The James Bond movie franchise is once again on a roll. Daniel Craig has taken over the role and plays a much darker and deadly Bond than we have ever seen before. Some might think he is closer to Ian Fleming’s book Bond, but I’d say it’s more in line with the trend in super hero like action we seem to expect from our protagonists these days. Any good agent has to be able to fight multiple opponents by hand or gun and, after a bit of punishment, ultimately prevail. By land, sea, or air (and in this case all three) there will be chases and fast paced action that must try to outdo the last episode. Quantum picks up where Casino Royale left off and is full speed ahead from the start. Where Casino Royale had a bit more plot and story to introduce the new Bond, Quantum just lets Craig loose and he takes us for a ride. His cold blooded character is still surprisingly charismatic and I can’t help but like the way the franchise is moving. I like the action. The story isn’t the deepest, nor the villain(s) the most megalomaniacal, but Bond is back and he’s always fun to watch.
Archive for the 'Movie Reviews' Category
I’m an Anglophile. I love British humor. I love the language and the accents. Guy Ritchie may have made a mistake marrying Madonna, but he has made a good, smart, funny and very entertaining film. The acting is great, the plot twisted and the dialog clever and understated in that English style. It’s refreshing to see crooks in other countries and how they do all the gangster/criminal things in their country. We could use more of this cultural exchange. Unfortunately, this movie probably won’t be around long and that’s too bad. Give it a chance. Guy may not get enough out of the divorce and needs our support.
Eagle Eye isn’t a bad action movie. The story becomes predictably predictable and the only suspense is on how they will exactly figure out how to stop the computer run amuck. The action is fun and keeps you entertained. Billy Bob Thorton is always interesting to watch. I get tired of retreading the Gov’t supercomputer taking over theme and wish someone would explore other areas of technology contributing to the fall of Man. Call it Proteus, Colossus, Hal 9000, The Tabernacle, WOPR, SKYNET, Deep Thought, or The Matrix, everyone knows a computer is going to take over the world some day.
You would think two iconic actors would not allow themselves to be part of a less than stellar production, but you’d be wrong. I suppose if someone delivered a dump truck of money at your door, you’d find some merit in their proposal. This film could have been a winner had the story been a bit more original and not so obvious with the plot twists. Pacino and Deniro do work well together. Their early scenes make you understand why they are the best of their breed. They take the craft seriously. But the story goes over the top and no amount of suspended disbelief can make the plot work. Maybe the director and writer had a greater vision and the producers forced them to make another formulaic psycho-drama, no one is confessing yet. You may not be as disappointed as me if you concentrate on the actors and not the story, but overall this movie fails.
Finally, the string of bad movies is broken. The Coen brothers once again put together a farce that entertains. The cast of characters is rich and eclectic. They are all unlikeable, yet captivating in their unpleasantness. McDormand, Clooney, Malkovich and Swinton are excellent. The dialog is smart, the story whimsical, but they play it straight and it is quite funny. Brad Pitt is the weakest link, but doesn’t bring down the entire production. I don’t like spoilers, so I won’t give specific examples. Just believe me when I say you won’t look at your local home improvement store in the same light again. I don’t know why good movies are so rare. I think they have earned the luxury of control by their prior successes. They don’t have to play to the lowest common denominator to try to make money. Maybe they have respect for their art and the audience. Maybe a good story and interesting characters is too simple. Whatever the reason may be, I hope the Coens keep making the movies they want. Then I know at least once in awhile I’ll be able to see a really enjoyable movie.
The Chang brothers made a Thai film in 1999 that won some international acclaim for its directing and visual style. It was the story of a deaf-mute hitman. It was called Bangkok Dangerous. Why would you remake this film in 2008? Obviously, to try to break into the bank of big name western studio productions. Big name stars and distribution channels on a global level. But what about the movie? Nic Cage isn’t playing a deaf-mute. but you wish he were. Ooooh! I’m a hitman. I’m cold and aloof and don’t care about anyone. But wait! Now I fall for the deaf-mute cashier in a pharmacy?? At least there’s no language barrier. The girl emotes more as a deaf-mute than Cage does in this picture. I had a real problem with the cinematography too. It was dark and the color was washed out like the red hues were toned way down. It was so bad that I actually left one theater and asked for my money back (I got a free pass) because I thought the print or projector was bad. I saw it at another theater and it was the same, so I guess it was supposed to be that dark and colorless…like the soul of a hitman? I don’t know. Bangkok is a pretty place, but the only danger is to your wallet and your time.
This is three bad action movies in a row and I’m really disgusted with the whole industry. It’s my own fault. By going to these they make enough money to churn out more crap. It’s too late for me, but save yourself the money and show them you’ll only pay for really original and well made films.
It’s not the next Bourne Identity. It wants to be The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, but it’s just not that good. Don Cheadle should have stayed in the hotel Rwanda and waited for a better project. The subject matter could have been thought provoking. We could have been shown different perspectives of Faith and Politics, but once again the lowest common denominator wins out. That is the fear of upsetting ethnic/political groups and the assumption movie goers are stupid and afraid to see anything that may make us think. The result is a standard no surprise journey where we know the good guy is the good guy despite what everyone else says and we are supposed to sympathize with the bad guys because they have been misled by their leaders. Oh, and the CIA is doing shady things!
Score one for the trailers. I had hopes of a decent movie, but now I feel betrayed.
I like Vin Diesel. He has had some good character roles and was pretty good in XXX. I’d like to think he takes himself seriously as an actor, but this latest disaster makes me wonder. The movie is a mess from beginning to end. The story makes little sense and the dialog is laughable. Vin tries to do some Clint Eastwood one liners to no avail. The editing leaves me questioning what was left out and how bad it had to be to not make it into this film. It is clear that money was invested to make a film in order to make more money. Pay some actors and some effects people and turn out some formulaic sci-fi action movie. The first weekend sales will hopefully payoff enough before word of mouth gets out. DVD sales will bring in the rest, I guess. There are good stories and good film makers waiting for a chance to turn them into movies. That movies like this are allowed to be made is depressing and represents a cancer that infects the entire industry. I took this one for the team, so you don’t have too.
Death Race is a remake/homage to the fabulous Roger Corman produced B-movie Death Race 2000. Unfortunately this new Death Race is not as fun and certainly not as funny as the 1975 film in which points are scored for hit and runs. Gore and violent death are depicted with exquisite care in this movie, but it’s just not that much fun. Some will like the cars and the driving scenes which are well done and must have cost a pretty penny to produce. Maybe I’m just a cynic, but you just don’t care about any of these characters and so just don’t care who wins or dies. Jason Statham is an OK actor and we should feel bad for his situation, but I just couldn’t. What really turned me off about this movie was the disclaimer at the end admonishing us not to attempt any of the stunts depicted in the film. What lawyer convinced them they needed to have that in there? Or was it a clever Corman gimmick to make us want to do something stupid and blame the movie and create some publicity? I don’t care. If you want to have fun, find a copy of Death Race 2000. It’ll cost less than the ticket to this Death Race.
A Summer blockbuster that isn’t afraid to go there, wherever there is. Movie parodies are not new, but there hasn’t been a movie that pokes fun at a movie genre like this in my memory. This movie won’t appeal to everyone and it’s not for the youngsters. It earns its R rating with some very adult language that is pretty funny in how and when it’s delivered. Robert Downey is once again brilliant in his character. He is really hitting his stride as an actor. Ben Stiller is good as the action hero archetype. All the usual Hollywood stereotypes are presented in their stereotypical ways. The cold-blooded producer/studio mogul, sycophantic agent, crazed director and pampered actor are all played seriously and the decent dialog makes for some clever and very humorous scenes. Some folks will not recognize Tom Cruise in the film, but his voice is easily recognizable. He only has one voice and has never been able to produce any kind of believable accent. His character portrayal was arguably the best thing in the movie, but all the characters and a good script are what make this a worthwhile movie to see.
Knowing me and knowing you there are more than a few closet ABBA fans who listen happily to their ipods, ready to make excuses as to how these songs got on there. Few could have turned Swedish folk music into iconic pop songs, but Benny and Bjorn did and we’ve been tapping toes and singing along since the early 70’s. Now there is a movie attempting to incorporate ABBAriginal songs into a traditional movie musical format. Mamma Mia has been a big hit on Broadway for years and the this movie adaptation only makes me want to see the Broadway show all the more. It’s not a bad movie, but it’s not very good either. The effort to film a greek island detracts from the story and the music. The shots are beautiful, but they tended to distract from the emotion and energy that the characters were projecting. This is a problem all film versions of stage shows can suffer. Live shows really are an interactive experience between the audience and performers. There is an exchange that can’t be duplicated on a big screen. Despite the awkwardness of the production, the film is fun and will draw you into it. Ok, Pierce Brosnan shouldn’t try to sing, but he is the quintessential romantic figure for many middle aged folks. You want him to get his girl. If you like the songs, you’ll like the movie. If you want to make points with your significant other, take him or her and you’ll have a good time and maybe a ‘get out of jail free’ card to use at a later date. As for me, I have a dream….to see the Broadway show at the Winter Garden Theatre before it closes.
The movie lives up to the hype. I was thoroughly entertained for two and a half hours. There was less back story and more action in this one. It is assumed you know the Batman story and they make no effort to bring newbies up to speed. Heath Ledger’s Joker carries the movie throughout. I was worried that his last role was being built up as a tribute, but he creates maybe the greatest movie villain of all time. Yes, it rivals Xavier Bardem in No Country for Old Men.This is an Oscar worthy performance. Everyone else is a supporting actor and they are pretty good. Christian Bale as Batman is arguably the weakest link. He suffers from the Batman costume curse. He spends most his screen time in the cumbersome costume and uses the annoying ‘Dark Knight’ voice (I guess to keep us from guessing he’s Bruce Wayne, who he is?). Maybe it was too long. They could have cut it down a bit, but you’d have to sacrifice some Joker moments, and that would be a waste. With the money this is going to pull in, there will be another installment in a few years. It will be very difficult to top this one.
Pixar knows how to make beautiful animated features. Wall-E is a technical masterpiece and is the cutting edge in digital animation. You can’t help but be astounded at all the details and depth of imagery. Disney/Pixar has made a great effort in turning a mobile trash compactor into a convincing emotive being. The story is a simple lonely boy meets girl-loses girl-rescues girl-saves mankind archetype. There is a kind of dark noir about it. Sort of a Mad Max/Bladerunner meets looney Tunes feel and look. The dreary Earth we initially see is spectacularly grim and dismal. Only an eccentric robot could find it appealing. When he follows his sweetheart to the ‘mothership’ we see a cartoon portrayal of humanity at its most sedentary. (already I’ve seen news reports of protests from calorically challenged advocacy groups) The moral of the story hits you with little subtlety. Man=Bad; Robots=Bad; Robots who somehow develop human feelings by watching old Disney musicals=Good; and without Man on the Earth, Gaia will recover…given 700 years or so. Wall-E is a movie to see and experience, don’t think too much about it.
Finally, a movie this Summer that assumes you are smart enough to get it. Guillermo del Toro wrote and directed this feature and you can tell he was making a movie he wanted to see, not what he thought the public or investors wanted in order to make money. The story was good, the dialog intelligent and darkly funny. The visuals are extraordinary as you would expect from del Toro. He takes great care in his creatures and with CGI effects he can bring to the screen his director’s vision. Perlman has a charisma that can’t be ignored. You can’t help but root for the lovable demon. I can’t watch the old Beauty & the Beast shows, but I understand why so many did. The Wu-shu acrobatic fights are de rigor these days and I’m a sucker for good sword and spear demonstrations. I even saw an actor move around without her finger on the trigger of her Glock, a nod to a semblance of proper gun handling. I don’t think Hellboy will be part of the Avenger Project, but this super hero movie is as good as the Hulk and very close to Ironman, in my opinion. I went to a matinee, but I would not have been disappointed paying full price for Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
Get Smart was not very. Maybe it’s because I’m old enough to remember the TV show and how funny it was. Buck Henry was clever and edgy. Don Adams had a unique delivery and great timing. It was clear the movie was catering to a wider audience and would not dare to risk offending any recognized ‘group’. You can quip about the CIA and a psychotic VP with a pacemaker or portray the President reading a book to schoolchildren at the moment of crisis, but you are hardly pushing the envelope there. There was a wealth of talented comedic actors in this film and they were let down by a boring formulaic script that was not an homage to a groundbreaking TV comedy, but an insult to my intelligence and an embarrassment to the comedy genre. Don’t pay to see this movie. Wait for ‘on demand’ and hope for a $1.99 special. Then you won’t think you wasted much money, only time.
