for sure. It might not be as good as The Dark Knight but it's pretty damn close. There are flaws in the movie, sure, but sometimes you just have to look at the bigger picture and appreciate a movie for being so epic and entertaining. And all the good stuff, no BRILLIANT stuff, more than makes up for any nitpicky flaws you might find with the movie. My review over on Tumblr is longer and more detailed but the gist is this: Christopher Nolan has crafted a trilogy that will stand that test of tie and be revered as, probably and hopefully, the greatest superhero trilogy of all time. The Dark Knight Rises is the perfect ending to that trilogy. Grade: A-

Horror Movie Month: Frozen / 30 Days of Night + 50/50

FROZEN
The stars: Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers, Emma Bell
The gist: Two longtime friends and one of their girlfriends go away for a weekend ski trip. After bribing the lift operator to let them take one more trip up the mountain, they get stuck on the lift after it gets closed down for the night. Since this ski resort is only open on weekends and it happens to be Sunday night, the threesome are stuck dealing with freezing temperatures, frost bite and wolves!
The scares: It's not scary, per se, just very intense and kind of thrilling. But just because it's not scary doesn't mean it isn't good, because it is. In fact, it's a whole lot better than it needs to be.
The body count: Since there are only three characters, telling you that would be a huge spoiler. Plus, the end is sort of ambiguous.
The grade: B+

30 DAYS OF NIGHT
The stars: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Ben Foster, Danny Huston, Mark Boone Jr.
The gist: Every year Barrow, Alaska is plunged into darkness for 30 consequetive days. Many of the townspeople can't deal and flee but some stick it out. So, in the greatest vampire set up ever, a group of blood suckers show up to wreak havoc on the ones who stay.
The scares: These vampires don't glitter. These vamps are scary as hell. They are fast and their teeth look more like shark teeth than flimsy little vampire teeth. I've seen this movie before but forgot how good and scary it truly is. Definitely one of the best vampire films of the 2000s.
The body count: Somewhere over 100!
The grade: B

50/50
This one has nothing to do with Halloween or horror movies but I saw it recently and must say I was very pleased with it. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a super heathly twenty something who suddenly discovers he has a rare form of spinal cancer and only a 50% chance of surviving. So, he tries to deal with the fact that he may die. Along for the ride in this charming, heartwarming, funny, semi-raunchy film are Seth Rogen as his loveable best friend, Anjelica Huston as his over bearing mom, Bryce Dallas Howard (who between this and The Help, may be the most hateable woman in Hollywood this year) as his cheating girlfriend and scene stealer Anna Kendrick as his therapist struggling to get things right with her third patient ever. Those who thought Kendrick's performance in Up in the Air was a fluke (I admit, I was one of them) will be delighted to see just how damn good she is in this movie. While everyone else is damn good in this charmer, she steals the show and just might find herself nominated for another Oscar!
Grade: B+

Mini Reviews

Inception - By far, the best movie of the year so far. I haven't seen anything this radically original since probably Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There aren't many fresh ideas out there these days so thank goodness Christopher Nolan has a few. The cast, the story, the effects - everything is just plain incredible. Leonardo DiCaprio gives his second amazing performance of the year (working out some crazy dead wife drama - AGAIN). Also, that epic hallway scene with Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a blissfully long way from 3rd Rock From the Sun.
Grade - A

The Other Guys - At times, laugh out loud funny. However, there are times when it's also extremely plodding. It's too long, for sure and the plot could be a lot tighter. However, it's still quite funny and Will Ferrell isn't nearly as annoying as he usually is. Michael Keaton is nothing short of a scene stealer. Worth a watch but not the funniest movie of the year.
Grade - C+

The Runaways - Parts of this movie are far better than they need to be. But then it becomes a typical cliche movie. The movie drags along forever at some points but then seemingly skips a lot of very important parts. In the end, it's kind of a wash out. Kristen Stewart, who looks a hell of a lot like Joan Jett, can't seem to shake that awkwardness that she's so famous for. Dakota Fanning is pretty impressive as Cherie Curry. However, the movie belongs to Michael Shannon as The Runaways diabolical and hilarious manager Kim Fowley. He steals the entire movie and is, at times, the only reason worth watching. I want a spin off about his character!
Grade - C-

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sweden) - I can see why they are having such a difficult time casting the role of Lisbeth Salander, the tough as nails, tattooed, bad ass computer hacker, for the U.S. remake. The part is not going to be a walk in the park but Noomi Rapace rocks the role so hard. She's a revelation in this complicated story about a disgraced journalist trying to solve a 40 year old murder. Beautiful filmmaking, a great script and solid performances make this a damn good movie.
Grade - B+

Step Up 3D - All my life, I've always wanted to know what it would be like to have someone break dance on my face. Thanks to Step Up 3D, now I know! Sure, it's not going to win any awards and it's not the most amazing film of all time or anything. But it is a hell of a lot of fun. As you are probably aware, urban dance movies are my guilty pleasure and some of the dance sequences are so enjoyable. It's such a fun movie!
Grade - C+

The Kids Are All Right - The indie sensation of the year is definitely worth the buzz. It's got a solid script and some very good filmmaking but it's the performances that make the movie worth it. Mark Ruffalo and Mia Wasikowska give amazing supporting roles as a man in his late 30s struggling to grow up and an 18 year old struggling to become an adult, respectively. But it's the all out war for acting supremacy between leads Julianne Moore and Annette Bening that is most engaging. It's a tough call as to who out acts whom. My vote goes for Moore and her delightfully hilarious ex-stoner who is actively making a mess out of her lovely life.
Grade - B+


Coming soon - reviews of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Eat Pray Love.

Top Ten List - Best Actor 2009

10. Peter Sarsgaard in An Education - Once again, An Education belongs to Carey Mulligan but Sarsgaard is also pretty damn good as an older, "worldly" man who seduces the 16 year old student. He takes her to Paris and on romantic weekends and convinces her he'll marry her. All the while Sarsgaard is charming everyone, there's that slight creepiness that makes the audience realize something isn't right here.

09. Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes - Downey is good at lots of stuff but very, very good at one thing - playing flawed leading men, men who are suave and charming and a little bit cocky. Add Sherlock Holmes to that list. With Downey in the role, Holmes becomes a sexy, charming, clever cad. Plus, his is a pretty convincing British accent.

08. George Clooney in Up in the Air - Clooney could probably play this role in his sleep - uber suave and charming man coming to terms with getting older, unable to settle down, flying from one city to another just about every day. Still, Clooney layers the role with a sense of naturalism and subtlety and is still impressive. He may take a backseat to the ladies in the film, but he's still the classic example of a leading man.

07. Joaquin Phoenix in Two Lovers - If Joaquin Phoenix really is retiring from acting, well, then, at least he went out on top. Two Lovers is the perfect showcase for him and he gives his character so much depth and so much emotion that it's hard to not cheer for him, even when he's playing with the emotions of a perfectly nice girl so he can try his hand at the unattainable beauty.

06. Max Records in Where the Wild Things Are - In a perfect adaptation of the classic kids book, Records shines as the lead - disobedient, rebellious, and so perfectly childlike. It's really a testament to the child actor. He's so good that he makes you feel Max's pain and his hope and his utter and unabashed joy.

05. Joseph Gordon-Levitt in (500) Days of Summer - I've been a fan of Gordon-Levitt's for, well, ever. He's FINALLY breaking into mainstream consciousness and I couldn't think of a better movie that the utterly unique (500) Days of Summer. Gordon-Levitt is perfect as Tom, the idealistic greeting card writer who yearns for true love with Summer, the girl who doesn't believe in love. He's hopeful and romantic, the ideal of a perfect boyfriend. Then he gets his heart ripped out and you feel his pain. He's also damn funny too. Great performance all around.

04. Tobey Maguire in Brothers - The most suprising thing about Brothers, for me, was Maguire's performance. I really didn't know he had this kind of intense, layered, totally passionate kind of performance in him. I knew he was a good actor but I really didn't realize how really, really good he could be.

03. Sharlto Copley in District 9 - Another surprise of the year. Not the fact that District 9 is one of the best movies, but the fact that Sharlto Copley, a complete unknown, is so good in the lead role. He doesn't waste time trying to get you to like him. In fact, he's not very likeable at all. I mean, he's actually kind of a jerk. Still, his performance is really remarkable. His character was so complex but never felt forced. It only ever felt sincere.

02. Matt Damon in The Informant! - Damon gained a ton of weight and put on a really terrible wig and managed to give one of the best performances of the year. His character in The Informant! is making lots of money every year but still decides to turn over evidence against his company to the police. He's naive enough to believe he'll be made the head of the company and he starts playing everyone against each other. His performance is so tricky and so utterly fun to watch that it almost makes you forget how boring the movie really is.

01. Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker - I've also loved Renner since I saw him in Dahmer and knew what an amazing actor he was and could be if he got the right roles. Well, guess what? This is the right role for him. As James, he's addicted to war and, really, the adrenaline that comes with defusing bombs for a living. He's fearless and reckless but yet cares about his teammates. There are certain scenes that are filled with so much tension and intensity and emotion and Renner is just perfection.

Tomorrow - Best (and worst) Films!

Top Ten List - Most Anticipated Films of 2009

Since I've been putting off writing reviews for the 2009 movies I've seen so far (because, well, they suck really bad), I decided I was going to do a list instead. I will write reviews very soon, promise. But, for now, here is my list of the top ten most antcipated movies of 2009...

10. Lymelife (April 8)
Directed by Derick Martini
Starring Alec Baldwin, Kieran Culkin, Rory Culkin, Timothy Hutton, Cynthia Nixon, Jill Hennessy, Emma Roberts
The darling of the Toronto Film Festival, Lymelife is about a life in the late 70s seen through the eyes of an innocent fifteen year old boy. It follows two families who crumble while dealing with family dynamics, divorce, etc. The plot may not sound all that great but look at that cast! I'm up for anything with one Culkin let alone two!

09. Drag Me To Hell (May 29)
Directed by Sam Raimi
Starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long
Sam Raimi's return to the horror genre!! It follows a young loan officer (Lohman) who is ordered to evict an old woman from her home and finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse which turns her life into a living hell. She tries to save her soul while evil forces try to push her to her breaking point. Sounds like fun for the whole family! Bonus points for the great title.

08. Public Enemies (July 1)
Directed by Michael Mann
Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Channing Tatum, Emile de Ravin, Leelee Sobieski, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Graham, Marion Cotillard, Rory Cochrane (!!), Shawn Hatosy
A movie where the cast is SO EFFING GREAT that it doesn't even matter what the movie is about. Honestly, it could be about printing phone books or quantum physics or flying kites and I would still see it. However, it is actually about the Feds trying to take down notorious gangsters John Dillinger (Depp), Baby Face Nelson (Graham) and Pretty Boy Floyd (Tatum!!) during the 1930s.

07. Taking Woodstock (August 14)
Directed by Ang Lee
Starring Demetri Martin, Liev Schreiber, Emile Hirsch, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Paul Dano, Kelli Garner, Eugene Levy, Imelda Staunton, Mamie Gummer
Ang Lee is back with another movie about the counterculture of the 60s with a gay protagnoist and no real big name stars. But it's hard to beat a supporting cast with Hirsch, Dano, Schreiber, Garner and Gummer. It apparently follows a man who inadvertently sets in motion the generation-defining concert in 1969. I'll be there for the cast. And Ang Lee, of course.

06. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (August 7)
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Starring Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Sienna Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (!!), Christopher Eccleston
We all know what this is about. I'm mostly excited for two reasons and only two reasons: 1) Channing Tatum who I love more than I probably should. 2) Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Cobra Commander a.k.a one of the main villains. There's got to be a reason he did a movie like this and I imagine his character is so effing cool since he's the only one we haven't even seen a glimpse of yet (in leaked photos or character posters or in the teaser trailer). I just can't wait!

05. Nine (November 25)
Directed by Rob Marshall
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Stacy Ferguson, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren
2009 may well go down as the year of the great ensemble pieces. Nine follows a famous film director (Day-Lewis) as he struggles to find harmony in his professional and personal lives as he engages in dramatic relationships with his wife, his mistress, his muse, his agent and his mother. Plus, I'm hoping this is the movie that will win me back to Hudson. I've been rooting for her. Really, I have. She's disappointed me for nearly a decade. Will this be the big role that bounces her back?

04. 500 Days of Summer (July 24)
Directed by Marc Webb
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel
First of all, greatest casting ever. Anyone who has ever seen Manic knows Joey and Zooey (as I like to call them because I wish they were really a couple) have amazing chemistry. So, to have them back together again is nothing short of fantastic. An early review out of Sundance that I read promises it's not a love story, but rather, a story about love. The trailer promises it will be an offbeat kinda film. The cast promises it will be something other than a cliched romantic comedy.

03. Whatever Works (TBA)
Directed by Woody Allen
Starring Evan Rachel Wood, Henry Cavill (!!!!!!), Patricia Clarkson, Kristen Johnston, Ed Begley Jr., Larry David
We all know how much I love Woody Allen. Then he goes and casts Henry Cavill in a lead role? Forget about it. My love for Woody knows no boundaries. I have no idea what this movie is about. I could care less. Woody is the master. Whether it's a comedy or a drama - doesn't matter. Everyone keeps saying, "Woody is back." Guess what? He never went anywhere.

02. The Road (TBA)
Directed by John Hillcoat
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Robert Duvall
Usually when a movie gets pushed back a year, it means trouble. I choose not to think that way about The Road. Based on the Cormac McCarthy book of the same name, The Road is a bleak, uber-depressing tale about survival in a post-apocalyptic world. I choose to believe what ever re-shoots or re-tooling they are doing is only going to make this movie even better. My anticipation hasn't wavered in the least.

01. Shutter Island (October 2)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, Jackie Earle Haley, Elias Koteas, Patricia Clarkson, Ted Levine
Again with the amazing cast. Again with the movie taken from a brilliant novel (Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane). The story is set in 1954 and follows a U.S. Marshall (DiCaprio) who is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island.


Some plot descriptions taken from IMDB.
Reviews of Bride Wars, My Bloody Valentine and more coming SOON!!!!

Top Ten List - Best Supporting Actor 2008

10. Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Stop Loss - The first good performance of the year, Gordon-Levitt plays the role of a man dealing with being back from war the way he plays every role - with unbridled passion and talent. To say he's one of the best actors under thirty is an understatement.

09. Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight - Eckhart may not give the best performance in the film (more on that later) but he does play the only character with any sort of arc and he plays it extremely well. He starts off as a stand up man full of principle and morality and ends up as a hateful villain.

08. John Malkovich in Burn After Reading - One image from 2008 that I will never forget? John Malkovich coming off a boat dressed in a bath robe holding an axe. His disgraced CIA agent is hilariously on edge. One of the many reasons I celebrate Malkovichmas.

07. Josh Brolin in Milk - Slowly unraveling. He's a coiled ball of nerves. He may not be my favorite of the supporting men of Milk but he is responsible for the single best scene of the movie - a drunken encounter with Harvey at a party. Brolin just keeps getting better.

06. James Franco in Milk - Is anyone sweeter than Franco in Milk? I don't think so. He stands by his man through much of the film and even after they break up, he's still there in spirit. Kudos for saying the line "if I hear about politics one more time tonight I'm going to stab you with a fork" and still managing to sound adorable.

05. Emile Hirsch in Milk - At the beginning, he's a tough talking kid. A queen if there ever was one who just wants to party. Near the middle, he's responsible for one of the most moving scenes as his Cleve Jones describes the unspeakable hatred he saw in Europe. Hirsch is moving and powerful.

04. Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder - What could have easily become an offensive off-putting performance was elevated to something that everyone could laugh at thanks to great writing... and Downey's fantastic performance. He manages to be hysterically funny while still raising poignant thoughts about racism and even method acting.

03. Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road - I have been a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio's for my entire life / his entire career. There's never been a time when I thought he was out done by any other actor - even when going head to head with Jack Nicholson in The Departed. Still, there is a particular scene in Revolutionary Road where DiCaprio and Shannon get in a rather heated argument. During this scene, I thought to myself, "Man, Shannon is acting circles around Leo!" Shannon is out of control in this movie - a continuous explosion that just shakes everything to its core.

02. Michael Pitt in Funny Games - Imagine a killer being the most polite, kind, cutest boy you ever saw? It's terrifying, right? Pitt plays the young killer of Funny Games so straight and sweet that it makes it the most terrifying thing you've ever seen. All at once, he's frightening, hilarious, kind, chilling and fiercly intelligent.

01. Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight - Is there anything left to say about Ledger's outrageously perfect performance? I don't think there is. He really, really, really is as good as everyone says. Actually, he's probably better. With every viewing, his performance becomes more effective and more entrancing. The most perfect performance of the year. Hands down.

Tomorrow - Best Actress!

Stop Loss, Horrorfest, April Movie Preview + more...

Stop Loss - It's been a long time since Kimberly Peirce has graced us with her presence. She, of course, made the amazing Boys Don't Cry way back in 1999 (that movie is the single reason why I still even bother with Hillary Swank). Well, it was worth the wait. She's back with Stop Loss, a gritty, powerful war film that is more about characters and friendships than politics and George Bush. Peirce could have easily taken the easy way out and made a film full of propaghanda and extreme liberal thinking. Instead she made a smart film with no real political agenda. It doesn't glamourize desertion. It's not anti-war. Instead, it focuses on the men who volunteered to fight for our country. This is a movie about soldiers and, if anything, it respects them immensely. The story follows two childhood friends serving together in Iraq - Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) and Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum). They arrive back in Texas after their tour ends with friend Tommy Burgess (Joseph Gordon-Levitt who is absolutely Oscar worthy - more on him later). All starts well with a night of drinking and dancing. Steve is excited to get back to his fiancee Michelle (Abbie Cornish) but soon drunken fun turns into fights. After that, King learns he has been stop lossed. Instead of being released from the service as his contract states, he is being sent back to Iraq thanks to a clause in the finest of print. This doesn't exactly make him happy and he chooses to fight it instead of go back to war. He figures he's done fighting for his country. He did his job and now it's the armies turn to live up to their side of the agreement. And guess what? You can't really argue that he's wrong. The film is absolutely solid and riveting. It meanders a bit for my taste. I would have prefered much more time with the great ensemble of characters instead of focusing so heavily on Phillippe and Cornish as they cross state lines to try to get answers and help. The acting is all top notch. Phillippe, who is usually very hit or miss for me, is superb and does some very emotional, gritty work. War films usually leave very little for women to work with but Cornish does a great job of playing a woman trying to deal with her fiancee seemingly choosing war over her. Tatum is amazing as well. (I just need to say this - as a film fanatic, I want to thank Kimberly Peirce for this movie, but as a woman, I want to thank Kimberly Peirce for the scene of Tatum digging a foxhole in his underwear). It's tiring to hear people complain that Tatum can't act. Clearly, they haven't seen A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. And they can't really say that after seeing this movie either. He doesn't have the biggest role but he does wonders with what he has to work with. Then there's Gordon-Levitt. I think it's pretty clear how I feel about him. He's, hands down, the best actor under thirty (forty, even, maybe). He's done increasingly impressive work ever since Manic. His performance here is really amazing. He gives layers and layers of rage that can only be hinted at on a page. He plays an alcoholic who enjoys target practice with the marriage presents he and his wife (Mamie Gummer) recently recieved. He's a little bit funny, a little bit tragic and just plain outstanding. His final scene is riveting. In the hands of a lesser actor, his character could have been completely forgettable but instead, Gordon-Levitt has instead created the perfect picture of a haunted and tormented soul. His performance is amazing and the movie is really the first truly good verging on great film of 2008.
Grade: B+

Wristcutters: A Love Story - Now this is my kind of movie! It's a unique and original idea - people who commit suicide and end up in a place that is just like life only worse. It stars Patrick Fugit and Shannyn Sossoman. It's wacky and enjoyable and quirky and funny and a little depressing but mostly uplifting. It's not exactly groundbreaking or anything but it does serve as a reminder that sometimes you can find beauty in the strangest of places.
Grade: B+

Horrorfest 2008 continues...
Tooth and Nail - I hope I haven't peaked so soon. Last year it took me until near the end of my run to find The Hamiltons and so I appreciated it all the more. I really hope Tooth and Nail isn't the best Horrorfest 2008 has to offer. I mean, it's good compared to the rest of the crap they churn out but it's nothing fantastic. It's a solid 'end of the world' story (I've been watching a lot of those lately) and has it's creepy moments, for sure. It stars Rider Strong and Rachel Miner as a group of survivors during the apocolypse who hide in a hospital to fend off evil cannibal rovers led by the great but underused Michael Madsen. It's interesting how this movie chose to have the world end. Not by war or virus or bacteria. We simply run out of oil. And guess what? That's totally believable to me. The acting is mediocre and the writing is too. It's cheesy at times and a little over the top. Still, for what it's worth, it's not a bad little horror movie.
Grade: C+
Lake Dead - And then there's this... It's like Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Lake Placid meets The Hills Have Eyes meets some random soft core porn all done by a hack with little talent. And that's putting it nicely. Even mentioning two of those movie titles in the same paragraph with 'Lake Dead' makes me a little sick to my stomach. There is no originality, no style, no substance, no scares, nothing. I just... there's nothing really more to say. It's not getting an F just because there were times when I thought it could possibly be one of those 'so bad it's good' horror movies but it never even gets to that point. Sad.
Grade: D-


April Movie Preview...
April 4
Leatherheads stars George Clooney, Jim from the Office (ha) and Renee Zellweger. Two out of three ain't bad, I guess. Then there is The Ruins. This one has me interested. At face value it looks like just another cheesy horror movie. However, starring Jena Malone never really hurt any movie. Then there is the fact that it's based on a totally rad book. Makes things a little more interesting, now doesn't it? Now that Martin Scorsese has won his Oscar, he can pretty much do whatever the hell he wants... like make a concert film about the Rolling Stones called Shine a Light. I'd pretty much see anything Scorsese made, even if it was a movie about dentists drilling teeth or something.

April 9
Young @ Heart opens in limited release and looks so fricking great I can barely stand it.

April 11
All I can say about Prom Night is - what are these people thinking with the horror movie remakes? Still, I'll probably see it just so I can complain about how people don't have original ideas anymore and they have to taint the name of great original horror movies and no one can make a good horror movie anymore and blah, blah blah. Smart People stars Sarah Jessica Parker (who is NOT the unsexiest woman in the world and I don't care what some stupid magazine says) and Ellen Page. Two of my favorite people together in a movie? You know I wanna see it!

April 18
Al Pacino is BACK in 88 Minutes, a movie about a professor whose life is threatened after he maybe helps lock up the wrong man in a series of murders. It may be cheesy or it may be great. I'm not decided how I feel about it yet. Then there is Forgetting Sarah Marshall which is Judd Apatow's next chance to actually win me over to the dark side. By the way, Mila Kunis > Kristen Bell. Oh, and Bill Hader!!

April 25
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey may be a match made in heaven in Baby Mama. Or it may turn out like The Brothers Solomon, a similarly plotted film that looked great on paper but not so much on film. Deception stars Michelle Williams, Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman. I'm not entirely sure what it's about but the cast looks great! Then there is Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo. Yep. You heard me.

The Lookout

As a bank heist story, The Lookout is suspenseful and well made, albeit predictable and boring. As a story of depression and rehabilitation, it's an absorbing character study. Directed by Scott Frank, it stars (the best actor under 30) Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Chris, a rock-star like hockey player who is a bit reckless on prom night and gets into a car accident that leaves two passengers dead, his girlfriend disabled and him impaired emotionally and physically. Chris tries heroically to perform actions that we deem simple, like listing his day-to-day activities in logical sequence. Even his family, especially his father, is impatient with his arrested development. He needs to write everything in a little notebook and relies heavily on his roommate to cook for him even though his roommate Lewis (Jeff Daniels) is blind. So, he's easy prey for a group of wannabe bank robbers who try to entice him into helping them rob the rural Kansas bank where he is the night janitor.

The movie may seem straightforward, but it's more than meets the eye. If you are going to the movie and expecting a bank heist film then netflix Dog Day Afternoon instead. This movie is about Chris and his decent from popular jock to innocent, hard working janitor, to confused, misled and frustrated individual. There is a huge lack of effort being put into films these days. It seems there are less and less films worth seeing, in comparison to movies from the 70s. This is a movie that is well structured, well written, well performed and well directed. How could you possibly complain about something like that? It's a refreshing change of pace from the recent explosion of brainless action and horror films like Ghost Rider and Dead Silence. This movie veers away from Hollywood and lingers in indie territory (even though it's a studio film). The dialogue is crisp, the violence exists but is not overused, the characters are fully fleshed and well developed. Scott Frank really does deserve a round of applause for his lack of fear in really giving the audience some exposition and background to his main character. We really get a glimpse into the life of Chris and really become invested in his decisions and the repercusions they may have. However, for all the energy Frank spends letting us get to know Chris, he leaves the others behind. The supporting characters become like pawns thrown away once their utility has run out. The prime example of that is Isla Fisher and her character Luvlee who seduces Chris and then... just leaves. Is it because she really doesn't care at all or because she cares too much? And what about Ms. Lang, the helpful bank teller who ends up having no bearing whatsoever on the film? Or what about the wonderful Carlo Gugino's blink and you miss it social worker? All these women are thrown into the mix to serve as Chris' background and mindset, but are never fleshed out enough to stand on their own. Even the role of Bone, while creepy and effective enough as the silent and sadistic muscle of the team, is so out of place that it almost becomes laughable. But I'll stop complaining there. Gordon-Levitt doesn't carry the film entirely on his own. He gets some good back up from Daniels and Matthew Goode (who I loved so much in Match Point) as the charming and cocky brains behind the bank robbery plan.

While Frank may misfire a bit on the background players, he gets the plot progression and lead performances down to perfection. I am constantly waiting for a new Gordon-Levitt film (Stop Loss, anyone?) and he never ceases to impress with his film choices and his performances. There's a lot of wit in this film, a lot of zingy one liners and an absolutely breathtaking opening sequence that includes the car crash scene showing the sublime beauty of fireflies that leads to the tragedy which puts into motion the story that follows. It may not be exactly what you are expecting but it's so well done and has such great performances from Gordon-Levitt, Goode and Daniels that it doesn't really matter.

Grade: B+