30 Days of Night

Very entertaining horror flick. Sort of Aliens meets The Thing.

I like how fresh this movie is. The "hero" has both physical and emotional weaknesses (he has asthma, and he is visibly frightened throughout the movie). The vampires are so atypical that I hesitate to call them such; they're more like psychopathic demons. They have a merciless, shark-like quality to them that makes them truly horrifying. The camerawork is effective in augmenting the mood, alternating between graceful pans of the snowy landscape and shaky hand-held to heighten the tension. The creepy, almost ambient music really adds to the mood, as well.

That being said, 30 Days of Night is not without its flaws. While it's cool that the "vampires" speak their own language, seeing them verbally communicate with each other detracts from their creepiness. There's also some forced emotional conflict that doesn't fit in with the main conflict. The climax, however, is the ridiculous-flavored icing on the cake; I won't spoil it, but you'll see what I mean if/when you see it. (On a more minor note, the movie is about twenty minutes too long.)

All in all, I would say 30 Days of Night is above average. It's a new take on an old idea that delivers what it promises to. Though its weaknesses make it less than what it could have been, its strengths make it well worth a watch or two.

Gone Baby Gone

I really can't say enough how much I love this film. It's one of the few movies I can think of that I have absolutely no complaints with.

Ben Affleck really surprised me with his directing abilities with this movie. Everything about it shines excellence. Harry Gregson-Williams's score is beautiful and heart-wrenching. The cinematography is scarily gorgeous and professional. John Toll is a master of his craft and shows off some of his best work here. The performances are so strong you forget you're watching actors. The writing is nothing short of brilliant.

This is a definite must-see.

Where The Wild Things Are

I'll try to keep this short, because this movie works mostly on a non-verbal level. Spike Jonze somehow managed to not only make a great adaptation of a classic kids book without messing it up, he grew it into a powerful story with something for kids and adults alike. The story isn't as important as the characters and the feeling, and here they are rich and interesting. I also appreciate how he walked a very delicate line between light and dark; this is important because Maurice Sendak's books are intentionally dark-edged. Life is a mix of light and dark; Where The Wild Things are faces this head-on, and speaks to our animal nature.

Stranger Than Fiction

This could easily have veered into excesses of cute or predictable or trite or stupid (or some combination of those), and I kept waiting for it to fail, but somehow it stayed upright and finished as a satisfying, if not outstanding, story. I personally have always been intrigued by stories that mix frames, muddle reality vs story, etc., but so often they ultimately disappoint. This one, about a character in a novel who starts to hear the author narrating his life, and planning his death, holds up reasonably well, avoids several wrong turns.

Having it anchored by Will Farrell was another worry for me -- I like him, but he is known more for comedy, and is pretty bland, especially in the first half of this movie. This serves his character, who is a very boring IRS auditor, but ultimately we (the audience) need to find something interesting and/or likable about our main character to keep watching (or indeed, care whether he dies). Farrell does pull it off, but I have to say just barely -- without some very nice supporting performances from Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, I think this would have sunk into lameness. Creative but solid directing and writing, some clever special effects, and good music help to add enough freshness to keep it enjoyable. Solid B, worth a rent.

update: For a long time I considered Roger Ebert the quintessential movie critic, but over the more recent years I've slowly but surely been losing faith in him. I just read his review of Stranger Than Fiction, and I think I see at least part of his problem. He doesn't pay close attention, and ends up reading things into movies that aren't there. For example, about this movie, among other things, Ebert writes "Harold would prefer not to audit any more tax returns." Uh, that never actually is said or even implied; it might be true, but the movie really isn't about that, and isn't focused on it. I think Ebert read that into it because he wanted to make the connection to Bartleby the Scrivener. Sometimes he just picks up the gloss of a movie, and then leaps to connections and conclusions as he sees fit. I suppose we all do that to some degree, and I suppose if I were to write as many movie reviews as he does, I'd start to get sloppy and gloss over details, too. But still, I think he misses some stuff and gets some movies wrong because of it. Just sayin'...

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

This is easily my favorite Pirates of the Caribbean film. Everything comes full circle here, and the waiting pays off.

The writing is excellent. There are plenty of surprises left to keep the audience on the edges of their seats. The journey to Davy Jones's Locker to rescue Jack Sparrow is fun and interesting, while the Locker itself is weird without being too surreal. The working albeit shaky truce between Davy Jones and Beckett is well-done, too. The climax is absolutely brilliant. The final battle between the Flying Dutchman and the Black Pearl will go down in history as being one of the greatest battle sequences in cinema history.

The only drawback to this movie is that you absolutely need to see the previous film to understand this one. Other than that, At World's End is a truly epic finale to the trilogy.

Coraline

I'm not ashamed to say I love a certain class of movies for younger audiences. Not just any kid's movie; many I can enjoy at a lower level, and some I consider surprisingly clever and even deep, but I rarely "love" them. But there are some very special films that aren't so much for kids, as for everyone; films that can be enjoyed on so many levels, and are sort of ageless and universal. One good example would be Spirited Away (and almost anything else by Miyazaki); another would be The Nightmare Before Christmas. And I include some of the better Pixar movies in this class...

Coraline is a new example of this kind of movie, and quickly on track to become one of my favorites. Written and directed by Henry Selick (Nightmare..., James and the Giant Peach) and based on a book by Neil Gaiman (Beowulf), this is a stop-motion wonder that shares some things with Nightmare, but isn't as dark, and as far as I'm concerned, is more nuanced and enjoyable. The story, characters, voice acting, animation, art production, etc. are all top notch, but what really gives Coraline a special spark is fantastic music by Bruno Coulais and how well it evokes different moods. I've already bought the soundtrack...

And the characters are really fleshed out well; they each have some depth to them. Coraline in particular is quite complex; sometimes she's sarcastic and moody, then she's innocent and playful, and when push comes to shove, she's determined and brave. She exhibits an enjoyable range of facial expressions and body language. It is almost impossible not to forget that she's "just" a "puppet" as the movie progresses.

The Fisher King

This is one of my all-time favorites, and as often happens with favorites, I tend to forget how good it is until I watch it again. I really like Terry Gilliam's work, but so many of his movies are flawed or out of balance in some ways, more quirky than enjoyable. But with Fisher King he somehow got it all working right...

This movie has so much going on; it is a redemption story, two love stories, a buddy movie, a modern-day fantasy, a love note to New York, and more. The acting by the ensemble cast is excellent, and mixes comedy, drama, romance, social commentary, and the absurd into a odd (and sometimes intense) but overall rich and satisfying whole.

Surrogates

Nothing new here. Minority Report, I Robot, and Blade Runner thrown in a grinder and set on Bland. Bruce Willis did the best he could do with his role, but the character and the plot prove to be utterly trite. It's too bad, too. With the additional talents of Ving Rhames, Radha Mitchell, and James Cromwell, this movie could have been epic. The action is pretty dull, too. Not in the least bit exciting. Skip it.

Fandango

I've been sitting on this movie for weeks, almost a month, literally. (Actually I just checked my Netflix queue, and I've had it for more than a month!) It was recommended by some coworkers a few years ago, but when I actually got it, the prospect of a stereotypical college road trip comedy didn't really grab me, so I kept putting off watching it...

Well, I am an idiot, because it turned out to be much more than a road trip movie. It weaves in themes of coming of age and loss of innocence, among others, but mostly without getting too preachy or heavy. If anything, it has several places (mostly in the middle) where it tries a bit too hard to be funny, just plain laying it on thick. But I find it easy to forgive this because it gets it right overall, and wraps up in an interesting and satisfying way.

It also has a rather young Kevin Costner whom I actually like for once; it turns out he can actually act! I wouldn't call this movie excellent or great, but it is good, especially if you like comedies that mix in some thoughtfulness, like The Breakfast Club...

Bronson

Bronson will be tough for a lot of viewers. It's very surreal. The feel I got watching it was the same feeling I got watching A Clockwork Orange, even though the two movies have very little in common. There's no concrete narrative, but the story is pretty tight and easy to follow. The plot, however, is almost irrelevant. Even if it didn't work, Bronson would still be worth watching for its cinematic genius. This is the art of cinema at its best. Tom Hardy gives a truly amazing performance that will undoubtedly put him in the independent film history books. Everyone who craves something different needs to see this movie. Even if you dislike it, you'll have to agree that it's unique.

Sunshine Cleaning

This one can't be summed up in one word. On the surface it's a typical soul-searching drama, but it works on several other levels, too. I can't even say it's about one thing. There are multiple solid themes working through this movie that makes it beyond any one genre. Amy Adams is wonderful, as always. Emily Blunt is pretty terrific, as well. Definitely worth seeing.

Halloween II (2009)

Rob Zombie's follow-up to his reimagining of Halloween is like a bad acid trip: it's loud, violent, and makes no sense whatsoever. There are some interesting ideas here, but virtually no plot. Michael Meyers wasn't exactly Hannibal Lecter in Zombie's previous film, but he was more developed than John Carpenter's original killer. He moved with purpose and had real presence. In this one, however, he's little more than a big, lumbering zombie. Worst of all, though, are the hallucinations of his mother and a white horse he (and the audience) is subjected to throughout the movie. They're really trippy sequences that shatter the realistic tone previously set and serve no other purpose than to bring Sheri Moon Zombie back. Malcolm McDowell returns as Dr. Loomis, but adds absolutely nothing to the story. A big disappointment.

Doubt

This movie works on so many levels that it's hard to imagine someone not liking it. I really can't praise it enough. The casting was nothing short of brilliant. The camerawork is among the most graceful and beautiful I've ever seen. The writing is as close to perfection as humanly possible. Hoffman and Streep are total opposites, drawing a line in the sand for the audience members to take sides. Adams is the ace in the hole, however. Her childlike innocence wins over everyone's trust. Her naivete, however, makes her judgment questionable. Doubt is, undoubtedly, worth seeing.

Y.P.F.

Cute little movie. It explores the emotional bond sex creates between people, cycling between five stories. Sure, it's vulgar, but it's also got a heart. There's also a surprisingly small amount of nudity, which gives it a light-hearted feel. Definitely worth watching, maybe even with that special someone.

Transsiberian

Good thriller. Lots of twists and turns in the story. Very tense. Good cast, too. Ben Kingsley is great, which goes without saying. Woody Harrelson is a pleasant surprise. It's refreshing to see him in a completely serious role for once, which he is excellent in. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. The beautiful snowy landscapes are sublime. Definitely worth watching, if not owning.

Pulp Fiction

Brian has been doing the heavy lifting on this blog, and doing a great job. Aside from the fact that I've been on a business trip the last eight or nine days, the truth is Brian sees more movies than I do, and more current ones. I rarely see new movies in the theatre; I mostly rent them from Netflix, and lately I tend to choose older movies that I've already seen years ago, or somehow missed when they came out...

Speaking of Quentin Tarantino, I watched Pulp Fiction again, and it is even better than I remembered.

The first few times watching a movie I tend to focus on the story. Pulp Fiction certainly has some interesting (and odd) stories, and the non-linear way they are presented requires some attention to keep them straight. This time I focused much more on the characters, the acting, and the cinematography, all of which are outstanding.

My favorite character was and continues to be Jules (Samuel L. Jackson), who goes through a major epiphany and appears set to get out of the gangster business. But this time I found his partner Vincent (John Travolta) more complex and interesting. Through most of the movie he's a shallow jerk, but in other parts he's a sympathetic (if somewhat pathetic) character. You could argue that he gets what's coming to him, but I just feel (slightly) sorry for him. But here the non-linear timeline allows us to see him and Jules exit the diner together on a hopeful note in the final scene...

Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds is, in a word, boring.

Quentin Tarantino is like an old man who loves to hear himself talk. He's always been heavy on dialogue, but his past two movies have been more talking than anything else. Unfortunately, Basterds fails to break that chain. The movie opens with a ten plus-minute-long prologue, the vast majority of which is one character flapping his lips. It's cute and quirky at first, but it gets old quickly. And that's pretty much how the rest of the movie goes. The violent scenes are fun and exciting, but they're not nearly as bountiful as the previews might lead one to believe.

I wouldn't go so far as to say Basterds is a bad film. Just boring. It's worth a watch or two, especially if you like Tarantino. Just don't expect constant stimulation.

The Mist

One of the better film adaptations of a Stephen King work. Good cast. Marcia Gay Harden deserves an Oscar for her performance. Her character is only annoying at first, but she is absolutely contemptible by the end of the film. The special effects are decent, if not a little shoddy by today's standards. Though I feel the movie doesn't quite capture the weird horror of the novella, it's still pretty horrifying. The ending is different and, quite frankly, better than the book. (Stephen King is on record as saying he wished he'd thought of it.)

District 9

This one is different. It starts out as a documentary, giving the audience exposition without boring or unnatural dialogue, then switches to a narrative pretty smoothly. The plot is pretty simple and easy to follow, but it's also very imaginative. While there aren't any real twists or turns that will shock you, there's plenty of excitement to make up for it. I also have to give props to the filmmakers for creating a character that has no actor behind it but still manages to gain sympathy from the audience. Definitely worth catching in the theaters!

Harry Potter 1-5

I finally gave in and watched the first five Harry Potter movies. All in all, they're pretty much what I expected. I'll try and give a quick review of each of them.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone: A decent saga-starter. I don't have any complaints with it per se, but I found it hard to get into since it's more of a kid's movie than anything else. Worth watching.

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets: A bit more enjoyable than the first movie, but still a little too kid-oriented for my taste. Of course, anything with a giant spider will peak my interest.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: This is one is my favorite for several reasons. Alfonso Curon (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Children of Men) brings some weight to the series without making things too dark. Gary Oldman is always a joy to watch, and this movie is no exception. Also, I like Michael Gambon as Dumbledore better than Richard Harris.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: This one I had a hard time with. The editing is really jumpy, which made following the plot difficult for me. Goblet's plot is definitely the weakest of the series thus far. That being said, the conclusion of the film makes up for the rest of it. You'll know what I mean when you see it.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: This is when sh*t gets real. The overarching plot of the first four films finally moves to the forefront and becomes the main focus of Harry and his friends.

I like many aspects of these movies, but my favorite is the way in which they all fit together like a puzzle to tell one, big story. It reminds me of how TV shows like Dexter and Deadwood use individual episodes to weave a story together over a whole season. Even though I didn't love any of the Harry Potter movies, I definitely recommend them.

Transporter 3

Better than the suckfest that was Transporter 2, but still pretty dismal in comparison to the first movie. The plot is pretty lame, which is sad considering that it was co-written by Luc Besson, the genius who once produced great stories like Leon (aka The Professional) and The Fifth Element. Frank Martin was an interesting character back when Jason Statham was new to American audiences, but now he's just boring. The film's only redeeming qualities are the fight sequences, over-the-top stunts, and Natalya Rudakova, whose genuine cuteness makes up for her iffy acting. All in all, Transporter 3 is worth a watch or two.

Eagle Eye

Very enjoyable action/adventure film. Reminds me a lot of Enemy of the State, but more fun. The pace moves pretty quickly while giving the audience brief intervals of time to breath and get to know the characters. The acting is good, too. This is the first movie starring Shia LaBeouf in which I haven't hated him. In fact, I liked him in this one. Everybody else does a decent enough job, as well.

There are numerous little things I could call flaws in this movie, but why bother? I don't think Eagle Eye was made to break any boundaries. It's just a fun action movie.

United 93

I really don't know what to say. I think it's safe to say that this is the most powerful film I've seen. The realism is so effective that the whirlwind of emotions I felt on September 11, 2001 returned as if they had never left. I hesitate to even critique it as a film.

Among other things, this movie is very, very tense. It had my heart beating harder and faster than any movie I've seen in the past six years. I was on the edge of my seat from the moment the hijackers prepared to take the plane right up until the moment it crashed. I was on the verge of tears on more than one occasion.

I'm sure there are those who object to the making of this movie, believing it to be cashing in on an American tragedy. I couldn't disagree more. I'm glad this film was made, and I have to give the filmmakers endless props for their achievement. United 93 is history. Decades from now, people will watch this film and have at least a faint understanding of how it felt to be alive on that day.

Brainstorm

I had heard/read about this movie many times, usually as the one Natalie Wood was filming when she died, but I finally watched it last night. One of a handful of directed by Douglas Trumbull, who is better known for his special effects work; I liked his Silent Running, but both movies show that he can get too distracted by visuals and geeky stuff to be a great director. Still, Brainstorm was better than I expected, and not bad for a 1983 movie. Had some interesting ideas, and some good acting (especially Christopher Walken, trying to play a more straight lead role before he "settled in" to playing vaguely unsettling characters). The evil military theme is tired, but watching them get thwarted by robots is kinda fun. And Trumbull gets extra credit for finishing this film at all; after Wood died the studio wanted to scrap it, but he did some creative editing and finished it, and I didn't really even notice anything obvious wrong. A solid B movie, mildly interesting/quirky, worth a Netflix rent.

Killshot

Good movie. I don't really have any complaints with it. Good pacing, good acting, simple but interesting story. Mickey Rourke plays his part perfectly. He's a cold-blooded killer with the same cool attitude we all love him for, but he injects just enough humanity into his performance to make the character compelling. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a joy to watch, as always. He really pushes the envelope of his ability here. This is the first character of his that I hated by the end of the movie, which I'm pretty sure is what the filmmakers intended. Rosario Dawson is so good that I fell in love with her character and completely forgot it was her I was watching. Definitely worth checking out.

My Bloody Valentine

Nice little horror flick. It doesn't aspire to be anything more than what it is, but it has a firm plot to stand on and deep enough characters to drive the story. There's some bad acting here and there, but the majority of it is tolerable. The gore is where the bulk of the budget went, and it pays off. It's good ol' fashioned, overblown violence that's meant to amuse the audience more than horrify them. I have no complaints with it. My Bloody Valentine is bloody fun and nothing more.

Minority Report

Good, solid sci-fi flick. Nice balance of story, characters/acting, visuals, etc. In fact the visuals are excellent -- a whole world of future Washington D.C., with a lot of cool tech, but some oppressive overtones, and then plenty of seedier parts of town, country homes, and so on. I'm not a huge Tom Cruise fan, but he does a nice job as lead. One of my favorite Spielberg flicks. I appreciate that he doesn't dumb it down -- you have to pay attention, there's a lot going on, and you have to think through the implications of being able to "know" the future ahead of time, destiny vs. free will, etc...

Friday the 13th (2009)

What a waste of potential...

Friday the 13th could have been a great remake, especially with Marcus Nispel (whose remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre I found pretty impressive) at the helm. In the months leading up to its release, I read in interviews and articles about how different the filmmakers were trying to make this Jason. They wanted him to be more expressive in his movements. They wanted him to be quicker and more aggressive. They wanted him to run more. All of this interested me, and gave me hope that the standard, by-the-book horror movie was going to be steadily fazed out by a new movement of better, smart(er) horror movies.

My hopes were misplaced.

Nispel's Friday the 13th is the same old horror movie studios have been cranking out for decades. Jason is anything but new. He's the same, lumbering zombie he's always been. There is aboslutely nothing fresh about this movie. Everything in it has been done a thousand times before, and not particularly well, for that matter. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and House of Wax were nothing new, but they were well done with decent plots and interesting characters.

The violence is another issue I have with this movie. I'm not morally opposed to gore in movies, but I do feel that too much too often is distracting. There's one scene in particular in this film involving a chisel and a guy's throat that was dragged out much longer than it needed to be.

All in all, I don't think Nispel's Friday the 13th is worth watching if you're looking for something new.

Big Night

I'd forgotten how good this movie is, a love song to food and Italian culture. Great acting all around, great directing, interesting characters. I think you sort of have to be in the right mood for this, but once you get into it, it is just a joy to be in this world. The last scene, where Secondo cooks a simple frittata and eats it with his brother Primo, and they make up (after a huge fight) without a word, is just sublime...

Scenes that give me goosebumps

Along similar lines as my dad's "most audacious scene" post, I've decided to list a few scenes from movies that never fail to give me goosebumps when I see them. These are scenes that make me feel like a kid in oversized clothes while I watch them.

(In no particular order...)
1. The Dark Knight: The Batmobile has been hit by a bazooka (which was meant for an armored vehicle carrying Harvey Dent) and is a wreck. It looks like Batman's going to have to huff it on foot at this point. Then one of the front wheels starts spinning, and you're reminded that Batman is the James Bond of superheros and is always prepared for anything. Wondering what's going to happen and how it's going to happen, you sit on the edge of your seat, eyes glued to the screen. BOOM! The Batpod explodes out of the wreckage of the Batmobile, drums pounding triumphantly, and Batman zooms off to save Harvey Dent.

2. Iron Man: Tony Stark has just learned that his company has been selling weapons under the table to terrorists in the Middle East. Determined to help those who are being harmed by his own weapons, he dons the suit and jets off to Gulmira, not far from where he had been held prisoner earlier in the film. As he arrives, a group of terrorists is raiding a village and generally causing mayhem. Just as an innocent father and husband is about to be shot, Iron Man descends from the sky, stands tall, and kicks some major ass. Then, when a few terrorists use women and children as human shields, he uses his computer to lock exclusively onto the hostiles and drops them in less than a second with tiny projectiles in his shoulders.

3. Die Hard: The LAPD is finally aware that a group of international terrorists have taken hostages in a building and are recklessly executing an assault. They are quickly cut down, though, by the terrorists, who were more than ready. McClaine, pissed that cops are getting killed, puts some C-4 explosives on a desk chair and weights it down with a computer monitor. Just before dropping it down the elevator shaft and creating a huge explosion that rips through a whole floor of the building, he says, "Geranimo, motherf**ker!"

4. Casino Roayle: James Bond is chasing a bomb maker through a construction sight in South Africa. The bomb maker is very fast and hops around almost effortlessly, using pieces of the construction sight to accelerate him as he jumps. At one point, he jumps up, grabs a bar, and slides through a thin slot several feet up the wall. Bond, utilizing more force and less grace, bursts through the wall like the Hulk, shakes off the dust, and keeps running.

5. Transformers: There are several moments in this movie. The first is when Bumblee, after saving Sam and Mikayla from Barricade and speeding away, transforms and puts his fists up, ready to throwdown with Barricade.

Another is when we are first introduced to Optimus Prime. I will never, ever forget seeing this on opening day at 10 pm with a full audience... The Autobots descend from space in a beautifully scored sequence, pick cars to transform into, and converge on Bumblebee, Sam, and Mikayla. The moment Optimus Prime emerged from the mist, drove up, and transformed, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause. It was one of the greatest moments of my life.

Finally, we come to the climax of the film, where the Autobots and the Decepticons are battling it out in a city. Things are looking rough for the good guys, who are doing their best despite the fact that their leader isn't with them. Then, in a moment that makes my heart flutter every time, Optimus Prime arrives just in the nick of time, transforms, and faces off against Megatron. It's a shamless heroic moment, but it gets me every time. (I remember the first or second time I watched Transformers with my brother, he cheered, "Go Optimus Prime!" at this moment.)

Brüno

This movie is...different. There's really no other way to put it. Some people will love it and some people will hate it. I'm in the middle.

Brüno is presented as a "mockumentary" in the style of Spinal Tap and other Christopher Guest films, and it's executed pretty well. There's a good balance between Brüno's interaction with the audience and with the other characters.

The humor is pretty ridiculous, and MUST be taken with a grain of salt. The movie is about a gay Austrian fashion designer, so sex is worked into just about every joke of the movie. (Racial stereotypes come in at a close second.) Some of it is pretty clever, while a lot of it is shamelessly extreme. It all boils down to taste. If vulgarity is not your cup of tea, then you will absolutely hate this movie. The only other movie I can readily think of that is as blatantly offensive as this film is South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut.

Brüno is a pretty one-dimensional character, but he is fun to watch. He alternates between speaking in English and speaking in German, so his hackneyed German accent doesn't get tiring. His homosexuality is hardly anything new, either. It isn't representitive of any new ideas toward homosexuality and exists soley to be laughed at, which will undoubtedly annoy many homosexuals. All of this, however, isn't meant to offend so much as present a caricature of the modern celebrity and the public's attitude toward him.

All in all, I liked Brüno. While I laughed at the obscene jokes, I really enjoyed the smaller and smarter jokes. I also can't help but admire how authentic this film feels. Its truly outrageous parts are bountiful, but they cross so far over the line of credibility that they entertain instead of annoy.

Again, this movie does not aspire to be anything more than a laugh-fest, so bear that in mind if and when you see it.

An Elaboration on Watchmen

This is something I've been wanting to do for a while, and what better place to do it than here?

I've seen Watchmen twice now. Upon my first viewing, I was not impressed. I scrutinized it heavily against the graphic novel and concluded that it was, as Alan Moore told Terry Gilliam so many years ago, simply unfilmable.

When I watched it again months later, however, I enjoyed it much more, and that is because I didn't constantly compare it to the graphic novel. I watched it simply as a movie. I still have issues with it, though. The violence is, in places, gratuitous. Not that I'm morally opposed to it, but I feel that it detracts from the realism of the movie. Same with the ultra-slow-mo, which was awesome in 300 (Zack Snyder's previous film), but feels out of place here.

Still, all in all, Snyder made a great movie in Watchmen. It's smarter and deeper than the average superhero movie.

However, I can't help but wonder how much better it would have been if it had done a few things a little more in the spirit of the graphic novel...

I'll start with the characters. I feel that the casting of the characters was good with the exception of Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias. In the graphic novel, Adrian Veidt is a complex man, both exceptionally intelligent and exceptionally powerful. (I always saw him as a cross between a jock and a genius.) In the movie, Matthew Goode portrays Ozymandias as a soft-spoken aristocrat. The graphic novel's Ozymandias is beyond any stereotype, which is more than the movie's can say.

I was a little disappointed with Dr. Manhatten's portrayal, as well. Billy Crudup is a great actor and he does a decent enough job, but he failed to carry the godly quality of the graphic novel's Dr. Manhatten over to the big screen.

More disappointing to me than the aforementioned flukes, however, is that the movie is devoid of the graphic novel's spirit. In the graphic novel, the Cold War plays a huge role in the plot and the sense of imminent armaggeddon is constantly felt. This is what made the climax of the story so poignant and so intense that it transcended the page and gripped the reader. THE ENTIRE PLOT HINGED ON IT!

The film, however, spends far too much time with the characters and far too little time on the plot. From what I can deduce, Snyder tried to cram as much of the graphic novel into the movie as he could. While his effort to remain as dogmatically faithful to the source material is commendable, it ultimately proves to be the film's worst attribute. The climax (which was altered from the graphic novel in order to save time) works, but not nearly as well as it could have. What I would have done had I made the movie is focused less on the details of the characters' backgrounds and spent more time on the Doomsday Clock (figuratively speaking).

Cthulhu

I'm conflicted on this one. There are things I really like about it and things I think are severely lacking.

I like the atmosphere. It's dark and mysterious, which lends a lot to the film's creepiness. The acting is good for the most part, though there were a few parts that bugged me. The leading actor (Jason Cottle), who I'd never heard of prior to this or seen in anything else, is a really strong performer. The cinematography is very professional and pleasing to watch.

However, I think the film really falls short when it comes to plot and editing. The basic story, which is a very loose adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," had tons of potential. The plot, though, is very thin and a lot of the events in the film have little or no bearing on it. It's very easy to get lost in the web of random happenings and forget what the actual conflict is. The ending, though powerful, feels underdeveloped and rushed.

Cthulhu is by no means a great movie. That being said, it is worth watching for the parts of it that work well.

most audacious scene

For now I'm going to skip the obvious lists like "My Top Ten Favorite Movies Of All Time...", and try something a little more specific. And actually this first one, for me, won't even be a list, because there is a single, clear stand-out in my mind...

Each of us want different things from movies at different times. Usually I just like a good, comfortable, interesting story -- as I get older, I look less for action and crazy, over-the-top stuff. Still, sometimes it is great to be taken for a roller coaster ride, to experience that WOW feeling...

And for me, after seeing hundreds of movies in my life (so far), Terminator 2: Judgment Day stands out as having the top "Holy Sh*t!" scenes...

• Just when it seems John O'Conner has escaped the T-1000 on his motorcycle, a diesel truck crashes down from an overpass and starts chasing him. I was lucky enough to see this scene in a full Friday-night theatre, and the crowd got quiet, and then went nuts...
  
  
• Then, the reprogrammed Terminator (Arnold!) rides to the rescue on his chopper, cocking a shotgun by spinning it one-handed! The crowd went even MORE nuts at this point, cheering and screaming! Against all odds he grabs O'Conner off his bike, duels the T-1000 to a stop, and rides away to safety (for now)...
  

There were many other audacious scenes in this movie (the nuclear bomb explosion being one of my favorites; I have a sick fascination with them), but those two stick in my mind as the most shocking and satisfying.

All of this is probably a low bar compared to my son, who is much more into action and horror and stuff... {smile}

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I'm going to have to disagree with my dad on this movie. While I in no way think it a bad movie, I found Button boring and pretty unremarkable. I've liked everything David Fincher has directed up until now and, as a fan of his, it's hard for me to say I didn't like Button.

First off, I will give praise where praise is due. The cast works so well together in this movie. In my opinion, Taraji Henson had the strongest performance and should have won Best Supporting Actress. It's hard to pick out names, though, since everybody did such a fantastic job. I was even impressed with Brad Pitt, who I generally don't care for. (I don't dislike him; I just get tired of his pretty-boy leading-man act.)

The cinematography is beautiful, and it is complimented well by the visual effects. The film has a nice darkness to it that gives character to the film without affecting the mood too much.

Despite the aforementioned prasies, however, I found the story pretty predictable and boring. There were certainly some sweet, funny, and interesting parts of the movie that I enjoyed, but overall I just remember thinking that there were large chunks of the movie that could have been a little more exciting and other parts that could have been cut. I just wish the writer would have tried a little harder to suprise me.

In the end, I think the key to enjoying this movie lay in one's taste. It was too slow and transparent for me, but I can see why others would like it. And even though I didn't really care for it, I would recommend it, because it is worth watching. Again, I hate criticizing a David Fincher movie. I really like the guy and his movies, but Button just didn't do it for me.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I don't like long movies. I think a movie has to be pretty good to justify being longer than two hours; I prefer a taut 90 minute feature. I also don't care for predictable movies. I like unusual, ambiguous, twisty storylines; I get bored when the story arc is so obvious we can see what's coming from miles away...

So when I approach a three hour movie where the basic premise is known up front, it has to be really well done to keep my interest. Titanic was an extreme example of this, but it did in fact pull it off (at least for me).

Benjamin Button is another example, and it also pulled it off for me, and did it even better. Most people either know the premise before even seeing the movie, or get it early on: a man is born old and grows younger. And not too far into the movie you realize it is a doomed love story: the man and the woman are destined for each other, but given that they are aging in opposite directions, their relationship can't last.

And yet the execution of the story is so well done, the acting, the details, the overall mood and feel, that it kept me interested straight through. Nothing earth shattering, but a great story...

A complaint I've heard applied to Benjamin Button is that it is too much like Forrest Gump. First, that's not necessarily a bad thing -- I happen to like Gump. Second, while there are definitely similarities and parallels, ultimately Benjamin Button becomes its own movie, especially in the second half. Personally I think it dials back a bit on the drama and sentimentality compared to Gump, and doesn't rely as much on gimmicks like Gump being involved in historical events. Button is that much more poignant for telling an interesting and subtle story...

The Strangers

Nice little suspense flick. It's refreshing to see a horror movie where the body count can be counted on one hand and there's next to no blood. Definitely worth seeing.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Pretty bad. Whereas the other X-Men movies managed to be more than just "comic book movies," this one is a collection of bad cliches and crappy dialogue. The plot had potential but the execution was too by-the-book to make it stand out. Even though Hugh Jackman returns as Logan/Wolverine, he plays a very watered-down version of the character. I was not impressed.

Watchmen

Not as good as the graphic novel, but still very entertaining. Good special effects. (Fun fact: Terry Gilliam tried to make this movie a few years ago, but Alan Moore told him it was "unfilmable.")

He Was A Quiet Man

He Was A Quiet Man -- decent, mildly quirky dark comedy with good acting and good music. Nice little twist at the end. I liked it.

welcome

My son and I share a love of movies, and we spend hours/pages talking about them. So we decided to try blogging this stuff. We'll see what happens...