Cinema Consumer Guide
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"The Sum of All Fears" D+
Pretty much sums up our fears about the state of cinema (cinema?) in this country. Quick cuts, nice scenery and loud explosions take the place of dialogue or plot. The future looks like video games without the joystick. Morgan Freeman makes you think there might be a script in use (it's that wonderful voice), but that faint hope gets vaporized (eventually).
"Sunshine State" B-
"Mulholland Drive" C+
Can we please merge John Sayles and David Lynch into one writer/director. "Sunshine State" is another of Sayle's well-written films marred by the absence of any cinematic style or rhythm. (Imagine a flatter than usual episode of "General Hospital"). "Mulholland Drive" is a spectacularly filmed glimpse into the random, perverse mind of David Lynch. Nothing makes sense, because (of course) nothing makes sense. I don't know how or if Mr. Lynch can find his way to bed at night. It's close, but I prefer the flawed coherence of Sayles to the out-of-brain fantasies of Lynch.
"Die Another Day" D+
Shotgun shells and dead bodies is the elixir moviegoers are searching for in today's movie marketplace. But like fine wine, the car crashes and open wounds have to be stored in a container. So, for 30 or 40 minutes, the vessel is built from droll dialogue and splashy scenery. But the last half of this movie morphs Bond to Dahmer as the Movie's IQ sinks to another species altogether.
"The Good Girl" B
Good writing is all that separates drama from soap opera. Mike White's script delves into the lives of the working class without condescension and minus the smirks of Hollywood's upper class twits (see the Coen brothers). Jennifer Anniston gives a wonderful performance that merits the accolades she will receive for her more mundane Hollywood projects. Independent films should retain their penchant for the off-beat, but box office suicide always begins with poor titles. (This is a title only Max Bialystock could be proud of).
Festival in Cannes B-
Henry Jaglom was labeled the "next Woody Allen" in the late 80's when Woody Allen began to lose credibility as the current Woody Allen. Jaglom has retained his improvisational, talky style but wisely uses Cannes as the backdrop for this Altmanesque mise en scene. Anouk Aimee is wonderful as an aging actress looking for one more challenging role. (Exactly). Jaglom is a painter and this movie is pretty to look at as his camera pans the beautiful Cannes seaside.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding D+
The fat grosses have puzzled industry insiders. For good reason. Why would the American moviegoer want to pay to see a recycled (if somewhat inspired) TV sitcom? Is it the sweetness of the old fashioned sentiment? The decided lack of a feminist perspective? Or perhaps the fact that both characters are a bit pudgy? The Hollywood mavens and moguls will find the secret and produce a more expensive but less profitable sequel. Very soon. Beware.
Igby Goes Down A
Director Burr Steers goes down on the very small list of great young directors. Also add him to the even smaller list of great young screenwriters. Which means he's on the microscopic list of great young writer/directors. (A list of possibly three: Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson and Steers). Igby is a sparkling coming of age satire/comedy with a superb cast (especially Clare Danes) and dialogue that leaps from the screen. ("leaps from the screen" = intelligent, quick conversation spoken by interesting, unique but believable and appealing characters). Dark and modern, the film has an agreeably loud alt-rock soundtrack and yet brims with bright, moving cinematography. The film barely opened on the street but the DVD is here -- go get it NOW!
Full Frontal C+
Truly an amazing movie. Fourteen days in production. No real script -- just an outline. No makeup. I think Brad Pitt even packed his own lunch. Yeah, it's a little grainy (every day is a foggy day), and the sound is like listening to a conversation through a wall. But remember,it was all done in just 14 days! What will happen when he (Stephen Soderbergh) trys REAL hard?
Does anyone still have favorite directors??
Top Ten
1- Eric Rohmer
2- Martin Scorsese
3- Woody Allen
4- Robert Altman
5- David Mamet
6- Billy Wilder
7- Wan Kar Sai
8- Wes Anderson
9- Quentin Tarrantino
10- Coen Brothers
One Hour Photo B
Yes, it is a creepy premise. And right again, this is not the 'funny' Robin Williams. But this is a very carefully crafted film. Calculating and precise in truly Kubrickian fashion. It may be that a movie needs the writing and directing to be under one head for a production to glide this fluidly. Writer-Director Mark Romanek's first film is beautiful to watch, but don't expect an emotional payoff as the end credits roll by.
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Red Dragon D
"Did you see the part where he glues the guy to the wheelchair?"
"Yeah, but the cool part is when he sets him on fire."
Bad movies can happen to good actors (in this case, Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton and Harvey Keitel). But did they read the script first or just the terms of their contract? Should we expect more integrity from actors than from the guy who cleans our gutters? Can the gutter guy clean up what this movie did to my mind?
About a Boy B+.
Forget the ads -- this is not really a comedy. This is an intelligent comment on just how empty life can get for a young fun-chasing man in 21st century London. Hugh Grant has thankfully switched off some of the foppish tics that in the U.S. seem more suitable to a flower shop owner than a ladies man/playboy.
About Schmidt A-
This excellent movie features a phenomenal performance by Kathy Bates and still more evidence that Jack Nicholson is both a celebrity AND an actor. Moviegoers under 40 will be bored and confused while those over 50 will simply be frightened. Anyone over 70 should be steered to the adjoining theater ASAP. That leaves the forty-somethings with the right distance from youth and death to enjoy this somber, yet funny take on (hold your hats) the meaning of life.
.Punch-Drunk Love C-
The title aptly describes the feeling behind this free-wheeling film desperately seeking some magic. Paul Thomas Anderson is a passionate film-maker with little regard for traditional forms of plot exposition. The question in this film is whether the affect is from the heart or just a cover for a movie with no direction or sense of purpose. Adam Sandler does a nice job not reminding you he's Adam Sandler. The deleted scenes are truly scary -- absent editing, this could have been a career-ender.
Seinfeld - Comedian C+
Interesting but sloppy documentary that will appeal mainly to Seinfeld fans (like me). The movie is driven by Jerry's painful discovery that stand-up comedy is definitely NOT like riding a bicycle. Jerry never discovers what's missing. Sadly, it appears to be the glow of youth mixed with the drive to be loved. Or something lke that.
Adaptation D
Screenwriter Charlie Kauffman has shared his real-life angst and delivered a screenplay at least as screwed up as this poor man's mind (or life). The last half of this ludicrously over-praised movie manages to be both camp and postmodern. Charlie Kauffman treated this movie like a homework assignment he didn't really understand. Director Spike Jonze is clever (of course) and Nicholas Cage plays the serious twin in typical Cage fashion while the other is played by Cage's much less-talented virtual twin. I hope you're confused. It's that kind of movie experience.
Laurel Canyon F
It is not easy to get an F rating. This movie went the extra mile. Put in the extra effort. A suitable analogy would be found by the restaurant reviewer dealing with truly nauseating cuisine only to be ordered by the chef to "clean your plate, please". Laurel Canyon is aggressively offensive. It starts with Francis McDormand, wonderful in "Fargo", but truly ugly here, in mind, body and spirit. Advertised and reviewed as having comedic elements, I can only guess this must have been another "camp" experience, whereby one is presumed to find humour in the shoddy efforts of the cast and crew (and especially the screenwriter).
IDENTITY C
This is a horror/suspense film with an interesting twist that probably requires a little too much from the viewer. Shifting from the visceral to the analytical in under 60 seconds can cause severe disorientation. John Cusack and Ray Liotta head an interesting cast that is geared a bit too tight. The film needs air and space as the rainy, dark set yields both suspense, and ultimately a boring shell-shocked tone that grates on the senses. Amanda Peete will one day find the right vehicle for her Julia Roberts smile and shine. Can her agent spell romantic comedy?
The Recruit D Quiet American C+
The CIA has flourished where Communism failed. Hollywood lost the commies as sure-fire villains, but the CIA remains an always reliable conduit for stories of intrigue, terror and the spectacular double-cross. Two spy movies, two iconic actors (Al Pacino and Michael Caine) and two completely different cinematic styles. The Quiet American is in fact, a quiet movie. Darkly filmed, it features some "Ed Woodian" sets that could have been lifted from low-budget movies of the era being portrayed (1952). Most movies try to magnify the events they portray to further pique the viewers interest. But Director Phillip Noyce's movie reflects the languid Asian climate instead of the controversial (and murderous) CIA presence. In contrast to the over-calculated tone of The Quiet American, The Recruit adheres to the Hollywood metronome that measures 2 minutes as exactly one second too long for the 21st century moviegoer to stay awake without a car crash or at least a loud bang of some sort occurring. The Recruit's story of a young agent's CIA experience suffers from one major flaw. No, it's not the tiresome over-acting of Pacino or the awkward pacing. It's quite simply the utter stupidity of the plot. Imagine, for example, if George Bush were to be put in charge of U.S. foreign policy.
The Dancer Upstairs A-
Better than "Z", this is the best movie ever in the admittedly small genre of international politics. Director John Malkovich skillfully lays out this compelling movie based on Peru's murderous Shining Path movement of the 1980s. It is fascinating and illuminating to watch the three elements at work in an unstable country: the military, the revolutionaries and the democratic forces desperately trying to maneuver between the two warring extremes. What makes Dancer unique in this genre is the addition of strong acting and clever dialogue. Javier Bardem is this year's Latin break-through. He is good enough to even be remembered next year. (Where did you go Benito Del Toro)?
City of Ghosts B+
First-time director Matt Dillon adds more fuel to the fire burning the Director as Auteur chapter in film textbooks. Perhaps the focus should be on the editor or in this case the casting agency. The feeling of imminent danger hangs on this picture like the tropical air. The clashing of cultures edges around this picture every time the faces of Cambodia's masses leap from the screen in authentic flashes of native unease. There are sub-plots that don't work and characters drawn too loosely, but the mystery of Cambodia itself fascinates to the very end.
Seabiscuit C
It's time for Tobey McGuire to leave. The horse playing the famous Seabiscuit showed more emotional range than the phlegmatic young McGuire. In a medium full of eager overacting, it's refreshing (at first) to encounter the cool, low-key style of Mr. McGuire. But after repeated exposure, the filmgoer may feel an irresistable urge to pop thru the screen and stick a sharp object into young Tobey's posterior. After all, a similar strategy worked wonders for Seabiscuit's career.
Matrix: Unloaded A-
Finding Nemo A-
The universe detailed in the Matrix trilogy has it exactly right. We are living within a huge computer (universe). Everything is 1 or 0, on or off, yes or no, up or down. Society (including pop culture) moves along this axis in an inexorable pendulum. In the 50's cartoons were often cynical, while movies pushed an idealized version of reality. As we leave the 20th Century, animated features are now the repository for sweet fantasy while movies churn out violence and sex mixed with sex and violence. If one can determine the length of the axis and position the current age properly, Nostradamus would live again within the realm of important matters like TV and fashion.
Pirates of the Caribbean B-
This is a D movie in every way except one -- Johnny Depp. Depp amazingly captures the Rolling Stoned approach to life in this eye-shadowed, sashaying Pirate portrait that is at once comedic and (somehow) believable. Keith could have done it, but subtitles would have been required.
American Splendor A-
A truly strange yet wonderful experience. That’s the movie, not the life of Harvey Pekar. Directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcin have created a startling collage of the real and recreated, as the mundane blossoms into something meaningful. Or does it. As we watch the real characters (DVD extras) pondering and (sort’ve) soaking in their “fame”, it is disturbing to note that at their core they really haven’t changed. The frustration endures.
Matchstick Men C+
This is a carefully crafted Ridley Scott film that tries too hard – like most movies trying to turn a profit. The con man genre relies on plot twists, but at some point the level of absurdity in this film crushes the story line before the final credits (perhaps even falling like matchsticks). Nicholas Cage had a great time playing with the tics and repressions of the main character. It’s getting hard to appreciate Cage’s performances since he works so often and usually within a narrow range of expression. Unfortunately for the viewer, Cage got his break thru the Coppola connection instead of with a Hollywood face.
The Missing D
If this were a basket ball game the grade would look like this: B+ C D F -- D.
Why the too familiar pattern -- viewer fatigue, popcorn depletion or just the Director’s futile search for the BIG FINISH? After 20 minutes, I’m watching a carefully crafted western. At the 90-minute mark, I’m involved in a sloppy, supernatural, psychedelic stew that looks like a Roger Corman quickie from the 60’s. Tommy Lee Jones (a great actor), occasionally loses track of his character and becomes Tommy Lee Jones (a great actor), lost on the set of a Western.
Lost in Translation B
Beautiful cinematography and a sparkling soundtrack mask a very slight story. Set in Japan, this feels like a slightly jazzed-up Eric Rohmer film. No one is in a hurry, and there are no punch lines. Director/writer Sofia Coppola has a Truffaut-like sweetness that bounces engagingly off the curmudgeon known as Bill Murray.
MATRIX: Revolutions D
A dense, suffocating world -- suspended alone, yet surrounded by technological marvels. Layered amongst the alien environment, a soundtrack percolates with sounds grounded in the irritation of pure machine noise. Helpless and trapped. Welcome to an MRI. This medical procedure will help prepare you for the grueling 2 hours of The Matrix : Revolutions. No copay required, and you are free to eat and drink. Keanu Reeves is not available in the medical procedure.
21 Grams A
This is Traffic plus Pulp Fiction plus a little heart. Wow! The movie is that good. Get out your checklist. Acting, editing, casting, score, pacing, story, plot – it goes on, and it’s all good. 21 grams is supposedly the change in weight of a body after death -- the weight of the soul leaving the body. Similarly, a film has a residue after 24 hours that weighs on the mind -- the day after effect. This is why the “A” is not “A+”. When you wake up this film haunts you with the intensity of a bad headache.
Love Actually D
If you see a dozen reaction shots in the first five minutes of a movie, walk out or power off IMMEDIATELY. (Unfortunately, I hung around to see how awful this thing could get). Love Actually is a horrid British copy of a typical American ultra-commercial blockbuster. Comedy that's not funny, drama that is ridiculously transparent and finally a movie that is embarassingly obvious in the way it tries to push and pull the audience. Hugh Grant is just silly as the Prime Minister, but Billy Bob Thornton is unsettlingly believable as the US President. Please don't let this faint praise whet your appetite for this dog.
Fahrenheit 911 C
If Rush Limbaugh did not exist, this movie would be dismissed as a heavy-handed polemic. Instead, we have a heroic act of self-defense as Michael Moore tries to rescue the country from the bad guys. A documentary should win awards based on the quality of the images, the depth of its research or the rhythm of the narrative. The Cannes crowd judged this film on the basis of one criterion: does this movie make GW look like a jackass. The answer can be found on the wall or mantle in Michael Moore’s study.
Mystic River C+
Can we get a Director on the set? Please. Overacting abounds as characters become vehicles, and egos overwhelm nuance in this bleak, twisted murder mystery. The film is darkly shot and feels claustrophobic with an abundance of face time for the demanding cast. The Boston accents come and go as the mood strikes. Critics loved this movie. Must’ve been the star power of Eastwood and Penn. Sean is terrific (as always) but Clint is just turning on the cameras and dozing until it’s time to break for dinner back at thehotel.
The Big Bounce D+
Owen Wilson is great to watch as he does his slacker thing with grace and charm. But Elmore Leonard is not about spacey, suburban kids opting out of the real world. Leonard’s characters are struggling close to the bone of survival, contemptuous of society’s rules and rituals but not with the luxury of heeding each afternoon’s call of “surf’s up”. This is a sloppy, pretty film that looked like fun for the cast and crew.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind A+
This is a rare movie: romantic comedy meets science fiction (and it feels like they’ve known each other forever). Unlike Charlie Kauffman's other screenplays, the romance works this time because the characters are not as thin as crepe and the story is not total crap. Kate Winslet deserves an Academy Award for her performance and Jim Carrey gets a Just Visiting card to the Jerry Lewis career jail. This is a sweet, engrossing, mesmerizing movie. Buy the DVD, make copies and send it to your best friends.
Dodge Ball D
Unless you were kidnapped and forced to watch this movie, you (like me) have no right to expect sympathy for being pummelled for 90 minutes with mostly unfunny lines and repetititive slastick. It's coming at you, but you can't move, can't avoid the sights and sounds of inanity aimed squarely at your brain. But what more warning is needed than a movie based on DODGE BALL. Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller are occasionally funny, in a slightly smarmy way.
Collateral D+
Director Michael Mann (Heat, Last of the Mohicans) can serve you a Big Mac and have you believing you’re sitting at Trader Vic’s. So one can sit thru Collateral and be pleasantly transported thru layers of whooshing colors and glossy reflections as long as you simply ignore the fact that the movie’s basic premise makes as much sense as ordering a Big Mac at Trader Vic’s. WHY doesn’t the cab driver (Jamie Foxx) just run away, call a cop, stop for a fare in a low income area, assume an impenetrable accent – ANYTHING! Meanwhile, Tom Cruise continues to play games with his career. Like a shopper on a gift card, he looks for parts without regard to cost (to the viewer, the audience or to the movie’s integrity). But Cruise can be enjoyed on a visceral level as the People magazine side of our brains intently notes his gray hair and the early formation of age lines beneath those Newman blues.
Garden State B
A clear-eyed The Graduate (1967) with a better score, though clever enough to include a snippet of Simon and Garfunkel anyway. This is a DVD must-see, as the extras display the essential editing that thankfully eliminated some scenes more suited to Love Story (1970). Writer-Director and lead actor Zach Braff is Dustin Hoffman (lost and confused) but Natalie Portman, a radiant, evervescent actress, makes Katherine Ross appear on the verge of a permanent coma. Cut or alter the “boat sequence”, and Garden State would be “A” material.
Napolean Dynamite B+ The Life Aquatic D
Inspiration cannot be bought, sold, captured, traded or rediscovered. The Life Aquatic is Wes Anderson’s fourth film and that amazing feeling of watching a creation that is intensely personal and volcanic in it’s need to be expressed has been replaced by the disappointment of viewing a pretentious, precious film that has the look of a first draft turned in just under budget. Fiercely independent and un-commercial, it’s still a crushing, irritating bore. On the other hand while Napolean Dynamite shares Anderson’s love of personal expression over guaranteed box office, Jared Hess has produced a fabulously funny film that could also be seen as an off-center teenage remake of Pee Wee’s Playhouse. This film is so unique it’s hard to get a reading of what else might be in Hess’s tank. Both of these films create a quirky, surrealistic universe, but only one seems to come from the heart.
Million Dollar Baby B
This is a boxing movie (sortve) with an ending twist that gives it enough buzz to fill theaters and best movie fill-in boxes. But even more the movie is about old actors (Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman) acting old, yet retaining the cinematic spark of those yet to lose hair and add wrinkles deep enough to frustrate the makeup department. Morgan Freeman has one of those magical voices that can take over a movie and give it the grace and gravitas that may be lacking in the script or direction. Million Dollar Baby is a good movie taken even further by the voiceovers of Freeman.
Beyond the Sea C
Kevin Spacey (writer, director, star) demonstrates in this project that he has the prime ingredient to make it in Hollywood. I’ll skip the really HUGE font – it’s called EGO. If you are doing a music bio and filling it with 20 or more of the singer’s greatest hits, WHY would you just not lip synch? Or does Kevin Spacey think he sings better than Bobby Darin? It is also strange to see Spacey playing a teen idol while sporting a face with at least 50 years written on it.
Cinderella Man C
No surprises here in a (relatively) true Rocky story. Russell Crowe lives his real life like a raving lunatic, yet here he plays a professional fighter with the calm civility of an Oxford don. Director Ron Howard continues to make movies like they were 30 minute TV sitcoms. Where is the mystery, the craft, the special care that allowed us to use the word “cinema’ or “film” when discussing American movies. At least the jump from interminable theatre ads to the opening credits is much smoother, as directors like Howard play solely to the cash register.
Broken Flowers B-
Jim Jarmusch (“Stranger in Paradise”) directs like he just turned on the camera and walked away. Bill Murray acts like he wished he could follow the director off the set. This lack of apparent effort/emotion is exhilarating within the context of a motion picture industry determined to keep you entertained by making as much loud noise as possible. The low point of the movie arrives early on with the unlikely coupling of Murray and Sharon Stone awakening together in the glare of morning. But give it time, you will gradually be taken in.
Bubble C
Claustrophobic, intense, amateurish, short and to the point. What is Stephen Soderbergh trying to prove? That anyone can act? Why not fire every costume designer, set designer and similar craftsmen eating up industry profits. Hopefully a counter movement will erupt to eliminate Directors. I want to see Soderbergh penniless and begging in front of IATSE headquarters in Hollywood.
Zodiac C+
Another "should’ve been better" movie. In this case the creative folks should have found a sleazy marketing exec who loves slasher flicks and let him have at it. Day 1 the plot thins and gets much simpler because marketing don’t care about no stinking reality factor. Call it Zodiac, but figure out a way to get an ending that someone cares about.
The Shooter C
Mark Wahlberg gives another intense performance that gives us some insight into what James Dean might have been doing when he greyed a bit. There is a cultural dividing point here somewhere. Perhaps the under 40’s have no problem with a hero who delights in carnage and believes revenge makes the world go round. Don some rubber gloves for the final 10 minutes.
Does anyone still have favorite directors??
Top Ten
1- Eric Rohmer
2- Martin Scorsese
3- Woody Allen
4- Robert Altman
5- David Mamet
6- Billy Wilder
7- Wan Kar Sai
8- Wes Anderson
9- Quentin Tarrantino
10- Coen Brothers
Does anyone still have favorite directors??
Top Ten
1- Eric Rohmer
2- Martin Scorsese
3- Woody Allen
4- Robert Altman
5- David Mamet
6- Billy Wilder
7- Wan Kar Sai
8- Wes Anderson
9- Quentin Tarrantino
10- Coen Brothers
That's All Folks!
