Yet an other entry in my occasional series where I demonstrate how out of touch with modern culture I am by reviewing something that was all the rage long ago but which I’m just getting to. This week I show I am catching up with current events by reviewing a movie that still has posters up at Burger King! Yes, it’s the latest installment in the ever popular (and apparently one of the most profitable) series: Twilight. You may recall I reviewed, only a couple of months ago, the last installment in the series: New Moon. Eclipse is definitely a step up from that film. On some levels.

The biggest problem with book adaptations is that there is so much in the book it is amazingly difficult to make it flow. Instead you get very choppy films that don’t feel organic. This was a huge issue with the previous two installments of Twilight. I must commend the director and producers in that they really solved that this time. Eclipse flows so it actually feels like a real movie. This from a director who doesn’t have a whole lot of experience. Primarily music videos and then the 2007 modest hit 30 Days of Night, a horror movie about vampires in Alaska. (Where one must admit it makes a lot of sense to live during the winter) Some of that background worked pretty well here. The horror aspect of vampires had been lacking in the previous films. While I can’t say they established a sense of dread, at least there was a sense of threat to the main character.

(more…)

A Dream Within A Dream

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

-Edgar Allan Poe

(more…)

About fifteen minutes into Cyrus, the title character makes an aside, words to this effect: “I’m joking. I have a really weird sense of humor.” This could have been the movie’s tag line. While some people will find Cyrus occasionally hilarious and strangely moving, as I did, others may find the movie uncomfortable or odd. But for those who understand the filmmakers’ weird sense of humor, this comedic character study offers a refreshingly authentic and exceptionally well acted slice of life.

John C. Reilley plays John, a loser who, in his own words, is in a downward spiral since his wife left him seven years ago. His ex (Catherine Keener), tries to coax John out of his slump by inviting him to a party where there will be interesting and attractive women. Everything goes horribly until John gets drunk and makes an improbable connection Molly (Marissa Tomei), who seems out of his league. After a couple dates and a couple of days, John stalks Molly back to her home where he meets Cyrus (Jonah Hill), a 21-year-old (“almost 22″) man-child who lives with his mother, with whom he has an uncomfortably close relationship. The remainder of the story is a battle of wills between John and the dysfunctional Cyrus for Molly’s affection. (more…)

There’s a scene in the new Robin Hood where Sir Walter Locksley (played by Max von Sydow, a Swede) tells Robin (played by Russell Crowe, an Australian) that he stinks.

Oh, how apt. (more…)

So I decided to do the occasional brief “rewind review.” Since I have no life this is basically me seeing movies or listening to music months after the pop culture discussion ended. Perils of having two businesses, opening a new factory outlet, having a new baby pop up in a couple of weeks, and having been in the hospital in December and missing January. Yeah, I’m out of it.

This first installment is Twilight New Moon. This of course was widely discussed. I confess I could only make it about halfway through the first volume of the series before I couldn’t take it anymore. So I’m definitely not the target market here. My wife, on the other hand, loved the books. She felt only so-so about this one though but liked it a lot more the second time through. After promising her for months that I’d see it I finally did.

(more…)

I recently read the book, by Alice Sebold, and while it kept me captivated, I thought the ending was completely lame. It didn’t make me disappointed I’d read the book, though. Just wished it had ended differently.

As I read the book I kept wondering how it’d be handled as a movie.
(more…)

Normally I buy my kids whatever the new blockbusters are on DVD. But IMO, there weren’t many good movies this year, so I got my kids (who are all teenagers) mostly cult classics. I think it’s safe for you to assume that my kids would appreciate them more, anyway.

My 15 year old son asked for and received:
(more…)

Fantastic Mr. Fox, based on the novel by Roald Dahl, directed by Wes Anderson and adapted by Anderson and Noah Baumbach, charms and delights from start to finish. The stop-motion animation has a wonderful (both high-quality and filled-with-wonder) aesthetic that provides the perfect environment for Anderson’s film making, which has always been a bit more full of art and fancy than realism. It’s virtually guaranteed to be Anderson’s most commercially successful film to date, and is arguably his best realized creation since Rushmore.

(more…)

 
Let’s pretend it’s still possible to speak rationally about this movie.

(more…)

Supergenius’s latest post was a really good idea so I decided to riff on it.

For me the first film that comes to mind is Kung Fu Hustle.

Seriously. It ruled. Which movies exceeded your expectations?

Are there any movies based on books that you like better than the book?
(more…)

I mentioned in the Amelia thread that biopics are pretty hard to pull off. In my opinion even a great biopic usually is a mediocre story. It’s just that our expectations are low enough that we put up with a lot.

So what are your best biopics?

(more…)

Looks like an interesting and potentially cool fall movie.  (more…)

Since we’re talking movies, let me tell you about the best movie I’ve seen in awhile: Big Man Japan!

At first glance, it looks like a Godzilla movie with a giant human instead of Godzilla fighting the monsters.

It pretty much is. But it’s a lot more than that, too.

It’s awesome. (more…)

Quick review since no one has commented on it yet.

First, don’t think of it as a “historic” movie. Think of it as a movie about movies. You’ll enjoy it more. (I suppose there have been enough spoilers about the second half so everyone knows this)

Second, realize it’s much more Tarantino’s riff on European cinema than American war movies. (Probably half the dialog is in French or German with subtitles)

Third, yes, Christoph Waltz is that good as “the Jew Hunter.” While it’s too early to say he’ll win, I think an Oscar nomination goes without saying.

Fourth, the whole plot is more Tarantino dealing with how movies about WWII tend to mythologize it and he’s just taking it to its obvious conclusions. Of course historically (and unfortunately) the Allies really didn’t care about the atrocities to the Jews. A lot of that mythology started developing into the 60′s until now it’s part of the American mind about WWII. This film can be seen as “what if that were true?” In part, of course.

(more…)

I saw this movie last weekend but since it has been out for a while now, instead of a traditional review, I’d like to talk generally about the body of work of the writer, producer and director of the movie, Judd Apatow.  (more…)

This is one of the best books I have read lately and now it is a movie starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana(?). I have no idea if it will be a good movie, but I’m looking forward to finding out. In the meantime, I recommend the book highly.

The Brothers Bloom, the second film of writer/director Rian Johnson, is a near perfect, immensely entertaining, beautifully written and well-acted movie. It’s no an exaggeration to say that I liked it. A lot. Together with Johnson’s first movie, the pitch-perfect high-school noir Brick, Johnson has begun to build a body of work that establishes him as one of the best working filmmakers.

In this international con-man caper, the character Bloom (Adrien Brody) describes his con-artist brother and partner Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) as creating his long cons “the way dead Russians write novels” filled with metaphor and internal symbolism. On a meta level, the same thing can be said for Johnson’s movie: on its surface, it’s a rollicking genre film, filled with sight gags, snappy dialogue and plenty of gun shots and explosions, but barely beneath the surface lies a philosophical movie about creating one’s own reality and the meaning of authenticity. Yes, it’s also intricate and filled with metaphor and internal symbolism. And did I mention that stuff blows up?
(more…)

Saw it today. I was a little surprised that I didn’t hate it. In fact I not only didn’t hate it, I discovered that it made me laugh on more than one occasion.

This movie serves its purpose well I thought. It is a silly family film sort of like the silly Disney family films I used love as a kid in the 70′s. We went as a family and everyone enjoyed themselves. My nearly-5-year-old did crawl onto my lap as the action heated up but it was tame enough for her not to be traumatized. The plot is sort of moot so I won’t bother recapping it. Suffice it to say museum stuff comes alive again and hilarity ensues while reality is permanently suspended. The little kids loved the slapstick scenes like the ones with Ben Stiller and monkeys slapping each other. I laughed out loud at the conflict scene between Stiller and Jonah Hill as Brandon (or Brundon) the security guard midway through the movie. Hank Azaria was pretty funny throughout as the lisping villain and there was an especially funny improv bit between with Azaria and Stiller where they bickered like school children near the end of the film. Owen Wilson was his regular affable and fairly amusing self throughout.
(more…)

OK, based upon that other thread I have to ask. What are your top 5 westerns? I’ll make it 5 rather than 10 to keep it simple. For those on the other side of the horror/western debate recall we already did a top 10 horror list plus the related but not identical best scary films.

(more…)

OK no director is perfect. And even directors with films that were popular upon release don’t necessarily end up with films that age well. And most directors (like musicians) have maybe a few good films under their belt and that’s about it.

But who are the most consistently good filmmakers and who are the most uneven ones? Brian, over in the DTRT thread suggested Spike Lee was as consistent as Spielberg, Lucas, Scorcese, and Lynch. What do you think?
(more…)

I can’t believe we haven’t talked about this yet, so I’m going to kick it off.  (more…)

OK, I won’t call this a review. More of a discussion. I’ll not put any spoilers in here but I’d lay good odds as the discussions in the comments get going there will be a few.

Here’s my thoughts:
(more…)

So I have to ask. Are you excited about next week’s A Quantum of Solace? I was, although my excitement has been tempered somewhat by the lukewarm reviews that have come out. (Basically saying there’s almost too much action and not enough charm) There’s also a worry that they are doing too much Bourne aping.
(more…)

The Passion of the Christ (2004), written and directed by Mel Gibson

I tried to watch it last night, in high-definition on Showtime. I couldn’t make it through the first flaying. Instead of presenting Jesus as the Prince of Peace, I couldn’t help but notice a slant toward the serious sadistic side of normal Christian movie watchers. More blood! yeah, that’s the ticket. And by the way, Jesus in this movie seems to be super blood man, able to regenerate gallons of blood in between each torture session, making it better for the bloodlusting audience. This is the grindhouse version of the Passion.

This movie is merit-free.

Thoughts?