Monday, February 22, 2010

Julie & Julia



To celebrate one of the most famous food icons of all time and based on the book, Julie & Julia is a cute and funny movie about 2 very different ladies from two different times who both use their love of food to try and make meaning of their life. Meryl Streep is once again fantastic as Julia Child and Amy Adams does a great job as her counterpart. One of the best parts of the movie is seeing the amazing relationship Julia Child had with her husband (played by Stanley Tucci). An enjoyable movie worth the watch!

All About Steve


This is a film about a geeky crossword writer desperate to find love. When one day Mary (Sandra Bullock) gets set up on a blind date with an incredibly attractive news cameraman (Bradley Cooper) she is determined not to let him go. She pretty much turns into a stalker and even though the goal was to make the crazy things she does for love funny it really comes off pathetic. The plot was choppy and even a great cast cannot save this film. Probably the worst Sandra Bullock movie I have seen.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Shutter Island


A mesmerizing mind bender of a thriller with quite possibly Leonardo DiCaprio's best performance to date. Its all star cast of supporting actors & actresses do very well also. Shutter Island is atmospheric and conventional in all the ways traditional horror can be, but its gripping story and characters pull you in from the get go and don't let you go until the credits roll. It isn't really scary all that much, but it didn't need to be. It's always impossible to tell the real images from the fake ones, leaving you guessing and exhilarated the entire time. The movie has gorgeous visuals as well. I really can't say much more about it without giving anything away, but Shutter Island is my favorite movie of the year so far and anyone with my taste in movies absolutely must see it.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Couples Retreat


Couples Retreat tries to mix laughs with melodrama and it isn't always successful, but the added weight of the message it has makes the monotony of its tired and unfunny gags less crappy and rises it slightly above the crap masquerading as comedy these days. There's a few chuckles in there, but most of the funny stuff was given away during the trailers and ad campaigns much like most movies of its type. That's too bad really, because coming with fresh eyes might make this a better experience. The movie is too long, coming in at almost 2 hours, but it is light entertainment and moderately enjoyable. Just don't expect anything out of it and you won't be as disappointed by it.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Whip It


Drew Barrymore successfully marries the coming of age tale with a sports movies into an entertaining and likable movie, despite its shortcomings. Whip It is definitely cliched and predictable, as per the usual sports movies, but it comes out intact thanks to an a smarter than average screenplay that allows the characters room to grow over the story. Ellen Page is believable as the nerdy, but pretty girl searching to get out of the shadow of her moms former life. There's also some strong support from Kristen Wiig, Daniel Stern, Marcia Gay Harden, and Alia Shawkat. The movie does have its fair share of quirky moments that kind of broke the barrier for me, but it has a few chuckles along the way to keep things lighthearted and fun, even when the emotions start to carry the film towards the end. Whip it isn't exactly what you would call a "great" movie, but a good one it certainly is. It's also a good time at the movies.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

The Time Traveler's Wife


A fairly complex and moving narrative with good acting and directing. Most directors would have gotten much sappier with some of the moments than Robert Schwentke did. I commend him for his restraint. The movie has some great visuals that highlight just what a tragedy the story really is. The time traveling aspect will definitely go over some peoples heads if they try to think about it more than they need too, but I enjoyed the challenge. It doesn't explain everything and it seemed like at times they were sort of cheating when it came to the time traveling destinations, but I enjoyed this movie a lot. I was attached to the characters, and that is better than most of these kind of movies accomplish for me.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief


A low rent fantasy adventure with bland casting, uninspired direction, humor that falls flat, a lack of fun, and no "magic" to speak of. I haven't read the novel, but I think this would have been an insult if I had. My friend that read the novel was disappointed. I was hoping for an exciting adventure from director Chris Columbus, who did a solid if unremarkable job on the first two Harry Potter films before they got taken to the next level by more inspiring directors. I now know that the reason the first two HP films were at least enjoyable was because of the incredible crew they had surrounding Columbus. He just doesn't do anything here in Percy Jackson that I really thought stood out. The special effects are decent and kids might enjoy it, but anyone older than 12 or so probably won't get a kick out of this kiddie adventure/Harry Potter wannabe.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

New York, I Love You


There's a few cute moments and the movie isn't boring, but it fails to connect on any emotional level and there's too much happening. There's so many characters that none of them get the right amount of screen time to flesh out each story. You get about 5-10 minutes, then it is on to the next story. They go back to a few of them a couple of times, but my favorite ones were the ones they didn't go into more than once (go figure). I happen to be a huge fan of Love, Actually, a movie similar in a bunch of ways, but it was better acted, had an emotional core, and dedicated just enough time to get you involved with each story and their characters. I was hoping for something similar here, and New York, I Love You has a few moments that I liked, but it was a little disappointing. It also does not do a very good job of highlighting the city in which it is based, and I think that was the point of the movie.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Whiteout


It's not even close to one of the worst movies I've ever seen, despite being one of the most trashed films since I started watching movies frequently. It's somewhat entertaining thanks to better than expected performances from Kate Beckinsale and Tom Skerritt. Beckinsale's introduction is ridiculous and didn't belong in the movie, though (shot of her getting in the shower just to raise the pulse of every guy watching). It's your standard thriller, albeit it with a unique flavor thanks to its setting. The problem is that the setting hampers the film rather than enhancing it because it can be very hard at times to figure out what is happening, especially during the fighting sequences that take place outside. It is just an average movie from almost every angle you take it.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Saw VI


I never thought I would be able to say that I liked another Saw installment outside of the first one, especially after witnessing the horribleness of the fourth and fifth installment. The series was getting incredibly stale and convoluted to the point that I didn't care anymore. I haven't liked the series since the third installment decided to take it into confusion, but this one is the best one I've seen outside of the original. There's still plenty of gore and torture going on, but they tackle the health system effectively and the movie is infinitely more entertaining than the last three installments of the series. The only downside to this movie is the fact that you have to watch the crappy installments for it to make sense. I never thought I would say this, but despite torturing myself to watch those out of some crazy hope that another installment would be good, I finally got the pay off I have been waiting for. The series really could end right here because the ending pretty much wraps everything up. We know it won't be, but the next installment more than likely won't matter and I'll be able to skip it without and worries. Whether I will or not is uncertain, but I will say that I enjoyed this installment enough to recommend it to those who have stuck with it this long. If you haven't, I don't know that it is worth watching the others to see if this one pays off for you or not, but take solace in knowing that it did for me.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Pandorum


I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. You can basically call it "The Descent" in space because it has a bunch of similarities with that movie, but it has also plenty of satisfying science fiction to go with it. This is a sometimes thrilling and intense movie with an intriguing set-up and interesting ideas. It had a few twists and turns I wasn't expecting and kept me guessing most of the way. It explores the mental stability of someone who is stranded in space and doesn't have any help. I know I wouldn't want to be in their situation, but just watching it through this movie was a satisfying experience that I recommend to anyone with an interest in this sort of movie.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Extract


This is a highly enjoyable film with plenty of funny moments and a brisk running time that goes by quickly. The performances are uniformly good. Ben Affleck is very good as the stoner buddy to Jason Bateman's character, while Jason Bateman seems to be playing the same kind of character he has been playing in his last few roles. Kristen Wiig isn't her typical quirky self, restrained effectively by Mike Judge. David Koechner always turns in a great performance as the annoying neighbor. Don't be fooled by Mila Kunis' significant amount of time in the ads though, she isn't in the film much and doesn't do anything memorable with a very small part. I haven't seen any of Judge's other movies, but if this is anything to go by, I will be checking them out here real soon. Extract is one of the better comedies to come out in 2009.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Thirst (Foreign Film)


Thirst is a movie I admired more than I liked. It has great visuals and atmosphere, fine performances, and good cinematography, but the film is a mess when it comes to the story. It has many moments that lack coherence and the pacing is all over the place. The film is 2 hours and 13 minutes, but it felt like 4 hours. It is way too long and lacks the emotional resonance necessary to draw some one in for a long period of time. The movie is a romance first, gothic horror second. I think that was the problem I had with it. I expected something totally different than what I got. It's also incredibly gory and features lots of nudity. In other words, it's no "Let the Right One In", but it isn't without its gory and sensual pleasures.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Moon


A deceptively simple movie with quite a few surprises up its sleeve. It relies completely on Sam Rockwell and he gives it his all in a wonderful performance. I don't want to give anything away because it will take away from your enjoyment of it. I will say that it is a little too slow at times and doesn't have enough drama and emotion as I would have liked given the ideas it presents, but this is thought-provoking science fiction and it uses a small budget effectively. Some people won't like this because of its slow pace that makes its 97 minute length seem longer, but if you stick it out I think you'll be rewarded with a satisfying experience you won't forget soon.