2012 (2009)
Once upon a time, there was a movie called Independence Day. Everyone liked it - it was funny and thrilling and full of cool special effects. So, Roland Emmerich went on to destroy the world again in The Day After Tomorrow. Not as good as the first, but still a fun movie if you can get past the suspension of disbelief. That brought us to 10,000 BC, in which the only redeeming quality was that the male lead was hot and shirtless most of the time. Contrary to my expectations, this movie was much closer to the first two than the third. It has problems (it's super emotionally-manipulating, it has a couple scenes ripped right out of Titanic, and it features a volcano so improbable that it puts Mt. Wilshire in Volcano to shame) but overall it's a splashy, effect-driven disaster movie that doesn't try to be anything else. In fact, there are a couple of really cool shots, especially one of Hawaii engulfed in lava after each island erupts. The characters are pretty typical of Emmerich's other films, though Sasha the Russian bodyguard and Woody Harrelson steal every scene they're in. It's interesting to see which historical artifacts get saved (the Mona Lisa, Michelangelo's David) and which ones get destroyed (the Sistine Chapel, the Christ the Redeemer). And it was horrible to see my beloved Los Angeles/Santa Monica/Hollywood slide into the ocean. I may have teared up a little.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
Monday, November 30, 2009
November 29, 2009
The Men Who Stare At Goats (2009)
As a general rule, the only movie reviewers that I trust are the ones from or Entertainment Weekly and Variety. EW hated this movie and Variety loved it, so I had to see it for myself, more out of curiosity about who was right than anything else. Overall, I'm giving it a resounding "eh." I adore Kevin Spacey and seeing Ewan McGregor in a film where they're constantly calling themselves Jedi Warriors was pretty funny (at least to me), but the film tries so hard to be quirky and hilarious that it suffocates itself. There were definitely funny scenes and the fact that it's supposedly based on a true story at least makes it interesting, but it would have done better just to let the tone flow naturally instead of trying to force it.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
As a general rule, the only movie reviewers that I trust are the ones from or Entertainment Weekly and Variety. EW hated this movie and Variety loved it, so I had to see it for myself, more out of curiosity about who was right than anything else. Overall, I'm giving it a resounding "eh." I adore Kevin Spacey and seeing Ewan McGregor in a film where they're constantly calling themselves Jedi Warriors was pretty funny (at least to me), but the film tries so hard to be quirky and hilarious that it suffocates itself. There were definitely funny scenes and the fact that it's supposedly based on a true story at least makes it interesting, but it would have done better just to let the tone flow naturally instead of trying to force it.
My Netflix rating: 3 stars
November 28, 2009
Billy Elliot (2000)
Going into this, I sort of assumed that it would be a light-hearted comedy, since it's hailed on the DVD case as being by the same filmmakers as Four Weddings and Funeral and Notting Hill. It's actually very dark in some places. That's not a detriment - I love films with a good blend of moods. It was very strange seeing Jamie Bell so young, but it's clear that he was a dancer first and an actor second. He's amazing. Julie Walters was great as always - definitely deserving of her Oscar nomination. I like the way they deal with the question of sexuality in the film, also. It's not really something you can escape when you have a movie about a young boy who wants to take ballet classes instead of boxing, but they handle it well.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
Going into this, I sort of assumed that it would be a light-hearted comedy, since it's hailed on the DVD case as being by the same filmmakers as Four Weddings and Funeral and Notting Hill. It's actually very dark in some places. That's not a detriment - I love films with a good blend of moods. It was very strange seeing Jamie Bell so young, but it's clear that he was a dancer first and an actor second. He's amazing. Julie Walters was great as always - definitely deserving of her Oscar nomination. I like the way they deal with the question of sexuality in the film, also. It's not really something you can escape when you have a movie about a young boy who wants to take ballet classes instead of boxing, but they handle it well.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
November 27, 2009
From Here to Eternity (1953)
#83 on my Top 100 List
I know that there have been quite a few from my Top 100 list lately - there are two reasons for that. One, I want to make sure that I get them all in before the end of the year and two, I'd forgotten how much fun it is to watch a bunch of movies that I truly love all in a row. It's fun to write bad reviews, but it's way more fun to watch good movies. I love this movie because it's about Pearl Harbor, but it's not. It takes place in Hawaii, if not at Pearl Harbor then certainly not far, and it's about a company of infantrymen and the attack on Pearl Harbor is the climax, but it's really about soldiers and what they go through both in peacetime and in war. Montgomery Clift, surprisingly, makes a believable soldier and Frank Sinatra truly shines as his hotheaded best friend Maggio. The other performances are great too, but those two overshadow them. The famous beach scene, so scandalous in its time, lasts barely longer than a second.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
#83 on my Top 100 List
I know that there have been quite a few from my Top 100 list lately - there are two reasons for that. One, I want to make sure that I get them all in before the end of the year and two, I'd forgotten how much fun it is to watch a bunch of movies that I truly love all in a row. It's fun to write bad reviews, but it's way more fun to watch good movies. I love this movie because it's about Pearl Harbor, but it's not. It takes place in Hawaii, if not at Pearl Harbor then certainly not far, and it's about a company of infantrymen and the attack on Pearl Harbor is the climax, but it's really about soldiers and what they go through both in peacetime and in war. Montgomery Clift, surprisingly, makes a believable soldier and Frank Sinatra truly shines as his hotheaded best friend Maggio. The other performances are great too, but those two overshadow them. The famous beach scene, so scandalous in its time, lasts barely longer than a second.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
Thursday, November 26, 2009
November 26, 2009
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
#52 on my Top 100 List
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And also happy 70th anniversary to the Greatest Year in Hollywood History. This movie was a huge part of why 1939 was so amazing. The burst of color when Dorothy opens her front door into Oz for the first time is enough to still take my breath away, even now in the age of computers when nothing is impossible. I remember watching this when I was little and my father pointing out a mistake toward the very end, in the scene where the Wizard's hot air balloon leaves. It's a shot involving the Tin Man that wasn't supposed to make it into the final cut - see if you can find it! And finally, I would be remiss to write an entry about this movie and not mention one of it's greatest gifts to pop culture - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." I'm not a huge fan of the very end (when everything's back in sepia) - I think that that particular plot device is sort of a cop-out - but it's so much a part of this iconic movie that it doesn't bother me as much as it would in anything else.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
#52 on my Top 100 List
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And also happy 70th anniversary to the Greatest Year in Hollywood History. This movie was a huge part of why 1939 was so amazing. The burst of color when Dorothy opens her front door into Oz for the first time is enough to still take my breath away, even now in the age of computers when nothing is impossible. I remember watching this when I was little and my father pointing out a mistake toward the very end, in the scene where the Wizard's hot air balloon leaves. It's a shot involving the Tin Man that wasn't supposed to make it into the final cut - see if you can find it! And finally, I would be remiss to write an entry about this movie and not mention one of it's greatest gifts to pop culture - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." I'm not a huge fan of the very end (when everything's back in sepia) - I think that that particular plot device is sort of a cop-out - but it's so much a part of this iconic movie that it doesn't bother me as much as it would in anything else.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
November 25, 2009
The Perfect Storm (2000)
#94 on my Top 100 List
There are some movies that I wish and hope will end differently every time I watch them. This is one of them. When George Clooney turns the Andrea Gail around and the crew is finally heading out of the storm, I always hope that something different will happen. It never does. I'm not sure if there's anyone out there who doesn't know how this movie ends, but I won't spoil it, just in case. I really like the cast of this movie, from George Clooney (of course) to John C. Reilly (who I don't usually like) to Diane Lane to William Fichtner, who will heretofore be known as "that guy who shows up in everything."
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
#94 on my Top 100 List
There are some movies that I wish and hope will end differently every time I watch them. This is one of them. When George Clooney turns the Andrea Gail around and the crew is finally heading out of the storm, I always hope that something different will happen. It never does. I'm not sure if there's anyone out there who doesn't know how this movie ends, but I won't spoil it, just in case. I really like the cast of this movie, from George Clooney (of course) to John C. Reilly (who I don't usually like) to Diane Lane to William Fichtner, who will heretofore be known as "that guy who shows up in everything."
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
November 24, 2009
Mildred Pierce (1942)
Most websites classify this as a film noir, but I'm not entirely sold on that. Certainly the framing device is noirish, with the mysterious murder of Monte Beragon, but other than that, it leans far more toward melodrama than noir. Joan Crawford gives a very strong perfomance as Mildred. She reminds me in a way of Scarlett O'Hara - she's strong-willed and stubborn, but willing to do anything and everything that she has to in order to survive. Of course, it's possible that she reminds me of Scarlett because Butterfly McQueen (who played Prissy in Gone With the Wind) plays her housemaid Lottie. Might not have completely been film noir, but still a good movie.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
Most websites classify this as a film noir, but I'm not entirely sold on that. Certainly the framing device is noirish, with the mysterious murder of Monte Beragon, but other than that, it leans far more toward melodrama than noir. Joan Crawford gives a very strong perfomance as Mildred. She reminds me in a way of Scarlett O'Hara - she's strong-willed and stubborn, but willing to do anything and everything that she has to in order to survive. Of course, it's possible that she reminds me of Scarlett because Butterfly McQueen (who played Prissy in Gone With the Wind) plays her housemaid Lottie. Might not have completely been film noir, but still a good movie.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
November 23, 2009
Coco Before Chanel (2009)
Every time I see a biopic, I get curious about how much has been fictionalized to make a good story. I know that some of it has to be, but if the movie is made well (which this one was), the dramatizations to the story don't feel implausible. My only problem with this movie (which is another thing characteristic of nearly all biopics) was that it dragged in the middle. While Coco was staying with Balsan, I was getting as restless and bored as she was. It's an inherent problem when a movie follows a person's life - some parts of their lives just aren't that interesting.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
Every time I see a biopic, I get curious about how much has been fictionalized to make a good story. I know that some of it has to be, but if the movie is made well (which this one was), the dramatizations to the story don't feel implausible. My only problem with this movie (which is another thing characteristic of nearly all biopics) was that it dragged in the middle. While Coco was staying with Balsan, I was getting as restless and bored as she was. It's an inherent problem when a movie follows a person's life - some parts of their lives just aren't that interesting.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
Sunday, November 22, 2009
November 22, 2009
The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
#72 on my Top 100 List
Though I have an intense, deep-seated hatred of the New York Yankees, it's impossible not to be moved by this movie. Lou Gehrig's story is tragic and so moving - I know that his final farewell speech in front of the crowd at Yankee Stadium is borderline cliche now, but it's perfect here as the climax of the story. Forget that Babe Ruth and other real Yankees players are in the movie (I know that I try to) - the movie belongs to Gehrig and his family.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
#72 on my Top 100 List
Though I have an intense, deep-seated hatred of the New York Yankees, it's impossible not to be moved by this movie. Lou Gehrig's story is tragic and so moving - I know that his final farewell speech in front of the crowd at Yankee Stadium is borderline cliche now, but it's perfect here as the climax of the story. Forget that Babe Ruth and other real Yankees players are in the movie (I know that I try to) - the movie belongs to Gehrig and his family.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
November 21, 2009
An Education (2009)
I don't think that it's intentional, but something about Peter Sarsgaard's performance in this movie is creepy. Although, it is about a much older man dating a girl in high school, so maybe it is intended to be creepy. Either way, everything about this movie works for me. All of the performances are amazing, the costumes are flawless (enough to make Kat and I wish we could be Londoners in the 60s so that we could wear those black and white dresses), and the story is great. It's based on a memoir, which I now feel that I need to read, since I know some of this is always fictionalized. Emma Thompson and Olivia Williams steal every scene they're in. It wasn't quite good enough to make my Top 100 list, but just barely.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
I don't think that it's intentional, but something about Peter Sarsgaard's performance in this movie is creepy. Although, it is about a much older man dating a girl in high school, so maybe it is intended to be creepy. Either way, everything about this movie works for me. All of the performances are amazing, the costumes are flawless (enough to make Kat and I wish we could be Londoners in the 60s so that we could wear those black and white dresses), and the story is great. It's based on a memoir, which I now feel that I need to read, since I know some of this is always fictionalized. Emma Thompson and Olivia Williams steal every scene they're in. It wasn't quite good enough to make my Top 100 list, but just barely.
My Netflix rating: 4 stars
Saturday, November 21, 2009
November 20, 2009
Finding Nemo (2003)
#89 on my Top 100 List
Oh, the movie that taught the world what it was like to speak whale. I think that part of the appeal and success of this movie was that it was so refreshingly new. Disney has a long-standing tradition of adapting fairy tales and books into animated movies (and the results have always been overwhelmingly positive), but it was so nice and different to see a brand new story. The voice cast is amazing (as always with Disney), with the biggest stand-outs being Ellen DeGeneres, Allison Janney, Geoffrey Rush, and Willem Dafoe. Listen closely and you'll hear Eric Bana as the vegetarian hammerhead shark, too. The film also looks great - with a brand new CG technique for creating realistic-looking water. I know that I spend a lot of time talking about how much I don't like CG animation, but if the story is strong enough (which I think this one is), then I can get past it.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
#89 on my Top 100 List
Oh, the movie that taught the world what it was like to speak whale. I think that part of the appeal and success of this movie was that it was so refreshingly new. Disney has a long-standing tradition of adapting fairy tales and books into animated movies (and the results have always been overwhelmingly positive), but it was so nice and different to see a brand new story. The voice cast is amazing (as always with Disney), with the biggest stand-outs being Ellen DeGeneres, Allison Janney, Geoffrey Rush, and Willem Dafoe. Listen closely and you'll hear Eric Bana as the vegetarian hammerhead shark, too. The film also looks great - with a brand new CG technique for creating realistic-looking water. I know that I spend a lot of time talking about how much I don't like CG animation, but if the story is strong enough (which I think this one is), then I can get past it.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
Bonus Midnight Movie
New Moon (2009)
I'll admit it - I'm a closet Twilighter. I know that the books aren't great books and that the messages they send are a little iffy, but the books and movies are just so much fun! I think that the change in director was beneficial to the series, as Catherine Hardwicke was just a little too inexperienced to have taken on such a huge franchise. There were far fewer technical problems with this film. The wolves left a little to be desired, but after the tragedy that was the werewolf in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, I'm inclined to give anyone else the benefit of the doubt. The characters are much more developed in this movie - each vampire isn't only identifiable by one character trait (Emmett is strong! Jasper's in pain! Alice is weird!) like the first one. They have more rounded personalities. I think that all of the actors have improved a lot, especially Taylor Lautner, and the entire movie is worth it to watch Carlisle Cullen looking gorgeous as he stitches up Bella's arm after her ill-fated birthday party. Rawr!
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
I'll admit it - I'm a closet Twilighter. I know that the books aren't great books and that the messages they send are a little iffy, but the books and movies are just so much fun! I think that the change in director was beneficial to the series, as Catherine Hardwicke was just a little too inexperienced to have taken on such a huge franchise. There were far fewer technical problems with this film. The wolves left a little to be desired, but after the tragedy that was the werewolf in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, I'm inclined to give anyone else the benefit of the doubt. The characters are much more developed in this movie - each vampire isn't only identifiable by one character trait (Emmett is strong! Jasper's in pain! Alice is weird!) like the first one. They have more rounded personalities. I think that all of the actors have improved a lot, especially Taylor Lautner, and the entire movie is worth it to watch Carlisle Cullen looking gorgeous as he stitches up Bella's arm after her ill-fated birthday party. Rawr!
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
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