Movies
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Written by Russ Crandall
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Friday, 05 March 2010 19:18 |
Yep, I'm definitely a Wes Anderson fan. Rushmore is probably on my top 10 films of all time, and his other films are damn fine flicks, too. I was a little hesitant when I heard that he was making a stop-motion adaptation of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, written by Roald Dahl in 1970. I was afraid that an animated film wouldn't accurately portray the tension and distance that Anderson's films so brilliantly capture. Turns out that I had nothing to fear, because once again we're treated to a film that has overwhelmingly more good qualities than bad.
The film follows a fox (voiced by George Clooney) who has given up his trade of chicken stealing to become a family man. It has all the great features of a Wes Anders0n film - an ensemble cast, a flawed protagonist, and charming set pieces - and it's perfectly paced. Don't let the fact that it's an animated film, or that it's based on a Roald Dahl book, lead you to think that this is a children's film; it deals with identity, honesty, and Wes Anderson's favorite theme, existentialism. Choosing Clooney to voice the protagonist was a perfect choice, since there are few actors that can accurately capture that "sly" essence of a fox.
The film itself is beautifully animated in a vintage style, and the 1960s soundtrack really helps it to feel like a period piece. Overall, The Fantastic Mr. Fox is an entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable film. |
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Written by Russ Crandall
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Thursday, 04 March 2010 05:17 |
The Informant! is the latest film from Steven Soderbergh (director of Ocean's 11-13, not sure who did the first 10). It is getting a bit of buzz for Matt Damon's performance, which was pretty freaking awesome. He plays the VP of a huge agriculture firm, as he becomes a whistle-blower for the FBI during a price-fixing investigation.
I tend to shy away from most corporate films, or anything with a vague conspiracy notion. Goes all the way back to the time that some girl convinced me to take her to see The Pelican Brief when I was 13. Imagine my dissatisfaction when my parents drove us to see a film that had neither birds nor underwear in it. That being said, I thought that The Informant! would be lighthearted enough for me to overlook its premise. I mean, it has a damned exclamation point! FUNNY.
The film is amusing, but ultimately sad and disturbing. Much like the film Observe and Report, this movie shows what should be a miserable existence in a comedic light, to startling effect. A few days after seeing it, it finally sank in and I can really understand this film. It's a film that tries to show how the guy sitting next to you could be totally fucking nuts and you may not realize it. Matter of fact, you could spend every day with that guy and never know it. The film doesn't try to explain this occurrence, or justify anything. It's just there. Ultimately, this is a film that has a sweet candy shell but is a bitter pill to swallow. You initially chuckle at the fashion of the time period, but its content left me thinking for several days afterwards. It was great. |
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Written by Russ Crandall
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Sunday, 28 February 2010 13:30 |
Lawd, I hate this kind of comedy. You know, those movies where we're supposed to think it's funny to place the protagonist in a series of unfortunate events that spin out of control and make the him look like an asshole. Maybe it's because I unknowingly project myself into every leading character, but this shit just drives me up the wall. It's the reason I couldn't ever watch What About Bob? or Meet the Parents more than once. Sure, I get it; the protagonist makes some sort of stupid initial decision and the rest of the film is "punishment" for acting out against social or cultural norms. I've taken a film class or two. But goddamn if I don't get irked by these downward-spiral films.
Extract is the latest Mike Judge movie (you know, Office Space!) and it stars that guy from Teen Wolf Too and some other shit. He owns an extract factory, he's going through some sexual dysfunction with his wife, and he's friends with Ben Affleck (who's a bartender). These three factors drive the film into my previous-bitched-about subplot, in which things go haywire for our hero. But unlike the few films that get this "downward spiral" mechanic right (see: just about every Coen Brothers film), this slow descent into unhappiness is neither graceful nor deserved, and it never feels like it ends satisfactorily for the characters, and the viewer.
Granted, this film may be the deepest thing associated with Mike Judge ever (we are talking about the guy that made Beavis and Butthead and Idiocracy after all). It deals with death, dismemberment and a failing marriage; but in the end, I can't help but feel that Mr. Judge should stick to shallow and mildly vulgar comedies. Those were at least entertaining.
Best line: "I'd be the laughing stock of the grindcore community!" |
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Written by Russ Crandall
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Friday, 26 February 2010 12:51 |
I hadn't even heard about Pandorum until it showed up on my TV screen the other day, but I was thinking it was the right film for me. Dennis Quaid in space. You know, like Enemy Mine, or maybe even like Innerspace (although that's a stretch). Awesome. People waking up from deep sleep to find their ship is all messed up and that they aren't alone onboard. Awesome. Sounds like something right up my alley.
Unfortunately, I feel like I've seen Pandorum somewhere before. Nearly every scene smacked of something familiar, and it left me unsatisfied. It's a mix of Alien, Event Horizon, and Total Recall (not really, but nobody talks about Total Recall enough these days), without capturing any of the essences which made these films enjoyable in the first place. In the end, it was a derivative and overly long sci-fi film that was mediocre at best, and as much as I hate to admit it, a waste of my time. I'm holding out for Enemy Mine 2, though. |
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Written by Russ Crandall
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Wednesday, 24 February 2010 17:16 |
Coraline is a stop-motion animated film directed by Henry Selick, the guy that directed The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. It's based on a novel written by Neil Gaiman, the guy that wrote the Sandman comic book series. The film centers around a girl named, you betcha, Coraline, and the creepy new house that is the new home for her and her parents.
It was nice to jump into a film geared towards younger audiences and actually be interested the whole time. I had no idea how the film would play out, and it kept me on my toes. The film flows well, it keeps things funny, and it is visually stunning. It sports a darker tone than what I'd expect for a family film, which also made it appealing. Now that I think of it, it reminds me more of Alice in Wonderland than anything. There are some hiccups when it comes to character and plot development, but in hindsight I think this film is definitely worth checking out. |
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Written by Russ Crandall
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Tuesday, 23 February 2010 21:30 |
The Box is a 2009 film that is adapted from a short story, that was also adapted for an episode of The Twilight Zone. It stars Cameron Diaz and that annoying guy that played Cyclops, and it was directed by Richard Kelly, the guy that directed Donnie Darko. Its premise starts pretty simply: a man shows up at their house with a box, and an offer. If Cameron and whiny Cyclops boy push the button that's on top of the box, two things will happen: they'll receive one million dollars, and someone that they don't know will die.
Being that it's a Richard Kelly film, I was expecting it to dovetail into a total cerebral mind tease, but it didn't get out of hand. Actually, between Donnie Darko and Southland Tales, The Box is easily Richard Kelly's most easily swallowed film. It does a great job of building suspense but still keeping Kelly's signature style. I have a feeling that a lot of people went into this film expecting your typical Hollywood suspense flick, and were probably pretty angry. With that in mind, I enjoyed this film ten times more because of it.
The Box is a heady, confusing film that's not as heady or confusing as you'd expect. I liked it. |
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Written by Russ Crandall
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Monday, 22 February 2010 06:00 |
The Invention of Lying is the co-directorial debut of Mr. Ricky Gervais, that funny pudgy man behind The Office, Extras, and that one podcast. I've followed everything he's made except for that movie where he was a ghost. This film takes place in a world where nobody lies at all. Just think of it - no white lies, no flattery, no excuses - it starts to make my brain feel mushy after a while.
The film does a good job with poking fun at its premise, although my wife pointed out one point: just because you can't lie, doesn't mean you HAVE to tell everyone what you're thinking. There are all sorts of moments when people say things that are mildly inappropriate and therefore amusing, until you consider the fact that there is no way that the person should just blurt that out. Maybe if this was a world where everyone told the truth and they had no self control.
Secondly, although this film definitely has some new and clever ways of being funny, at its heart it is a romantic comedy. There is such a focus on finding happiness through finding love that there are so many avenues that don't get explored. Seriously, Gervais' character could have done all sorts of funny things like becoming a superhero or supervillain; instead, he gets misinterpreted as a religious figure and pines away for the ever-mediocre and buff-armed Jennifer Garner. I wasn't expecting for my world to be rocked with The Invention of Lying, but I think its preoccupancy with love and not much else left it a little too shallow for my tastes. Not a bad date movie, though. |
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Written by Steven McKay
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Tuesday, 26 January 2010 09:08 |
Released in 2009, Orphan is a horror movie which tells the tale of the Coleman family, who adopt Esther – an eccentric, but charming, nine-year-old Russian girl – after the death of their unborn third child.
After managing to quickly become a part of the family, Esther's behaviour soon starts to become more erratic and confrontational, and when people close to the Coleman family start becoming involved in terrible accidents, the Coleman's soon start to suspect that there may be something very wrong with Esther.
Whilst the set-up may sound like classic horror, Orphan is far more of a psychological thriller than anything else; the movie doesn't try too hard to throw scares at you, but instead creates much of the movies tension and intrigue through Esther's antagonistic relationships with the other main characters, and in trying to coax you into figuring out Esther's mysterious past. As a result, if you watch Orphan expecting a horror film, you may be disappointed. However, the film makes for a much more interesting thriller, and one that will, by design, keep you guessing right up until the end.
It's in this ability to keep you guessing that the movie earned much of it's reputation when it released last year, and this is largely due to the movies you'll-never-guess-it twist ending. However, while most movies that usually make the same claim will try hard to confuse you with sheer spectacle or outrageous plot, Orphan thankfully keeps things relatively simple.
Another of the film's strengths is its casting, especially where the child actors are concerned. As much of the plot centres around the actions of the children, these actors have the potential to make or break the movie. Thankfully, Isabelle Fuhrman, who plays Esther, and Aryana Engineer, who plays the Coleman's deaf, youngest daughter Maxine, are both good in different ways; Isabelle Fuhrman as the quirky, scheming Esther, while Aryana Engineer is the vulnerable, innocent Maxine.
Unfortunately, the actor who plays the Coleman's son Daniel, Jimmy Bennett, isn't quite as good as the rest of the cast, though the character of Daniel receives the least screen time, so this isn't a major issue.
However, while the movie does a number of things fairly well, it rarely succeeds in getting your pulse racing. This is partly due to the fact that the movie tries to be both a horror movie, and a psychological thriller, and you sometimes get the feeling the movie itself is unsure as to which genre it actually belongs to. The result is a movie that tries to be both, but doesn't entirely succeed at either.
The film's twist ending also fails to truly excite, but for an entirely different reason; while the twist is inventive enough that you are unlikely to work it out, but still simple enough to not be absurd, it almost seems like it's a little bit too simple. You spend so much of the movies running time trying to work out what the end will be, that, when it finally shows you, you'll almost wish it was a little more outlandish. Almost.
As it stands, Orphan has its flaws, but is still an entertaining watch. If you like psychological thrillers, then you'll probably like this movie. By the same token, if you like to try and work out twist endings then this will also appeal to you – just don't be too disappointed if you don't manage to figure it out. |
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Written by Steven McKay
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Thursday, 14 January 2010 14:35 |
Released in 2005, Dear Wendy is a movie which explores the American pre-occupation with guns, and is set in a fictional, small, middle-American mining town called Estherslope, in an area called Electric Park. Written by Lars Von Trier (Dogville, The Kingdom), directed by Thomas Vinterberg (It's All About Love), and filmed on a custom-built set in Denmark, Dear Wendy certainly isn't anything close to an action-packed Hollywood thrill-ride. However, the movie is methodical and gritty, and is a compelling, strange, thought-provoking and dark view into the world of gun-obsession, as seen through the eyes of a group of small-town American teenage outcasts.
While the movie follows a group of teenagers, the story focuses on one central character, Dick (played by Billy Elliot star Jamie Bell), and it is with this character that the story truly begins and ends.
After buying a gun (which he believes to be a toy) as a gift, Dick, despite being a self-proclaimed pacifist, finds himself unable to part with the weapon and instead ends up keeping it. This marks the start of his curious infatuation with guns, though it is only by chance that, after taking the gun to work with him one day, it falls from his pocket in front of one of his colleagues, Stevie; who also happens to be a gun-carrying pacifist.
Dick and Stevie start meeting in an abandoned part of the old mine to shoot their guns, and their love for their weapons soon turns into obsession, and after both men notice a marked increase in their outward confidence, they decide that it is their duty to bring the idea of "pacifists with guns" to all of the losers of Electric Park. They soon create a small, exclusive club, which they christen "The Dandies"; their most important rule being that Dandies may carry their weapons, but never brandish them.
Soon the rest of the members begin to realise the positive impact that gun-ownership has on their lives, and for a time they are happier than they have ever been. However, when an old acquaintance of Dick's is inducted into The Dandies, tensions begin to mount, and the group starts to spiral towards a disastrous end.
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Written by Russ Crandall
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Thursday, 14 January 2010 00:05 |
Shiver is a 2008 Spanish horror film, and it has all the makings of a good scary flick: a Scandanavian setting, a main character that is allergic to the sun, a creature in the nearby woods, and people that speak Spanish. Unfortunately, it falls apart well before it gets interesting, and isn't worth your time. However, this review is definitely worth your time, so read on.
A teenager named Santi, due to his aforementioned heliophobia, moves with his mother up to Lapland (Northern Scandinavia) to a small village where there isn't a lot of sun and everyone miraculously speaks Spanish. I secretly think that his mother moved him so far North because his real father is Santa Claus. Long story. Anyway, in the forest near their new house, there's some sort of creature that guts the local sheep and some kids for good measure. Everyone blames the new pale kid, and the rest of the film goes from there.
Unfortunately, the film's "secrets" are so blatantly foreshadowed that it leaves the whole experience feeling predictable and dry. In the end, the film's loose ends are looser than they should be, and there are some elements that plain just don't make sense. I like my horror films to have a butt-ton of mystery and twists, and Shiver just didn't put all the pieces together in the right way. Given the fact that the last Spanish film I saw (The Orphanage) was all sorts of awesome, it's disappointing that Shiver was so underwhelming.
On the other hand, it's still a step above the drivel that passes for horror films here in the US lately. |
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