G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
They won’t even have to change the title for the porno version of this. Early bad buzz is slowly turning into “great summer escapist” nonsense. Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Marlon Wayans star.
Cold Souls
Paul Giamatti has his soul extracted to help him deliver a stage performance but must travel to Russia when it’s sold without his permission. Someone (first-time writer-director Sophie Barthes) was obviously inspired after watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich back to back. Of course, if you’re going for a rip-off, might as well go from the best. Giamatti isn’t nearly as good or as strange as Malkovich, but there might be enough weirdness and cleverness here to make it work. In limited release.
Julie & Julia
After the pretty good Doubt, Meryl Streep (Julia Child) and Amy Adams star in 2 separate stories (like The Hours) about cooking. Nora Ephron tries to fuse 2 different true stories into a coherent film. Good luck! Streep’s said to be excellent, but when hasn’t she been?
A Perfect Getaway
A honeymooning couple (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) roughing it in Hawaii run across some frightened backpackers who tell them of some honeymooners who were just murdered. Who are the bad guys? Who can you trust? Who cares?
Shorts
Robert Rodriguez hasn’t made a watchable film in over 10 years, and his “kids” films have been unbearable. A rainbow ball falls from the sky and grants wishes to whoever is holding it. No doubt there’s a message (to be happy with what you have) beaten to death in the closing minutes.
Paper Heart
Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up) travels cross country to find love in this pseudo-documentary. Michael Cera co-stars. Not if it was the last film on earth.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Summer Movie Releases - 8/7/09
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Public Enemies - A-
Priest gave this great review over a month ago. Michael Mann’s films become more complex with repeated viewings, so initial reactions usually don’t mean much in the long run. There’s usually a discrepancy between the film that you expect and the one that you get. At first glance, you might think that Public Enemies is a biopic in the same vein as Ali, solely focused on a famous character who defined the times in which he lived. But it’s closer to The Insider (the Jeffrey Wigand biopic), in that Mann uses the background of a man to hang themes about loyalty, honor, and nobility. In Public Enemies, the main theme is living in the moment, but Mann is able to explore advancing technology, the effectiveness of torture, and becoming a criminal to catch one as well. Like Zodiac and No Country for Old Men, Public Enemies is a period film that discusses some of the challenges of our current era . . .
The movie has a rocky beginning – we’re thrown into the film unaware of where we are or what’s happening. The digital video is a brave (but not unsurprising) choice for Mann and takes some getting used to. Another brave choice is asking us to relate to criminals who have just killed some cops right off the bat. One of the toughest things in the film will be sympathizing with John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) and Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard). It proved impossible for me right up until the last scene where Frechette doesn’t seem to care about all the damage Dillinger has done to other people. The movie takes off and never lets up when Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) calls in some Texas Rangers (led by Manhunter alum Stephen Lang) to help him deal with the savage, violent nature of Baby Face Nelson and John Dillinger. Everything from that point on is first rate, highlighted by Dante Ferretti’s cinematography (the 2 police flare sequences were astonishing).
The high-def video camera ends up drawing the viewer into the impeccably recreated Depression-era costumes, streets, and rooms. We feel as though we’re right next to Depp and Bale. The shootouts (especially the Little Bohemia Lodge sequence) are first rate as is Mann’s direction – he films each shootout differently, often using shocking violence to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. His technique in the quieter scenes is equally impressive, creating tension even if (like me, you’ve seen Dillinger’s biography many times on TV) you know what’s going to happen. Surprisingly, the attention-to-detail Mann intentionally makes some chronological errors for dramatic effect (Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd were both killed after Dillinger). But he can be forgiven for some historical inconsistencies after giving such a dense, captivating film. A-
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
HBO Sunday Night - 8/2/09
Hung Episode 5: “Do It, Monkey”
Ray (Thomas Jane) gets his first unsatisfied customer which drives him nuts. Tanya (Jane Adams) tries to fend off advances from her motivational speaker. And Ray’s ex-wife (Anne Heche) and new husband (Eddie Jemison) try to deal with being less rich. Another excellent episode that brilliantly plays with the audience’s expectations. (To give anything away would rob you of greatness). The show also continues to show situations (putting the dog to sleep) that haven’t been overdone. Continually inventive, funny, well-acted, and timely. A bad episode would be a surprise at this point. B+
Entourage: “Runnin’ on E”
Season 6, Episode 4
Drama gets to make-out with some models trying out for his TV show, Eric’s company goes belly up, and Vince’s Enzo Ferrari movie gets delayed by 3 months which gives him nothing to do except bang hot chicks. The highlight of the episode was David Schwimmer considering a new TV series at Ari’s office. Gary Cole is doing some nice work as Ari’s friend and work partner who misunderstands some of Ari’s advice. The best line was from Ari to Lloyd about Zac Efron. You know the one. The show is consistently entertaining, without being groundbreaking, profound, or insightful. B
Programming note: Curb Your Enthusiasm's next season starts in September and Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, and Jason Alexander will be in 5-7 episodes. Which reminds me, great Michael Richards reference in Funny People. Richards was doing stand-up when he had his meltdown after all.
Monday, August 3, 2009
DVD and Blu-ray Releases 8/4/09
Delgo
Flight of the Conchords - Season 2
Labor Pains - #
Mutant Chronicles - #
Nature’s Grave
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh - #
Obsessed - #
Race to Witch Mountain - #
Shadowheart
The Soloist - #
Click below for this week's Blu-ray releases.
Big Trouble in Little China
The Last Starfighter
My Cousin Vinny
The Waterboy
# - also on Blu-ray
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Weekend Box Office - 7/31-8/2/09
Funny People took the top spot, but some were probably expecting more. It's got too much drama for the Sandler fans and is too complex for The Hangover crowd. The Hangover and The Proposal (where's the review, Priest?) keep their low % loss.
Weekend total / % Change / Cumulative total
1. Funny People: 23.4 mil / (-)
2. Harry Potter 6: 17.7 mil / (-40%) / 255 mil
3. G-Force: 17.1 mil / (-46%) / 66.5 mil
4. The Ugly Truth: 13 mil / (-53%) / 54.5 mil
5. Aliens in the Attic: 7.8 mil / (-)
6. Orphan: 7.3 mil / (-44%) / 26.8 mil
7. Ice Age 3: 5.3 mil / (-37%) / 182 mil
8. The Hangover: 5.1 mil / (-21%) / 256 mil
9. The Proposal: 4.8 mil / (-24%) / 149 mil
10. Transformers 2: 4.6 mil / (-43%) / 388 mil
Saturday, August 1, 2009
500 Days of Summer A-
Rated PG-13, In Theatres, 95 minutes
Once every so often someone makes a perfect romantic comedy. When Harry Met Sally comes to mind. Less often, someone makes a perfect movie about love. Eternal Sunshine, say. These are movies that remember that, for each of us—best-case scenario—one romantic relationship ends well. One. In all the rest, no matter the physical attraction, no matter the chemistry, no matter the depth of feeling and exuberance, in the end somebody’s crying. 500 Days of summer isn’t quite as good as Eternal Sunshine, but it is a nearly perfectly realized movie about one of the really good ones that al as most makes it.
Joseph Gordon Levitt plays Tom Hansen an architect doing time at a greeting card company until he gets back to architecting. Indie lovely Zooey Deschanel is Summer Finn, his boss’s new receptionist. In a nice reversal, he’s the doe-eyed romantic and she’s the cynical girl who doesn’t believe in love. She warns him that she’s only in it for a fun, and he believes no one can walk away from something this good. They bond over a love for The Smiths, buildings, and sex. The whole should be too cute for its own good. They pull out every dramatic device in the bag—voice-overs, non-chronological ordering (tracked based on the numbered day since their first encounter) Karaoke sing-a-longs, a dance number in the park, scenes turned to charcoal darawings, short, documentary-like background sketches, and interviews about love with the main characters. Amazingly, the whole conflagration, which should fall like a bad soufflé, is light as air. It totally works, because the love affair at the heart of it works.
If 500 Days of Summer has a flaw, it’s that Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel have too much sizzle. They work too well. You buy it too much. They’re having too much fun. You want them too badly to make it. Which means, ultimately, that you hurt too much when, as you knew from the beginning they wouldn’t, they don’t. It’s easy to give Ms. Deschanel all the credit for manufacturing this intangible that masquerades under the label of “chemistry”. She’s been proving at least as far back as Elf that she’s once-in-a-generation adorable. The brown eyes. The wrinkled nose. The throwback clothing and scrubbed face freshness and to-the-bone sweetness that seems to beam out of those eyes. She’s an indie-rock goddess, and here she puts it all in over-drive. From the moment she kisses him in the copy room, poor Gordon-Levitt never stands a chance. And here’s the amazing thing. Joseph Gordon-Levitt keeps up. Aside from a few flashbacks and photo-essays, he’s in every scene. Star-eyed in love. Living off twinkies and whiskey. Longing. Hurt. Dying to meet her then dying to get over her. Through all that, you never tire of him. Never want to scream “buck-up, camper.” Never wonder why she’d mess with him in the first place. You like him and root for him and never tire of his optimism or his depression. If you think that’s not tough, check out Zack Braff’s recent body of work. If Zooey is the reason you come, Joseph is the reason you aren’t disappointed. A-
Funny People - B+
Adam Sandler plays George Simmons, a version of his real-life self who worked his way up doing stand-up comedy and now makes a living with dumb popular movies. When he's diagnosed with leukemia, he returns to his stand-up roots and meets Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) who he asks to be his assistant and joke-writer. Simmons uses his disease to reconcile old family relationships and an old girlfriend (Leslie Mann) who's now married (to Eric Bana). As with 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, writer-director Judd Apatow's special blend of honest emotional moments and raunchy humor works. But the film is overly self-referential, drops too many names, and tells way too many phallic jokes to reach the high level of his previous 2 efforts . . .
At nearly 2 1/2 hours, the film is rough around the edges, going on tangents, then forgetting subplots before remembering them again. Apparently, Apatow couldn't leave one cameo on the cutting room floor. Some scenes that appear inconsequential later become vital, so Apatow's script is well-constructed while leaving obvious room for improvisations. The stand-up routines work fine and the film plays well as an insider's look at the L.A. stand-up scene. But some of the best comic moments are Ira and his 2 roommates (Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman) riffing and occasionally being cruel to each other. Aubrey Plaza ("Parks and Recreation") has some great scenes with Rogen as well.
But my favorite scene was a dramatic one, which has the oncologist (Torsten Voges) giving Simmons some good news. I've never been a big Sandler fan, respecting only his collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson (and tolerating The Wedding Singer). He's superb here, but unlike Punch-Drunk Love, Apatow pulls some punches and lets Sandler off easy. Rogen, however, gives his all-time best performance, playing a real character for the first time. He portrays decency and morality very well, making Ira the easiest character to root for. Mann is amazing as expected and has a couple of moving moments. Somehow, Apatow is able to make a lot of great points about fame, wealth, family, marriage, male bonding, and friendship. It is a little all over the place thematically, but Apatow does stick the landing - the last 10 minutes are perfect. Apatow's musical choices (including one from his real life daughter's play) are perfect as well, with a heavy dose of John Lennon and some pretty good original stuff from Jason Schwartzman. B+
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox Trailer
Wes Anderson seems to have taken a much-needed change of direction in his newest offering, a stop-motion take on the classic children's novel Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach). Many of Anderson's usuals are here, including Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and Bill Murray, with George Clooney and Meryl Streep added to the mix. See the trailer here. Looks like it could be a fun departure.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
"A Serious Man" Trailer
Looks a little bit crazier than I expected, a lot more Burn After Reading than No Country for Old Men. Still looks fantastic.
Continue reading this postSummer Movie Releases - 7/31/09
Funny People
If the 30 minute HBO special playing all week is any indicator, writer-director Judd Apatow hasn't turned down the raunchy stuff in his 3rd feature. Adam Sandler plays a successful film star going back to stand up who is stricken with disease. Seth Rogen is an upcoming comic who becomes his assistant. Leslie Mann plays Sandler's object of desire. Aziz Ansari appears to do some crazy stand up. What do you do if you're supposed to die and you don't? "What do you do if your real life surpasses your wildest dreams?" "Keep it to yourself."
Thirst
A young priest turns into a vampire after he volunteers to receive an experimental vaccine. The typical crappy horror film with pseudo-religious mumbo jumbo? Maybe, but I'll give Korean director Chan-Wook Park the benefit of the doubt. After 5 years, Oldboy's still seared on my cerebral cortex, for better or worse. Can't wait for the crappy American remake.
Aliens in the Attic
Some kids fight some aliens in the attic. Parents are stupid. Kids are awesome. Non-Pixar kid movies suck.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
HBO Sunday Night - 7/26/09
Hung: Episode 4 - The Pickle Jar
Ray, the lead character (Thomas Jane) may be a prostitute, but the series is turning into much more than cheap jokes and posterior male nudity. Perfectly timed for 2009, Hung is about difficult times, struggling, and getting by. The key moment in the latest episode came from an unexpected place: Ray's son Damon admitting that "life is sometimes just too much." And later, toward the end, as Ray decides if he's actually going to go through with his new profession, the show becomes about persistence and preserverance. It's amazing what series writers Collete Burson and Dmitry Lipkin have been able to accomplish in four 30 minute episodes. The weakest part of the show (Ray's kids) are starting to matter and the best parts of the show (Ray and Tanya) continue their interesting, poignant, and hilarious interactions. Alas, there wasn't enough Tanya (Jane Adams) in this episode to get an A-. B+
Entourage : Season 6, Episode 3
"One Car, Two Car, Red Car, Blue Car"
Unlike Ray Drecker and his kids, the guys in Entourage aren't even close to living in the real world. Turtle has a tough 30th birthday because his friend Vince buys him a Ferrari and his hot girlfriend (Jamie Lynn Sigler) only buys him a Porsche. Am I supposed to feel sorry for him because he has no career?
At least Drama (Kevin Dillon) is still providing some funny rapid-fire one-liners and Lloyd is getting some good material ("Mr. Turtle"). Best of all, Ari's scenes giving advice to Eric and Turtle are perfectly written and amusingly performed. The show may not add up to much and Vince may not have much to do, but it's still pretty good TV, led by the writing, Dillon, and Jeremy Piven. B
Monday, July 27, 2009
DVD and Blu-ray Releases 7/28/09
Angel of Death
Bad Lieutenant
Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5 - #
Dollhouse: Season 1 - #
Dragonball Evolution - #
Fast & Furious - #
Knight Rider: Season 1
Miss March - #
Repulsion – (Criterion) - #, *
Streets of Blood
Click below for this week's Blu-ray releases
12 Monkeys - *
2 Fast 2 Furious
Battlestar Galactica: Complete Series
Champions of Faith
The Fast and the Furious
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Green Lantern: First Flight
Harvard Beats Yale 29-29
The Inglorious Bastards
A River Runs Through It - *
This is Spinal Tap - *
# - Also on Blu-ray
* - Doctor approved
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Advertainment
1. Dr. Dre in a Dr. Pepper ad. Weirdest sell-out move ever.
2. Oasis in a Jaguar commercial. Pretty cool, actually.
3. Very effective ad for the Palm Pre - it was integrated into the Jimmy Fallon Show - he showed how to use it and talked about it. I would have never paid attention before, but did because I couldn't tell if it was a bit or what was going on. I've seen this on a couple of other shows. An interesting development, obviously a response to TIVO. Ad men are like cockroaches.
PS - Rewatching Miami Vice (A). Could watch this on a neverending loop.
Weekend Box Office - 7/24-26/09
Talking guinea pigs took out the 2nd week of Harry Potter 6, which may receive a bump next week with added IMAX screens. G-Force also took part of the Ice Age audience. Transformers 2 is now #10 all-time, and The Hangover and The Proposal just keep on rolling. Bruno is down another huge percentage.
Weekend total / % Change / Cumulative total
1. G-Force: 32 mil / (-)
2. Harry Potter 6: 30 mil / (-61%) / 222 mil
3. The Ugly Truth: 27 mil / (-)
4. Orphan: 12.7 mil / (-)
5. Ice Age 3: 8.2 mil / (-53%) / 171 mil
6. Transformers 2: 8.0 mil / (-41%) / 379 mil
7. The Hangover: 6.47 mil / (-21%) / 247 mil
8. The Proposal: 6.42 mil / (-23%) / 140 mil
9. Public Enemies: 4.2 mil / (-46%) / 88 mil
10. Bruno: 2.7 mil / (-67%) / 56.5 mil
11. 500 Days of Summer: 1.6 mil / (+95%) / 3 mil
12. Up: 3.1 mil / (-29%) / 280 mil
13. The Hurt Locker: 1.5 mil / (+97%) / 4 mil
Saturday, July 25, 2009
2 Quick News Items
If you like the sensibilities of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, you'll enjoy Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright's TV series Spaced. It became availabe on hulu.com a couple of days ago and the jokes come fast, multi-layerd, and furious. Check it out here.
Another Where the Wild Things Are trailer is up here. There's also a feauterette with the book's author Maurice Sendak who obviously likes the film. The visuals look amazing.
Friday, July 24, 2009
The Answer Man - C
In limited theatrical release today. Premiered on HDNET on 7/22.
Arlen Faber (Jeff Daniels) wrote Me and God in which he claimed to have direct communication with the Almighty. His book became a cultural milestone. But with the book's 20 year anniversary coming up, 
Faber has become withdrawn, reclusive, belligerent, and intolerable. He gets an opportunity to engage in life with 2 chance encounters: one with Elizabeth, a single mom chiropractor (Lauren Graham) and the other with Kris Lucas, an alcoholic bookstore owner (Lou Taylor Pucci). The movie catches fire for several scenes in the middle when Faber answers questions from Lucas about the meaning of life and gives him advice. Faber's relationship with Elizabeth's son has similar appeal, especially when he describes what he loves about kids.
But while first-time writer John Hindman has some pretty good insightful dialogue and structures the film soundly (if a bit predictably), first-time director John Hindman can't keep a handle on the wildly shifting moods and scene transitions. The great cast was obviously attracted by a script written by someone who's read alot of self help books (like The Love Guru) and as someone who's never read any, some of the "answers" and insights were borderline profound, but as Faber gets ready to give his last speech, the script (thus, the film) falls incredibly flat.
Daniels carries the film well and has pretty good chemistry with Graham. But Pucci's apperance (facial hair, piercings) are too distracting - he seems to be a good enough actor to portray the character's troubles without all the props and gimmicks. Tony Hale (Buster Bluth) and Nora Dunn provide some great supporting work. All in all, a mixed bag - a good script brought down by too much slapstick, bad visual jokes, and so-so editing.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Summer Movie Releases - 7/24/09
The Ugly Truth
An idealistic TV show producer (Katherine Heigl) is forced to work with a rude sexist on-screen personality (a suspenders-less Gerard Butler) who drops all kinds of insightful nuggets about how men and women really work. Looks like it might be good for awhile until they inevitably fall in love.
In the Loop
The American President and British Prime Minister start an unnecessary war because of a miscommunication. Lots of dramatic Iraq movies have flopped, but this one takes a comedic approach. James Gandolfini shows up as a US general trying to stop the invasion. It’s a tricky thing to make work, but early reviews are very positive.
Orphan
The loss of their unborn baby devastates Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard. They decide to adopt a baby who turns out to be a devil-child. Good actors and an interesting premise with lots of stuff under the surface – if you like horror movies. I might give it a chance on cable – love Farmiga and Sarsgaard.
G-Force
A bunch of guinea pigs save the world – in 3D! Sam Rockwell, Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, and Tracy Morgan provide voices. No doubt there will be some wire-fu, clichéd musical cues, and lots of flatulence jokes.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
New Shutter Island Poster
Looks great. I hope I'm not building this up too much.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
A Few Reviews
Up B+
I must slightly dissent from Lawyer’s review here. The opening and closing sequences of this film are breath-taking both in their emotional heft and their subject matter, plowing new ground for an animated film. Beyond that, this is a a good if not great kids film. Unlike Toy Story, The Incredibles, and Wall*E, all of which are as fun for adults as children, the middle of this film feels like kiddie entertainment first and foremost. It just doesn’t hold-up with the adult frame (which children really can’t fully appreciate) involving grown-up dreams and disappointments, including the inability to have children. A very good film, but not among Pixar’s best. B+
Chinatown A
AFI named this Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston 1974 gumshoe masterpiece from the hands of Roman Polanski the greatest mystery movie ever made. Jack Nicholson as hard-boiled dick Jake Gittes in 1930’s L.A. is hired to look into an affair that turns into murder that at first blush appears to pull Jake into a political scandal. Faye Dunaway is the daughter of a millionaire married to his murdered ex-partner who Jake in turn suspects and loves. Meanwhile, John Huston as Dunaway’s father Noah Cross steals every scene he’s in as a cold-blooded capitalist beast. The film is neo-noir and draws heavily from the film that launched Huston’s directorial career, The Maltese Falcon, especially the character of Sam Spade, the spiritual father of Jake Gittes. However, unlike Falcon which has a hard-boiled morality at its core, Chinatown, as its name ultimately alludes to, has an unbeating nihilistic heart. Great film. A
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix B
In preparation for the newest film I went back and watched its immediate predecessor and the fifth film of the series, The Order of the Phoenix. This is Yates (the eventual director of the remaining films) first time at the helm and it shows. Similar to the first two films, he’s too scared to cut anything out and more interested in dazzling with CGI than with character development or emotional wallop. That’s a shame, because Harry’s godfather Sirius Black’s (a magnificent Gary Oldman) death should be devastating and, instead, is a little confusing. Still, Maggie Smith as pink-loving McCarthy-ist Minerva McGonagall is perfect, Evanna Lynch as space cadet Luna Lovegood is far better than the book, and the final battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore is everything a war between grand wizards should be. At just over two hours, it should have been longer, especially since it contains all the conflicts and clues that drive the final three films. B
The films as I rank them are as follows:
Half-blood Prince (#6) A-
Goblet of Fire (#4) B+
Prisoner of Azkaban (#3) B+
Order of the Phoenix (#5) B
Sorcerer’s Stone (#1) B-
Chamber of Secrets (#2) C+
HBO Sunday Night - 7/19/09
Hung: Episode 3 - "Strange Friends"
Tanya's phone conversation with Lenore toward the end of the episode was filled with sight gags (the pen, the shoplifted dress), revelations (Lenore's admission and motivation), and funny lines that had the writing finally reaching the level of the acting. Even the title of the episode is equally interesting and satisfying. Jane Adams's Tanya is becoming the most fascinating character on TV - her tics, hesitations, stuttering, and gestures (in nearly every scene) cover up just how troubled she is. And Adams nails all of it - she's capable of going head to head with both sensitive and aggressive men. For his part, Thomas Jane continues to slowly unravel his dumb jock character Ray beautifully. (Their "worst pimp ever" scene was another great one). Even Anne Heche finally got a terrific scene - finally reaching her children with a dying, diseased, arthritic dog who really should be put out of its misery. Its the first great episode of the new series. A-
Entourage - Season 6, Episode 2 - Amongst Friends
Unfortunately, Entourage has devolved in some kind of 90210 relationship show, where everyone pairs off and you're supposed to care if E and Turtle will make it work. Even Ari struggles with his best friend (Gary Cole) and his infidelity. The show is still interesting enough (with the quick pans to Lloyd, Turtle and Drama's one-liners) to be working. And the characters are still much more likable than in recent seasons. B