following in Brian's footsteps

Predators -- Can't really add anything to Brian's review; a good/proper sequel.
Valhalla Rising -- I'm generally with Brian on this, too. It helps to not focus so much on plot and understanding and literal meaning, and just watch and feel and let the movie carry you along. It also helps to watch more than once. Between this and Bronson, Nicholas Winding Refn is becoming one of my favorite directors.

A Fish Called Wanda

Man, I forgot how funny this movie is!  A friend and I were talking about The King's Speech (which I enjoyed very much) and stuttering in general and I randomly had the urge to watch A Fish Called Wanda.  I hadn't seen it in years and figured I would appreciate it more as an adult.

God, was I right!  I watched it last night and enjoyed it so much more than I ever have before.  Everything about it works almost flawlessly.  The story isn't complex, but it's very layered, so it never runs out of steam.  The acting, though, is where the movie really shines.  Everyone on the screen gives great performances, which really breathes life into the script, and the comedy is brilliant because it stems chiefly from the performances and feels natural.  Michael Palin and Kevin Kline are especially hilarious, and Jamie Lee Curtis--who generally isn't (or wasn't, I suppose would be more accurate) heralded as a sex symbol--is beyond sexy.

The only complaint I have with Wanda is the score.  It's too generically 80's for my taste, which I loathe.  I realize it's a matter of taste, though, so I don't really hold it against the filmmakers.  It's a product of it's time.

Overall, I'm more than satisfied with A Fish Called Wanda.

TRON: Legacy

This was better than I expected. The graphics had about the right mix of showing-off ("See how much BETTER computer graphics are now!"), homage to the original, and just plain cool. The digitally un-aged Jeff Bridges was pretty good, although you could sort of tell it wasn't natural. The 3D was pretty good, too, although I had to hold the glasses off the bridge of my nose to keep from getting a headache.

But the best surprise was that there was a halfway decent story. I had expected a minimally-plausible plot, just enough to serve as an excuse to make a graphics showcase. Well, it wasn't Shakespeare, but it was better than average. And at least few of the characters managed to make me care. Jeff Bridges' aged guru-ish Flynn was an interesting mix of hippy, conservative, funny, and regretful. In the end, the movie didn't make the common mistake of a lot of CG flicks -- neglecting the story.

The Wolfman

I saw this in the theaters and hated it.  I had great expectations for it, very few of which were met.  The writing was pretty bland, the dialogue was cheap, and the character development was uneven.  Watching it months later, though, I have a new appreciation for it.  It's certainly not a new classic, but it's fun nonetheless.  The dark, gothic imagery is effective without being overbearing.  The melodrama is poured on a little thick at times, but the actors make it good enough to enjoy as a guilty pleasure.  This movie, like The Core, is further evidence to my belief that a good cast can make a bad movie enjoyable.

The Bucket List

Seems like there was a lot of hype around this one, which tends to make me skeptical. But waiting until a few years after it came out allowed me to watch it without much expectation. Also, having just turned 50, I was in the right frame of mind for a film about stuff to do before you die...

But hey, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, now that raises my expectations, and they did not disappoint me. And the story avoided a lot of potentially silly and trite stuff, while still being a touching drama, mixed with enough comedy and, well, just hanging around cool places around the world to keep it interesting and fun. In the end I really liked it, and will surely watch it again...

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.