Archive for November, 2006
matador »
Thursday, November 9th, 2006
i’ve had a lot of time on my hands due to an involuntary week off and instead of being productive and future-minded i watched movies. this one was born out of this week-long film-binge. i wasn’t crazy about it, but there are little green blips of funny on the radar.
neither brosnan nor kinnear can carry the weight of their own film, but they work well together in this one. they play off one another with brosnan being the hit man losing his grasp of reality and kinnear being the high stress working man. the story is simple and implausible, but at the same time at least slightly entertaining. they even have some time shifts that create more interest.
brosnan is pretty funny though. his character is unapologetic and blunt and in the process of a nervous breakdown. he has some of the funnier lines of the film. and when i say that it’s more because he’s the only comical character in it.
there’s very little drama, suspense, or uncertainty and the plot doesn’t have a strong link to reality. even under the assumption of assassins existing in such a deregulated manner they would likely be less jackass than brosnan and certainly less forward and divulging. but at least he’s funny.
note worthy sequence: it starts with brosnan walking through a hotel lobby in bikini swimshorts, smoking and taking pulls off a beer. he proceeds to the pool and, after stopping to awkwardly kick off his cowboy boots, drops in with the beer still in hand.
**
click »
Wednesday, November 8th, 2006
i guess i should have expected it. in fact nothing about this flick was unpredictable. it was a family film starring sandler. walken is always fun to watch and beckinsale << while a quality actress >> is always fun to look at. add an intriguing concept, mild life lesson, and special effects; stir together in bowl; poor into theatre baking pan; cook at three-fifty for ninety minutes; and remove fun flick from oven. a very simple receipt that makes sandler a very wealthy man.
the plot is easy enough: sandler is disgruntled with his fast paced life and the perpetual disappointment of his family. he goes out to find a universal remote and finds that bed, bath, and beyond is the only store open. he has a run-in with a salesman << nick schwartzman = hilarious >> and finds his way to the “beyond” section of the store. there he finds a quirky << and when isn't he >> walken who hands him a remote that controls his universe. that’s where the second act begins and the story really kicks into high gear. you all know that from the previews/trailers, but i’m not going to go further because any mention of a plot point could give the whole thing away << like i said: sort of predictable >>.
sandler does a good job, his kids are adorable, the fonz is back << though in a much smaller role than waterboy >>, and the plot is fast paced. you could see the end coming from twenty minutes in, but there are fun twists along the way, and you never decided not to get on the ride after seeing where it ended right? well maybe you did, but you’re a sally. you’ll probably like this movie more if you’re around kids all day or are middle-aged, but i don’t see why twenty-somethings would hate it. << wait for it... wait for it... >> it’s fun for all ages. << oh yeah... it had to be done. >>
it’s a family pic. it’s a dece rent for a chill night with the significant other << because you won't have to pay close attention >>. it’s fun and sandler still has skills.
***
borat: »
Wednesday, November 8th, 2006
Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
has this man made the funniest movie ever? … this weekend millions of people answered ‘yes’
ok. so who the fuck did they ask this question to? and who in their right mind would use this in an advertisement? have they seen it? or are they just feeding off the mob mentality of the sheep?
if you want to see a five minute sketch drawn out so thin you can see through it; or if you want to hear a ridiculous accent shelling your ears for an hour and a half; or if you want to see absurd unnecessary nudity << easy sigma kai douche, it's male >>; or if you want to feel disgusted and awkward and uncomfortable, then by all means drive, ride, run, or cash in a pass on the lightrail to see this flick. if not i’d recommend waiting until you’re shitfaced, baked, or after a horrific injury causing mental retardation to peep this one out.
ok, ok, o-fucking-k critics. i get it. it has political undertones and takes shots at the failings of american culture. it exposes faulty race relations. it exposes political misconceptions. it exposes the opinions of socially handicapped fraternity brothers. it forces us to look at why we are dropping in global reputation. the antisemitism that’s rampant is meant to illuminate not only our own racism, but that of post-soviet Russia. it takes the media from another perspective and attempts to turn it on it’s head. it shows us the perspective of oppressive cultures. it shows the dismal state of other countries while emphasizing the greatness of ours.
unfortunately while doing all that it succeeds more in creating a strong sense of discomfort to the point of me having to adjust my position in my seat. all the social issues that are touched on are enshrouded in sophomoric humor. or maybe froshmoric is a better term. << if it was a term at all >> the political commentary is light-hearted.
the film starts out well enough << don't worry; i won't ruin anything for ya >> with a tour of his native village in Kazakhstan. it’s a shitty place. and it’s also the funniest consecutive sequence of the film. he creates a background of jokes he will repeatedly reference later.
he then << and you all know this because of the incredible hype machine and the tagline of the title >> makes his way to america to find out about our culture in an attempt to improve his. that’s about where things take a turn to the south. and when his accent starts to become tedious.
baron cohen never broke character, but sometimes i wish he would have. we’re taken on a road trip that takes him through conservative country and some pathetic attempts at humorous interlude. things along the line of falling, stabs at a coherent plot, and generally making a ridiculous ass out of himself. the final act drops in tone and then resolves itself with a relatively amusing symmetrical end.
while sporadic things he says are funny and the people he talks to are generally laughable, nothing he does has much humor. almost everything i found funny was already in a trailer, advertisement, or interview.
i’m irritated by critics being caught up in the wave of borat-mania because this film isn’t as political as they bill it to be and the commentary doesn’t wield the power they claim it does. maybe they were watching a different version than hit theatres. maybe they were in the bathroom while he and another streaked and wrestled throughout a hotel, or the part with the plastic bag of shit, or his special dinner guest. i guess i should have seen their version. the version that’s the “‘Jackass’ with a brain”. because what i saw was a jackass sketch stretched to an hour and a half.
or maybe they’re just immune to the crushing awkwardness that surrounded me, feeling like a weight of lame on my chest, and causing a dry and unpleasant taste to materialize in the back of my mouth.
in any case i’m going to go read and try to resuscitate a few disoriented braincells.
*
inside man »
Sunday, November 5th, 2006
this is the best spike lee joint and the best heist movie in my opinion. spike isn’t my favorite. in fact i only like one other film by him: do the right thing. it’s not that i dislike his work, but his joints rarely make my list. this is not his typical film, but definitely his style and his sharp racial commentary is all over it. the film is smart and doesn’t limit itself to one level. there are a few strong sub-plots that add intrigue to the characters.
as with most heist flicks, there is a series of twists. it does well in making them less predictable. i liked how the story played out with lee giving us insights into both sides. parts of “the how” were shown to us as the plot unfolded, but they never tied together until almost the very end.
another reason i’m a fan of this one is the monster cast.
washington << training day >>,
owen << closer >>,
foster << silence of the lambs >>,
plummer << syriana >>,
dafoe << boondock saints >>,
and ejiofor << dirty pretty things >>.
killer. the roles of those first three are spot on. i rarely have respect for washington because while he has incredible talent he’s gotten preachy since winning the statue, but when he’s a cop he’s a damn good cop. owen is always quality and foster is one of the best overall actresses i can think of. anyway… fucking great cast in money roles.
the storyline << and secondary plots >> is pretty sweet and gewirtz needs mad props. going beyond a typical robbery makes it a better overall movie and the historical ties give it a little more credibility. while implausible, the robbery plan is one of the more creative i’ve seen. it wraps up solid and even has the << fairly common >> realization of the detective in a great way.
it’s a fun heist movie. it’s great acting and artistic direction. it’s sinister and smart. it’s pretty much all you need.
*****
ellie parker »
Sunday, November 5th, 2006
here’s another one i picked up out of sheer curiosity. it’s a small and relatively unknown movie starring Naomi Watts as a struggling actress. we follow her through a few auditions, a therapy session, some acting classes and a major personal transition. we meet her best friend, publicist, boyfriend, manager << chevy chase >>, and some excentric movie types with a side of bad driver. i liked that the cast was small. created a personal circle for ellie.
the story is tangible, but tries too hard. ellie’s going through a period of doubt that acting is her career and we get a real sense of her state of mind. watts is incredible. she’s completely lost in this role and becomes ellie down to her mannerisms. the scenes of her in the car << car in L.A.; no shit >> are awesome. unfortunately the film that surrounds her doesn’t hold up as well.
it’s shot on a handheld << or meant to appear so >> and edited into short takes so it looks like it was made by some freshman using iMovie. artsy angles and disruptive changes to perspective make it at least visually interesting. being so stylistic made up for the lack of meat. it was a fun movie to watch.
without watts in this role the movie would have nothing to offer. it’s not like there aren’t enough dark comedies about failed hollywood careers. << something about writers getting back at all those that doubted them along the lines of the high school nerd coming to the reunion pimped and loaded with a smoking wife >> the characters are thought out and interact well. there’s a great scene between ellie and her best friend where they’re talking to one another with completely parallel conversations. plus her and her publicist have a fun relationship.
this shouldn’t have been billed as a comedy. it’s too dark overtly dramatic. it does have bright points, but beyond watts it’s predictable and somewhat shallow. it’s worth seeing because of it’s take on the hollywood underbelly and her talent, but you’d have to be in the right mood. << and that's a tough mood to find yourself in >>
**