Public Enemies

I like Michael Mann's films.  Heat, Collateral and The Last of the Mohicans are some of my all-time favorites.  While I can't say Public Enemies is, I can definitely say I liked it.

I do have a couple of gripes with it, though.  The first is Christian Bale, which is tough for me to admit since I like him.  While it's nice to see him step out of the Bruce Wayne/John Conner action hero role, I feel like his talents were ultimately wasted on his portrayal of Melvin Purvis.  He plays him as a passionless, rather bland man.  If Purvis really was as dull as Bale played him, then I feel like any other actor could have taken his place.  This ties in with my other complaint with the movie, which is that none of the characters have much personality.  Johnny Depp has enough charisma to make up for it with Dillinger, but everyone else feels like cardboard cutouts of old gangster movie characters.

Criticism aside, Public Enemies is an enjoyable movie.  The acting is sufficient, the story is solid, and it holds your attention.  It has a bit more soul than the average popcorn flick, but it falls short of being a favorite.  Worth a watch every now and then.

Horror Movies

A recent email from my dad got me thinking about horror movies and how disappointing many of them turn out to be. So many of them seem to sacrifice plot and characterization for horrific deaths and cheap scares that I am automatically skeptical when approaching horror movies. I thought I'd list a few modern horror movies that I liked.

House of Wax: Not bad for what it is. The characters are nothing but collateral damage, but their fates are pretty horrifying and entertaining. Worth a watch.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Pretty damn good for what it is. The characters have some depth, and the tension is thick. Truly horrifying.

Saw: The Saw franchise has become pretty stagnant, but the one that started it all is still good in my opinion. It's far from perfect, but the premise is fascinating and the twist at the end is great.

The Ring: This is a good movie all around. Good acting, good cinematography, good direction, good story. It's also not afraid to leave some questions unanswered, which I like. It's what you don't know that scares you the most.

The Collector: This one is just fun and bizarre. The writers make no effort to make the story make more sense than it does, which actually serves it well. Just sit back and watch the people get butchered.

Silent Hill: Impressive effort. The dark world the protagonist slips into has the right mixture of realism and surrealism to keep the audience guessing. The bad dialogue bugs me, but I can suffer through it to enjoy the picture.

Hostel: This one only exists to horrify audiences. The story is as thin as the paper the script was printed on, but the violence fills in the gaps. It's worth watching just to say you saw it, whether you hate it or love it.

The Devil's Rejects: The main characters are completely unredeemable and downright unlikable, but the film is fairly well-made and the story is as interesting as it is disturbing.

Trick r' Treat: This one is different. It's broken up into several stories that all connect at one point or another. It also successfully walks a very fine line between being humorous and horrifying. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but it still sets out to scare you.

Seven Pounds

For better or worse, I tend to sort actors according to how much they rely on character acting skills versus just being themselves. At one end of this spectrum are actors like Gary Oldman, who are so good at morphing into someone else that I sometimes don't even recognize them.

At the other end are actors who just sort of fall back on attitude and charisma, and I would have to put Will Smith as a prime example. Now I like Will Smith, but in every movie I've seen him in he's just doing his cool/jokey thing, so I had written him off as not having much range. Until now...

I found Seven Pounds to be just a so-so movie overall -- story, acting, directing, etc. have some good points, but sort of get tedious and sentimental by the end. But what I noticed right from the start was that Will Smith has finally evolved some new acting range. In particular I saw in his face some depth, especially when he was showing pain.

I like it when actors (and most other artists, e.g. musicians) step outside their comfort zone and push into new territory, and grow. Welcome to a new level, Will.

Carriers

Virus-related apocalypse movies are a dime a dozen nowadays, so I was skeptical going into this one. My only real interest in it was Chris Pine, who I am a dedicated fan of thanks to Star Trek. I was pleasantly surprised, though. In addition to its fairly talented cast, Carriers managed to stand out amongst other films of its ilk by focusing on the characters instead of the virus. And although the movie is about how the survival instinct separates us from our humanity, it avoids becoming a morality tale by maintaining a delicate balance between tugging at the audience's heartstrings and shocking them. The concluding voice over monologue felt a bit forced and there's some 28 Days Later crossover here and there, but otherwise I'm pretty satisfied.

three flicks with Kevin Spacey

One of my favorite actors is Kevin Spacey. I especially like him in American Beauty, K-PAX, The Big Kahuna, and The Usual Suspects. Lately I've been on a mini-run of movies with Spacey that I hadn't seen before...

The Negotiator - The story has an interesting premise: a police hostage negotiator himself takes hostages and has to deal with another negotiator. But much of the rest of the story is filled with stereotypical elements. Fortunately most of the focus is on the two main characters, excellently played by Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey. The non-police supporting actors did a good job, too.

Moon - I generally agree with Brian's review, but I found the story sort of weak and predictable -- after the initial revelation, I saw where it was going from miles away. But the excellent main character(s) focus sort of makes up for this -- Sam Rockwell really pulls off a tricky set of roles. I also like how "Gerty" (computer/robot) mostly avoids several computer stereotypes; Spacey's voice gives it just the right balance of logic and "heart"...

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - Eh. This certainly had some interesting elements, but ultimately it didn't quite gel and pull me into caring much about any of its characters (especially the main John Cusack one), and it slid into a stereotypical courtroom drama in the last third. Kevin Spacey does well enough, although his character doesn't have a lot of depth, so he doesn't have a lot to work with.

Predators

I was excited but skeptical about this one. I love the character of the alien hunter as much as the next guy, but the twelve-plus years since the original have only offered one lackluster sequel and two poorly executed crossovers with the Alien movies. There was a lot riding on this new movie for science fiction fans.

Luckily, the film delivers...and then some! Predators is, in my mind, the only proper sequel to the original. The tension from the first film is back, which is impressive, seeing as how the audience is almost fully aware of what's happening by this time. What's especially nice, though, is how fresh this movie feels. It's obvious the filmmakers went to great lengths to avoid stepping in the footsteps of the original. They assume the audience knows about the predator's various tricks and trades, so the characters don't spend more than one or two lines on them. And though they tie this one in with the original, it has more than enough clout to stand on its own with.

Part of what makes this movie so enjoyable is the characters. We don't get much in the way of characterization, but each of them are intense enough to stand out on their own. Even the ones that die off early are memorable.

The action is great, too! It's evocative of the original movie, but more intense and suspenseful. All of the great, old Predator tricks are here, along with some new ones.

Predators is a great, new addition to the franchise! It's respectful to the source material without being a long, drawn-out homage. Definitely a must-see!

How To Train Your Dragon

I'm always skeptical of animated movies geared toward both children and adults. I don't know why, though. Nine times out of ten I enjoy them when I actually watch them. How To Train Your Dragon is no exception.

What a delightful film! While it makes no effort to surprise audiences with a complex story and plot twists, it's still very solid. The pacing is just right, and even though predicting the inevitable outcome is fairly simple, you can't help but wonder how it will come to fruition.

The mood of the picture is another perfect balancing act, in my opinion. It would have been easy to get too dark with big, fire-breathing reptiles, but it's all pretty lighthearted.

The only potential problem I foresee with this movie is its scope. Vikings and dragons... There aren't too many young girls I know that are as interested in those things as boys. That being said, I saw it with three girls between the ages of 18 to 24, and they all enjoyed it.

five flicks

Sherlock Holmes -- Excellent! If someone had told me a few years ago that I'd be excited about yet another version of Sherlock, I'd have laughed in their face. But this is fresh, energetic, smart and witty, and just fun and well done. Robert Downey Jr's Holmes is great, and Jude Law is just right as his Watson... I also like Guy Ritchie's use of slow motion and flashbacks...

Terminator Salvation -- I liked it. Not as good as T2, and a bit off in places, but overall a decent installment that kept me interested and entertained. Christian Bale's John Conner is decent, but I thought Sam Worthington had the more interesting role. Great machine graphics and sound effects!

Gran Torino -- Meh. I had heard good things about this, but I was disappointed. It had some interesting, funny, and cool passing moments, but overall it seemed weak and sad. Lately I've been rewatching some Dirty Harry flicks, and Clint was really much sharper back then... Oh well...

The Men Who Stare At Goats -- This was certainly different; even though I realized it wasn't to be taken very seriously, I still almost bailed at a few points early in the movie. But eventually it hooked me and reeled me in. Nice ensemble acting.

Across The Universe -- I haven't even finished this one yet (waiting for my daughter, we're watching it together), but I already like it. I was somewhat skeptical at first, but the fresh and interesting takes on Beatles songs have really won me over, and the creativity and heart is more than enough to make up for a few dubious moments. I'm with Brian on this one!

Valhalla Rising

This is probably the hardest movie I've ever had to critique. The director of Bronson goes in a wildly different direction with Valhalla Rising, making a movie that makes the surrealism of Bronson look normal. There's very little plot, even less dialogue, and long stretches of time where the only sound is the ambient music. It is maddeningly difficult to follow if you're not paying 100% attention to it, and even then you'll probably still be scratching your head for the majority of the flick. Despite this, however, you can't take your eyes off of it. The cinematography is absolutely amazing, and the acting is very captivating. Mads Mikkelsen, who I thoroughly enjoyed as the quiet but imposing antagonist in Casino Royale, never says a word, and yet you can't help but like his character. His enigma-like quality endears him to the audience when set against the other characters; his silence is his purity. I can't say I love this movie, but I can definitely say I strongly admire it. It's an incredibly bold piece of filmmaking that should be viewed by fans of cinema art.

Cashback

This is a frustrating movie because it has some beautiful moments and ideas, but it is dimmed by some weaknesses: it is uneven in its pacing, there isn't quite enough plot to sustain it, some of the story turns are predictable, some of the humor is a tad forced, and so on. Even the title and cover image are flawed: I passed over this movie at least a dozen times on Netflix Instant Watch because I assumed it was a booby flick aimed at teenage boys. But it actually has some insight and romance and character development, and is mostly well done. It just falls short of what it could have been. Worth a watch/rent.

Across The Universe

Wow! What a movie! I'm very picky with musicals, but I loved Across The Universe! It's so rich with life and originality that I scarcely know where to begin...

The concept is absolutely brilliant: tell a story with Beatles songs. And it works so well! The great thing, though, is that you can know nothing about the Beatles and still love it. The plot isn't Beatles-centric and the songs are re-imagined with enough originality that they feel new and fresh.

The one complaint I have with the movie is its reliance on the music. While the beginning of the movie had enough plot to carry the characters from one song to the next, the songs start to get closer together later in the movie, making less room for the story.

All in all, Across The Universe is a very entertaining experience. Definitely worth watching, if not purchasing.

Avatar

Since this is such a huge film, I'll throw in my two cents, as well.

I saw Avatar twice on the big screen, once regular and once in 3-D, and there wasn't much difference between the experiences. (I've seen two or three movies in 3-D and think it's overrated.) I went in with low expectations. I didn't care that everybody loved it and that it made lots of money. So did the second Transformers movie, and I almost walked out of that. The only real interest I had in Avatar was that it was made by James Cameron, who has made several movies that make it into my Top 10.

After seeing it a couple more times since then and mulling over it a lot, I have to say I'm not real impressed with it. Sure, it's pretty and expands the boundaries of filmmaking capabilities, but that's just not enough for me. The story and characters are as bland and unoriginal as you can get. I spent a lot of the movie with my cheek resting against my hand, thinking, "Been there, done that." The only character I really cared about was Neytiri, and about half of that is because I have a crush on Zoe Saldana.

Now, I'm not saying Avatar is a bad movie. It is certainly worth watching, especially if you're a science fiction fan. And, to give credit where credit is due, this is the Star Wars of the new millennium. It sets the bar pretty high for every science fiction film that follows it. I just don't understand why it's the highest grossing film of all time. All in all, though, it's fun and has some substance.

Avatar

Wow...

I missed this in the theatres, but I certainly didn't miss all the acclaim I heard and read about it. Given all the hype, I figured I would be disappointed with the actual film... Heh, silly me!

I gotta give it to James Cameron -- he is nothing if not ambitious, and that's why he gives us such excellent entertainment. He thinks big, and far, and deep, and then follows through very nicely on the details.

Parts of Avatar borrow from various ideas (the Matrix) and stories (American Indians), but in the end it is a wonderfully unique vision, an entire beautiful, fascinating world, with rich life and personalities. Around halfway through it I was afraid it would succumb to evil corporate and military stereotypes, but somehow it pushed right past that into an epic battle that is amazing...

Great acting all around, and very nice to see Sigourney Weaver (one of my all time favorite actresses) on the big screen again...

Moon

Good movie. Very refreshing and original. Excellent performance by Sam Rockwell, who is essentially the only actor in the movie. As always, Clint Mansell delivers a brilliant score; it's a perfect balance between beautiful and unsettling. I have no complaints with this one. Definitely a must see for those looking for something different.

District 9

I just watched this on Netflix Instant, and I was pleasantly surprised. I was very skeptical of the concept (aliens are stranded on Earth, treated badly in slums; a government official goes from naive, bigoted wimp to desperate-but-wiser hero), but read enough good reviews to make me give it a shot...

For most of the first two-thirds of it, I thought it was decent sci-fi, mildly cheesy in spots, but watchable. I was thinking of it being like a better-than-average B-movie, striving towards B+. But the last third really came together pretty well, and in my mind it sort of made the jump to an A- movie...

As I think about it, a lot of movies run out of gas at the end, at least for me -- they build up an intriguing premise and set up, only to have the end sort of fall short or disappoint me in some way. A few are able to follow through strongly. But District 9 is one of the rarer movies that comes from behind to end better than it started...

Mad Max trilogy

Mad Max
A decent saga starter. While it certainly has its share of problems, it ultimately kept me interested. There were plenty of times this movie could have derailed itself and gotten silly, but it managed to avoid doing so for the most part. My only real complaint with it is that the whole movie builds up to the last fifteen minutes, then ends rather abruptly.

The Road Warrior
A very different film from its predecessor. It's a lot darker and edgier. Max is almost 180 degrees from what he was in Mad Max. While this film continues Max's tale, it exists almost completely on its own. Definitely my favorite of the trilogy.

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
Max's adventures take a weirder turn in this one. Even though a lot of fans didn't particularly care for it, I found it pretty entertaining. It's less gritty than the previous movies and the plot is a little meandering, but it's also fun.

Bronson

I liked this. Brian's review is spot on. Weird and beautiful, funny and sad, silly and sick, and unique... I sort of came to feel for Bronson, not in a heroic or admiring way, but sort of admitting he's got gumption and balls...

Starship Troopers

The more I watch this movie, the less I like it. It's basically Aliens for idiots. There is some interesting political commentary and some cool special effects amidst the hackneyed plot and cliched characters, which makes it worth a watch or two, but it's not the kind of movie someone looking for originality will get much out of.

Eastern Promises

This is one of the movies that is so alive it practically breathes. Everything about it is richly authentic; the acting, the music, the cinematography, the writing... The characters are real people. Their actions say more about them than their words do, which helps avoid a lot of exposition. The pace is almost perfect, like the calm momentum of the sea; it never spends too long or too little on a scene. And, for a movie about a concept as cliched as the mob, Eastern Promises is quite original. Instead of glorifying the mobsters before dramatically tearing them down, the film portrays them as tragically empty people from the very beginning. There are no woeful, nostalgic speeches about honor and respect. It's more about family to these people, though not in a warm, bear-hug sense. Definitely worth more than one viewing.

5 Masterpieces

Braveheart
I watch this one about once a year, and every time I’m blown away by how good it is. Omitting any personal flaws the man may have, I can’t help but applaud Mel Gibson as both an actor and a director. Braveheart will be talked about for as long as movies exist.

Gangs of New York
I saw this when I was a bit younger and didn’t really appreciate it for its brilliance. Then I watched it again earlier this month and was mesmerized by its genius. It’s obvious that Scorcese went to exhaustive measures to make every detail of this movie authentic, and boy does it pay off!

Black Hawk Down
Another one I saw when I was younger and watched again within the past year, this one has always been one of my favorites. I would easily put it in Ridley Scott’s top five. It’s gritty realism is perfectly counterbalanced by its beautiful heart. This is one of the few war movies I’ve seen that actually pulls at my heartstrings every time I watch it.

The Last Samurai
I was dragged to this one by a friend, and will be eternally grateful to him for it. This is definitely one of Tom Cruise’s best roles, and easily Edward Zwick’s masterpiece. Everything about this movie is expert, from the extremely talented multi-cultural cast to Hans Zimmer’s captivating score.

There Will Be Blood
I had trouble with TWBB the first few times I saw it. I watched it after the initial hype and expected a mind-blowing film. While I enjoyed Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance, I found the rest of the movie to be rather boring. It wasn’t until a couple years later that I realized just how amazing TWBB is. The sets, the characters, the story, the music, etc all fit together to form a perfect tapestry that is completely unique.

Zombieland

In an age when zombie apocalypse plots are a dime a dozen, it was only a matter of time before somebody put a comedic spin on the idea. Shaun of the Dead did it pretty successfully back in 2004, and now Zombieland has been added to the list.

I have no complaints with Zombieland. For what it is, it's extremely well made. It's a ball of fun wrapped in just enough reality to make the characters seem flesh and blood. The cast has great chemistry together. As usual, Woody Harrelson is an absolute joy to watch.

What I love most about this film is it's simplicity. It doesn't try to be anything more than what it is, but it's obvious a lot of time and effort went into making it as good as it could be. Everything has just the right balance. The acting, the emotion, the story, the violence. Nothing ever feels out of place.

Zombieland is a nice break from reality. I strongly suggest it.

Inglourious Basterds (A Reassessment)

Upon second, third, and fourth viewing of Tarantino's latest work, I am forced to admit that my appreciation for it has grown considerably. My recent reactions to it have been so different from my first viewing that I'm baffled as to why I was so disappointed with it.

I think it boils down to expectations. I went into Inglourious Basterds with the desire to see an action-packed war movie. I certainly expected it to be different, seeing as how Tarantino's name was attached, but I hoped it would be exciting and violent (a la Kill Bill, Vol. 1).

My subsequent viewings, however, have been much more rewarding. I've been able to enjoy much of the banter I originally found tiresome, especially when it comes from Christoph Waltz.

I still think the movie is too long, though, which is mainly due to the extensive dialogue. This, however, I am willing to forgive. The rest of the film is rich enough with fun performances and interesting plot to make up for the length.

Instant Play triple shot

Lately I've been watching most of my flicks on Netflix Instant Play... Aside from watching all four Eddie Izzard concerts, here's what I've enjoyed over the holidays...

Ink -- An interesting low-budget but ambitious dark fantasy, draws comparisons to many other movies (Matrix, Terry Gilliam flicks, others), but is really fairly unique, and in spite of its flaws, kept me hooked; sort of a B+ movie...

Enemy Mine -- I saw this a long time ago and had a vague memory of it being good; now it is quite dated on effects, but the story is still very strong and affecting...

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. -- I don't know why, maybe I was just in the right mood, but this is the first Godzilla movie I really enjoyed; the effects were top notch, and the overall fight sequences kicked ass. The plot and characters were mildly interesting and didn't slow the pace like they seem to in many Zilla flicks.