TMB - The Movie Blog

The Return

2010-11-29T16:05:00.000-05:00

Hello to all those who don't read this blog, I am not returning full time, but I have started doing video reviews with a friend who runs Orange Spy Network on Youtube (they do a lot of video game stuff, some of it is good).

My first review is for The Book of Eli

We just posted our Resident Evil Afterlife review as well, I'll embed that here in a couple days.

Kick-Ass and Death at a Funeral Review

2010-04-21T10:35:00.001-04:00

Kick-Ass
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Cage, Chloe Moretz, Mark Strong, Lyndsy Fonseca, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Clark Duke, Michael Rispoli, Dexter Fletcher, Jason Flemming and Xander Berkely

The third film from the (2 for 2) Director Matthew Vaughn tells the story of a young, out of touch high-school kid who decides to become a superhero despite a total lack of power or skills. Its a pretty standard premise, something South Park did about a year ago in a hilarious way. As far as standard goes, the film starts off that way. The film is narrated (often poorly) by Aaron Johnson in a role clearly meant for Jesse Eisenberg. Luckily when Johnson is on screen he is a little bit better, though he has little to no chemistry with his two friends, especially Clark Duke who is turning out to be one of the funniest young actors in Hollywood. But Johnson works just well enough to get by in the role. Lucky for him, he is flanked on all sides by far more talented actors who lend this film credibility in a way that Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Mads Mikkelsen couldn't lend to Clash of the Titans. This film isn't quite as ridiculous as COT, despite some concerted efforts to get there. The beginning is standard fare, the exposition is funny, but not great yet. Then the film makes a huge turn and suddenly becomes serious. I think this is part of what turned some people in the theater off of the film. I've always defended Shaun of the Dead against complaints that the ending got too serious, but this ending is what helped make that a great film, its a real film, not just a toss-away Zombie spoof. This has a somewhat similar effect, but still remains pretty damn funny.

Despite a strong cast, the film is really dominated by two characters; Hit Girl (Moretz) and Frank D'Amico (Strong), they give the two best performances and are the two most interesting characters of the film. Someone forgot to tell Mark Strong that he's in a comedy for one thing, he is his usual 100% believable, and slightly terrifying self. But the reason he is so good is because he plays his role straight, something Matthew Vaughn forgot to tell Nicholas Cage in the beginning. Though his work gets increasingly better his relationship and the way he talks to his daughter is creepy and weird. He eventually comes back down to reality as we learn about his back-story. Cage's oddness isn't the worst thing about the film however; it is easily the low-rent CGI. I know that Matthew Vaughn had to make this film independently, but he relies far too much on video-gamish CGI. Most of it is passable, but there are a few moments (one scene involving fire which is something CGI will never properly master (like mouths) and some gunshots) that just aren't the least bit believable, and when you make the decision to go lazy with CGI you take a risk of knocking the viewer out of reality. Another complaint is that the film is too violent. I know this might sound stupid, but it is. I am all for violence, but the problem is there is too much of it here, so much that it becomes watered down and has no effect. Rather than being in real dangerous situations, we just see the characters in video game worlds with a bunch of targets to shoot and have fake looking bullet wounds appear. That was a mistake by Vaughn, they needed to show less violence, or have a lot of it be less graphic so that when it is, it will matter. But clearly this film isn't going for that, the movie is going for "awesome"s and "sweet"s, not effective serious filmaking. (you can see that near the end in the Deus Ex Machina you can see from ten miles away) On that level, it works.

But after seeing the potential, I wanted more, this film could have had real teeth, it could have mattered. Some are saying this is satire, this satirizes nothing. The film gets so caught up within its own realm of snarky coolness that it stops it from reaching its potential, the film is way too self aware. Its pander to comic book fans rather than a seriously good film. I liked it, it is undeniably entertaining, but it is not nearly as good as it could have been, or looking at the actor and director, should have been. This is not at all in the league of Stardust and especially not Layer Cake. It does touch on some complexities and some real world consequences, but in never explores them realistically. Then-again I shouldn't be rating it for what it really should have been, but for what it is. That is a funny, brainless, action packed, cool comic book movie with some of those great musical sequences that Vaughn absolutely dominates, that is one of the things he brought from Layer Cake. This film is not great, it could have been but isn't. But for what it is, its entertaining fluff.

Rating: 7/10

Death at a Funeral

Directed by: Neil Labute
Starring: Chris Rock, Regina Hall, Martin Lawrence, Zoe Saldana, James Marsden, Ron Glass, Columbus Short, Tracy Morgan, Peter Dinklage, Luke Wilson with Keith David, Loretta Devine and Danny Glover

Death at a Funeral is a remake of a British film of the same name (and in Dinklage the same cast) about a funeral for a family patriarch where everything goes wrong. The American version does exactly what an American re-make would do, it goes from the more reserved British style to American slapstick, luckily this turns out great. Getting an all-star cast to come out for the film really helps. Through the film Chris Rock is solid enough as the straight man of the group, though some of his lines start to come off as, well, lines. They play more like punchlines from his stand-up than actual jokes, that's because Rock isn't an actor, he's a comedian. There are other problems as well; Martin Lawrence starts out as his usual annoying unlikeable self (works for the character) and actually is able to carry that through most of the film despite some unbelievable awful lines ("she's in 12th grade but that ass is in grad school"; I can't believe that got laughs) and through most of the film Tracy Morgan is pretty weak, but when things start to hit the fan, he starts to shine. Tracy Jordan can't play the straight man, that is one lesson learned. Another is that usually serious actors like James Marsden, Columbus Short (I guess he counts) and Peter Dinklage are great comedians too. They are all outstanding in their roles and help to take over the film. There's great stuff from Luke Wilson, Danny Glover and Saldana too. The film is pulled off very well with only a few jokes falling flat. I didn't laugh a lot in the beginning, because I was still in the comparative stage, but I wasn't bored either. The American version keeps the brisk pace of the original film and so when the inevitable comedy of errors begins, it rolls and its quite hilarious. I liked the original a lot but I would almost rate this one better, despite some obnoxiously bad lines (see quoted above) its actually a really solid and really funny movie. All of this considering I went in expecting an absolute desecration of the original film, I was pleasantly surprised.

Rating: 7/10

Kick Ass Continued [SPOILERS]

There are just a few more things I wanted to comment on but didn't want to spoil the film. One of them is a huge missed opportunity. There is a level of complexity that this film touches on in the story of Big Daddy and hit girl. Marcus the cop who shows up to reveal their back-story brings it up. It is the fact that an insane, revenge-driven father has turned his young daughter into a cold-blooded mass murderess. There is never any mention of the fact she kills without wincing. Roger Ebert brought this up and was horrified by that. Before I read the review I laughed off his declaration of the film being morally reprehensible, but there is some truth in that. Nicholas Cage's character is a bad person, a sick and deranged man and he has destroyed his daughter. In the end we see her go to school as if somehow she could have a normal life. That isn't even remotely possible. That is why Hit Girl should have died. Kick-Ass could have still killed D'Amico, but we really needed to see Hit Girl die a dramatic death, and join, as D'Amico says; "The Family Reunion", because her living is just sad. There are really two paths for her; she never matures enough because of her father stunting her mental growth to realize what it means to take a life (leading to all kinds of trouble) or she will eventually reach emotional maturity and come to terms with the fact that her father trained and manipulated her into killing dozens of people on a personal vendetta. Some will argue that this is a comedy, a comic book movie so going that far in is ridiculous, but is it really? For one the film is supposed to be about Superheroes in the real world. (something that Hit Girl defies because she seems super-powered) So imagining real world consequences for their actions isn't out of the question, like on Law & Order, the defendant brought it up so its admissible. Second the film does go on a serious tangent, putting the principles in serious danger. So there is a sense of seriousness, especially when we see characters react to death and violence realistically. Kick-Ass' father when he is stabbed and run-over, Kick-Ass when he sees Hit Girl kill all those people, and even Hit Girl when her father dies. (and I still don't know if the scene where Cage speaks to his daughter with his lips burned off is supposed to be funny, I found it sad, but people laughed at his speech without lips. That was a mistake either way, either in that it shouldn't have been funny or that they shouldn't have had his lips burned off, I mean realism is realism but considering she put out a kerosene fire with a little blanket in a split second, I don't think its that important to ruin a dramatic scene.) But that raises another question, would it have made more sense that Hit Girl sees her father die and is filled with a sense of purpose to kill D'Amico? Or would it make more sense for her to watch her father die and finally be shaken out of that deranged manipulation her father used. She finally experienced a death of someone close to her, so wouldn't she feel different about killing others now? Or is she so far-gone that not even that would phase her? What happens when an innocent crosses her later in life? If she can take life without batting an eye, or a having a second thought, what happens later in life?

That is why Hit Girl needed to die at the end of the film, she could have gone away and any concern about that character's future would be gone. She would have accomplished her revenge and the family reunion (in which I can only guess would be hell, between suicide, wrath and murder they've got a solid rap sheet) would be complete. Would she have been better off dying with her father? Or living on with someone else, never being able to function in society and being a danger to every person she comes into contact with? At least if she were an adult, there would be a maturity, a sense of right and wrong, but she's been trained since she was a kid that life is disposable. Unfortunately the film gets caught up in setting up a sequel and that takes away from the immediate film. It is unfortunate, but luckily the film still works as an action comedy.

[LATE EDIT] This article from the Huffington Post does a decent job (from what I read/skimmed) arguing against the anti-hitgirl push from critics, and though I don't agree with him that Kick-Ass covered the darkness and refused to ignore it (I think it glossed over it quick and easy) he does a great job of debunking the rest of the arguments that she is a bad role model, and that somehow the beating at the end is bad. (I never had a problem with Hit Girl as a character in the movie, I just thought it played out wrong. She needed to die.) But his arguments about the double-standard and sexist view of Hit Girl is dead on. Why can't girls see her as a role model? Boys see James Bond (killer), Tony Stark (Killer), Batman (Inadvertent Killer) as heroes. No younger girls are going to see this movie and start shooting up mobsters. And the beating at the end? What was the problem with that? Its rough, but its just one more reason to hate Cage's character, for putting his daughter there.

Hot Tub Time Machine and Greenzone Reviews

2010-04-07T12:42:00.001-04:00

Hot Tub Time Machine
Directed by: Steve Pink
Starring: John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Clarke Duke, Sebastian Stan and Crispin Glover
(NSFW-Red Band Trailer)

From the awful trailers, to the ridiculous title, there seemed like no way this movie could be a success. But considering the critic's warm reviews and how much I really wanted to see a good entertaining movie (especially a non-3D movie) I decided to see it (half-priced). And as it turns out the movie is spectacularly funny. Every character greatly carries their weight, with Duke being surprisingly funny and Corddry (who has done nothing but suck since he left The Daily Show) is great, and Crispin Glover is possibly the funniest character in the movie. Full of great 80s pop references that are really well done, especially in the way that they use the rules they saw in the movies, like referencing the Butterfly Effect. Its not the most intelligent comedy, and because none of the characters are overly like-able, when the gags make a rare stop the movie slows down a little (I had the same problem with The Hangover), but like the Hangover its not at all a serious issue, and whatever negative can be drawn from it is obliterated by the fact that every single joke lands perfectly. Like all comedies I have no idea how it will hold up the second time, and despite a pretty bad lesson to be learned the movie is nothing but fun.

Rating: 7.5/10

Greenzone
Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan, Brendan Gleeson and Jason Isaacs

From the star and director of the frantic Bourne Trilogy comes a far more politically charged film than the Hurt Locker about the Iraq War. Damon plays a Chief Warrant officer in charge of clearing suspected WMD sites, when he repeatedly comes up empty, he starts asking questions, which draws the attention of CIA bureau chief Brendan Gleeson. He is reassigned and starts investigating the controversial intelligence source 'Magellan'. It is apparently all based in reality, and almost every element seems to be totally plausible (though it does veer into movie fantasy towards the end). I'm not sure how much of it really is true, its common knowledge that Magellan was a fraudulent source and the War was a huge mistake, but putting aside the politics, this is a damn entertaining movie. I will warn you, the friend I went to see this with got a pretty bad case of motion sickness because of Greengrass' "cinema verité" (to sound like a douche) style. (that means shaky-cam). If you're a fan of it as much as I am it should be no problem. The film has a great kinetic energy propelling it forward and you feel like you're in constant motion. Its exciting and tense. The problem is, you can't put the politics aside, if you disagree with the point of view on the war (which if I can soapbox for a second, it was a mistake and was executed poorly, its not a matter of patriotism or supporting the troops either; I love Canada and I have the deepest respect for our soldiers, but I really wish we could leave Afghanistan, though that war was justified) you can't push it aside for the sake of the movie. If you're conservative you'll laugh at the accusations, if you're a liberal, well you might like it. (especially the hippies among you who will have no problem with nausea, get it?). I consider myself a centrist, and I liked the movie, its entertaining, fun, the whole cast turn in good performances, and Brendan Gleeson does a much better job hiding his accent here than in Dark Blue (good god its almost 10 years ago!), and it makes you reflect on how the war could have been done differently. I don't think the movie is a big finger point in the direction of Republicans or Democrats, but instead the government and the military leadership who just made a series of mistakes and bad decisions. Its a solid entertaining movie, with some good points despite a little waywardness towards the end.*

Rating: 7/10

*[Spoilers] The waywardness and the veer out of believability comes with the whole special forces being sent to kill american soldiers "who know too much". That doesn't seem likely or plausible. Whether I'm considered skeptical or naive, I just don't believe that would ever happen. [/Spoilers]

Clash of the Titans Review and the Jury is in on 3D

2010-04-05T13:24:00.002-04:00

Directed by: Louis Letterier
Starring: Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Alexa Davalos, Nicholas Hoult, Danny Huston, Jason Flemmyng, Hans Matheson, Vincent Reagan, Polly Walker, Liam Cunningham and Pete Postlewhatie

From the director of The Incredible Hulk comes Clash of the Titans, the story of a demi-god who decides to go to war against the Gods to avenge his father's death. If you watched the trailer, you could really only think one thing after seeing it: bad-ass. But this film certainly does not deliver. Lets put it this way, Mads Mikkelsen is the best thing about the movie, everything else pretty well sucks. Well actually there is one or two elements that do work really well. Despite some pretty shoddy and unbelievable CGI, the Pegasuses... Pegasai(?) come off really well. The Argonauts are pretty good too. They are given a little depth; Hans Matheson is Red from Shawshank Redemption, he is prepared for anything. Nicholas Hoult is the wide eyed kid in his first battle who is nervous about everything. Liam Cunningham is the old man who should have retired years ago, but is needed, he's also the comic relief. And Mads Mikkelsen is bad-ass, almost Muldoon from Jurassic Park levels of bad-ass. Even some of the stuff on Olympus between the gods is pretty good. The problem is, these functional and entertaining elements of the movie have to take a back seat to the movie and Perseus' quest. While I thought that Sam Worthington was serviceable in Terminator 4, and pretty good in Avatar, he is not great here. He does the action well, he gets angry and hurt, but when he comes to mourn a death, there is nothing in his eyes, he stares blankly at the character, like we do at the screen because there is so little put into that relationship that we feel no connection between the characters. Well there is one connection:

[SPOILERS]
See when I saw the movie, I was expecting one of the two principle women to be with Perseus, either Andromeda or Io, but after finding out who Io was, I assumed it would be Andromeda. See Io has been watching Perseus since he was a kid. When she is introduced, she's sort of a mother figure. She even shows up when they fight the giant scorpions to save her surrogate son. And then while they're on the boat to Hades, (which inexplicably is a houseboat instead of a small raft or something) they come within inches of banging. I understand Perseus' point of view, he barely knows her and she's insanely gorgeous, but she's watched him grow up, she watched over and protected him. If it isn't quite nailing his mother, its the equivalent of nailing one of his mother's close friends, the kind you call aunt despite no blood or marital relationship to. See I found that weird and bothersome.
[/SPOILERS]

Neeson and Fiennes ham it up pretty well as Zeus and Hades, and are again one of the more entertaining elements. Its interesting to see them communicate. More interesting than say watching soldiers fight giant scorpions that they clearly could not see, or fighting Medusa who they clearly could not see. (and looks CGI-wise like the Scorpion King from The Mummy 2). But there is very minimal usage of the gods, and we don't get enough insight into the political workings on Olympus, its like they all stand there and listen to Zeus talk. Apollo gets a line, Poseidon gets two lines I think, but not much else happens. We also don't spend enough time knowing anything about Argos. The King (poorly played by the ever unconvincing Vincent Reagan) is meek, and clearly ruled by Attia of the Julii. Not having the guts to give her a stiff backhand for provoking Hades and the Gods. The scenes where we are with a crazy religious zealot are pretty awful too, not by virtue of the writing, but they totally mis-casted the zealot. He was unconvincing, and no one would ever follow someone who looked/sounded like him.

The whole film is poorly mashed together, this is a story that needed more than two hours, but didn't have the writers or a skilled enough director to do that well (I say that despite loving his Hulk movie). By the last 25-30 minutes or so, I was wishing it would end. It began to drag and get incredibly boring. The solution to this?
Insanely enough, making it longer. Because everything was pounded together like a hamburger patty, you don't know or care enough about the characters or what's happening, so by the time we see the Kraken released and Argos in peril, all we can feel is "meh". If this had been say, a mini-series on HBO, they could have done six hour long installments, using this could have eliminated the red-shirt extra argonauts that are killed by Jason Flemyng and the Scorpions and we could have expanded even more on the stories of the few Argonauts we know (Matheson, Hoult, Cunningham and Mikkelsen) and more importantly, we could have spend more time with the Gods. Unfortunately however, we're left with a two hour movie that is jumbled and mashed together.

One of the most aggravating things (not mentioning the stolen designs from Pan's Labyrinth and the idiotic wooden sand people) was the 3D. The jury is in for me, and I don't like 3D. I kept longing to take the glasses off and watch the movie on a regular screen. The glasses are annoying enough, but the filters darken everything far too much and blur all the action, it becomes impossible to understand anything that's happening. This is the problem, Avatar was made for 3D, and like I said, the animated scenes worked great. The live action, not so much. Clash of the Titans was re-done in 3D after they saw the fad was taking off. So not only is there nothing special about the 3D but it makes the experience far worse than it could have been. The movie isn't a complete waste, there is some fun with the gods and the argonauts, and Mads Mikkelsen is genuinely great as Draco, but the movie is a mess of epic proportions, and I found myself bored and angry at the end, and actually hating the movie after the fact. This (spoilerful) diagram should explain:

Legend: Tembo = Postlewhaite, Attia = Polly Walker, Crazy Lary = Jason Flemyng

Basing my rating on that, it should be about a 3.5, there is some decent fun but that inexplicable hatred I felt afterwards and the awful 3D will take away a point:

Rating: 3/10

Good Casting: I was Right.

2010-03-19T19:31:00.002-04:00

Almost two years ago, I posted this article: Good Casting. Where I argued that Jon Hamm needed to be cast as Captain America, I won't re-tread all of the reasons that are presented. Besides this new argument:

Jon Hamm, Hockey Fan

But after getting some traction, it seems there's some steam gathering. I found an article on Collider (via PuckDaddy Greg Wyshinski's twitter feed) that notes one of the writers of Captain America suggesting the ideal candidate would be Jon Hamm. He uses some of the same arguments too! When I suddenly tried to start a facebook fan page (so I can try and get some credit here) I saw there was one.

"Captain America is supposed to be the patriarch of the Marvel universe. To get a guy in hisearly to mid-20s is only thinking about where the character began, not what he ultimately needs to become.” - Alex Ross

Now I'm not going to take direct credit for starting this whole thing, but just in case the studios come to their senses and decide to cast the ever bad-ass Jon Hamm as Cap:

Fan-Made Oscar Posters

2010-03-16T18:24:00.000-04:00

I stumbled upon these and thought they were pretty good: Honest Oscar Posters from Cinematical.

There's a fourth one for An Education which is pretty good, but spoiler-ful, so I skipped it. Its at the link up top. I'll get around to original postings soon.

Katherine the Giant Killer wins the Day!

2010-03-08T01:27:00.001-05:00

After terrible fears that Avatar might end up winning the night, taking awards away from the deserving because it is more popular, my fears were dissolved as justice was done. A lot of people are going to be upset, and decry the Oscars for not awarding the most popular movie, but its Best Picture of the year, not most popular. The Hurt Locker becomes the lowest grossing film to ever win Best Picture.

Now that the joy and satisfaction of seeing James Cameron and Avatar virtually shut-out, now I can do some commentary, with a little more Avatar-bashing, and of course counting how right I was, or not.

Best Picture: Was really surprised to see it just blurted out like that, they didn't do the suspenseful build-up as usual. But the important thing is I was right! One for One.

Best Director: My cousin who went to film school and has worked as a second unit director on a couple movies argues that Cameron should have won because its really hard to direct something you can't see, you have to have an acute eye for detail. That makes perfect sense and I agree with him completely. But I still argue conforming a location to your shoot is harder than filming it, then building the rest on a computer. Even taking that aspect out, the performances were far better, the film was far better, the subject matter more difficult and complex, and she managed to make a movie that wasn't lost in divisive politics, but make a movie that told a good and interesting story. She deserved it. I'm not going to say the unique opportunity to have the first woman director win, and not have it disputed within the film community didn't have some sway, but if she were a man, or some sort of halfsie (I can't remember where that line is from, I think its Family Guy), she deserved it. Also; 2 for 2.

Best Actor: It was obvious, not much to say. I liked the bit they did with the former co-stars talking about them. 3 for 3.

Best Actress: I flipped the coin and lost. I will eventually see The Blindside (about 83% for Ray McKinnon who played Reverend Smith in Deadwood, 15% because of the Oscars, and about 2% because the story seems mildly interesting. Still, won't this sound odd: Speed 2: Cruise Control starring Academy Award Winner Sandra Bullock and Jason Patric. 3 for 4.

Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress: These were decided when the movies were released. 5 for 6.

Best Original Screenplay: This was a huge surprise, I was totally expecting Inglorious Basterds, but am relieved and elated that Hurt Locker won out, shutting out Inglorious Basterds, even if it messed with my score. 5 for 7.

Best Adapted Screenplay: I can't argue too much, Up in the Air was the better movie straight up, and actually having re-watched it today, the whole "relevance to our time" bit came through a lot clearer, and its a sadder, more poignant movie than I thought before. I don't agree, but Precious was a pretty good movie. 5 for 8, I'm getting cold.

Best Cinematography: Boo, I don't often curse on this blog because it strikes me as unprofessional, but I call it; bullshit. The movie was 60% animated, come on. It was pretty straight forward action cinematography, the calm gaze that The White Ribbon was shot with was the most deserving candidate, event hough I guessed Hurt Locker. Whatever the opposite of a roll is, I'm on it. 5 for 9.

Best Editing: There was no question who should have won this, and the right choice was made. Maybe this is that empty-net goal that re-ignites a dormant sniper. 6 for 10.

Best Art Direction, Best Costumes, Best Make-Up, Best Documentary: These were for the most part educated guesses, so I shouldn't pat myself on the back too hard. But yeah, 10 for 14.

Best Animated Film, Best Visual Effects: The only awards easier to predict than the Supporting Actor and Actress categories. Though the second one qualifies as obvious but unfortunate. 12 for 16.

Best Original Song: It was so awesome to see good ol' T-Bone Burnett get an Oscar. It was the best and most deserving song, but I also had no idea Doctor John was one of the singers for Princess and the Frog, that's pretty sweet. 13 for 17.

Best Foreign Language Film: I can't justifiably call this one out, I've only seen one of these movies and made a guess based on how good it was, and the general buzz. Then-again, White Ribbon should have totally won. 13 for 18.

Best Sound: What can I say, cynicism never got anyone anywhere. Justice was done, you don't steal from Jurassic Park and get away with it! 13 for 19.

Best Original Score: I sincerely apologize to everyone who worked on Up for snubbing them so badly when I did my own awards, though those nods or their results will never get back to them, so this apology they'll never hear is for an offense they'll never know about and therefore pretty pointless except in its own symbolic way... Anyway, having seen Up again recently, I realized my mistake, and this was the only right choice for Best Original Score. (it might be a different case if Karen O was nominated). Also, nobody likes interpretive dance, remember that scene in The Big Lebowski, that's how all of us feel watching that. Then-again that guy did an impressive robot.

My final score: 14 for 20. A 70% which is a B- (at least here, grading is different all over apparently). So that's pretty good, not as impressive as I'd hoped but there were a few curve-balls.

I think I want to try a blogging technique that CBC's Elliote Friedman uses (actually its every monday so there's one tomorrow!), its 30 Thoughts, he'll take on a main issue then have 30 shorter thoughts noted, its a simple but very good and pretty insightful read from one of the best hockey journalists. Which is of course why I'm stealing it.

30 Thoughts

(Elliote, if you miraculously hear about this, and don't like my theft, I'll change it... nothing like making promises you won't have to keep.)

Speaking of balls, (I mentioned curve-balls above) the microphone stand with the two bulbs and long shaft hanging down... I can't be the only person who noticed that.
Over all the show was pretty decent, I missed a little checking the Canadiens game, but that ended when I changed the channel and the score went from 1-0 for Anaheim to 3-0 for Anaheim (Montreal won in a comeback victory with a questionable call in the shoot-out). But it was fairly entertaining.
Baldwin and Martin were pretty good, but didn't have enough stage-time. It would also be nice to see the comedy get a little more 'blue', the Hitler memorabilia joke with Streep was funny, and the slanket/snuggie cutaway. They were a good call.
Loved seeing Neil Patrick Harris on the show, didn't love, or like, his song. I miss the old Billy Crystal adventure through the nominated movies. Jack Nicholson as Gandalf was hilarious. What happened to that? Who cares about old-timey vaudevillian singing and dancing? We want comedy. I want comedy. I guess I can't speak for anyone else.
James Cameron looked positively miserable whenever they weren't talking about him or Avatar, though he looked genuinely happy when Bigelow won, that was nice.
Then-again (must be my word of the day) he may have been happy and my brother and I were ragging on him because he's the only person I know who liked Avatar less than me.
But again, Avatar was a pretty good movie.
The short speeches were nice, but its rude and idiotic to cut off the second guy when there's two recipients. That happened a few times. Reminds me of the time where Jon Stewart, who despite his mediocre hosting job did the greatest thing by bringing Marketa Irglova back out to say her speech. That's class.
I only say his job was mediocre because it was on network television so he can't make any political or somewhat dirty jokes.
I didn't totally get the Clooney stare thing, but it was still oddly funny. If I did get the "spoiler alert" joke, it was pretty awful.
It was totally awesome to see Christopher Plummer get nominated.
It was sad to see Roger Corman get an award.
After seeing the clips of Stanley Tucci's performance in the Lovely Bones (which I haven't seen yet) I'm questioning his nomination.
Meryl Streep is a good sport.
I like that they gave the scores some time, that was great... the dancing, not so much.
Where were the clips for editing and cinematography? One of my first Oscar memories is watching the example clip from Black Hawk Down's editing win. Considering these two awards aren't widely understood by mainsteamers, it would have been good to give them An Education (pun!) in it like...
They took my idea! They explained the sound awards, nice work guys!
As long as I'm stealing from sports-writers... My Thumb is down to having Keeanu Reeves introduce The Hurt Locker on the Academy Awards Broadcast, was there no one else? Anyone less embarrassing and more credible than him? Rip Taylor?
Sean Penn looked and sounded like he was going through withdrawls.
Glad to see Avatar go home with only two awards (even if one should have been The White Ribbon's).
Glad to see Inglorious Basterds shut out. Somewhat malicious, but glad anyway.
Best acceptance speech award goes to Michael Giacchino for Best Original Score on Up.
Best Hockey related moment is a tie between Neil Patrick Harris' opening line "Why couldn't Crosby give up hope" and Jason Reitman's old-school Vancouver Canucks t-shirt from the on-set footage for Up in the Air. Its a tie because those were the only two hockey related moments.
I really wish Baldwin or Martin would have had a gag ready, after the documentary winner was announced (predictably The Cove) they should have turned the camera to one of them eating from a big jar labeled "Dolphin Meat". That would have been great. (also, would have stuck it to those hippies).
Speaking of hippies, I haven't seen it, but if Food Inc. is one of those anti-food pro-organic documentaries, that's bull because organic food is in large part a scam. And shouldn't they realize that to feed a nation of 400,000,000 (that's 400 million right?) people, conventional farming methods aren't enough? I'm sourcing Penn & Teller's Bullshit! on this, but if everything was grown organic, an ass load of people would die of starvation. And all of them would be the poorest people. Its all well and good for rich people to buy organic, pay the extra money and all that, but most people can't afford that. But none of this is Oscar related.
That "ode to horror movies" was a little ridiculous. The reason those movies are rarely talked about at the Oscars is because they are mostly horrendous movies. Jaws, the Exorcist, The Omen, The Shining are really the only great movies that were shown. Also, Twilight was shown, does having vampires make it a horror movie? Because that's a horror movie the same way Paschendaele is a war movie. Since no one will get that reference, its a horror movie the same way The Notebook is a war movie, or a story about alzheimers.
Why was Bradley Cooper there, and not Zach Galifinakis? Galifinakis can be overbearing but he's also hilarious, and in one of the nominated films. Oh yeah, forgot, Cooper is in The A-Team and also isn't fat. (it's not racism but there must be a word for it...)
Who the hell was that woman who bum-rushed the stage during the best documentary: short subject award? I'm pretty sure she was involved but the guy didn't seem too happy.
Tina Fey + Robert Downey Jr. = Hilarity, despite the bow-tie.
Who was drunker? Tarantino or Colin Farrell?

Fudge it, lets make it 31 thoughts:
SUCK IT AVATAR!

We can't all be professional all of the time, all work and no play make Homer something, something.... no wait; no TV and no Beer makes Jack a dull boy.... Not quite there, but I'm close.

Oscar Analysis: Who Will Win and Who Should Win

2010-03-06T17:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, its been a long time coming, its actually very late, but after finishing the far more prestigious TMB Movie Awards, I've decided to finally do this.

Best Picture

Avatar
Up
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
A Serious Man
Up in the Air
The Blind Side
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

The Nominees: First off, I've said all I could say about the 10 nominees system (quite possibly the worst thing that has happened to film this decade) but looking at the group, there are few surprises. You figure you have the 5 standard nominees: Hurt Locker, Up in the Air, Inglorious Basterds, An Education and Precious, then you have the two popular votes Avatar and Up. I'm with you up to there eventhough I think one nomination for Up is plenty, and Avatar isn't that good (then again I don't think Inglorious Basterds should be there either). Then there's the extra three, that are inexplicable. District 9, will now go down in history as a Best Picture Nominee, this will be in the same group as some of the greatest films ever made, when this movie has already seen a backlash, and will very likely end up looking dated. Not to mention its a less technologically impressive version of Avatar.The worst part of this is that a far superior, far more enjoyable and far more emotionally effective movie, Star Trek, was left out for the simple fact that it was Star Trek. It's a better film that is going to age a heck of a lot better than the preachy, overwrought District 9. A Serious Man is another movie that doesn't belong there, its just not good enough in any way. That is the beef that I have with the 10 nominee system, though it allows more popular borderline Candidates, it is an overreaction to The Academy Award's biggest mistake, possibly ever, (yeah worse than the 10 nominees) not recognizing The Dark Knight for Best Picture. Honestly, 7 nominees would have made far more sense than 10. Seven is a good number, it looks nice. It's odd like 5, and its 'lucky seven', and you don't end up letting too many fringe candidates who are on the ledge for a very good reason.

Who Should Win? Well if you saw my awards. you know I say its Up in the Air. The film is a hilarious and heartfelt story, that is actually pretty in tune with our times. The beautiful simplicity of the film is a refreshing difference from Avatar.
Runner Up? The Hurt Locker, the movie grew on me, and after the second viewing, I admire it a lot. Its still not perfect, but its close, and is easily head and shoulders above the other eight nominees.
Who will Win? This is an incredibly difficult race to call. Its really between The Hurt Locker and Avatar.
The Hurt Locker clearly should win, but I can think of 2.5 billion things (dollars) that could very well convince the voters to vote Avatar. But to understand my choice you need to understand the new Academy Award voting process. (which has been described by two sources as Byzantine, don't worry, no one else knows what they mean by that either.)

Essentially the new voting system that goes with the asinine 10 nominees is like this: Instead of voting for the best picture of the year (which made sense with 5 nominees, but not with 10 where someone with 11% of the vote could win) they have the voters list their 10 in order of preference. If one movie doesn't get 50%-plus-one, then they have to do what is essentially a run-off election. They eliminate the movie with the fewest first place votes and redistribute the ballots to the second place votes. So say there are 110 voters, but only 10 vote for the Blindside to win, there are 6 that have Hurt Locker in second place and 4 that have Avatar in second place, that means 6 more first place votes for Hurt Locker and 4 for Avatar. If that doesn't result in a majority, they do the exact same thing again, eliminating the 9th placed movie and redistributing its votes. (Source and Source).

This is the clearest explanation available, pretty well. Don't try reading the first source, they don't explain it clearly enough, but they do explain the effects clearly. What will the people who vote for movies that will never win like The Blindside, District 9 and A Serious man put as second and third choice? What if a lot of people have Inglorious "probably getting third place" Basterds as their second or third choice? They argue that Avatar is a more polarizing movie, people who don't like it really don't like it, whereas The Hurt Locker is pretty much well-liked all around. So even if its not voted number one by all, it'll still get a lot of top five votes.

Considering the "definitely aren't going to win" are either more Artsy (A Serious Man) or Indie (District 9, An Education, Precious) its safe to bet the only redistributed votes Avatar will get are from Blind Side voters (clearly going feel-good mainstream). District 9 fanboys hate Avatar for a) not being hard sci-fi and b) for overshadowing and being generally better than District 9. The only people who'll place District 9 as number one on their ballots are fanboys, so Avatar will sit likely in the bottom five.

Just as a sample crowd (I don't know who the voters are, besides Clive Owen) Looking here, at Metacritic's grouping of most critics' Top Ten lists, we see The Hurt Locker listed 63 times, and Avatar listed 25 times, only 4 as number one, and most of them are in the bottom half. Hurt Locker however is almost exclusively in the top 5, with at least double the number ones that Avatar had. It looks like a lot of people are going for pure quality. There, but like I said, the only person I know for a fact is a voter is Clive Owen, and so there are likely many more like him, people who aren't critics. This could mean a lot more Avatar and Inglorious Basterd votes, but also more Up in the Air votes. But the main thing is a lot of people are like me, if they didn't like Avatar as much as other people, they be likely to form a backlash against the film, pushing it into the bottom five, whereas Hurt Locker, is just good. Eventhough this system opens it up for an upset by Inglorious Basterds (which I fear is pretty possible) or far less likely Up in the Air, I'm going with The Hurt Locker, its quality of being well liked by everyone will help it a lot.

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker

The Nominees: Unfortunately I have not seen Colin Firth's performance in A Single Man, that's the unfortunate because I really, really want to see it. From what I've got from clips and trailers, the performance looks top notch. There's a scene where he's tying his tie in a mirror, and the look on his face is just heartbreaking. The other four present an excellent year, I can't pick out a single performance like I did last year (Penn, Milk) that doesn't belong, and each one is just great. Though I argued in my awards for Max Records' inclusion, because of his superbly authentic performance in Where the Wild Things Are, he was mostly in because I hadn't yet seen Jeff Bridges work in Crazy Heart.
Who Should Win? Well, its a two horse race, between my winner (pre-Bridges) Clooney, and who my likely winner post-Bridge, Jeff Bridges. It is an outstanding performance and of the several great performances, it stands out just a little bit more.
Who Will Win? I have to agree with pretty much everyone else, Jeff Bridges has every bit of momentum pulling in his favor, but I can see Jeremy Renner pulling a massive upset. But all my money is on Bridges.

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

The Nominees: Well, I haven't seen Julie & Julia, or The Last Station, or the Blindside, so I can't comment, but I know Mulligan and Sidibe were brilliant, and Meryl Streep is outstanding everytime.
Who Should Win? Well, based on what I've seen; Mulligan.
Who Will Win? So far the race has been pretty well whittled down to Streep v. Bullock with Mulligan as a darkhorse that could miraculously pull through. From what I've heard of the race between Bullock and Streep, is that Streep's peformance is better, but Bullock might be a reach out to the mainstream. Its been a while since Steep's last win, and I don't think that one good performance will help the Academy get over two decades of trash from Bullock. So I'll say Streep, but this is routinely my weakest category.

Best Supporting Actor

Matt Damon - Invictus
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglorious Basterds

The Nominees: Not that it matters to go through it, I haven's seen 3 of these performances (only Waltz and Damon). I was disappointed to see Anthony Mackie not recognized at all, but glad to see Christopher Plummer and Stanley Tucci get their due after long and excellent careers. Damon was great, Waltz was possibly the best part of Inglorious Basterds.
Who Should Win? I thought Mackie was the best around, but of the two nominated, I'd prefer Matt Damon because the performance was central to the film (despite giving, arguably, a better performance in The Informant), Waltz performance was a a standout from a muck of bad performances (see Pitt, Brad) and disjointed and incompatible story-lines.
Who Will Win?

Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz - Nine
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Mo'Nique - Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

The Nominees: The only nominee I haven't seen is Cruz, which is okay because she won't win anyway. It seems a little like the problem I have every year, I struggle to find enough female nominees because I don't tend to see female-focused movies (Julie & Julia), that is why the two Up in the Air nods were pushed up into Best Actress. The four I've seen all deserve to be nominated, great work.
Who Should Win? As much as I love the Up in the Air performances, especially from Kendrick, this is Mo'Nique's Oscar, to create such a startling but realistic villain, that is so complex, is a work of art.
Who Will Win? No Brainer, Mo'Nique.

Best Director

Katheryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Lee Daniels - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino - Inglorious Basterds

The Nominees: These were pretty well set a long time ago, I don't totally agree with Tarantino's nod because of the unfocused and erratic nature of the film. I personally didn't like Lee Daniels' work on Precious but the performances he got out of those women are amazing, so no quarrel here. As much as I don't like Avatar being overly praised I can't really argue against James Cameron's inclusion. As with everything else I'm really disappointed with Where the Wild Things Are not getting any attention, especially here. Spike Jonze was able to take a very delicate subject and make an incredibly effective film. I liked Eastwood's work on Invictus, but I guess the movie is too comfortable and too safe for the Academy now.
Who Should Win? Well my winner wasn't even nominated (Jonze), so this really comes down to two, Jason Reitman and Katheryn Bigelow. Though my tendency would usually be to go Canadian, I have to say that Hurt Locker is far more difficult film, and a bigger accomplishment than the beautifully modest Up in the Air.
Who Will Win? Well it comes down to two. Cameron and Bigelow, former husband and wife. Since Cameron has already had his day, and this would be the first female victor, Bigelow will likely get it. Not to mention direct comparison of the two films, and the two accomplishments leans towards Bigelow anyway. Hurt Locker is more original and more complex. It is about as well made as one could ask, and having something shot on location seems much harder (have to contend with what that location gives you) than just creating your whole world on a computer. Bigelow all the way.

Best Original Screenplay

The Hurt Locker - Mark Boal
Inglorious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino
The Messenger - Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman
A Serious Man - Joel and Ethan Coen
Up - Bob Peterson, Pete Docter and Thomas McCarthy

The Nominees: Its a huge surprise to me that neither Moon nor (500) Days of Summer are up there. Both were far better than A Serious Man and Inglorious Basterds (but I understand and agree with that nod, those scenes of dialogue are too perfect not to reward), I haven't seen The Messenger, and Up is a good, and almost obligatory, choice (though its cool to see Thomas McCarthy join the ranks of Academy Award Nominees). This is also usually the place where the Oscars try and keep their indie cred by nominating lesser known films.
Who Should Win? Deciding among the four I have seen, I'd probably go with The Hurt Locker, its a really close race with Up though, both are incredibly original, excellent and thoroughly enjoyable films. Hurt Locker edges Up simply because the finished film was better.
Who Will Win? Its sort of a wide open race, I think the only one that won't win for sure is Up. The Academy loves the Coens but I still don't think A Serious Man is accessible enough (to non super-intellectuals or gentiles) to win. The Messenger could be the indy-cred choice, so its a third place dark-horse, but this is really between Tarantino and Boal. This depends 100% on who wins best picture, if Hurt Locker wins, then Tarantino will take this award. If Avatar wins as I unfortunately predict, then this will be Mark Boal's prize. Of course we won't find out first, so lets give this to Tarantino, and hope against hope Avatar doesn't win.

Best Adapted Screenplay

District 9 - Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
An Education - Nick Hornby
In the Loop - Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire - Geoffrey Fletcher
Up in the Air - Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

The Nominees: I have not seen In the Loop. Of the other four, three were no-brainer nominees, and the fourth is an unfortunate surprise nomination. If it hadn't gotten a best picture nod, this nomination for District 9 would have been just fine, but best picture and best adapted screenplay is more praise than this film deserves, especially considering Star Trek was far better.
Who Should Win? Up in the Air, its just the best choice. An Education is a close second.
Who Will Win? Up in the Air, it will be the consolation prize since it won't win anything else.

Best Cinematography

Avatar, The White Ribbon, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Hurt Locker and Inglorious Basterds

The Nominees: I didn't think Avatar should have been there (its like 60% computer rendered, not much camerawork there) and Harry Potter's nomination is sort of like the Norbit nod for best makeup, its a pretty good achievement, but shouldn't the poor quality of the product have some effect on the nod?
Who Should Win? The White Ribbon, the camera work of that film is brilliant, it creates a sense of reality, and you feel like your there. Its really incredible, it also won the cinematographer's society award, so there's some points there.
Who Will Win? Its the same race as Best Picture, Avatar or Hurt Locker. I'm going with The Hurt Locker, it was great work, White Ribbon is a dark horse, but I'm not betting on them.

Best Editing

Avatar, District 9, The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

The Nominees: Pretty standard, the editing in Precious is half the reason I don't like Daniels' nomination for best director, it was a little too flashy for such a gritty film.
Who Should Win? The Hurt Locker, the editing worked hand in hand with the great cinematography to create the sense of tension that we get.
Who Will Win? The Hurt Locker

The Other Awards:
These are by a wide margin educated guesses, and slight commentary.

Best Art Direction:
I've only seen two of the nominees, and I doubt Sherlock Holmes will win anything. I'm going to take a guess and say Avatar.

Best Costumes:
I have seen none of these, I'm going to put my money (figurative) on The Young Victoria, the Oscars love period work, its also pretty well the highest profile movie nominated.

Best Original Score:
Having re-watched up, I regret not nominating it myself in this category. That was a brilliant score, I just hadn't seen it recent enough. The Oscars love Epic scores, so my money is between Up and Avatar, if Avatar goes sweeping, they'll obviously get it, but I give it to Up. There is no scene in Avatar where the score is as crucial an perfect as the infamous silent montage, that is pure perfection. (I'm also somewhat sure that that French flutter in Avatar was stolen from Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings score). Up.

Best Original Song:
I hope that The Weary Kind gets it. Nine's music was panned by critics, I've never heard of Faubourg 36, and haven't seen the Princess & the Frog. But The Weary Kind is an excellent song, and it would kick so many loads of ass to see the great T-Bone Burnett collect an Oscar. Credit though to "Loin de Paname" from Faubourg 36 for actually using the word "vacarne" I love that word. (its french for racket, like noise, not like tennis). I'll put it on The Weary Kind.

Best Visual Effects:
Gee, I wonder who is going to win this one. (as I sarcastically ponder like everyone who was asked this question this year.) Whether it deserves it or not (I say no) Avatar wins. I prefer Star Trek because the special effects blended perfectly with the CGI and one enhanced the other. The special effects enhanced the movie instead of being the movie. When does it stop being Visual Effects and start being Animated?

Best Animated Film:
Up.

Best Foreign Language Film:
I have only seen The White Ribbon, but pretty well all of the buzz is in that direction, its a near masterpiece, and is the only nominee to get nominated for another award. So The White Ribbon.

Best Documentary:
I have seen none of them, though I am lining up to see The Cove, which seems to have the lead. So I'd say The Cove.

Sound Awards:
Even though they should be disqualified for stealing from Jurassic Park, I'm giving them both to Avatar. These awards aren't paid much attention, and it'll be a non-credibility-crushing way of pumping up Avatar's Oscar count so they can put "Winner of 3 Academy Awards!" on the Blu-Ray case, and people will see it and think "oh, that's good the Oscars seem to know what they're doing now, giving awards to movies people actually like, instead of movies that are actually good and deserving of awards." I added the italicized part.

A little something I noticed...

2010-03-01T18:05:00.000-05:00

I noticed this the first time I saw Avatar, thank God for Youtube so I can prove I am not an insane person. I just thought it was cool to find this.

(again, important to note, I liked Avatar, it was a decent movie.)

I'll be posting a second look at Shutter Island (after seeing it a second time) and my Oscar preview soon.

Congratulations Canada!

2010-02-28T18:57:00.000-05:00

I haven't spoken at all about the olympics, but as a proud Canadian, I have to now. Congratulations Canada for your 14 Gold Medals, setting Winter Olympic History. Most importantly congratulations for winning the most important Gold Medal in the Olympics, The Men's Ice Hockey Medal. It was a brilliant story, and Crosby added to his legend as a Canadian hero. That puck was the torch passed from Iginla to Crosby, our team captain in Sochi 2014. One of the greatest moments I've ever experienced.

Ca-na-da! Ca-na-da! Ca-na-da!

Shutter Island and Crazy Heart Reviews

2010-02-24T15:01:00.000-05:00

Oh, what's that? You haven't heard of the TMB Movie Awards? Check them out.

Shutter Island

Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max Von Sydow, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Jackie Earle Hayley, John Carrol Lynch, Patricia Clarkson, Ted Levine and Elias Koteas

Shutter Island follows two U.S. Marshalls taken to the mysterious Shutter Island mental health facility in 1954 to investigate the disappearance of a dangerous murderess, but of course, there's something fishy going on over on Shutter Island. What Scorsese creates is a tremendous work of suspense and terror. Despite a few poor green-screen moments and a fairly languid pace at times, the film is consistently intriguing and pretty damn exciting. Scorsese builds an atmosphere of of paranoia throughout with DiCaprio's dream and hallucinations, they are often shocking and terrifying and help to set the tone for the film. Its one of those movies you don't want to discuss too deeply for fear of spoiling any of the surprises. But I can easily recommend this film. Scorsese creates an amazing atmosphere, and is able to draw absolutely brilliant performances from every cast member, no matter what material they are working with. DiCaprio in particular gives a performance on par with his career best. Every emotion comes through perfectly. That's as far as I want to go, its a brilliantly made, intense film that is thoroughly enjoyable. Its not exactly at the heights of Scorsese's best, but it is easily the best movie of the short year, and is actually a step above Scorsese's last thriller Cape Feare.

On another note about Shutter Island.

Shame on you Michael Phillips and A.O. Scott. Everyone has an opinion, and I happen to respect yours, but you really lay into this movie. Phillips calls it "It is less a film than a puny trampoline -- an occasion, though a grim one, for this most fervently movie-mad of American directors to show off his love for the various pulp genres mooshed together by the 2003 Dennis Lehane novel", Do you know what this describes too? (eliminating the Lehane novel reference) Inglorious Basterds which Phillips praised. The only thing is this one works as a cohesive film, its not just a director who is infatuated with style and throwbacks, Scorsese makes an intriguing and entertaining film. They also deride the "twist" that they claim they saw from miles away, well congratulations, and congratulations to anyone else who got it. But most people, from what I've understood in a small sample, haven't seen the thousands of films they have (including me) and are so wrapped up in the effective narrative of the film that it stays pretty hidden. So to call this schlock, to call it well acted trash is pretty shameful and insulting when they turn and praise what is actually over-stylized mash-up trash coming from Quentin Tarantino, a very good, but grossly overrated director. This rant is a little unprofessional, and is the sort of anti-intellectual diatribes I don't like, but they really misfired on this movie, and it bothered me. They also talked about the use of holocaust imagery in the film crossing the line, but I don't get how, that line was not only way off, but particularly insulting to Scorsese. For shame!

Rating: 8/10

Crazy Heart

Written and Directed by: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrel, Paul Herman and Robert DuVall

Crazy Heart tells the story of Bad Blake, a broken down country legend who while on a tour of bowling alleys and bars meets a young reporter. The set up sounds familiar, and the film has a sense of easy-going familiarity. It doesn't try anything incredibly new, and there's not much to be surprised by, except maybe the performances. These are the engines of the film the Academy Award Nominated performances by Gyllenhall and most importantly Bridges. Bridges eclipses all of his co-stars in a very un-flashy, but supremely solid performance. Every little movement from the way he walks, to always having is pants undone when he drives, help Bridges disappear into this character in a way that a lot of actors have a hard time doing. Its one of those performances that you completely forget that you are watching an actor at work, and he becomes the character. The film as a whole despite the slight lack of originality is actually very good, it moves at the same pace as Bad's life which is quite effective. The film is enjoyable and doesn't shock you with the level of depravity that Bad falls into, which might actually lessen the impact, but the film works as a nice comfortable and enjoyable film. The music by T-Bone Burnett is a huge factor on the film too, it feels authentic and is actually really good (which isn't surprising from T-Bone Burnett, but surprising from a movie). Everything works so well in this film that even Colin Farrel gives a good performance.

Rating: 8/10

10 New Reviews! Including Wolfman, Edge of Darkness and Legion!

2010-02-22T15:33:00.002-05:00

First off, Check this out! The T MB: Movie Award Winners were announced!

Wolfman

Directed by: Joe Johnston
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving

A well made an good looking period re-make of the infamous Wolfman story is a little underwhelming. The move has a hard time deciding between grand sweep and intimate atmosphere. The story is pretty predictable, and really adds nothing new to the werewolf genre. Its happy to be a mediocre re-telling with a little over-the-top gore. The performances are all half-decent, Hopkins is Hopkins, Weaving is Agent Smith with mutton chops, but Benicio Del Toro is the real disappointment. He doesn't fit, its not that he's not trying, but the voice and accent just don't work. Its hard to believe a Mexican as the son of a Victorian English nobleman. Its like a lot of the complaints about Tom Cruise's voice in Last Samurai, if you didn't like that, this one is far worse. It takes you pretty well out of each of his scene. This is pretty well the definition of mediocre.

Rating: 4.5/10

Edge of Darkness

Directed by: Martin Campbell
Starring: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Dennis O'Hare, Bojana Novakovic and Jay O. Sanders

Speaking of mediocre, Edge of Darkness tells the story of Mel Gibson with a Boston accent trying to avenge the apparent accidental death of his daughter, and he begins to uncover a conspiracy. The tone of the movie is set pretty early on, when his daughter is killed (don't worry, I didn't spoil anything its in the trailers). The death is horrifically graphic and hits the wrong note. A good example of how to make a dramatic death is Four Brothers, a good revenge drama. The director had originally shown security footage of the brothers' foster mother being shot which included a mist of blood, he decided that the shock of that scene might wreck the drama of the moment, that's what this did. Though the shock worked fairly well with the following moments between Mel Gibson and Jay O'Sanders, it sucked the drama out of the death. That is the story of the film, just hitting the wrong note throughout. It flip flops between decent revenge thriller and conspiracy thriller in a way that doesn't work. The Constant Gardner did this same idea much better. The movie barrels more and more towards the ridiculous as the film moves forward. The ending is somewhat satisfying, but the movie just isn't all together. Which is unfortunate because Ray Winstone was utterly outstanding in this, he gives a good performance with one of the most interesting characters I've seen recently. It's unfortunate that we couldn't see more of his character, but I'm guessing that the Mini-Series this is based on had more. I'm actually going to seek out this mini-series for 1.5 reasons, the half-reason is more of Darius Jedbergh, the main reason is that Bob "Muldoon in Jurassic Park" Peck takes Mel Gibson's role. I don't know if I've ever explained my admiration for Muldoon, here it is; he is the ultimate bad-ass. The guy fearlessly hunts raptors. Bad-ass. Wait, what was I talking about before I went off on Muldoon, oh yeah, Edge of Darkness. Its an okay movie, with pretty decent performances, (despite everyone in Massachusetts having a 'southie' Boston accent). Its the predictability and the deteriorating quality just ends up killing it.

Rating: 5/10

Law Abiding Citizen
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Starring: Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney and Bruce McGill

Law Abiding Citizen follows a man who is pushed too far when his wife and child are murdered. The man seeks revenge on the system after one of the murderers is given a 5 year sentence by testifying against his partner. Not first off, the case never seemed in danger enough for this to be necessary, I doubt the D.A. would cut a deal with someone the father is sure committed all the murders and then you demand to know why the other partner didn't testify the other way, is it first come, first serve? The first guy could have bartered his way down by accepting 10 years. These are only some of the questions you'll ask throughout this movie, and don't worry, none of them will be answered. Disguised with legal jargon, and a brooding atmosphere, this film is all out silly. If you can get past the weak acting, the sometimes hilariously bad dialogue, or the horrendous message the movie is sending, you still have a whole plotline that makes little to no sense. The film can be entertaining at times, but because the characters are so one-dimensional any time the violence stops, the movie does too.This is a ridiculous premise, filled with ridiculous dialogue and ridiculous scenes.

Rating: 2/10

Legion
Directed by: Scott Stewart
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Adrianne Palicki, Tyrese Gibson, Kate Walsh, Willa Holland and Charles S. Dutton

Legion follows a group of people in a diner on the edge of the Mojave(holy crap, I spelled it right on the first try!) desert who are besieged by a group of Angels who are there to exterminate the human race. So of course the first question is 'if God lost faith in humanity again, why doesn't he flood the earth again?" That is never dealt with. Then there's Michael, the Archangel who disobeys orders and decides to protect the child that is supposed to save the human race. Next question; 'wait, if last time he sent a flood, he saved the most pure humans so he could re-start, is he just finished with humans for good? What else is there?' Of course, never answered and because of basic logical flaws like that, the movie makes little to no sense. But why would the director let that stop him? He goes on to shamble together a fairly large mess of a film, with some cool scenes, and overall an air of pure ridiculousness. I didn't pay to see it, and I had already heard the entire plot from a friend, so I wasn't as angry as I should have been, but I enjoyed it, just a tiny bit. People who like religious themes will like it just a little bit too. But is this a good movie? No. Most of the dialogue is ridiculous and out of place, people have life changing conversations with random people in a diner as you see them get picked off one by one in ways you completely expected. I could go into an in-depth study of the insane logical gaps in this film (like why can't the people in the diner be posessed?) or go into deep detail of why most of the lines spoken by characters in the movie are idiotic (like Percy's recollection of his father's advice that would have child services taking him away) or even point out how the, what's the opposite of deft? Well the touch that Scott Stewart brings sucks any and all drama and dramatic tension out of the movie. Its a half-decent idea that is destroyed and hollowed out for some gore and false depth. But the scene with the old lady is awesome.

Rating 3/10

The Informant

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Scott Adsit, Tony Hale and Clancy Brown

The Informant tells the true story of Mark Whitacre, a witness and a mole for corporate corruption in the agriculture industry who may not be as honest as he seems. This movie is a little uneven, its never really funny, and there's not a lot of dramatic tension, but its fairly interesting. The whole thing revolves around Matt Damon's excellent performance as Mark Whitacre, a cerified genius who is also a complete idiot. He is the definition of someone who is "book smart but not street smart". He comes forward to the FBI about a price-fixing scandal, but soon his own secrets are brought to light. We the more we begin to get into Damon's character, outside of his voiced-over ramblings, and inside of his soul, we start to see the complexity and genius of the performance. There is one brilliant scene in particular near the end of the film where we see Whitacre struggle internally to find a way out of a situation that is about as good as anything I've seen. Its unfortunate but most of the movie is not like that. A lot of it is played a little too lightly, and honestly, a better cast would have helped. Not that this one was bad, but seeing a few more recognizable faces is always nice. Despite how uneven the film is, and the obnoxious begining, there is a good level of interest generated in seeing the mystery unfold, and there's just enough there to make this a decent film.

Rating 6/10

Breach

Directed by: Billy Ray
Starring: Ryan Phillipe, Chris Cooper, Laura Linney, Caroline Dhavernas, Dennis Haysbert, Kathleen Quinlan, Gary Cole and Bruce Davidson

Breach tells the shocking true story of modern spy Richard Hansen who is behind the worst security Breach in American history. Phillipe is the young agent tasked with spying on Hansen, but isn't given full disclosure of what he is doing. The film takes its time revealing to him and us what is actually going on, and its riveting. Though it doesn't have the slow-pacing excitement that Michael Clayton has, Breach is still an excellent example of how to take your time, every scene is perfectly played and they work together to generate interest in the story, and often can move you to the edge of your seat. I've been on a spy-thriller kick ever since re-watching The Good Shepherd; a movie I adore, and this is one of the best I've seen. The performances are top-notch all around. Phillipe gives the best performance I've ever seen from him as the hungry young clerk working his way up to agent. Cooper gives his best performance since adaptation, perhaps even better than that one. This performance is so good and complex, you never doubt it for a second, he inhabits the character and everything about him seems frighteningly authentic. The fact that this is a true story makes it that much more incredible. The film is about as perfectly made as you can hope, and the finished product is excellent. The only negative I can bring up is that the deliberate pace might seem slow at rare time, but otherwise, an excellent and wholly interesting film.

Rating: 7.5/10

Thank You for Smoking

Written and Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, J.K Simmons, Cameron Bright, Maria Bello, David Koechner, Kim Dickens, William H. Macy, Katie Holmes, Rob Lowe, Adam Brody with Sam Elliot and Robert Duvall

Jason Reitman is 2 for 3 in films directed to films nominated for best director Oscar, and he must have been pretty close to being 3 for 3 because his first effort is absolutely outstanding. Despite some of the smugness presented, this is a superbly funny film, I hate the saying 'wickedly funny', but that's a pretty apt explanation. The movie is able to give an even handed look at the subject of smoking from the point of view that you would never expect. Filled with great performances and full of quirkiness and originality. Thank You for Smoking is a tremendously enjoyable film and fits in well with the rest of Reitman's work. I might actually place this above Juno by a hair for the simple fact that this film is more socially important, and it didn't suffer from a horrendous first 30 minutes that is an indie-disaster. Reitman even slips in a joke for his fellow Canadians. Lowe "Next you'll be telling him what position I played for the Bruins" Brody whispers: "Quarter-back."

Dark Blue

Directed by: Ron Shelton
Starring: Kurt Russel, Scott Speedman, Michael Michele, Brendan Gleeson, Dash Mihok, Lolita Davidovich and Ving Rhames

Dark Blue tells a story that has been told 1000 times over, about a corrupt cop. I may be jaded, after seeing the Shield which treads similar ground, I might not be able to enjoy corrupt street-tough cops anymore since they'll always be inferior to Vic Mackey, and boy is this one inferior. Set during the Rodney King trial, the film follows Kurt Russel's Eldon Perry as he trains his rookie partner (Speedman) on the ways of being a corrupt cop. Speedman of course has a better heart than perry and doesn't want this. There are some good elements in the film, Kurt Russel gives a pretty good performance as you see in his ticks and his behavior that he is the product of a strict and abusive father. He is a gown man with a gun, but he never grew up properly. Speedman, Michele and Rhames hold their own, but unfortunately there are two miscast parts. Brendan Gleeson is an excellent actor, and he does everything right here, but like with Del Toro in Wolfman, the voice doesn't work. He is having a really tough time hiding his accent (or depending on your point of view, hard time doing an American one) and Dash Mihok is a terrible distraction with his horrid gangster accent and way of talking. He was completely miscast and ruins ever scene his in. The score by Terence Blanchard is also a massive distraction, trying for an old fashioned jazzy cop-drama theme, its just dated and out of place. It consistently sets the wrong mood, or distracts from the scene. Any attempt at being gritty is undermined by this awfully misplaced score. The placement right before and during the riots is an interesting idea, but do more with that and explore the riots more. The whole film ends up being a huge miss. Like I said, I may be jaded by great police works like The Wire and The Shield, but this is just a poor film that I had to, at times, fight with myself to finish.

Rating: 4/10

Patriot Games

Directed by: Philip Noyce
Starring: Harrison Ford, Anne Archer, Sean Bean, Samuel L. Jackson, Polly Walker, James Fox, Thora Birch, J.E. Freeman with James Earl Jones and Richard Harris

Phillip Noyce gathers together an outstanding cast for the unfortunately Alec Baldwin-less sequel to The Hunt for Red October. Luckily we got someone just as awesome to become Jack Ryan before getting someone far less awesome a decade later. Jack Ryan's family comes under threat when he suddenly foils an assassination attempt by an ultra-violent offshoot of the IRA. The film is a fairly exciting and interesting work, but not really on the same level as Hunt for Red October. There's some down time with the family, and the stuff in the CIA is pretty poorly done, but there's plenty there to make up for it. Sean Bean does a great job balancing the hammy performance from Patrick Bergin, and there's great work from Richard Harris as the unfortunately names Paddy O'Neil (though that's a reference to the pseudonym all IRA decelerations are signed with, like Victorian ribbon movements used Molly McGuire... yay history!). The scenes between Ford and Harris are spectacular and are easily the highlights of the film. The movie builds well but climaxes in a hilariously out of place climax. All in all pretty good, but no match in the spy/intelligence genre compared to Breach.

Rating 6.5/10

The Seventh Seal

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Max Von Sydow

After a long time of trying, I finally got to see The Seventh Seal, and on Blu-Ray too. The first thing that is apparent with this film is the beautiful imagery. The film is spectacularly shot, and the high-definition image brings that out perfectly. The film as a meditation on faith is incredible too. Its hard to explain the exact effect this film has, its similar to a Shakespearean play, though the story and all that may not stand well as a film in itself, the combination of brilliant imagery (I'll never forget that haunting religious train of self flagellation) and the thought behind it make this a tremendous film. Its an hour and a half long, and you'll likely feel every minute, but its strangely enjoyable and the study of a man struggling for meaning of life and faith is riveting. Its an outstanding film, that feels weirdly authentic in the 13th century. Its a very deep and effective film, full of great ideas and some of the most interesting dialogue ever.

Rating: 8.5/10

TMB: The Movie Blog Awards Winners

2010-02-14T11:12:00.002-05:00

Best Original Screenplay

Moon by Duncan Jones and Nathan Parker
(500) Days of Summer by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
The White Ribbon by Michael Haneke
Goodbye Solo by Bahareh Azimi and Ramin Bahrani
Inglorious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino

Best Adapted Screenplay

Where the Wild Things Are by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers
The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach
An Education by Nick Hornby
Up in the Air by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Invictus by Anthony Peckham

Best Cinematography

The Hurt Locker - Barry Ackroyd
Where the Wild Things Are - Lance Acord
The White Ribbon - Christian Berger
Star Trek - Daniel Mindel
A Serious Man - Roger Deakins

Best Editing

Star Trek - Maryann Brandon
Avatar - James Cameron, John Refoua and Stephen E. Rivkin
Where the Wild Things Are - James Haygood and Eric Zumbrunnen
The Hurt Locker - Chris Innis and Bob Murawski
Inglorious Basterds - Sally Menke

Best Art Direction and Set Decoration

The Road - Gershon Ginsburg and Robert Greenfield
Star Trek - Keith P. Cunningham and Karen Manthey
An Education - Ben Smith and Anna Lynch-Robinson
The White Ribbon - Anja Mueller and Heije Wolfe
Where the Wild Things Are - Jeffrey Thorp and Simon McCutcheon

Best Costumes

Where the Wild Things Are - Casey Strom
Star Trek - Michael Kaplan
The White Ribbon - Moidele Bickel
An Education - Odile Dicks-Mireaux
Inglorious Basterds - Anna B. Sheppard

Best Makeup

The Road - Toni G.
District 9 - Leon von Solms and Joe Dunckley
Star Trek - Mindy Hall

Best Visual Effects

Star Trek
Avatar
Where the Wild Things Are

Best Sound Effects

Star Trek
Where the Wild Things Are
The Hurt Locker

Best Original Score

Star Trek - Michael Giacchino
Invictus - Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens
Avatar - James Horner
Where the Wild Things Are - Carter Burwell and Karen O.
The Hurt Locker - Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders

Best Original Song

All is Love by Karen O and the Kids ( Where the Wild Things Are)
Worried Shoes by Karen O and the Kids (Where the Wild Things Are)
Invictus 9,000 Days by Overtone and Yollandi Nortjie (Invictus)

Best Music
This is an original category to this blog, this award is for the best use of non-original music in a motion picture.

Invictus
Up in the Air
(500) Days of Summer
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hangover

Best Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Up in the Air - George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Amy Morton, Melanie Lynskey, J.K. Simmons, Sam Elliot, Zach Galifanakis and Steave Eastin
The White Ribbon - Christian Friedel, Leonie Benesch, Lurich Tukur, Ursina Lardi, Fion Mutert, Burghart Klaubner, Steffi Kuhnert, Maria-Victoria Dragus, Leonard Proxauf, Johanna Busse, Rainer Bock, Susanne Lothar, Eddy Grahl, Janina Fautz, Detlev Buck and Roxanne Duran
Precious - Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz, Stephanie Andjuar, Chyna Layne, Amina Robinson, Xovha Roquemore and Angelic Zambrana
An Education - Carey Mulligan, Olivia Williams, Alfred Molina, Cara Seymour, Matthew Beard, Peter Sarsgaard, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Amanda Fairbank-Hynes, Ellie Kendrick and Emma Thompson
The Hurt Locker - Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly and Christian Camargo

Happy Valentines day! These are the award winners, and for any new visitors, there are several award season films that were not eligible due to them not being released anywhere near my city or that I couldn't get to see. (these include The Last Station, Crazy Heart, A Single Man, The Blindside, Julie & Julia). And for anyone interested, if there is a single winner of one of these awards miraculously reading this blog, I will gladly send you an award trophy! (nothing like making promises I won't have to fulfill).

100 Greatest Moments of the Decade Part 2!

2010-02-07T19:07:00.004-05:00

Here's 10 more in no particular order:

"Fat Avalanche" - Wall-E (S)
This moment was close to the hardest I've laughed this decade. There are more artistic moments, more beautiful moments, but when the space-ship starts to turn and all of those obese paraplegics start sliding down in an avalanche, that is comedy gold.

"Call us Shield" - Iron Man (S)
I was a little underwhelmed by this movie compared to others, but it was pretty good. This was the best moment for a nerd, all throughout the movie Clark Gregg keeps saying Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, its right under our noses, and for most borderline comic book geeks (like me) you don't notice until he outright says it. "Call us Shield." That turned the Avengers movie from a rumor to reality. Spectacular.

"Tiny Dancer" - Almost Famous
This moment is as iconic as the "I am a golden god!" scene, but much more heartfelt and fun.

"Have you no decency sir?" - Goodnight and Good Luck
After all of the work the film does introducing and exposing the situation, we finally get to see someone stand up to that bully McCarthy. The iconic moment of American history is amped up in this film as we've had all of the circumstances presented to us so well just ahead of it. It gives you chills, and if you're a history buff, or a fan of freedom or democracy, its a great moment.

"Ordinary World" - Layer Cake
Who knew that a Duran Duran song would be the soundtrack to one of the greatest scenes of the decade? Layer Cake is one of my favorite movies of all time, where style meets substance meets awesome. This scene is an example as Morty loses it on an old acquaintance in a diner, the inter-cutting with The Duke's situation only makes it stronger. The song fits perfect and it turns out to be an amazing scene. Proof of how well the scene works the song and the template are used for the U.S. trailer for the film. Brilliant.

"Reality vs. Expectations" - (500) Days of Summer (S)
The recently Oscar snubbed miracle of a romantic comedy (which easily fits into my Top 10 of the year, but apparently not the Academy's) has a huge number of great moments, from the cliched dance sequence to Hall & Oats that feels so genuine, to the trip to the department store, or the "anal girl" episode, its just an excellent film. This is by far the great moment of the film and one of the best of the decade. Webb's film so many times takes a step outside of reality or generic storytelling to to relay the true emotions of the relationship, that is where the movie succeeds to step above just a good romantic comedy, and this moment is the pinnacle of that. Long after they broke up, the hapless Joseph Gordon Levitt is invited to a rooftop party of hers, and we get to see a side-by-side view of what he expects to happen and what happens. He expects to climb the stairs quick without breaking a sweat, get up there and spend a nice evening with her. But he climbs up, is tired and takes twice as long to get up, and maybe gets one word in with his beloved Summer. Its a great scene for so many reasons, its a brilliant and original depiction of how we sometimes delude ourselves.

"Who fired that shot!?" - Thirteen Days
A great and suprisingly accurate adaptation of a good book by the same title, Thirteen Days is often forgotten, or ridiculed because Kevin Costner is in it. But it is an excellent film which covers an incredibly important moment in not just American history, but world history, its the second closest moment the world has come to nuclear destruction (the closest time was during Nixon's administration when there was a confrontation between Palestine and Israel). This moment stands out to me because its that moment where everyone just goes "Oh shit, we're at war with the Russians." That moment of fear and shock almost makes you forget were weren't all annihilated. The ever reliable Dylan Baker's great performance as secretary of defense Robert MacNamara really sells this moment as he filps out on the person who gave the command and reminds them all of what's on the line. Great moment. This beats out the verbal beatdown that Adlai Stevenson delivers to the Russian delegate to the U.N with all of his colleagues cheering him on watching it on TV.

"The Epilogue" - The Royal Tenenbaums (S)
After getting to know the insanely dysfunctional Tenenbaum family, and watching the great Royal Tenenbaum redeem himself to his family, we watch sadly as he, Chaz and his grandsons enjoy time together before Royal dies. The perfect narration by Alec Baldwin, the perfect understated performances by Ben Stiller and Gene Hackman, the perfect song choices, the perfect epitaph, the perfect ending. This is one of the best movies of the decade, and easily one of the best, most emotionally effective moments.

"The Date" - Zombieland
The zombie jokes are good, the "big BM" is pretty good, but the funniest stuff comes from Jesse Eisenberg's hilariously inadequate hero. This scene is the pinnacle of his hilarity. Its also brutally honest, as any nerdy, overly innocent guy can relate, the "brush the hair over the ear" line is golden. But will anything top Eisenberg's apology for breaking a zombie's ankle? Fantastic.

"The Igloo" - Where the Wild Things Are
The first moment noted from one of this year's best picture nominees in the most prestigious film awards of the year is a moment that really captures the spirit of the film. Its a moment we can all relate to (having been children at some point), where, when playing alone, tries to get attention and have fun with the older sibling who shrugs him off, and I'm pretty sure about 83% of all people have had a snow-igloo caved in on them by an older kid.

Oh, and if you haven't checked them out:

(Where the Wild Things Are has 13 nominations, Hurt Locker has 10, Inglorious Basterds has 4 who else has what? Find out! And find out the winners later this month!)

Highly Reccomended

2010-02-04T14:23:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard of it, there is an epic review on Youtube of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace that lasts half as long as the movie (70 minutes) its detailed, poignant and absolutely hilarious. The same guy (or crew) has just released a similar review of Avatar. Its only 20 minutes long, and not quite as good as the Episode 1 review, mainly because Avatar is far-far better than The Phantom Menace, but is still thoroughly overrated. The reviewer from Red Letter Media (follow the link for the Phantom Menace Reviews) takes Avatar to task and verbalizes all of the feelings I had about Avatar, for its simplicity, convenience and lack of originality. His work is highly recommended, its hilarious and surprisingly well done. In fact, it seems like there was far more thought put into these two reviews, than into these two movies. (and actually it looks like there was more work put into these two than The Phantom Menace).

Part One:

Part Two:

Academy Award Announcement Reaction

2010-02-02T08:44:00.000-05:00

Hey look! There are awards more prestigious than the Oscars!

The first time I ever woke up to hear the nominations announcement didn't go over very well. I had no problem with any of the acting categories, in fact I'm pretty happy we can now call Stanley Tucci and Christopher Plummer academy award nominees. One thing I can point out for sure, is its douchy and in bad taste for the reporters to clap and cheer some nominees, but not others. Dick move buddy, dick move. Anyway, my problem started when the nods for the screenplays came up:

Original:
A Serious Man, Inglorious Basterds, The Hurt Locker, Up and The Messenger. I'm pretty dissapointed that the academy didn't recognize (500) Days of Summer or Moon, they're two relatively independent movies (which they love for this award) and were far better than the writting for at least two of these nominees. The Hurt Locker was good, but the style and direction were most of it. A Serious Man was just not very good, at all. I'm happy to see Tom McCarthy get a nomination and Tarantino deserves the nod for his spectacular dialog, but I'd still say Summer and Moon deserved it.

Adapted:
Really? District 9? I guess pedestrian metaphors that are hammered home with all the grace and subtelty of a wounded elephant is what goes for "best of the year". How that made it over the incredible "Where the Wild Things are" is beyond me.

Best Director:
No problem with most of these, Cameron's nod was inevitable. My problem is with Quentin Tarantino's nomination. His surplus of style and lack of, well, anything else shouldn't be rewarded over something that is so perfectly directed like The White Ribbon, I know no one agrees with the movies cynical ideals, but as far as a piece of filmaking, White Ribbon? Far better than Inglorious Basterds. Not to mention Spike Jonze's brilliant creation in Where the Wild Things Are. (also you'd think turning 13 phrases into a great film would get some screenplay attention). Also, Lee Daniels' direction of Precious got annoying quick.

Now here comes my real issue: Best Picture

Inglorious Basterds? Really?
Up? I guess its an okay surprise.
District 9? REALLY?
Up in the Air? Good!
An Education? Flimsy Ending but great movie.
Dances with Smurfs-er-I mean-Avatar? Inevitable, but still don't like it much.
A Serious Man? Look! We're just as out of touch as ever everyone!
The Hurt Locker? Good.
Precious? Suffocated by style, but the gritty drama is too strong to resist.
The Blindside? Really? Over Invictus? Really? I guess it being an American story gives it the bump.Then-again this is the only one I haven't seen yet, for now....

Anyway, I was right, the 10 Nomination system mean't a bunch of riff-raff (District 9, The Blindside, A Serious Man) would get an accolade they don't deserve. Watering down the prestigiousness of the award itself. Its also sad to see Where the Wild Things are get completely shut out. Its a movie that understands its subject, and gets it across with subtlety, grace and great filmaking. (not heavy-handed metaphors and plot-holes). Ups double nod is so-so for me, I didn't feel the same connection many others did, it was a great movie, but Best Picture? I though eligible for one mean't not eligible for the other. Anyway, here's hoping they abandon this stupid system when they realize that maybe four of these movies will stand the test of time. (it won't be the mediocre giant shrimp-apartheid movie).

So in closing, is this year as offensive as telling Christopher Nolan to suck it because he can't make a comic book movie and be successful? Yes Actually. Because if Avatar were the same movie, and somehow bombed, it wouldn't be there, because it doesn't hold up. If the Dark Knight had bombed, its still a great original movie. But a far superior Dark Knight is ignored for mediocre biopics, posthumous nods for bad holocaust movies, and craptacularly long vanity projects. And because the 10 nod system lets any Tom, Dick or Harry into the mix, we get some weak movies nominated. (Avatar and District 9 weren't even the two best sci-fi movies released this year! Come on!)

2010-02-02T00:17:00.000-05:00

Best Original Screenplay

Moon by Duncan Jones and Nathan Parker
(500) Days of Summer by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
The White Ribbon by Michael Haneke
Goodbye Solo by Bahareh Azimi and Ramin Bahrani
Inglorious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino

Best Adapted Screenplay

Where the Wild Things Are by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers
The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach
An Education by Nick Hornby
Up in the Air by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Invictus by Anthony Peckham

Best Cinematography

The Hurt Locker - Barry Ackroyd
Where the Wild Things Are - Lance Acord
The White Ribbon - Christian Berger
Star Trek - Daniel Mindel
A Serious Man - Roger Deakins

Best Editing

Star Trek - Maryann Brandon
Avatar - James Cameron, John Refoua and Stephen E. Rivkin
Where the Wild Things Are - James Haygood and Eric Zumbrunnen
The Hurt Locker - Chris Innis and Bob Murawski
Inglorious Basterds - Sally Menke

Best Art Direction and Set Decoration

The Road - Gershon Ginsburg and Robert Greenfield
Star Trek - Keith P. Cunningham and Karen Manthey
An Education - Ben Smith and Anna Lynch-Robinson
The White Ribbon - Anja Mueller and Heije Wolfe
Where the Wild Things Are - Jeffrey Thorp and Simon McCutcheon

Best Costumes

Where the Wild Things Are - Casey Strom
Star Trek - Michael Kaplan
The White Ribbon - Moidele Bickel
An Education - Odile Dicks-Mireaux
Inglorious Basterds - Anna B. Sheppard

Best Makeup

The Road - Toni G.
District 9 - Leon von Solms and Joe Dunckley
Star Trek - Mindy Hall

Best Visual Effects

Star Trek
Avatar
Where the Wild Things Are

Best Sound Effects

Star Trek -
Where the Wild Things Are
The Hurt Locker

Best Original Score

Star Trek - Michael Giacchino
Invictus - Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens
Avatar - James Horner
Where the Wild Things Are - Carter Burwell and Karen O.
The Hurt Locker - Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders

Best Original Song

All is Love by Karen O and the Kids ( Where the Wild Things Are)
Worried Shoes by Karen O and the Kids (Where the Wild Things Are)
Invictus 9,000 Days by Overtone and Yollandi Nortjie (Invictus)

Best Music
This is an original category to this blog, this award is for the best use of non-original music in a motion picture.

Invictus
Up in the Air
(500) Days of Summer
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hangover

Best Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Up in the Air - George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Amy Morton, Melanie Lynskey, J.K. Simmons, Sam Elliot, Zach Galifanakis and Steave Eastin
The White Ribbon - Christian Friedel, Leonie Benesch, Lurich Tukur, Ursina Lardi, Fion Mutert, Burghart Klaubner, Steffi Kuhnert, Maria-Victoria Dragus, Leonard Proxauf, Johanna Busse, Rainer Bock, Susanne Lothar, Eddy Grahl, Janina Fautz, Detlev Buck and Roxanne Duran
Precious - Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz, Stephanie Andjuar, Chyna Layne, Amina Robinson, Xovha Roquemore and Angelic Zambrana
An Education - Carey Mulligan, Olivia Williams, Alfred Molina, Cara Seymour, Matthew Beard, Peter Sarsgaard, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Amanda Fairbank-Hynes, Ellie Kendrick and Emma Thompson
The Hurt Locker - Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly and Christian Camargo

Of course it is very important to note that many awards contenders were not eligible due to studios' lack of faith in their ability to earn money, and hence many of them played in between 1 and 5 theaters in Canada. (Crazy Heart, A Single Man, The Last Station None of them within 4 hours of where I live. There are also many I just couldn't get to see (The Blindside, The Messenger, Julie & Julia, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans). This is based on the many films I have seen. And if you're wondering about the strong showing from Hurt Locker despite a mixed review, I re-watched it with more evened expectations and appreciated it greatly. When I post a commentary on the Oscar Nominations, I may include a commentary or explanation of these. Oh and mark: 1:55am eastern standard time, six hours before the Oscar nominations are announced, so these are completely uninfluenced by the only movie awards that really matter. (The Guild awards are good, but every-time I mention them to someone, I get "The whats?")

2010-02-02T00:12:00.000-05:00

Coming in about an hour!

100 Great Movie Moments this Decade

2010-01-27T14:30:00.001-05:00

I was going to do a top ten, and I might still, using this as a list of contenders, but when I went over the 1500 top movies of the 2000s (according to Flickchart), noting the 1500 I've seen, and the few I really like which don't show up for some reason, I came up with over 100 moments, so whittling that down to 10 would be pretty difficult. So instead, I've decided to post the 100 best I can remember (noting I have not seen every movie this decade, and I don't remember all of them) in absolutely no particular order, and then I'll whittle down the top ten at some point in the near-to-distant future. And remember, just because I don't have a scene listed, it doesn't for a second mean the movie isn't good.

So here we go! Here's 10 of them (in no particular order)

Also, spoilers may follow, I'll put a red S to those that spoil.

"Red Ball" - Minority Report

One of my favorite moments in a movie full of brilliant scenes (jet-pack chase, downloading from Agatha, eye surgery) is when Tom Cruise finds out that he has been predicted as a murderer, as he runs into the elevator he runs into Danny Whitworth, the FBI agent investigating his set-up. Cruise puts a gun to him, and Whitworth: "Come on John, I don't hear a red-ball" then the Red Ball alarm sounds, the look on Colin Farrell's face is brilliant. The chase and fight that ensues is great.

Here's that "chase that ensues":

"RUN!" - Minority Report (S)

The scene near the end when Cruise and his wife listen to Agatha's vision of their future with Shaun, is such a touching scene, then the haunting "run!". Its a great moment.

"I'm Finished!" - There Will be Blood (S)

A controversial ending, in that no one got it, is a great scene in the movie. It shows the extent of the madness that Plainview has suffered, he is at the point he finally wanted to be at, where he can do anything and not have to deal with people on a real level. The dark, sick ending seemed out of place, but actually makes sense, he embarrasses his enemy then does what he wanted to do for years.

"I've Abandoned my Child!" - There Will be Blood

The best scene of the movie is the scene that got Daniel Day-Lewis his Oscar. The hatred, the sadness, the anger and eventually the relief are so clear and so real. Eli takes his opportunity to embarrass and hurt Plainview, showing he is both still human, and at the same time how his humanity is leaving him.

"Burning Derrick" - There Will be Blood

The last moment I'll highlight from this great film is the explosion and Derrick fire. Its easily the most action packed and dynamic scene of the movie, and that's half the reason. Such an uncharacteristically dynamic scene stands out. The images the direction, and especially the way the smoke blackens the sky, its amazing.

"Sympathy for the Queen" - The Queen

I thought Michael Sheen's work as Tony Blair in The Queen was well deserving of an Oscar Nomination, but it was a crowded year. The pinnacle of his stand-out performance came when he is suddenly sick of his staff ripping on the Queen for not being more sad at Diana's funeral and completely snaps, here's the quote (via IMDB):

"You know, when you get it wrong, you really get it wrong! That woman has given her whole life in service to her people. Fifty years doing a job SHE never wanted! A job she watched kill her father. She's executed it with honor, dignity, and, as far as I can tell, without a single blemish, and now we're all baying for her blood! All because she's struggling to lead the world in mourning for someone who... who threw everything she offered back in her face. And who, for the last few years, seemed committed 24/7 to destroying everything she holds most dear!"

The delivery was chill-inducing and the pointed critique of the cult of Diana was a ballsy addition, because people don't like to hear it, but its absolutely right. A great scene.

"Pain... Pain... Pain..." - The Cooler (S)

I may be a little biased because I worship Jack Donaghy, but this performance was absolutely brilliant. In a fantastic low-key film, Baldwin finds the perfect balance between sympathy and hatred for his character and plays him straight forward as a relic of the past. This scene is a great part of that performance, having been insulted and shuffled out by Ron Livingston's young turk executive he now gets his revenge, sacrificing what little he had left to help a friend who rightfully deserved it. Great.

"Lunch with Owen Brewster" - The Aviator

This scene is so well done that it becomes a standout in such a huge and fantastic film. The psychological games between Brewster and Hughes are great throughout their relationship, but the brilliance of this scene, with details like Brewster putting a finger print on the rim of Hughes' glass, are what makes it great. All that of course without mentioning the great performances by DiCaprio and Alda.

"Merrin's Choice" - Dominion: The Prequel to the Exorcist

Perhaps an movie in odd company, but Dominion is far superior to "The Begining" and this is the best scene. In Nazi Germany father Lankester Merrin is placed into a position to try and diminish and embarrass the role of the Priest (many Catholics were forced into concentration camps too). It is a chilling and incredibly effective scene, which would explain Lancaster's future crisis of faith, and why he would hide himself in Africa digging in old ruins. The movie is unfortunately suffered from a reduced CGI budget, but besides that it is a fairly excellent movie.

"The End" - My Winnipeg (S)

Another odd choice, but Guy Maddin's maddeningly strange ode to his hometown comes together geatly in the end. What is guised as an attempt to escape a town he can't stand anymore, turns out to be a fascinatingly odd mix of myth, truth and fiction as Maddin recounts his life in Winnipeg, finding out in the end how he loves his hometown. Here's the trailer, I could not find a clip of the ending, but if this doesn't give you a sense of the love he has for his city, it will at least give you an idea of how strange this movie is.

Precious, Fantastic Mr. Fox and An Education Review

2010-01-25T22:38:00.000-05:00

Precious
Directed by: Lee Daniels
Starring: Gabourey Sidibie, Paula Patton, Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz

First off, trust me, Mariah Carey is in the movie. You may have to look at the cast list to find out who she was, but she's there. That is the story of this film. It is a collection of four brilliant female performances that absolutely drive the sometimes too stylish film. These women inhabit their characters perfectly and it is incredible. The true story of Precious follows a 16 year old, obese, illiterate black girl who is pregnant with her second child by her father's seed. This is a shocking, powerful and often heavy-handed story of self improvement. We follow Precious' drive to be better, and who can't relate to the poor girl escaping into her fantasies in times of pain. We've all done that as kids. Mo'Nique will most likely get a well-deserved Oscar for her performance as Precious' deranged and abusive mother, but I think Sidibie is the real gem here. She gives an incredibly blave and fully believable performance, with incredibly subtle touches. Her voice over is spoken well, its clear and understandable, but when she speaks to people, she mumbles and stutters. How many movies have had the thoughts of a character match the speech patterns? I tend to mumble when I talk, but I don't mumble my thoughts. That touch also adds to the praise Lee Daniels has rightfully had. Though I found the stylishness of the film a little overwhelming at times, he managed to cast (50% of good direction is good casting) and direct these tremendous performances from these actors. The film has received some criticism for its focus on the violence and the heavy handeness of the message, but I though it was much better handled than the one we saw in District 9. Rather than an overstretched metaphor, this is a hauntingly real, and quite possibly an achievable story. There are people like this (and no Armand "Second Biggest Douche in the Universe" white, its nothing against Black culture, there are people like this in every race) and its incredibly sad to see the negative effect that is rippled through generations by one or two people. Its a strong movie that is built around powerhouse and award-worthy performances. A great work.

Rating: 8/10

The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Starring: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Michael Gambon and Bill Murray

I don't particularly like Wes Anderson's smug, arrogant, forced-quirk style of filmaking and storytelling, but I do think the Royal Tenenbaums is one of the best movies ever made, and this is close to being one of the best animated films ever made. The smugness eventually wears off and you start falling for Mr. Fox's charm. The animation begins fairly obnoxious, but eventually that wears off too, and your left with just a good solid stop-motion animated movie. Its not hilarious, but its a fun story, that is well performed, and well made (not by Anderson though, apparently he directed it by e-mail from his apartment in Paris). I think this actually should give Up a run for its money (considering I was a little lukewarm on that movie), despite knowing it wont.

Rating: 8/10

An Education
Directed by: Lone Scherfig
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Cara Seymour, Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Williams, Sally Hawkins and Emma Thompson

An Education tells the story of a clever young girl who is swept off her feet (along with several others) by an older man, and becomes torn between a future of hard work or leisure. Its a well crafted movie from Scherfig, the director of the pleasant, Mads Mikkelsen introducing, Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself. She manages to capture the unique feeling of 1960s England so well, (not that I was there) but she evokes a different time and place. A place where racism was more or less okay, though not straight up accepted. She also does a great job drawing great performances from her cast. Mulligan is absolutely outstanding as a young girl who goes through what every teenager goes through, inflated self-esteem, and the questions of whether the work was worth it, the want of a life of leisure. Her almost assured Oscar nomination is absolutely deserved. Sarsgaard and Molina are great too, Molina is hilarious as Mulligan's conflicted father, and Sarsgaard gets the right balance between charm and creepiness. Its a fun trip and you get genuinely engaged in finding out what decisions Mulligan will make, and what way her life will go from there. I can't discuss much more without spoiling it, but its a very good film. It slows in the middle, and weakens late in the third act, but otherwise is very well done, and casting reliable veterans in small roles was a great move.

Rating: 8/10

It was a good week for movies.

(coming in on Television Moments of the Decade, Movie Moments of the Decade and of course the TMB Movie Award Nominations on February 1st)

Best TV Characters of the Decade: Comedy

2010-01-25T21:57:00.000-05:00

Again, same rule; one character per show, shows must have started in the 2000s.

5. Cameron (Modern Family, D.O.B: 2009)
I don’t know his last name, but I think he’s the top so he wouldn’t take the name Pritchett. (That’s the etiquette for gay relationships right? Bottom takes the name? How offensive was that? Very?) Either way, now that that unpleasant image, and inappropriate question is out of the way, Cam is the standout in a great cast. Ed O’Neil is close, but to put it in perspective, I haven’t cried laughing at a TV show in a long time. But Cam made me laugh so hard I cried, twice, at the same joke, upon re-watching. (for those who have seen it, its the “I don’t know!”, for those who haven’t; what are you waiting for, the best new comedy since 30 Rock!). Cam is hilarious and really gets the best jokes in the show. To think, he came along in 2009, he only got 7 episodes to establish himself and he got into my top 5, he’s that good.

4. Larry David (Curb your Enthusiasm, D.O.B; 2000)
David is the motor of the series in a different way than the previous, because almost every comedic situation is born out of his ignorance, neurosis or general stupidity. David’s ability to be obnoxious yet somehow likeable, and always funny is amazing. The comedy of errors that occurs in almost every episode is great fun to watch, and David plays it so well. Heading towards its 8th season, and still going strong, Curb Your Enthusiasm serves as one of the best and most original comedies on TV. Its not for everyone, but for those who like it, its pure gold.

3. Barney Stinson (How I Met your Mother, D.O.B; 2005)
Possibly the only character in the comedy section who could be considered evil, Stinson is the best thing about How I Met Your Mother, sure Jason Segel is great, and the others have their moments, and then there’s Alyson Hannigan hanging around to pick up the trash, but Stinson is the most important part of the show. While we half-heartedly follow Ted on his journey to meet his wife, Barney makes sure the ride says hilarious. Okay, I may be shorting the rest of the cast because season 5 has been mediocre. Its a funny and often heart-felt show. But the outrageous womanizing, womanly cowardice, and the “fun to laugh at, but I’d hate to meet him” type character is played out perfectly. IF you want an example of how important Stinson is to the show, as I forementioned the mediocrity of the 5th season ended when Barney went back to being Barney.

2. Roger Smith (American Dad, D.O.B; 2005)
Roger Smith makes this show run, that is no shot at the great writing of American Dad, but without Roger Smith the show would not have gone on this long. The proposition of an effeminate, alcoholic, delusional and vindictive 1600 year old alien may have been questionable when pitched, but Roger Smith is constantly funny. There is no way to explain without you seeing it yourself, but the utter insanity that Roger Smith brings to the show is brilliant. He is quite possibly the best animated character since Leopold "Butters" Stotch. If you want to see Roger at his best, I'd say that's probably "The One that Got Away" where Roger loses track of his false identities. Or, for an individual storyline in a non-Roger-centric episode, the one where he pretends to be Kevin Bacon.

1. Jack Donaghy (30 Rock, D.O.B; 2006)
If you’ve seen it then you know. If not then I must explain. Like every other character on this list, the show would not survive without them. Donaghy is the best example of that, he gets all of the best jokes, the best dialogue and his insensitive, neo-con character is hilarious at every turn. Baldwin’s delivery is perfect and hits every note, from the vocal deliver to little hand gestures, and timing. He’s dead on every time. Liz Lemon and Kenneth Parcell are very close seconds, but they simply cannot match the greatness of Jack Donaghy.

Honorary Number One (Because I'm a cheater who hates tough decisions)
There was no way to pick just one. This is perhaps the greatest TV comedy ever. We were all lucky to be alive to enjoy it. That cast of characters is one of the greatest ensembles ever... assembled. God Bless you Mitch Hurwitz, God Bless you.

(In a sidenote; Suck it Michael Cera. You are going to be playing George Michael for the rest of your youth and would have no career without Arrested Development, how dare you give them a hard time about making the movie!)

Runners Up:

The Michael Scott/David Brent character from the Office, as well as Dwight Schrute came very close. But the the only thing that prevented it is longevity. Cam from Modern Family was set at Number 5 no matter what, so it was between David and Scott/Brent/Schrute, David has gone on for seven seasons, and the last was one of his best, whereas the Scott/Brent combination is on five seasons and starting to wear thin. Denny Crane was pretty close to taking David's spot too, but he suffered from an inferior show. Despite how great the first three seasons of Boston Legal were, the fact that I up and quit the show like three episodes into the second (when they decided to replace one of their best and most realistic characters, the lone straight man to the group of funny-men (Auberjonois) with a sassy black chick, that was the last straw). Paul Gross' great Geoffrey Tennant (pictured) from Slings & Arrows is a close one too, with Oscar Welles, Darren Nichols and Ellen Fanshawe very close seconds. That is a show that deserve so much credit. While I'm on the Canadian subject, Oscar Leroy from Corner Gas definitely is a runner up/honorable mention, that show isn't amazing, its a nice "nothing else to do" show, but Oscar is the pinnacle. If I didn't have the "show started in the 2000s" rule, Lucky from King of the Hill (voice of Tom Petty) would have definitely been a contender. I don't know if its the fact its Tom Petty, or if its just a great character, but I will always fondly remember his "Chip off the line" monologue. Comedy Gold. Hell, it's been a good decade.

(stay tuned for the rest of my "of the decade" lists done in varying fonts because copy-pasting from Word to Blogger is annoying)

...of the Decade

2010-01-19T18:48:00.000-05:00

I love lists, and as far as I know, 99% of Internet users love lists. Since everyone is doing "of the decade lists", I'll join in on the fray. I won't be doing any end of the year stuff, I will have my Second Annual TMB Movie Award nominations announced by February 1st, the day before the Oscar Nominations are announced, and I'm going to do television awards too at some point, but I'm going to be pushing lists now!

Best Television Characters Introduced this Decade (Drama)

Rules; the character has to have started its run by the year 2000. To avoid top-loading, each show can only have 1 entrant on the list.

5. John Locke (D.O.B: 2004 - Lost)

Locke has been, and always will be (well, until this summer) the driving force of lost. Acting as the spiritual foil for the ever logical Jack Sheppard, he is one of the most interesting, and decidedly bad-ass characters of the decade. Terry O'Quinn was perfectly cast, and hits every note exactly right, you never stop believing in Locke. One of the characters best qualities is that while the rest of the show began spinning its tail in the latter seasons, Locke seemed to always be okay, he always had the same drive, the same faith and his character never strayed.

4. Roman Grant (D.O.B: 2006 - Big Love)

HUGE surprise? Probably. But I chose the greatest character from one of the most underrated shows of the decade. Harry Dean Stanton probably hit the high point of his career here with Roman Grant, the intimidating and slightly deranged leader of the Juniper Creek Mormon sect. He becomes the source of most of the controversy and conflict in the series, and remains the part of Bill Henricksen’s past that holds him back. Stanton is somehow able to make this frail old man absolutely terrifying in every way. The power, and the sincerity in his mindset make him a frightening character. He is also the type of character that really runs a show. (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED SEASON 3: Of course now that the show has moved on so to speak, I'm worried where this might leave us. Hopefully they'll involve the Greens more, because he is a fantastic villain.

3. Don Draper (D.O.B: 2007 - Mad Men)

Before Don Draper, who was Jon Hamm? After Don Draper? One of the most acclaimed actors in the world. The seething masculinity and stoicism that Hamm brings to the character is perfect. The way he does things you can always see there is something else going on behind those calm eyes, and there always is. For one of the most fascinating shows, you need a fascinating lead character, someone who doesn't always make the right choices, someone whose motivations aren't always sound. Draper is one of those characters that you can watch get studied for hours on end with no lost attention.

2. Al Swearengen (D.O.B: 2004 - Deadwood

The evil, vulgar... hero (?) of the show is one of the best creations of any decade. Before re-watching a certain program (see #1) I would have easily listed Swearengen at number one. This seems like the role that Ian McShane was born to play. Surly, clever and always thinking, Swearengen is an exciting, challenging and fearsome character. He's one of those people you know is outright evil, but you can't help but love watching him. Of course the character benefits from being insanely quotable, from one of the best written shows I've ever seen. Every piece of dialog no matter how purposely convoluted, or joyously vulgar is a masterstroke in this brilliant program, Swearengen does more than his fair share of brush wielding. His work is surpassed by really, only one character...

1. Omar Little (D.O.B: 2002 - The Wire)

Wire is regarded as perhaps the best television show ever, and I would agree with that, and of that greatness, comes Omar Little, a homosexual stick-up boy in Baltimore, Maryland. Omar is one of the most human and complex characters of the series, playing on both sides of the law, and becoming Robin Hood with a shot gun. With some of the greatest dialogue ever written, and some amazingly great quotes, he is endearing despite his actions. He becomes the strange moral centre of the Wire. Whatever his code is, whatever you think of it, he has a code, and he sticks to it. Something that can't be said for many other characters in a show that so closely mirrors and dissects modern society. All this without mentioning that the creators pulled Michael K. Williams out of nowhere in what has to be documented as one of the most perfect casting choices in history. Omar Little will go on forever to be one of the greatest Television characters, in possibly the greatest TV Show ever.

Of course there are runners up; Dexter Morgan and Vince Masuka are great characters, but they come from a flawed program, and even if Dexter was perfectly written, these 5 provide too much depth to be challenged. Lucius Vorenus was close to making #5, he was the best part and driving force behind Rome's two seasons. Unfortunately, the show often suffered from soapish storylines, the HBO "I can show sex on TV" syndrome that True Blood suffers from, and only lasted two seasons. But the greatness of Lucius Vorenus cannot be denied. Hell about 90% of the cast of The Wire could have challenged for a spot, but I think these are the five greatest acheivements in dramatic characters on TV this decade. I know at least two will stand the test of time, but I really hope the other three do too.

EDIT: I absolutely mean't to include Walter White from Breaking Bad in the runners up, but I forgot completely. It is a brilliantly performed role by Cranston who never for a second takes the character out of the bounds of reality. Its a shame there's only two seasons to enjoy the character. (credit to Big Clyde, thanks for catching that miss for me). While I'm at it, I forgot to look at Rescue Me, where Kenny "Lou" Shea provides some of the best comic relief/emotional involvement on television, and where Dennis Leary completely inhabits his character. They are both excellent performances, but the show has been loosing its direction the last two seasons.

Even bigger mistake was completely forgetting that The Shield was aired in this decade. Though I stand by my five up there because they are amazing as stand alone characters, I would have to say the last two would be interchangeable with Claudette Whimms and Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach from The Shield. The best detectives on TV outside of Baltimore. I often found myself drawn just a little bit more to their storylines (because of the amazing chemistry between the two) than to Vic Mackey's shenanigans. And as much as I love the performances in Damages from Glenn Close and Zelko Ivanek, the show simply isn't strong enough to contend.

(Stay Tuned! There are plenty more lists where that came from; upcoming works include: Best Characters of the Decade: Comedy, Favorite Movies of the Decade, Directors of the Decade, Best TV Moments of the Decade, and potentially many more!)

Golden Globes Reaction

2010-01-17T23:35:00.001-05:00

First of all, the show was a whole lot of 'meh'. It just doesn't, and probably never will, have the same aura and energy as the Oscars. First off, I really don't think Avatar was the best Dramatic movie of the year, and don't think Cameron should have won best director either. But that isn't the biggest issue, everyone pretty well knew that would happen.

Suprises:

I still haven't seen Crazy Heart, but its awesome that Jeff Bridges won.
Glee for best comedy? I like Glee and watch it, but its hit and miss, it is not nearly as good as season 3 of 30 Rock, and especially not in the same league as the great Modern Family. Picking Glee over those is one of those things which makes the Golden Globes sort of a joke. The nod was great, but winning over legitimately great programs? Sad.
"The Mel Gibson Joke", a shot so well aimed and landed so perfectly, Gervais couldn't help but laugh in disbelief as he delivered it. Outstanding.
Michael C. Hall winning over Jon Hamm, I though Hamm would pull a Baldwin and pretty well have a monopoly over best actor until Mad Men finished it's run. And well deserved too. Especially in the constantly sincere and sombre Mad Men, though its not always the deep show it seems to be, it is deeper than the sometimes unbalanced and somewhat paperbackish Dexter.
Really? The Hangover? Better than (500) Days of Summer? Really?
Wasn't surprised Waltz won, but I was surprised how dumb his acceptance speech was, I gave him the benefit of the doubt for the first half, but the make my globe golden thing was gay. He should have had Tarantino write his speech.

They did it! Respectability (almost)

Two and Half Men got zero nominations, fantastic.
True Blood didn't win anything! People are going nuts over this show because of the Vampire Fad, but without that it doesn't stand on its own as Great TV (which is something awards should honour, not what's popular like the Emmys, oh wait, didn't Avatar win best picture?)
The White Ribbon for best Foreign Language Film. Enough said.

I'm tired so that's all for now. One thing for sure, it was way better than that 6-2 crapfest the Habs put out against the Rangers. At least there was one ray of hope there, Pouliot fought Wade Redden, it shows he's involved emotionally, something I was worried about someone with a 'lazy' label. Plus, he fought Wade Redden after boarding him, he might be a new Rangers fan favorite.

A Serious Man Review

2010-01-11T15:35:00.000-05:00

A Serious Man

Written and Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen

Starring: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind and Fred Melamed

I've learned two very important things from this film; I am not as artsy as some people accuse me of being and I don't like black comedy. A Serious man is the well shot, and fairly well written story of Larry Gopnik whose life is coming apart at the seams. It's apparently a comedy, I honestly could not tell. I just don't get black comedy I guess, I liked Fargo a lot, but I do my best to ignore those saying its a comedy. There are some genuinely funny scenes in the movie, but it's not a comedy to me. If I take this movie the same way it works fairly well, but when Michael Phillips called this one of the funniest movies of the new century, I called him an asshole. (not to his face of course, it was to a computer screen). I agree with Phillips more often than not, but I can't here, this movie isn't funny. Like Fargo, A Serious Man does have some laughs, but nothing big and nothing sustained. People are raving about Stuhlbarg's performance, but I find it uneven. At times you see a man distressed by his life falling apart, and at other times you see an over the top slapsticky performance. If this movie would have been played serious, it might have worked, because even played (apparently) for laughs, it works a little, but it just doesn't compute how this is supposed to be funny and that unfortunately killed the movie for me. The great technical achievements of the film, in cinematography and art direction, were not enough to save the story which should have easily been played as a drama, but keeping Sy Ableman because he was hilarious. Other than that... the Coen brothers really need to go back to thrillers or straightforward comedies, this black 'comedy' stuff just doesn't work, and I'm so disappointed, after how much I despised Burn After Reading I was hoping so much to like this movie.

Rating: 5/10

The White Ribbon Review

2010-01-08T01:36:00.000-05:00

The White Ribbon

Written and Directed by: Michael Haneke

Starring: Christian Friedel, Leonie Benesch, Burghart Klaubner and Ulrich Tukur

The White Ribbon is the story of a small rural German town which suffers a sudden outbreak of violence on the eve of the First World War. This is by no means a war movie, the narrator explains to us in the opening moments that this story of the town in the year leading up to the war might help explain what has happened to his country, a beautiful opening that is about as ominous as ominous gets, and the rest of the movie follows suit. The story is told with incredible realism, it felt so much more present and believable than most reality TV does. Not a moment of the film feels scripted or forced, it feels like Haneke stuck the camera in these rooms, followed the townsfolk around invisible and watched everything they did, and in this way, it is intensely fascinating. This film could have been hours of the same, it was planned as a mini-series rather than a film, and I would have been just as hypnotized by it in hour six as I would have been in hour one. Heneke's direction is masterful, he is able to take every element of this film and bring it to life. The cinematography is one of the best examples of the greatness of simplicity since Leonard Cohen. There are no amazing movements or camera tricks, it is shot with a stillness and a closeness that brings us into the rooms of these houses, to visit with, and meet these people, whether we want to or not. The art of the film is beautiful, but the soul is terrifying. The violence that disrupts the town begins innocently enough, but as the film goes on this sense of dread, and shock begins to settle in, and as the events happen, the enveloping realism of the film renders them horrifying, there is no graphic detail, but these acts of violence are more horrific and frightening than most horror movies. The reality of it, the effects on the people of the town, it shocks you.

On a different tangent, I would say that what Heneke accomplishes technically here is far better than what Cameron has on Avatar. The 3D which is mean't to bring the world to life only reminds you that it isn't real, but Haneke's world is so real, you cannot help but get involved and dragged into it. The film is made so perfectly, and is so interesting, despite its frightening and sadenning nature and it is able to do something; form discussions. (its one of those movies that drove me straight to the IMDB message boards to see the reactions and the discussions of it). Its not an ultimately satisfying or super rewarding film, but its a fascinating trip. Like a road trip with a good friend to a hockey game, you enjoy the ride there, get to experience an NHL game, but your team loses, its bitter sweet, but there is so much good there its impossible to negate the whole experience for that one part. I even feel that that analogy is too negative, the film isn't a disappointment at all. But it all depends on whether you agree with the philosophy or not. I would love to be able to discuss it here, but I don't want to spoil anything like some critics have, I would prefer people figure it our for themselves. I don't particularly buy the idea of the film, but there is some ring of truth in it, and the idea is presented spectacularly. It may be a difficult film for some to get through, because of how it is presented, the subject matter and the calmness of the film, but its absolutely worth it if you can make it. It is a great film and one of the best of the year.

Rating: 8.5/10

Live Blogging during the Invention of Lying

2010-01-04T00:19:00.000-05:00

Hey, I'm currently watching the ending to a massive embarassment of a movie called The Invention of Lying, if you're one of the lucky ones who didn't see it, or never heard of it, its a horrendous vanity project from Ricky Gervais whose brilliance brought us The Office and Extras. Its surprising that despite his great work on TV hasn't done anything in film. This is probably the lowest point, a bad movie, full of plot-holes, one or two effective jokes, and as much as I like surprise cameos, the appearance of funny actors doesn't guarantee comedy. Oh thank God, the movie finished.

The Invention of Lying
Directed by: Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Louis C.K., Jennifer Garner and Rob Lowe

This is terrible, the only reason I didn't shut it off was because my laptop was right here to entertain me in the end. I don't understand how this made it into a movie, its inexplicable how Gervais or anyone attached thought this was good. There are only a hand full of jokes that land, everything else becomes repetitive. Everything is so contrived and unoriginal and uninteresting. What a horrendous film.

Rating: 1.5/10

Avatar Review (plus five more!)

2010-01-02T23:08:00.000-05:00

Avatar
Directed by: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michele Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel Moore, CCH Pounder and Wes Studi

After years of working on this project, Cameron has finally brought it to fruition. Everyone has seen Avatar by now, even some twice. (like me, had to see it in 3D after seeing it in 2D). So I won't go into deep detail on the storyline, (and if you saw the South Park episode "Dances with Smurfs" they've got it down). I'm horrible with segues, so I'll essay it: I will deal with Avatar in three seperate sections: the 3D, the CGI and the Story.

The 3D is far above what I expected. I thought it was going to be an "oh look, they just threw that apple at me and I got startled!", but its not. Cameron is consistent with his use of 3D throughout the film, every scene has some aspect in 3D, and having seen 2D and 3D, I can say unequivocally that the 3D absolutely improves the CGI. It helps immerse you in the world of the Na'vi that didn't quite work for me in the 2D version. Unfortunately the 3D was mostly an odd distraction during the live-action scenes. It just wasn't necessary as often as Cameron used it, and sometimes, simply looked like some massive person was standing in front of the screen. In a debate with a friend she hypothesized that this form of 3D would become the norm in Film, and I desperately hope that is not the case. 3D, no matter how consistent, or well done, is still a gimmick, if it weren't then there would not be a 2D version. The 3D is a cute gimmick for some big budget actioners, or low-end horror movies (I still can't believe they remade Pirhana), but Imagine watching Up in the Air in 3D, all it would be is a distraction and an annoyance. 3D should never be permanent until it can become totally natural, and it still isn't.

Another part of the debate was whether the motion capture was animation or not. It is. There's live action, and there's animation, Computer Generated Images are still animated by the artists. Its a very fine distinction to make, but just one I demand be made, because I simply do not buy the animated characters the same way that I do live action actors. Having said that, the CGI/Animation is great. The landscapes are impressive and at times breathtaking. The creatures come alive quite well (except the hyenas) and the Na'vi are well done, there are moments (just moments grant you) that you forget you're watching animated characters. That is a bit of a problem, I spent so much time marveling at the special effects, I wasn't fully immersed. The live action and animation blend fairly well except for a few moments which is good, and Cameron made great strides at climbing out of the "uncanny valley". If you're unaware of what that is, you aren't watching 30 Rock, and in that case you have 3 seasons to catch up on! Anyway the Uncanny Valley is the lull between endearing animated figures and creepy, cold, un-engaging figures (like in Polar Express). The figures are not creepy or cold, their eyes show emotion very well, which is a huge stride, and there has been work on the Achilles heel of the CGI characters: The Mouth. The performances are outstanding, Zoe Saldana helps give great life to her character, as does CCH Pounder. The live action actors are of course the best (because their work can actually be seen because it didn't need to be re-animated). I can say easily, my favorite part of the movie is Stephen Lang's portrayal of Colonel Quaritch. The look and voice are perfect, and its an example of perfect casting. The forcefulness and complete lack of inner conflict make Quaritch a fearsome villain, but like with Cameron's movies, he is a badass. Seeing how weak the Oscars are this year, hopefully this is a performance that isn't overlooked. He is able to overcome Giovanni Ribisi's unsuitability for his role and gives the movie a true villain, without him, or with a weaker actor in the role, the whole film would not have worked.

I'm not going to get on the whole "white man's burden" theme, or the environmentalist theme, or the religious theme, or the anti-corporate theme, because they are all as obvious as an Apartheid theme in a Sci-Fi movie, and are fairly well done without being too distracting. They didn't have the same pitfall that South Park and District 9 had where they get too preoccupied with clubbing you over the head with an idea that they forget they are making a movie/TV show. The main complaint with the story is that you can pretty well see everything coming from a mile away, like an obese man jogging down the block towards you. It's not a major problem, the story is an old one full of cliches and archetypes that work and are done extremely well, so it's only a problem in retrospect (except in one laughably obvious plot-twist that I will let you all who didn't see the movie figure out an hour before it happens). There's tons of action, but its the exposition that is important. Its like the first 40 minutes or so of Jurassic Park, the wonder and amazement at this alien world that is what's so effective. When we're past the exposition the movie seems less new and less important. Besides plot errors like not explaining unobtainium, which lessens the impact of the movie, the story works well to move us between the action scenes and build sympathy for the characters. For all of the negatives I point out, Avatar is an entertaining movie and a marvel to behold. I would recommenced seeing it in 3D over 2D (despite the ridiculous extra 3$) for the novelty of it and because there is really not much profoundness that cheesy 3D will wreck. Entertaining piece of work.

Rating: 8/10

Up in the Air
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring: George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Zach Galifinakis and Danny McBride

I said after I saw it, it was the best movie I'd seen this year so far, I still have a number of contenders to watch, but this one has held up nicely. Up in the Air follows a man who fires people professionally, he is aided in this job by his inability to become attached to anything or anyone, he moves through this world free. Suddenly freedom is threatened and he is stuck doing his job with a young girl just out of Cornell. The plot seems simple, and despite the trailers being ultimately incomprehensible, it is an incredibly well though out, and ultimately beautiful movie. Just like Jason Reitman saved Juno from being a trite two hours of manufactured quirk like the first 20 minutes were, he saves what could have been a severely mishandled subject and makes it so human and relate-able. He is able to make this film hilarious, endearing and heart-breaking. There is a conversation between the three principals at one point which is about as great and as funny, and as honest, as anything I've ever seen committed to film. The performances are all as perfect as you could ask for (besides Danny McBride, he always seems slimy and untrustworthy to me). The three principals (Clooney, Kendrick and Farmiga) all deserve Oscar nominations and the first two might well win. Clooney was perfectly cast as Ryan Bingham, the different shades of emotion come out perfectly, and Bingham's conviction to his duties is utterly believable. I am a mark for Clooney, but this is one of the few times that I didn't sit and recognize the actor as Clooney. Kendrick is as good as every critic says she is. She inhabits the role and becomes the heart of the film, and the growing experiences she has are great. Farmiga is as reliable as ever, and the depth of her performance actually lessened the surprise when there is a major revelation, because by that point we understand her. The ending is one of those indie-obligatory vague endings, but it does not change anything about this great film about expectations, and growth.

Rating: 9.5/10

Where the Wild Things Are
Directed by: Spike Jonze
Starring: Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Paul Dano, Forrest Whitaker, Chris Cooper, Lauren Ambrose and Mark Ruffalo

I've tried to swear off trailers ever since one of them ruined The Road for me (see below), but this one is great and keeps spoilers to a minimum.

I had high hopes for this movie. I am one of the few who never read Where the Wild Things Are, it just missed me as a child I guess, too late or too early. But the amazingly great trailer with Montreal's own Arcade Fire's Wake Up scoring it, was enough hype for me. What I did see was one of the best films of the year, and probably the best kids movie (though its not quite one) since Wall-E. Where the Wild Things Are is a great study in childhood. The imagination and the emotions that everyone has felt as a child are depicted here so perfectly. Minute details down to creating a snowball basked in your fort make this so real. To crib from Michael Phillips and A.O Scott's review, the expository scenes are amazing. They ooze authenticity, and you (if your young enough) remember feeling the same way Max did. When he crosses over to Where the Wild Things Are (clever eh?) he meets a groups of monsters which help to personify and mirror the same fears, insecurities and rages that he feels at home. The way he learns from experiencing this world is incredible. I haven't seen a film that is this intense, and invested with emotion in a long time. This is all without mentioning the amazing visuals. The world of the Wild Things is created incredibly well by Jonze and his crew. You never doubt that this is a different world, and its fun to explore. The Monsters that Max meets are a marvel of modern filmaking, they carry a sense of realism and immediacy that I didn't feel in Avatar. The choice to use suits over pure CGI was a great one, because it helps to show that they are in fact there, there is no distance between them. The CGI on the faces however is spot on. I didn't doubt for a second that those monsters were there, they were speaking, and the emotion is so clear in their huge eyes. It is a tremendous work, full of humour and heart, its one of the best films of the year.

Rating: 9/10

The Road
Directed by: John Hillcoat
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Garret Dillahunt and Charlize Theron.

DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILER. Whatever moron was putting together that well made and enticing trailer spoils the movie, you end up knowing exactly what happens and it ruins the drama an the tension.

The Road is a handsomely well made epic, but I'm not sure the studios knew how to advertise it. They went between scary and uplifting, but its neither all the way through. There are some terrifying scenes. What its really about is a father who believes his son is humanity's last chance and is doing everything he can to make sure he survives. The eye for desolation that Hillcoat showed in The Propositon comes out here again as the dreary veil of ash and smoke covers this film beautifully. The film is technically great, the art-direction is amazing, you never doubt for a second that the world has ended and they are walking the roads after the apocalypse. The cinematography does a great job both understanding the scope of the events but keeping an intimate eye trained on the two leads. Everything is visually authentic in the movie, everything seems so real, but there's a slight sense of detachment. The horror is done incredibly well, and the suspense is real, but when it comes ot pure emotion, its not great. I don't really have as much sympathy for these characters because we are never given a sense of who they are, they're just there. Charlize Theron's role as Mother is just an annoyance because all she does is complain and argue and be unhelpful. The backstory and flashbacks are very poorly handled, and I think that is the biggest flaw of the film. Because we are show in such a clumsy way, we never pay enough attention and never really care. That takes away alot of th effectiveness of the storyline. The standout performance here is from the ever reliable Robert Duvall, Mortensen is good, and McPhee is effective (when he isn't being annoying), but the movie feels lacking. It's still an interesting ride, and it shows that whether he can get the emotion right or not, Hillcoat can do the visuals just fine.

Rating: 6/10

Gamer
Directed by: Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor
Starring: Gerard Butler, Kyra Sedwick, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and Michael C. Hall

That's only a small portion of the cast, there are some cameos and small roles filled with "that guys" so I'll let those surprises be some of the few joyous moments in this movie. Gamer is a mess, an absolute mess. From the directors of Crank and Crank II: High Voltage (which seems like an absolutely unnecessary sequel) I shouldn't have expected anything more, but I had no idea who directed it when I saw it. I was here for Hall and Butler. The movie takes an overused premise of death-row inmates dying for entertainment, which despite its fun potential, has never been used right, and adds a video game dimension to it. What follows is unfocused action, a lot of breasts, a surprisingly low amount of gore and some ridiculous situations, like if that "Society" game was real, would it really look like that? The plot is undercooked, splashed together and whips by leaping over the gaping plot-holes. Michael C. Hall has a load of fun with his role which is one of the few joys in the movie, the ridiculous nature and extravagance of his character is slightly entertaining compared to Butler's brooding, and everyone else standing around hoping the movie will be done. Some of the action is mildly entertaining, but the editing is frustrating, and like Crank there's this odd sense of filth, like everything in that world is gross and sticky. Its a ridicouls slam-bang action movie that seems like a tremendous waste of money and resources when anyone could have directed a better film.

Rating: 3/10

Goodbye Solo
Directed by: Ramin Bahrani
Starring: Soulemayne Se Savane, Red West and Diana Franco Galindo

I couldn't end on as bad a note as Gamer, so I'll end with a movie that resonated. I may never re-watch this movie, but I will likely never forget it. It tells the story of a Somalian cab driver (Se Savane) who in the opening minutes strikes a deal with an old man (West) to drive him up to blowing rock, for 1000$ and leave him there. Se Savane immediately realizes what everyone else does, and the story begins. What follows is two weeks in their lives, and it is absolutely brilliant. William is a heartbreaking, broken old man who is set in his plans it seems can't be waivered. Solo, the driver, takes an interest in William and it is fascinating to see how the next two weeks of their lives unfold and how they change each other. The cast is perfect, being populated with largely unknown actors (besides West who was a bodyguard for Elvis, something every review is obligated to mention apparently) they inhabit the roles and bring a sense of reality and immediacy to the film. The direction helps so well in that, the production is simple, it doesn't call attention to itself, but stays still and keeps us inside their world. Goodbye Solo may not be intensely exciting, but it is fascinating, and the sympathy for the characters pulls you in and you have to keep watching. Its an excellent film.

Rating 8/10

Invictus and Brothers Reviews (and many more!)

2009-12-17T23:38:00.000-05:00

Invictus
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Written by: Anthony Peckham
Starring: Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon

Invictus tells the story of Nelson Mandella’s attempt to unite South Africa after the era of Apartheid through their national Rugby team the Springboks. Directed with Clint Eastwood’s steady hand, and starring two of the most reliable actors in the world right now, it is a resounding success. Mixing political drama, a historical biopic and a good ol’ fashioned sports movie, Invictus succeeds three times over. The only criticism that can be levied against the picture can be that it is clean, and a little clichéd, but the clichés are done so incredibly well, they don’t come through. There is so much to praise about this movie, the diverging storylines are great, following the team, Mandela, his security team and the captain Francois Pienaar are all interesting stories, any one of them could have made a good stand alone movie. Dealing first with the political aspect, Freeman does a tremendous job as Mandela, his physical frailty is so often overcome by his mental strength. There is one moment, really the first time I realized that Mandela was an old man, when he was asked a question that really took the wind out of him, he suddenly went from the politician running every day at 6:00am, to a broken old man. It was outstanding. The movie does so well not to stop at a simple biopic of Mandela, it focuses on his efforts as much as his character and the political manoeuvring and the strategy he’s formulated with this rugby team is brilliant and it’s done so well. Those who don’t have a background in South African History (I handed in a take-home exam for a class on 20th Century South Africa the morning I saw this) may be a little bit lost with some terms and if you’re born after 1990, you may (sadly) not know what Apartheid is. However I saw it with a friend, whose only historical education comes from me making fun of his Italian heritage for their hilarious military failures, and he got it all.

Happily, Freeman isn’t the only person deserving an Oscar nomination, Matt Damon does an excellent job here and as far as Afrikaans accents go, he blows DiCaprio out of the water. His story with the gargantuan underdog Springbok team is the kind of inspirational sport movie stuff that seems to have been done a million times, but it’s done so well, and we understand how much more significant this underdog story is than any other we’ve ever seen. I understand where some critics are coming from with complaints that it is a little formulaic, and as one said “timid”, but its still by all means an excellent movie. The formula did not detract from the movie enough for me to lose any points, there is enough original content that it overcomes it, and the pure emotion that runs in this movie absolutely overshadows any possible story problems.

Rating: 8.5/10

Brothers
Directed by: Jim Sheridan
Written by: David Benioff
Starring: Natalie Portman, Tobey McGuire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Sam Shephard, Mare Winningham, Carey Mulligan and Clifton Collins Jr.

I have tremendous respect for Jim Sheridan, In America is one of my favourite movies, and I love In the Name of the Father and The Field was pretty good. That is why I wish he would go back, he used to write and direct all of his movies, and take years to develop them. I know he’s been an auteur for awhile and deserves to make some money now, but Get Rich and Die Trying? Really? Brothers is another piece of this, a script he didn’t write and ends up being a flawed product. That brief rant aside, Brothers isn’t by any means a bad movie. It is tremendously acted, and the simplicity of the production is nice. I never saw Brodre (the film on which this is based) so I won’t make any comparisons. Brothers follows the story of an army wife who upon learning her husband has been killed starts to move on and get closer to his black-sheep brother, but things are complicated when her husband returns. Gyllenhaal and McGuire turn in very good performances, with McGuire probably doing the best he’s ever done, but I think it’s the women who shine in this movie. Natalie Portman is excellent as the heartbroken wife trying to find direction after the death of her husband, and you can see real conflict in her when McGuire returns. Mare Winningham as the mother in law, in a small role is somehow very effective. She stood out to me among the others because of how authentic her performance was, it wasn’t flashy, but it was the kind of solid supporting performance that anchors a movie that can get lost in melodrama, like this one, in the real world. That is despite Sam Sheppard’s walking cliché of a father. The daughters too are excellent. This is an actors’ movie, it lives and dies on the performances, and this one lives. Despite an oddly unsatisfying ending and some of the worst terrorists I’ve ever seen, it’s still a fairly good film.

Rating: 7/10

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Ghostbusters
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Written by: Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis
Starring: Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson and Rick Moranis

I finally saw Ghostbusters, perhaps its dates, perhaps its because I saw the ending a long time ago so wasn't surprised by the awesomeness of it, but I find Ghostbusters is a little overrated. Its pretty funny but only one or two laugh out loud moments, but not the great movie it was made out to be.

Rating: 7/10

Uncle Buck
Written and Directed by: John Hughes
Starring: John Candy, Jean Louisa-Kelly and Amy Madigan

After years of being told I need to see this, I saw it, and it was good. I wasn’t expecting anything good from the king of cheesy high-school kids taking things way too seriously movies, but I underestimated one of our few non-hockey related national treasures here in Canada: Mr. John Candy. He is hilarious, but the problem is whenever he isn’t on screen, everything comes to a halt, every other actor except Amy Madigan turn in horrifically bad performances. You can’t totally blame McAuley Culkin and the little girl because they’re kids, and Culkin had a great scene with Candy, but Kelly is awful, and her parents are just limp framing devices for the story. Other than that there is just enough to make the movie worth the time investment for Candy.

Rating: 6.5/10

Land of the Lost
Directed by: Brad Silberling
Written by: Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas
Starring: Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, Danny McBride and Leonard Nimoy

I will outright say it, 2009 has been a bum year for movies, at least mainstream ones. Transformers 2 is possibly the worst movie I’ve ever seen, G.I Joe was mindless trash, Harry Potter was boredom exemplified, even the movies that are supposed to be good haven’t made it, District 9 was overhyped space-opera, Inglorious Basterds was 2 hours of Tarantino nudging and winking at you over his references and homages. It’s just been a really weak year, and as I have said many times, the worst possible year to introduce the 10 Best Picture nominees at the Oscars, can you think of 10 movies that deserve it? Can you think of 5 that really do? So its no surprise that Will Ferrell’s downward career spiral has reached a new low, Land of the Lost is terrible. Everything from the special effects to the lack of comedy, and the incredibly annoying Chaka, this is just a huge aggravation. Want to know how bad this is? Matt Lauer gets the best laughs. MATT. LAUER. No shot at him, but with Will Ferrell and Danny McBride, you can’t let Matt Lauer get the best laughs (there’s two of them, not sure if I smiled at any other point in the movie). Anna Friel, who is bordered on annoying in Pushing Daisies but pulled back, is full out grating, her character is, like Ferrell’s, and McBride’s, a complete idiot. The action isn’t exciting, and the comedy falls flat in every instance, I’m beginning to think that like Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell is only effective when his screen-time is curtailed and he has a strong supporting cast, and maybe after seeing this same character in Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro, Step-Brothers, I’m just tired. Ferrell has comedic talent, he was the best thing about Saturday Night Live for a long time, and his small roles in earlier films were good, Mustafa in Austin Powers is still hilarious, but he saturated the market with really bad, quick-buck comedy that he’s lost all appeal. This movie, has nothing to offer the audience.

Rating : 2/10 (two points for Matt Lauer)

2012, Men Who Stare at Goats and A Perfect Getaway Review

2009-11-26T14:53:00.000-05:00

2012
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Written by: Harald Kloser and Roland Emmmerich
Starring: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chitwell Eijorfor, Tom McCarthy, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton with Woody Harrelson and Danny Glover

This movie is an insane piece of work. This is how it goes, there's about 40 minutes of set up, including their made up reasons for the end of the world (and they are bull according to all credible science) and introducing the thinly developed characters. There's the ususal archetypes, the artist hero father who is separated from his kids, the protective mother, the noble young scientist, the step father who drives a wedge between father and son, the good president and the evil politician. Despite the incredibly simplicity of the writing and the formulaic nature of the movie, the characters actually form a little sympathy. That helps the movie a lot, it gives some reason to sit and watch the special effects, as marvelous as they are. But don't get your hopes too high, despite some incredibly good elements, like Oliver Platt's evil politician actually being right and reasonable 90% of the time, and the Tom McCarthy's Gordon the Stepfather becoming one of the most sympathetic characters, the movie follows all of the same conventions as the other disaster movies. Everyone who you think is going to die, dies and in the exact order you expect them to, in the exact places you expect it to happen, which is sad, and part of that is what really ruined the movie for me. It was that beyond all of the logical gaps (one of which would have been the difference between life and death, had Roland Emmerich not saved the day with convention). The movie has about two hours and ten minutes of really good movie, but it then starts to get worse and worse, repetitive, conventional and boring. The special effects throughout are still great, but the story lags, and since you know exactly what's going to happen, the last 35-40 minutes are a little pointless. And I've found out, Stephen McHattie is one of the creepiest human beings ever. His presence in the movie is a frightening distraction, he was great as Dick Irvin in The Rocket, but here he's just creepy and gross. The movie... meh. (see bottom of page for a spoilerful explanation of my displeasure with this movie).

Rating: 5/10

The Men Who Stare at Goats
Directed by: Grant Heslov
Written by: Peter Straughan
Starring: Ewan McGreggor, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, Stephen Root and Stephen Lang

Between this, and How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (which I never saw, but heard was horrifically bad) I think peter Straughan's carrer is probably about over (after The Debt is finished since its in production). The movie follows a reporter in a sort of mid life crisis who meets a so called "psych" soldier who was developed by the US government to have superpowers. This potentially funny concept, which is supposedly based on a true story, turns into a giant mess of a movie. The movie starts out fairly well despite McGreggor's oddly terrible narration, and continues on a consistently sort of funny level for awhile. Everything with Jeff Bridges and the flashbacks to the formation of the squad is pretty good, but unfortunately the movie just gets worse as it goes along. I'm not sure what was the breaking point, but it just drops off and keeps falling. One of the worst decisions they could have made was promoting it as based on a true story, because it is obviously not true, and instead of enjoying a zany comedy, you spend a lot of time calling 'bullshit' on what happens, and their claims of being real. It stops being funny, but just keeps rolling. Its so poorly assembled its hard to discern acts, and there's no real climax. This is an unfortunate miss considering the cast and the idea.

Rating: 4.5/10

A Perfect Getaway
Written and Directed by: David Twohy
Starring: Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant, Kiele Sanchez, Chris Hemsworth and Marley Shelton

With a cool cast, a decent twist, and Chris "Goerge Kirk/Thor" Hemsworth, this should have been a pretty good movie. Unfortunately when the twist is revealed, it becomes apparent that Twohy came up with the twist, then wrote a movie around it. The results aren't as good as one would hope. But Hemsworth is really good, as a creepy and angry husband who doesn't own any shirts. When I saw him I knew he looked familiar, when I saw it was Hemsworth I was suprised, and am now pumped for Thor, he can play clean-cut straight forward (like Kirk) and intense (like this guy). Other than that Zahn and Sanchez are the only two who really present realistic characters. Olyphant is way too over the top, but it sort of works, and the "meta" feeling of the movie becomes apparent and cheesy after a while. I can't explain that last line because it would spoil the movie, but in retrospect that aspect of the movie is a little cool. The problem is that once the twist happens, you don't really care anymore. You know the movie will go one of two unfulfilling ways. Either its an unoriginal happy ending that bothers you with its inadequacy, or its an unoriginal bad guys win ending that bothers you because for a bad guys win ending to work it has to be a spectacularly great movie. So its a mediocre, mildly entertaining movie with some cool and respectably parts of the screenplay.

Rating: 5/10

2012 Spoilerful Explanation

Do you remember the scene in The Towering Inferno where the lady who spent all of the time taking care of the kids dies on the zipline, when I saw that, I felt awful. It was a really sad moment, but the movie was good enough to overcome that overly sad death, and since that was a good movie, and one of the first real disaster movies, it worked. Here however, we have Gordon, Tom McCarthy's Stepfather character. He is funny, nice, sympathetic and a hero. No one would have survived without him. Remember how he dies? Crumpled up in those gears and gone in a few seconds. It happens, its incredibly sad to watch such a good person die so horribly, but especially because the movie didn't call for it. Its not original enough or good enough to earn that death and use the drama properly. Gordon is mentioned one more time in the movie and it’s in passing. The saddest part was that this distractingly bothersome death was completely unnecessary. What should have happened, was; since Gordon is such a good guy and Cusack comes to like him, Gordon should have been injured while entering the ark, and then Cusack sacrifice himself to go back and fix the problem with the door, and then Die. It would have been a good heroic death, and the family would have gone on to live happily ever after with Gordon, a surgeon who is much more important in the future world than a failed novelist. Even if they didn’t want to go that route they had fashioned themselves an out, with the Russian Red-Shirt (I forget her name). She is essentially there to make us feel like the main characters are in real peril (even though you’d have to be incredibly naive to actually believe that they would die). But her and Gordon shared a few stares and nice moments. If they wouldn’t have had the pointless “You think I didn’t know about you and Sasha” thing with the annoying Russian character, they could have had Gordon go with her after Amanda Peet abandons him for Cusack.

One of the worst parts is how conventional it is, you know how I mentioned the lady from Towering Inferno? Yeah its stolen from that, and from most other disaster movies (Max from Armageddon, Eddie Car from The Lost World: Jurassic Park II, I can’t really remember any other significant ones, his other movies usually have the heroic death instead (older doctor in Day After Tomorrow, Randy Quaid in Independence Day). So through this whole movie, he just knew he was going to kill Gordon, and it’s a little bit my fault because I deluded myself into thinking for a second that Tom McCarthy was there for any other reason than to be killed for cheap drama. I knew he was going to die from the very first trailer, scratch that, from the first time I was checking Chitwell Eijorfor’s IMDB page and found 2012 in pre-production with Tom McCarthy in it, I knew he would die. But for some reason, the pure exhilaration of the first hour and a half of the movie sort of erased everything, and then seeing how much more integral a character he was since he saved the family a few times with his general knowledge of how to fly a plane. But unfortunately his death is just shocking, and disgusting, and it casts a shadow over the last 35 minutes of the movie which are already very weak. That is the major thing that ruined that movie for me.

Also, the logical gap that would have saved Gordon, the Russian Girl, Sasha and the Lau from The Dark Knight’s leg was pretty simple: fly low over the ocean, untie all of the cars and let them fly out the back into the sea. Having the seven tons or so worth of weight the cars put in the back of the plane gone would have probably given them enough gas to land closer to the Arks and get in (since they let everyone in anyway). Either way, the video game styled construction of the film and the terrible last 35 minutes worked to ruin what could have been a fun, stupid time at the movies.

So my question is, why can’t people work together? Spielberg and Bay did it to make Transformers I acceptable and decent, why couldn’t Emmerich have gotten a talented storyteller to pump some life and drama into his special effects extravaganza? Imagine that, a disaster movie that is entertaining and artistically sound.

Reviews

2009-10-31T13:21:00.000-04:00

Encounters at the End of the World
By: Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog is one of the most interesting filmmakers in the world, because he follows his interests wherever they take him. Grizzly man is one of my favorite documentaries, and this is another brilliant exploration of an unseen world. He became interested in exploring the south pole when he saw footage filmed by a friend of his beneath the ice-caps. This film contains some of that footage and much more. Narrated in his usual style, Encounters is an exploration of an alien world and the personalities that populate it. Sometimes funny and sometimes breathtaking Herzog creates another intensely interesting documentary. It would have probably won best documentary had the brilliant Man on Wire not been released the same year.

Rating: 7.5/10

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
Directed by: Neal Brennan
Written by: Andy Stock and Rick Stempson
Starring: Jeremy Piven, James Brolin, Vingh Rhames, David Hale, Ken Jeong and Ed Helms
This movie is a "comedy" about car salesman-mercenaries. It is an atrociously bad movie where the insanely unlikeable Piven takes center stage. Every single joke seems to fall flat, they feel so forced and contrived, its just not funny. There's maybe one or two jokes in an hour and thirty mintues worth of film that are a little funny. Its directed by one of the writers of Half-Baked so that explains why he thought this was funny while writing it, its the same reason people think Family Guy is hilarious. This is one of the most unpleasant comedies I've ever watched. Wretched garbage.

1/1o

Zombieland Review (Slight Return)

2009-10-20T12:09:00.000-04:00

Zombieland
Directed by: Reuben Fleisher
Written by: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin

Zombieland follows four mismatched survivors of a zombie apocalypse as they wade through the south pacific United States which is now filled with Zombies. Zombieland is a tremendously funny, light little comedy. I will say right off the bat, as much as I laughed, its not in the same league as Shaun of the Dead, I'll get to why. What succeeds in this film most is Jesse Eisenberg, he was great in The Hunting Party, a mediocre little war comedy, but here he carries the movie. None of the other characters would be the least bit likeable or funny if they didn't have Eisenberg's nerdy, shut-in, afraid of everything character to play off of. He is excellent, playing this kid who could have easily been a caricature as a believable human being, from one nerd to another, there are some moments that are so true to life that it brings his work to another level. The film is very funny, but it falls short of the greatness that Shaun of the Dead attained on two levels. The first is that the original is always going to hold advantage over the copy (even-though they are entirely different movies). Everyone is aware of the serious turn in Shaun of the Dead, and that's because instead of being a little comedy, Shaun of the Dead is a legitimate entry into the Zombie Genre (is there a genre, sub-genre?) by becoming serious at the end it acknowledges that this is a real and dangerous situation, Zombieland never really gets past the silliness and acknowledges the gravity of the situation. Zombieland has some drama, there is a heartbreaking moment involving Woody Harrelson that really resonates, but it ends there. Though of course I'm shouldn't and won't judge this in comparison with Shaun of the Dead (wait, I just did that didn't I?) because it is a different movie, this is just an original and entertaining comedy. It was far better than I expected, extremely well made and very enjoyable. I should go on to mention that I didn't get the full effect of the movie because a certain awesome surprise was spoiled for me, even though those scenes felt out of place and surreal, I think I would have enjoyed the surprise. I got the subtle poop joke though, and that was good. Its likely the funniest non-Apatow comedy since Shaun of the Dead and Bad Santa.

Rating: 7.5/10

Now back to the woods I go.

Rarer Monsters

2009-10-06T11:45:00.000-04:00

It looks like a heavy couple of months, so my appearance here will be rare. But I'll leave with two brief reviews and a rant:

Push
Good concept, some decent special effects, reasonably good performances, but so lacking and empty. Nothing really comes from it, nothing new, and there's no climax. Bad ending.
Rating: 5.5/10

Trick r' Treat
A short, unpleasant, unfunny, not scary horror comedy that is mean-spirited and just not very good. There's a good old-fashioned horror segment with Brian Cox and the kid with the spherical head. But its very predictable. Everything is predictable, and the one or two moments that aren't are silly. And tell me, if this many people die every year in that town during Halloween, wouldn't they stop celebrating it, get a curfew or have more police on duty?
Rating: 4/10

Now my Rant!

I considered doing a top TV shows I've seen list, but since I am having trouble finding time to finish my list of favorite movies, I thought better of it. But re-watching an old series, I realized it is one of the best things to have ever played on television. In a unique format following a unique subject; Canada's Slings & Arrows is a brilliant example of how television should be done. Its a mini-series that is three seasons of six episodes which follows the turmoil behind the scenes of a prestigious Shakespeare Festival called New Burbage (a festival like Stratford). With an amazingly effective mix of Comedy and Drama, it entangles the viewer and we become engrossed with the lives and adventures of these characters. The main story follows Geoffrey Tenant, a disgraced former rising star in the theater who was driven to a mental breakdown in his last visit to New Burbage by director and former friend Oliver Wells. After wells is killed (run over by a pig truck whilst intoxicated) Geoffrey returns to New Burbage and is swept into replacing Oliver. So now he must deal with running the festival, keeping his sanity, dealing with his former lover, the diva of the cast, and his former director who is haunting him.

The first season is the introduction as the company puts on Hamlet, headed by a Hollywood action star in the titular role. All the while Richard Smith-Jones (writer Mark McKinney) the Executive Director is embroiled in a scandal with an ambitious new head of their major sponsor.

The second starts with the last performance of Hamlet, and the company moves on to do Macbeth. The play is complicated by the prima-donna star, the curse and the return of Oliver Wells ghost to make sure his vision of Macbeth is done correctly.

The third season the company puts on King Lear, Geoffrey, against pressure, decides to cast a declining stage legend rather than an actor with commercial appeal (this leads to a great scene with Kenneth Welsh). As it turns out however, this declining legend is suffering from Cancer and a heroin addiction.

The show is perfect, the characters are three-dimensional (rare in modern television). The saddest thing I can see however, is its lack of recognition in North America. Especially the United States. If this had been able to qualify for Emmys, the performances here eclipse the usual nominees in quality. Examples:

Best Actor in a Leading Role (Comedy or Drama)

Paul Gross as Geoffrey Tenant
Playing a former Shakespearean actor on the edge of sanity, he is great. Every aspect of this performance is dead on, he is hilarious and the driving force behind the show.

Stephen Ouimette as Oliver Welles
Playing the deceased but not quite gone Oliver Welles, he haunts Geoffrey and helps drive the conflict in the show. Ouimette and Gross have perfect chemistry together, and you honestly believe they've known each other for years.

Mark McKinney as Richard Smith-Jones
This is a take it or leave it performance, its solid and very good, but the comedy with Smith-Jones always works better than the drama (since McKinney is a comedian).

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: (Comedy or Drama)

Don McKellar as Darren Nichols
Darren is an overly artsy director who hates the theater. He is a pompous idiot and constantly hilarious but ultimately believable. There's not much else to be said about it, its a brilliant performance.

Colm Feore as Sanjay Rainer
Colm Feore, best known as the First First Gentleman in 24, and in various supporting roles in American movies (he's on the cusp of being a "that guy"). He plays an insane add executive in the most zany way possible. A constant optimist he tries to convice the straight-laced Executive Director Smith-Jones to trust him by constantly using Richard Nixon quotes. Its a hilarious performance from Feore who is usually a dramatic actor.

William Hutt as Charles Kingman
Hutt gets this in equal parts for his portrayal of Charles Kingman as he does for King Lear because due to his situation and the delirium of his condition they become one and the same. Its one of the best performances I've ever seen, on TV or film. The pain, the vulnerability, the mood swings, bouts of dementia, or when he is on the ball, he is always authentic and breathtaking. He is a commanding presence.

Best Actress (Comedy or Drama)

Martha Burns as Ellen Fanshawe
She does an excellent job drawing both our sympathy and our ire as the diva lead actress of the company. Once Geoffrey's lover she is now with a (much) younger man, arriving late for rehearsal and forcing breaks to go get a smoke. She plays the role perfectly.

Best Supporting Actress (Comedy or Drama)

Susan Coyne as Anna Conroy
The moral centre of the show, she is the associate administrative director of the festival, Richard Smith-Jones' right hand and the hand that really pushes the festival. She is easily the most sympathetic of the characters. Extra points for being a writer on the show too.

Despite being a very intimate program, when it goes onto the stage, it feels as epic as the works they are performing. The fact that this hasn't been seen by more people is, well, like one of Oliver's last lines: "Breaks your fuckin' heart."

The Best Ever Part III

2009-09-16T14:02:00.000-04:00

13. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

This opening scene from The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (I love that title) gives you a sense of the tone of the film. The whole thing isn't narrated, but there are parts, like elipses which are covered by this perfectly imperfect narrator.

The Assassination of Jesse James is a deliberately paced, mood western. At almost 3 hours, it may be difficult for some to get through, but let me tell you, every inch of this movie is perfect. From the acting, to the writting to the incredible direction. The visual style in this movie is alot like Terence Malick's work, there's many beautiful shots, just for the visuals at times, that are breathtaking. One scene in particular exeplifies director Andrew Dominik's visual style, when Charlie and Robert Ford are sitting in the tall grass speaking to eachother, the wind blowing in the grass and the sound of the blades rustling is heard and adds a sense of beauty to the movie. This isn't just an incredible experience to watch, its an important film as well. It explores the cult of celebrity in america, the American Outlaw spirit and the beauty of the American Continent. These themes are exploited brilliantly while telling a really compelling story. There's also not enough to be said about the score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. After impressive work on the soundtrack for Cave's screenwritting debut The Proposition, they really hit their stride with this score. Its absolutely integral to the movie. The score dissolves into the visuals so well, and when the narrator comes up its spine-tingling brillaince. This movie is a great work of art and an exceptional film to watch.

12. X2: X-Men United
This movie, is not a work of art. Its in odd company on this list but let me explain. I love the X-Men. I watched the series religiously when I was a kid, I had like 10 different wolverine action figures, and a few cyclopses. The first ever comic book I touched was an X-Men book, and to date (excluding the civil war series) the only comics I've read are my old neighbor's X-Men comics. So when the movies came out, I was pumped. The first one wasn't great but it was decent fun. Then X2 came out, and despite the lamely abbreviated title, I put this movie on par with Spiderman 2 and Batman Begins as far as objective quality, and its easily one of my favorite movies of all time. It does what the first one didn't, it explores the characters more. The first movie centred on Rogue, and Rogue isn't that great a character, especially when played by the oddly annoying Anna Paquin. X2 also cut down Storm's screen time, which is excellent because again, not a great character. That was a major problem with #3, when Bret "Douchebag" Ratner decided to ruin the franchise by killing the leadership of the X-Men, Storm took over and she doesn't belong there. If Halle Berry didn't want to come back without more screen time, they could have replaced her, there are many better actresses who could have done it. But this is supposed to be praise for X2, not another rant about X-Men 3. So when they decide to explore new characters they get good ones, the always underutilized Nightcrawler is awesome, and the rivalry between Ice Man and Pyro is excellent. Even Jean Grey who manages to drag everything down (see #3) is really good. The best part however is the use of Magneto and the new villain perfectly played by Brian Cox (everything he plays is perfectly played so no surprise). Its an interesting story as they explore Wolverine's background and the find the right balance of characters. The first was a set up, so you only have so many mutants, the third there's so many ancillary mutants that they had to add idiotic ones, like blowfish man, or clapping girl. That is X-2 a good balance. A balance between action and ideas. Its just good.

11. Saving Private Ryan
Considering I'm a history student it should be no surprise that this movie is on the list. It is a tremendous War Epic. With an A-list cast all giving their best and Spielberg bringing his usual attention to detail Saving Private Ryan stands above every other war movie that I have seen. The first thirty minutes should be shown in every history class that deals with World War Two, it is an incredibly real depiction of the Normandy invasion. The only other work I can think of that exceeds Saving Private Ryan is Band of Brothers, made by the same people, but it can't make the list. (though it will likely be number 1 if I ever do a top TV show list, hey there's an idea). After the first thirty it turns into your average war movie that follows a group of specific people on a specific mission, though this is so much better than any other movie that follows that route. This allows Spielberg to walk these characters through the western front, in a captivating, exciting and dramatic way. Its just an excellent film that was robbed of Best Picture (even though I really liked Shakespeare in Love).

10. Munich
One of my favorite moments in Knocked Up is when Seth Rogen and the other losers talk about the awesomeness of Munich. Its the first time that I ever saw a movie that I loved, that wasn't terribly popular, talked about in a very popular movie. Munich is a great film, handled with the care that Spielberg always brings to his work, its an immersing and thrilling spy movie/historical drama. Like the Good Shepherd it balances those two genres beautifully, and in really brings to life the Mossad agents who are charged with avenging the Munich massacre. From the heartbreaking use of real news reports in the begining to the somewhat disappointing end, this is a great work of art. Spielberg doesn't just present the story and his take, we see the massacre and we know it is an evil act, but he allows us, through the journey of the characters, to understand these politics, the strife and the horrors man is capable of committing in the name of someone or something higher than himself. This is also the movie that saves a drowning actor in Eric Bana. After starring roles in garbage like Troy and The Hulk, he comes here and shows he is a great actor. I haven't seen a more heart-wrenching scene from a single actor than the moment he hears his daughter speak for the first time. Its an example of the humanity that Spielberg brings to a story that could have been lost rehashing old facts. Its one of those movies that I gladly re-watch every couple of months, it is a masterwork, and a mystery that it didn't win best picture. If they were too scared to give it to the popular choice, Brokeback Mountain, why go to the crowd-pleaser next? They should have gone to the most deserving (Munich) then the Crowd Pleaser (Crash) then either the indy cred (Goodnight and Good Luck) or the thick drama (Capote).

9. Layer Cake
Another seemingly odd choice to be in the top ten, but Layer Cake is a masterful crime thriller. It takes what Guy Ritchie usually makes a fun joke out of, and makes an excellent thriller. With great character actors like Colm Meany, Kenneth Cranham and Michael Gambon backing up Daniel Craig, it creates a cool and authentic feeling view of the drug trade in Britain. Its an excited twisting plot with good values and is ultimately cool. Despite one huge mistake with the score, there is not a flaw I can think of in this film. Its Matthew Vaughn's (Stardust) first film and considering the two movies he has out there I expect him to become an amazing director. Layer Cake is a great and flawless crime thriller. Its also tremendous fun and even when you know the twists and turns, its fun to watch over and over again.

8. Road to Perdition
I haven't seen a Sam Mendez movie I didn't like, and this is easily my favorite. The gangster genre is such a wide open canvas, seeing great movies come from every end. This one is one of the most original I've seen. Following a smaller Irish of shoot of the Chicago mob under Capone and Nitti. Road to Perdition tells a simple story, but its told with such strength and eloquence by the director and the great cast. Tom Hanks, Jude Law, Daniel Craig and especially Paul Newman all turn in terrific performances, and none of them in roles that one would expect from them. Tom Hanks is a hardworking straight-forward hit-man, Jude Law is the opposite side of the scale, Craig is a spoiled, arrogant brat, and Paul Newman is a mob boss. Though Law and Craig are incredibly fun to watch in this, the story is driven by Hanks, Newman and Tyler Hoechlin playing Hanks' son. They are the spirits in conflict with themselves and each other, and it makes this simple story so much more complex and engrossing. With some of the best cinematography I've ever seen

Stay tuned for parts IV and V!

The Last Hurrah! Summer Offensive Reviews: 64, 65 and 66

2009-09-09T01:10:00.000-04:00

So this is it. The summer offensive comes to an end. I spent my last Tuesday of freedom at the Theater(s) catching the last three movies of the mildly successful Summer Offensive (hey 66 is still a pass!). But I couldn't be happier with how it ended. The two best movies I've seen this year, and two of the best I've watched this summer. Good way to finish things.

(500) Days of Summer
Directed by: Marc Webb
Written by: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Webber
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Matthew Gray Gubler, Chloe Morets and Clark Gregg

500 Days of Summer is one of the best movies of the year. Straight up, I'll state it like that. One of the best movies of the year. In fact, spoiler alert, its second behind Moon. (Star Trek is third, which shows you how weak a year this has been). 500 days of Summer is a love story that works for men and women, mostly because it is so natural. There isn't a single inauthentic moment, even when there's a dance number, its absolutely credible, because its real. The movie is heartbreaking, uplifting, funny and sad, but always incredibly human at its core. It doesn't follow the "boy meets girl" storyline directly which adds to its wonder, and even better is the opening narration which sets our expectations. The stars have tremendous chemistry, Levitt commands the screen here again like he did in The Lookout and Mysterious Skin, and you can't take your eyes of Zoey Deschanel, her cheek crushing smile is entrancing. She comes of completely authentic as a girl who doesn't believe in true love, she isn't a Kevin Smith "look how indie I am by stating my beliefs upfront" she is totally believable. Her counterpart is a love-lorn young man who believes in destiny despite having given up on his. They meet and, well as you learn in the trailer, or in the first two minutes of the movie, it ends badly. This isn't a perfect movie, there are a few (very few) moments where it dragged a little (very little) and the character of the ever-wise younger sibling causes a few eye-rolls, but she gets a few laughs too. First time director (well feature director) Mark Webb is able to inject a certain amount of style into his movie but doesn't let it distract from it, it adds to the movie. The jumbled story and odd elements of style give us the sense and makes us totally believe that this is an honest recollection of a relationship, it lets us see what the author saw and feel much of what he felt. Its a truly great movie, and right up there with movies like Juno and Little Miss Sunshine, but minus the manufactured quirk. Its an excellent and enjoyable movie, and because of the regrettable, foolish and ridiculous 10 Best Picture Nominations this year, expect to see this title up with 9 other contenders (whether they deserve to be there or not) competing for best picture.

Rating: 8.5/10

Extract
Written and Directed by: Mike Judge
Starring: Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Mila Kunis, Clifton Collins Jr., JK Simmons, David Koechner and Gene Simmons

I adore King of the Hill, it is one of the best written shows on TV (well used to be on TV) its funny but not hilarious and has been generally consistent for 14 seasons, and I've watched it for almost all 14 of those seasons. That is why it pains me so much to review Mike Judges recent movies, because, they're just so bad. Extract follows the same vein as Idiocracy; a decent idea that is completely ruined. There's really nothing in this movie. Its kind of funny at times, there's a few mild laughs, but nothing else. Most of the comedy falls flat or gets repetitive, a lot of the performances are pretty bad, the story isn't really interesting, the characters aren't terribly likable, it was poorly casted, poorly written and poorly directed. Not to mention the Bugs Bunny score that is annoying and distracting. I can't stress the fact enough that there is nothing to like. The views of the working class are less fun and more hateful than in King of the Hill, Judge's new Milton character played by Dave Koechner is annoying and not funny at all. Its just bad. I checked my watch a few times waiting for it to be over. So that's it, a few decent gags, and not much else but annoyance. Also Beth Grant is in it, which should almost be a reason to boycott a movie in itself, there is no one more grating and annoying and absolutely unbelievable in her performances as her. She plays the same character in every movie and does it poorly. She had one role I didn't hate her in, as Dwight Schrute's babysitter on The Office, but that's because she only had one line: "E-Mail?". Back on to Extract, oh why bother?

Rating: 3/10

Moon
Directed by: Duncan Jones
Written by: Duncan Jones and Nathan Parker
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kaya Scodelario and Kevin Spacey

When District 9 came out, I was disappointed at how it took a novel idea, and did nothing new with it. It hammered its ideas home with a big hammy fist and replaced realism with shoot-em up action. Moon however, is the opposite side of the coin. It takes a novel idea, and a well explored philosophical question, and does something incredibly with it, it makes real Sci-Fi. There aren't any big whooshing space-ships, or laser-gun battles, no big scary aliens, its a man, a computer and a vast expanse of loneliness. I don't want to go into detail because I don't want to spoil the plot. In fact I wouldn't really recommend watching the trailer too closely. I'll say now, however, that its not a movie for everyone. Its a very deliberately paced movie, it takes its time developing and moving along, it takes time to create an atmosphere, to build suspense and invest in the character. That's the stuff that pays off throughout the second and third acts. It stands as probably one of the best Sci-Fi movies I've ever seen and the best since Minority Report for sure. I know this is a pretty flimsy review for a movie I'm saying is the best I've seen this year, but any deeper analysis could risk spoiling the movie. Suffice it to say, that incredible atmosphere, strange realism, oddly riveting images of boredom, great ideas, great writing and an outstanding performance by Sam Rockwell all bring this home. Actually, there's a point I can dwell on, Sam Rockwell. He's been a well known character actor for a long time, he's been great in movies like The Green Mile, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, but never got to show off like he does here. Its one of those great performances that drives a movie. The only downside is Director Duncan Jones cut away from Rockwell's face a few times during the more emotional moments. Lingering a moment longer could have added so much. Otherwise, a great film, and best I've seen so far in a weak year for movies.

Rating: 9/10