Movie Review - Easy A

Yes, I rented this.

B & I were in the mood for something that wouldn't take a lot of brain power.

This movie fits the bill quite nicely.

It could have been good - it could have been great, actually, had the movie focused entirely on the interactions between the main character Olive and her parents, played by the hilarious and engaging Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci.

The dialogue that took place within the family was sharp and funny. Were such wit to exist in the everyday, I would enjoy my life a lot more.

Any of the scenes outside of her family sucked. Lazy dialogue, bad acting, poor plot.

Forgot to add that Thomas Hayden Church was funny in a great dry kinda way. He also upped the likability factor.

Easy A gets a D for likability but a B for achieving what was intended - lazy entertainment for a low-key Tuesday night.

Movie Review

Predators



Now, I'm no sci-fi geek. I did watch Red Dwarf and Dr. Who in college, and tried to watch the new Dr. Who when hottie Christopher Eccleston played the lead a few years ago, but I it didn't hold a candle to my hanging-out-in-Nichols days. (reference for my college friends)

However, I was in the mood for some ass kicking, since I have been so lax at it lately in real life.

It delivered.

I was surprised by how, umm how shall I say it, ROCKIN Adrian's body is! I have always had a soft spot for tall, geeky guys with surreptitious schnozzles, and he has fit the bill.

He fits the bill even more now...ooh, the muscles on that boy made me a happy girl for an hour and a half...well, maybe longer actually.

;-)

The plot was decent. The players were a good collection of misfit, strong-arm, misguided and guilt-ridden. Adrian Brody brooded.

Naturally, they are picked off one-by-one. But the first one to go...I didn't expect that.

It's one of the better sci-fi pics up for grabs this year.

I say, give it a shot.

Movie Review

So instead of seeing "New Moon" this weekend, I saw "Precious" instead.

Glad I did.

I'm not going to go into details, but the lead character has had a rough life, as many people have. There are millions of personal stories out there that are drawn by abuse, pain, and hopelessness. The story of Precious is nothing new. But what is new is the way her story is told.

Very fine performances by all involved. Having seen interviews with Gabourney Siddibe, it's pretty amazing what she did in terms of bringing the character of Precious to life. Mariah Carey dirts-down well, and her subdued performance isn't necessarily Oscar worthy, but deserves accolades.

The real stand-out, in my opinion, is Monique. She should be nominated for an Oscar. Not because the movie is being touted by Oprah and Tyler Perry, but because she embodied this monster of a mother and made you forget you were watching a comedienne.

I've heard that she's demanding more money for attending debuts and press junkets - I say go for it. This may be her only shot at this, so why not milk it for all it's worth? This film will go on to make some real money, so kudos to her for trying to get in on the take.

I saw the movie at the Esquire, which made the experience even more engaging as it was interactive. The energy from the crowd, the reactions, were tangible.

I'm often disappointed with films that come with so much hype. I got burned too many times. There are also a few films I have never seen, because I know I will be disappointed and have better things to do with my life (Amelie, The Lion King, etc.).

This film, in my opinion, doesn't live up to the hype - it transcends it.

The Bad, The Good

I saw the movie Whiteout.

Trash. Waste. Bummed me out.

The first three minutes are extreme close-ups devoted to watching Kate Beckinsale undress and shower. In a cheesy,9th grader kinda way. Not stylistic at all. So, that kinda set the tone, and it never did get good.

Didn't stay to see the ending...it was so bad. Walked out at the 65 minute mark. Snuck in to see the end of 9. That looked good.

SPOILER: It's not a horror movie. It's about a Russian cargo plane that crashed during the Cold War and it had some kind of nuclear weapon on board that the government is looking for. Yup. Just a mystery, a killer, snow, and Tom Skerrit.

Now, I like Tom Skerrit a lot. I could watch that craggy old face recite the dictionary. Too bad he got talked into making this movie.

In one scene, Kate's left pinky and ring finger are frostbit, and Tom has to remove them before they get gangrenous. Do they show him snapping off the fingers? NO. You just hear the sound. I think I paid good money for some special effects...but no, all we get is sound.

Lame.

I feel I must redeem myself by talking up one of my FAVORITE movies.

Reprise, is a wonderful little Norwegian film about two good friends who are aspiring writers that submit their manuscripts on the same day. They both get published, but one friend fares better than the other.

Not to give too much away, the movie is an examination of friendship, learning to live up to your own expectations and not others, and finding your way.

It's got a great soundtrack, interesting filming and audio techniques and it's unformulaic.

I just #1'd it in my Netflix queue. If you're looking for a treat, do the same.

Movie Review

3 1/2 stars (out of 4)

Okay. Those of you who know me won't be surprised that I went to see this movie. I love horror movies. Even if it looks completely cheese toasty, I am there.

Totally worth my time. The cheese was slightly melted, but nowhere near fondu. This movie is a tasty treat for the scary movie lovers out there.

What made this movie good, for me, was the following:


SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER


1. You know when a character is in the bathroom looking at the medicine cabinet mirror, and then slides it open to get some meds out? Cue anticipatory music, cue character sliding the mirror shut, cue surprise person standing behind them? HA! This movie was full of "someone's watching/sneaking up behind you/hiding in the shadows" techniques, and they rarely delivered. Which was cool, because you never let yourself off the hook - you were constantly on edge, expecting it.

2. The use of art and blacklights. Fantastic. And creepy. And creative. And I wish I could paint like Esther The Orphan.

3. Esther The Orphan was spooky. She started off speaking in an American accent, but as the film wore on, it developed into a deep, schlocky Eastern European accent, almost Russian.

4. Vera Farmiga. I can watch her in anything. She's hotter than Ms. Jolie. Eye candy for the straight gals. Just sayin.

5. The last 20 minutes. One of the better plot twists. A collective gasp, and then laughter, and then "Aw yeaaaaaah" from the crowd. BTW, saw it at the Esquire. Always a diverse and rowdy crowd, an added bonus to any scary movie theater-going experience.

It was a little Bad Seed and Joshua and The Good Son in places, but that's to be expected with this type of plot - can't really get away from that.

Movie Review

It was somewhat moving. Nothing outstanding, but a good storyline, nice inclusion of classical music and decent cinematography.

Definitely a rental, and not a must-see in the theater.

Movie Review

I picked up this movie as I'd seen a preview and was intrigued. For some reason, I thought it would be more of a funny love story. Turns out, not so funny. But that's okay.

In a word, it was poetic. Fluid. The music was simple, mostly piano, original and almost comparable to a heartbeat, if a movie can have one. I believe it can.

Ben Kingsley - wow. His hands. His energy. Who would not fall in love with this man?

Penelope Cruz - captivating.

Dennis Hopper - endearing. Handsome, almost.

It's based on a novella by Philip Roth called "The Dying Animal". If the read is half as good as the movie, I'll be thrilled.

This movie has inspired me in ways I wasn't prepared for. Really, I was just in the mood for a light rom-com to lull me to sleep. Maybe I'm slap-happy because the Nyquil has kicked in, or because I'm feeling much better and had an awesome and productive day.

Either way, I can't wait to go to sleep, so that I can wake up tomorrow and start planning.

Movie Review

THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT

Overall, this movie was average. The reason for the haunting had a good backstory (although I think they could have gone into the "body art" aspect of it a bit more), there were some decent "boo" moments, and frankly, I am an immediate fan of any movie that features Elias Koteas. He's not the best actor, but I like his style and he never fails to entertain.

Some key factors that stood out:

1. Eyelids (you'll see........)
2. Spooky photographs
3. Nice truck
4. The ax scene
5. Shadows
6. Ectoplasm (remember Ghostbusters?)

Some key factors that turned me off:

1. The religious aspect
2. Eyelids
3. Not enough Elias Koteas

Is it worth seeing in the theater? Yeah. Maybe for the price of a matinee.

On a side note, there was a middle aged couple sitting a few seats over, and they had a difficult time holding back certain bodily functions a couple times during the movie (from the mouth and down south). These sounds were coupled with their running commentary throughout the film, such as "Dumbass muthafucka, he gonna die" and "Now, why she not runnin? Run, woman, run!".

It was an interactive experience. Truly.

Movie Reviews

ALL THE REAL GIRLS:
One of my all-time favorite movies is a little-known indie called "All The Real Girls". This is the kind of movie that you can let wash over you, get comfortable with, and feel lazy and nostalgic about your young-adulthood. Every scene is punctuated with the banality of hick-town life, but also infused with unmediated and tangible realism. These characters get into situations that are very recognizable, and say things that I wish I'd had the courage or inclination to say when I was in similar situations. The lead, Paul Schneider, makes the best of his dialogue and scenes, bringing a quirky and intimate style to his character. His dancing clown scene in the hospital never fails to make me laugh out loud. I'm just a little bit in love with the guy. Also, I never felt that this movie was trying to be highbrow or profound - it just feels so natural and real (hence the title). What also made it so moving for me was the use of music throughout - dark and brooding indie rock guitar, and the opening song by Will Oldham sets the tone for the backwoods grit feel throughout.



RUSHMORE:
Another movie that I will never get enough of is Rushmore. In my opinion, this is Wes Anderson's finest hour in filmmaking. He got every scene right, every character to a T, a perfect meld of everything that makes a movie unforgettable. This movie makes me happy, like kid-in-a-candy-store happy, so whenever I happen to catch it on cable, I settle in for a good couple hours of perfect entertainment. The basic story is of an eccentric prep-schooler Max Fisher (Jason Schwartzmann), his friendship with an older and successful industrialist Henry (Bill Murray), and their mutual crush on a grade school teacher at Rushmore, Rosemary (Olivia Cross). The score (Mark Mothersbaugh, genius) is a heady amalgamation of original songs and perfect picks from 1960's British Invasion bands (The Stones, The Kinks, The Faces, The Who). Every song seems to be custom-made for each scene it accompanies, and the music is almost like a supporting character throughout. It's a soundtrack I keep in my car on on my iTunes at all times.

And the winner is....

The new Friday the 13th was very good. I kept waiting for it to disappoint, and it didn't. Some highlights (little spoilers):

- a couple of the boy campers in the film had Peter Frampton do's. Yeah, big curly hair. Kinda nice. Yes, this is a highlight for me.

- good use of Night Ranger's "Sister Christian". Surprising, didn't expect to hear such an oldie, made me smile.

- Jason is faaaast. Really. Like Isaac Bruce fast. He doesn't lurk as much as he lunges. Total powerhouse.

- Jason is creative. He hasn't lost his touch.

If you're in the mood for a good scare, check it out.

Movie Review - Blindness

I rented this movie from the Big Red Box last night, watched it as the rain came pourin' down. Perfect weather for this little gem.

The story takes place in a nameless metropolitan city (most of the movie was shot in Canada, but also Brazil and Uruguay) and the premise is that most of mankind is afflicted with an epidemic that makes people go blind. Not the normal blind, but what they see makes them think they're "swimming in milk". So white blind. Or, the White Sickness, as it's called in the film.

People are contained. Humanity takes a serious nosedive. Jewelry and valuables are bartered for food, then when they run out of possessions they use women. It's like Lord Of The Flies in a forgotten hospital ward. Hardcore, and not for the squeamish.

Julianne Moore is the lead, with Mark Ruffalo (I like the guy, but he has no range...the same in every movie) playing her doctor husband. She's really great in this film, as usual. Other players include Danny Glover and Gael Garcia Bernal.

This movie had the eerie feel that Safe did, a film Julianne did in the 90's. That individual-apocolyptic atmosphere.

I wonder if the title and premise were changed to "Jobless", the same story would play out?

On a scale of 1-10, I'd say an 8.