Nine (2009)
This movie is not to be confused with 9 or District 9, although maybe the filmmakers should wish it would be, since both were better (and considering that 9 was about creepy sentient dolls made of burlap sacks, that's saying something). It was completely unimpressive. Daniel Day-Lewis mopes and whines and screws around on his wife for two hours and yet the seven women in this movie are all obsessed with him. Why? Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench and Kate Hudson are all fantastic, while Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard are pretty blah (though, to be fair, I really can't stand either of them and probably nothing would make me like their performances). Sophia Loren and Fergie appear only in weird, out-of-place black and white flashbacks and, though they both play their roles well, feel totally unnecessary. The songs were hit or miss for me - I really liked "Be Italian," "My Husband Makes Movies," "Cinema Italiano" and "Unusual Way," but the others were boring. Also, all of the musical numbers are presented as fantasies that the main characters are having and feel disconnected from the actual plot. Not sure why this got so many Golden Globe nominations.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
Monday, January 11, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
January 10, 2010
Munich (2005)
#93 on my Top 100 List
Between this and Defiance, Daniel Craig proves that he's never more badass than when he's playing a kick-ass Jew, except when he's playing James Bond. With him and Eric Bana on the team sent to track down and destroy the terrorists responsible for the 1972 massacre of Jewish athletes at the Munich olympics, the terrorists really don't stand a chance. I especially like the way that they dealt with Eric Bana's character, since onoe really can't go through events like those in the film and not be changed by them. John Williams' score is perfect. I don't know how accurate this is in regards to the real reaction to the Munich killings, but this version of events makes for very good drama.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
#93 on my Top 100 List
Between this and Defiance, Daniel Craig proves that he's never more badass than when he's playing a kick-ass Jew, except when he's playing James Bond. With him and Eric Bana on the team sent to track down and destroy the terrorists responsible for the 1972 massacre of Jewish athletes at the Munich olympics, the terrorists really don't stand a chance. I especially like the way that they dealt with Eric Bana's character, since onoe really can't go through events like those in the film and not be changed by them. John Williams' score is perfect. I don't know how accurate this is in regards to the real reaction to the Munich killings, but this version of events makes for very good drama.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
January 9, 2010
Leap Year (2010)
I think I may have lost my ability to tell if a movie is good or not if Matthew Goode is in it. He's so distracting (not that that's a bad thing). But Kat and Anna have assured me that this was a pretty good movie. There's nothing surprising about it - everything plays out just as you expect it to - but if as long as you go into it knowing that, it's fun. The Ireland locations are beautiful, though none of the scenes that supposedly took place in Boston looked like Boston. There are only really two recognizable buildings in Boston - the Hancock tower and the Pru - and neither made an appearance. Not a great way to establish location. My question about the movie is, when is this supposed to take place? Back in 2008? Two years from now in 2012? 2010 isn't a leap year, guys.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
I think I may have lost my ability to tell if a movie is good or not if Matthew Goode is in it. He's so distracting (not that that's a bad thing). But Kat and Anna have assured me that this was a pretty good movie. There's nothing surprising about it - everything plays out just as you expect it to - but if as long as you go into it knowing that, it's fun. The Ireland locations are beautiful, though none of the scenes that supposedly took place in Boston looked like Boston. There are only really two recognizable buildings in Boston - the Hancock tower and the Pru - and neither made an appearance. Not a great way to establish location. My question about the movie is, when is this supposed to take place? Back in 2008? Two years from now in 2012? 2010 isn't a leap year, guys.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
January 8, 2010
American Beauty (1999)
#30 on my Top 100 List
This movie is all about performances. Kevin Spacey is absolutely phenomenal as a man who discovers that all of the beauty has been drained out of his life and decides to take it back. He won Best Actor for the role and I think that it was absolutely deserved. Allison Janney is very powerful as a suburban housewife driven deeper and deeper into her own madness by her cruel husband, even though she's onscreen very little. The look of the movie is very unique, between the lush and bright red rose petal Lolita fantasies that the main character has about Mena Suvari's character, the repetition of movement and slow-motion in the scenes between those two characters, and the dry gray look of everyday life. Kevin Spacey's monologue at the end is a very touching, appropriate ending.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
#30 on my Top 100 List
This movie is all about performances. Kevin Spacey is absolutely phenomenal as a man who discovers that all of the beauty has been drained out of his life and decides to take it back. He won Best Actor for the role and I think that it was absolutely deserved. Allison Janney is very powerful as a suburban housewife driven deeper and deeper into her own madness by her cruel husband, even though she's onscreen very little. The look of the movie is very unique, between the lush and bright red rose petal Lolita fantasies that the main character has about Mena Suvari's character, the repetition of movement and slow-motion in the scenes between those two characters, and the dry gray look of everyday life. Kevin Spacey's monologue at the end is a very touching, appropriate ending.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
January 7, 2010
Chinatown (1974)
#48 on my Top 100 List
I love this movie mostly because it took the Film Noir style and, by adapting it to things like color and more freedom to discuss the political atmosphere, transfigured it into Neo-Noir. That then paved the way for movies like LA Confidential and Memento. Besides Faye Dunaway's performance ("My sister! My daughter!" remains one of the most iconic moments in film history), the true stars of the movie are Jerry Goldsmith's musical score and the backdrop of the city of Los Angeles. The struggle to bring water to a city brought forth from a desert is a very real one and I don't doubt that in the city's early days, the sort of corruption that appears in this movie was widespread. Also, now that I'm reading A Bright and Guilty Place, which is about LA's early days, I get the whole thing that Hollis Mulwray talks about concerning the broken dam that flooded part of the Valley.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
#48 on my Top 100 List
I love this movie mostly because it took the Film Noir style and, by adapting it to things like color and more freedom to discuss the political atmosphere, transfigured it into Neo-Noir. That then paved the way for movies like LA Confidential and Memento. Besides Faye Dunaway's performance ("My sister! My daughter!" remains one of the most iconic moments in film history), the true stars of the movie are Jerry Goldsmith's musical score and the backdrop of the city of Los Angeles. The struggle to bring water to a city brought forth from a desert is a very real one and I don't doubt that in the city's early days, the sort of corruption that appears in this movie was widespread. Also, now that I'm reading A Bright and Guilty Place, which is about LA's early days, I get the whole thing that Hollis Mulwray talks about concerning the broken dam that flooded part of the Valley.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
January 6, 2010
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
All hail Disney's triumphant return to hand-drawn animation!! I'm so happy that this movie exists and that it's so well-done and touching. (By the way - sorry I haven't updated in a while! The website hasn't been letting me in.) Tiana is a fantastic princess in the model of Jasmine or Belle, plus she is the first African-American princess in Disney history. The movie also returns to the traditional Disney form of incorporating musical numbers into the story, taking the lead of The Aristocats and using jazzier songs as opposed to the straight-up "Disney music" style of more recent movies. The most beautiful moment of the film, though, comes toward the end. I'm not going to ruin it for anyone, but for those of you who have seen it - Evangeline.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
All hail Disney's triumphant return to hand-drawn animation!! I'm so happy that this movie exists and that it's so well-done and touching. (By the way - sorry I haven't updated in a while! The website hasn't been letting me in.) Tiana is a fantastic princess in the model of Jasmine or Belle, plus she is the first African-American princess in Disney history. The movie also returns to the traditional Disney form of incorporating musical numbers into the story, taking the lead of The Aristocats and using jazzier songs as opposed to the straight-up "Disney music" style of more recent movies. The most beautiful moment of the film, though, comes toward the end. I'm not going to ruin it for anyone, but for those of you who have seen it - Evangeline.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
January 5, 2010
GoldenEye (1995)
#50 on my Top 100 List
This is a fantastic James Bond film. It's Pierce Brosnan's first turn as the famous super-spy, it introduces Dame Judi Dench as M (who has never been more badass in her life), and it got adapted into a pretty great video game (and I don't even like video games). Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid in Harry Potter) shows up as an ex-KGB agent. Sean Bean (Boromir in Lord of the Rings) is Bond's former parter. Famke Janssen (Jean Grey in X-Men) is awesome as a homicidal nymphomaniac. And the late great Desmond Llewelyn returns for one of his last performances as the MI6 weapons inventor Q. My only complaint is the character Boris. I adore Alan Cumming, but I really truly hate Boris. In the video game, you used to lose the level if you shot him, but I always shot him anyway. His whole "I am invincible!" thing is incredibly irritating. The reveal halfway through of the identity of the mysterious crime lord Janus is one of those great cinematic moments and the fight at the end between Janus and Bond on a radar antenntae cradle is awesome.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
#50 on my Top 100 List
This is a fantastic James Bond film. It's Pierce Brosnan's first turn as the famous super-spy, it introduces Dame Judi Dench as M (who has never been more badass in her life), and it got adapted into a pretty great video game (and I don't even like video games). Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid in Harry Potter) shows up as an ex-KGB agent. Sean Bean (Boromir in Lord of the Rings) is Bond's former parter. Famke Janssen (Jean Grey in X-Men) is awesome as a homicidal nymphomaniac. And the late great Desmond Llewelyn returns for one of his last performances as the MI6 weapons inventor Q. My only complaint is the character Boris. I adore Alan Cumming, but I really truly hate Boris. In the video game, you used to lose the level if you shot him, but I always shot him anyway. His whole "I am invincible!" thing is incredibly irritating. The reveal halfway through of the identity of the mysterious crime lord Janus is one of those great cinematic moments and the fight at the end between Janus and Bond on a radar antenntae cradle is awesome.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
January 4, 2010
Rebecca (1940)
#23 on my Top 100 List
Just one year after Laurence Olivier played Heathcliffe, he returned to play another dark literary character - but his Maxim de Winter is much more tragically sympathetic than Heathcliffe. Poor Maxim, just like everyone else in the film, is haunted by the memory of his dead wife Rebecca. Though she's never seen even in pictures, Rebecca is as much as character as anyone else in the film - maybe more. She and the estate Manderley form an atmosphere so foreboding that not even the unnamed narrator is able to be comfortable there. The creepy housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, certainly doesn't help, as she is one of the greatest subtle and understated villains in cinema. This was Hitchcock's first American film - and his only to win Best Picture - and his career only went upward from there.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
#23 on my Top 100 List
Just one year after Laurence Olivier played Heathcliffe, he returned to play another dark literary character - but his Maxim de Winter is much more tragically sympathetic than Heathcliffe. Poor Maxim, just like everyone else in the film, is haunted by the memory of his dead wife Rebecca. Though she's never seen even in pictures, Rebecca is as much as character as anyone else in the film - maybe more. She and the estate Manderley form an atmosphere so foreboding that not even the unnamed narrator is able to be comfortable there. The creepy housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, certainly doesn't help, as she is one of the greatest subtle and understated villains in cinema. This was Hitchcock's first American film - and his only to win Best Picture - and his career only went upward from there.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
Sunday, January 3, 2010
January 3, 2010
King Kong (1933)
#27 on my Top 100 List
Back before the advent and (in my opinion) overuse of computers in filmmaking, a man named Willis O'Brien did the special effects for this movie, seamlessly blending live action with puppetry and almost single-handedly perfected stop-motion animation. The attention to detail with the Kong figure and the others (mostly dinosaurs that inhabit Kong's island - and by the way, since when are brachiosaurs carnivorous?) is absolutely fascinating. The special features on this DVD go into how they combined live action and stop-motion in the same shot, as well as how the scenes with Kong rampaging through New York were done. But all in all, it's a love story and it ends tragically as every good love story must, with one of the greatest film lines of all time. I also feel the need to pay tribute to Kongfrontation - the greatest theme park ride to ever exist. Damn you, Universal Studios, for tearing it down!
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
#27 on my Top 100 List
Back before the advent and (in my opinion) overuse of computers in filmmaking, a man named Willis O'Brien did the special effects for this movie, seamlessly blending live action with puppetry and almost single-handedly perfected stop-motion animation. The attention to detail with the Kong figure and the others (mostly dinosaurs that inhabit Kong's island - and by the way, since when are brachiosaurs carnivorous?) is absolutely fascinating. The special features on this DVD go into how they combined live action and stop-motion in the same shot, as well as how the scenes with Kong rampaging through New York were done. But all in all, it's a love story and it ends tragically as every good love story must, with one of the greatest film lines of all time. I also feel the need to pay tribute to Kongfrontation - the greatest theme park ride to ever exist. Damn you, Universal Studios, for tearing it down!
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
Saturday, January 2, 2010
January 2, 2010
Zodiac (2007)
#49 on my Top 100 List
I absolutely love David Fincher. Normally with scary movies or scenes, I can break them down in my head to the point at which they're no longer scary. You know - the music is ominous, the lighting's really dark, you can't see around that corner, etc. There is one scene in this movie that takes place in a basement and no matter how many times I watch it, it still terrifies me. David Fincher is the only director who can still scare me. The structure of this movie is also fascinating - the actual Zodiac investigation lasted over 20 years and though the movie's a little long at 2 1/2 hours, it doesn't drag. In fact, if anything, it gets more and more tense as Robert Graysmith gets drawn deeper into his own obsession. Jake Gyllenhaal plays him very well. Robert Downey, Jr. is great as the eccentric reporter who originally tries to crack Zodiac, though seeing him fall apart through drugs and alcohol is a little uncomfortable. And keep an eye out for Elias Koteas as the police sergeant from Vallejo - also known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles's Casey Jones!
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
#49 on my Top 100 List
I absolutely love David Fincher. Normally with scary movies or scenes, I can break them down in my head to the point at which they're no longer scary. You know - the music is ominous, the lighting's really dark, you can't see around that corner, etc. There is one scene in this movie that takes place in a basement and no matter how many times I watch it, it still terrifies me. David Fincher is the only director who can still scare me. The structure of this movie is also fascinating - the actual Zodiac investigation lasted over 20 years and though the movie's a little long at 2 1/2 hours, it doesn't drag. In fact, if anything, it gets more and more tense as Robert Graysmith gets drawn deeper into his own obsession. Jake Gyllenhaal plays him very well. Robert Downey, Jr. is great as the eccentric reporter who originally tries to crack Zodiac, though seeing him fall apart through drugs and alcohol is a little uncomfortable. And keep an eye out for Elias Koteas as the police sergeant from Vallejo - also known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles's Casey Jones!
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
January 1, 2010
Avatar (2009)
True to all the hype, the visuals in this movie are amazing. The story is only so/so, but that's also to be expected. I doubt there were many people who went to see this for the writing, since - let's face it - it's really a fantasy version of Fern Gully with more explosions. It's no surprise that the movie looks as great as it does, since the visual effects were done by Industrial Light and Magic and the dreamteam behind Lord of the Rings, WETA Workshops and Richard Taylor. Zoe Saldana's performance was the standout, especially since it was all motion-captured. Also, now that I know that Joel David Moore is actually in this movie, his role in the episode of Bones centered around this movie's premiere is much funnier. The musical score jumped out at me, but only because half-way through, I realized that it's really similar to Titanic. Plus the banshee cries are nearly identical to the velociraptor roars in Jurassic Park . May not be the most original film of the year, but it's certainly one of the best-looking.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
True to all the hype, the visuals in this movie are amazing. The story is only so/so, but that's also to be expected. I doubt there were many people who went to see this for the writing, since - let's face it - it's really a fantasy version of Fern Gully with more explosions. It's no surprise that the movie looks as great as it does, since the visual effects were done by Industrial Light and Magic and the dream
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
Friday, January 1, 2010
December 31, 2009
Up in the Air (2009)
Lauren described this to me as happy but slightly depressing and I think she's right. George Clooney is amazing to watch as always - he manages to make his character's isolationist attitude heartbreaking instead of off-putting. It's listed as a comedy, but the unwanted dose of realism at the end makes it walk the fine line between comedy and drama. The supporting cast is great, though I wish we had seen more of Zach Galifianakis (who am I kidding - there should always be more Zach Galifianakis) and JK Simmons. Anna Kendrick was okay, but I think that Vera Farmiga was better. Unfortunately, they may end up splitting the Golden Globe vote, leading to a win by one of the other nominees. Happy New Year, everyone!
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
Lauren described this to me as happy but slightly depressing and I think she's right. George Clooney is amazing to watch as always - he manages to make his character's isolationist attitude heartbreaking instead of off-putting. It's listed as a comedy, but the unwanted dose of realism at the end makes it walk the fine line between comedy and drama. The supporting cast is great, though I wish we had seen more of Zach Galifianakis (who am I kidding - there should always be more Zach Galifianakis) and JK Simmons. Anna Kendrick was okay, but I think that Vera Farmiga was better. Unfortunately, they may end up splitting the Golden Globe vote, leading to a win by one of the other nominees. Happy New Year, everyone!
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)