★★★
The bottomless well of inspiration that is 2002's The Ring (itself a remake of the Japanese original Ringu) strikes again with Smile, an effective and scary horror movie that has several really good moments of terror. The story is interesting enough. It's a mystery featuring a main character racing against the clock and searching for clues to end the terrifying events going on around her, but the urgency with which writer and director Parker Finn tell this tale slowly gnaws at our natural desire for a positive outcome. As the story progresses, that sort of resolution becomes more and more difficult to attain, as the movie heavily stacks the deck against the heroine. The revelations and temporary respites provide moments of hope, though. The premise, once we understand it, is intriguing, and it logically opens the door to additional obstacles and dangers while staying true to the internal mythology.
Friday, December 30, 2022
Thursday, December 29, 2022
Top Secret! (1984)
★★★★
I've seen the ZAZ Team's Cold War comedy Top Secret! too many times to laugh as hard as I did when I saw it years ago. I've seen it over a dozen times now, yet I can still get a good chuckle out of it. Even when I know what the next gag is going to be, I chuckle in anticipation. This kind of reaction speaks to how strong the comedy is. This movie has among the highest of joke densities that I've ever seen. At a short 90 minutes, Top Secret! is multilayered and stuffed to the edges with puns, sight gags, absurd dialogue and double entendres. The title sequence sets the tone for the rest of the show, and it's the funniest title sequence I've ever seen (vastly superior to the title sequence for Monty Python and the Holy Grail). It's a music video-style presentation of a Beach Boys-inspired song sung by the movie's hero, and it features surfers shooting clay pigeons (skeet surfin') while all manner of silliness plays out on the beach (the sunbather who leaves two impressions in the sand is a highlight). At one point, a crowd of surfers runs toward the ocean. Look closely, and you'll spot the elderly couple and two children among the adults.
I've seen the ZAZ Team's Cold War comedy Top Secret! too many times to laugh as hard as I did when I saw it years ago. I've seen it over a dozen times now, yet I can still get a good chuckle out of it. Even when I know what the next gag is going to be, I chuckle in anticipation. This kind of reaction speaks to how strong the comedy is. This movie has among the highest of joke densities that I've ever seen. At a short 90 minutes, Top Secret! is multilayered and stuffed to the edges with puns, sight gags, absurd dialogue and double entendres. The title sequence sets the tone for the rest of the show, and it's the funniest title sequence I've ever seen (vastly superior to the title sequence for Monty Python and the Holy Grail). It's a music video-style presentation of a Beach Boys-inspired song sung by the movie's hero, and it features surfers shooting clay pigeons (skeet surfin') while all manner of silliness plays out on the beach (the sunbather who leaves two impressions in the sand is a highlight). At one point, a crowd of surfers runs toward the ocean. Look closely, and you'll spot the elderly couple and two children among the adults.
Sunday, December 25, 2022
Hardcore Henry (2016)
★★★
Hardcore Henry plays like a relentless video game. It's Doom gone off the rails. The entire movie is shot from the first-person perspective, and the hero runs, punches, kicks and shoots his way to the end. This is not a found-footage movie, which is also shot from in the first person and features dizzying camera movement. Instead, director Ilya Naishuller gives us a movie seen through the eyes of the hero as he navigates numerous obstacles in and around Moscow. He gives us plenty of original visuals and a few hilarious set pieces. Playing this material straight would have been a mistake. Doing so would have just taken a standard sci-fi/action movie and added a gimmick in a transparent attempt to shake things up. Instead, Naishuller is smart enough to see the possibilities that this kind of perspective can offer. He has an interesting story to tell, but he enhances its presentation by taking full advantage of the camera positioning (it was strapped to the performer's head) to give us shots that are unique, exciting and imaginative.
Hardcore Henry plays like a relentless video game. It's Doom gone off the rails. The entire movie is shot from the first-person perspective, and the hero runs, punches, kicks and shoots his way to the end. This is not a found-footage movie, which is also shot from in the first person and features dizzying camera movement. Instead, director Ilya Naishuller gives us a movie seen through the eyes of the hero as he navigates numerous obstacles in and around Moscow. He gives us plenty of original visuals and a few hilarious set pieces. Playing this material straight would have been a mistake. Doing so would have just taken a standard sci-fi/action movie and added a gimmick in a transparent attempt to shake things up. Instead, Naishuller is smart enough to see the possibilities that this kind of perspective can offer. He has an interesting story to tell, but he enhances its presentation by taking full advantage of the camera positioning (it was strapped to the performer's head) to give us shots that are unique, exciting and imaginative.
Any Given Sunday (1999)
★★★
When I first heard that Oliver Stone was making a football movie, I assumed he'd make it in some straightforward fashion. As I read the reviews and saw the footage, I realized that Any Given Sunday would be shot with Stone's usual style. He likes to use quick cuts, fast panning and dollying, layered scenes, slow motion, stock footage and odd sound effects. Stone's work is among my favorites. His brand of storytelling is something not seen in other mainstream films and offers viewers a new way of watching a movie without having the camera sit still or following characters in some typical way.
When I first heard that Oliver Stone was making a football movie, I assumed he'd make it in some straightforward fashion. As I read the reviews and saw the footage, I realized that Any Given Sunday would be shot with Stone's usual style. He likes to use quick cuts, fast panning and dollying, layered scenes, slow motion, stock footage and odd sound effects. Stone's work is among my favorites. His brand of storytelling is something not seen in other mainstream films and offers viewers a new way of watching a movie without having the camera sit still or following characters in some typical way.
Saturday, December 17, 2022
Drive (2011)
★★★★
Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive is a gorgeous and thoughtful film. When I say that, I'm not talking about animation or computer generated effects, of which this movie has none. It is gorgeous because of its camera angles, its slow pace, its soundtrack, its sparse dialogue. The characters think about their actions. Tension builds slowly and lingers. This is truly poetry in motion. It's an action movie to the extent that the action is intense, sudden and heart-pounding, though these scenes are few in number and spaced far enough apart that an angry viewer sued the production company for false advertisement due to a misleading trailer that teased more. The hero is a loner who has few lines, like Mad Max, though this guy has no name. The plot is simple, and we get just enough information to know what's happening. There is mob money involved, but the movie isn't that interested in who gets it. The need for this money and the need to get rid of it serve only to disrupt the life of a getaway driver and his newfound chance for a normal life.
Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive is a gorgeous and thoughtful film. When I say that, I'm not talking about animation or computer generated effects, of which this movie has none. It is gorgeous because of its camera angles, its slow pace, its soundtrack, its sparse dialogue. The characters think about their actions. Tension builds slowly and lingers. This is truly poetry in motion. It's an action movie to the extent that the action is intense, sudden and heart-pounding, though these scenes are few in number and spaced far enough apart that an angry viewer sued the production company for false advertisement due to a misleading trailer that teased more. The hero is a loner who has few lines, like Mad Max, though this guy has no name. The plot is simple, and we get just enough information to know what's happening. There is mob money involved, but the movie isn't that interested in who gets it. The need for this money and the need to get rid of it serve only to disrupt the life of a getaway driver and his newfound chance for a normal life.
Sunday, November 27, 2022
The Menu (2022)
★★★
Comparing the characters in The Menu to actual people and describing how their actions and fates relate to celebrity culture as of late should have been easy, but just when I had a good idea of where this movie was going, it pushed back against my assumptions. Either the movie is not at all what I think it is, or its purpose wasn't fully realized. The elitists and the disaffected behave as anticipated, until they do something to send theories back to be reevaluated. It's like the block of stone hiding a great sculpture inside of it, and our only task is to chisel away the excess bits. The Menu is like the block, hiding something great within. Nevertheless, even though the sculpture is a work in progress, it is a magnificent structure on its own. At its most basic, the movie is a denouncement of snobby celebrities and the pedestals they occupy.
Comparing the characters in The Menu to actual people and describing how their actions and fates relate to celebrity culture as of late should have been easy, but just when I had a good idea of where this movie was going, it pushed back against my assumptions. Either the movie is not at all what I think it is, or its purpose wasn't fully realized. The elitists and the disaffected behave as anticipated, until they do something to send theories back to be reevaluated. It's like the block of stone hiding a great sculpture inside of it, and our only task is to chisel away the excess bits. The Menu is like the block, hiding something great within. Nevertheless, even though the sculpture is a work in progress, it is a magnificent structure on its own. At its most basic, the movie is a denouncement of snobby celebrities and the pedestals they occupy.
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
The Descent (2006)
★★★½
Neil Marshall's The Descent understands the inherent fear-inducing components of cave exploration—the tight spaces, the darkness, the twisting tunnels—and combines them with the creature feature to come away with this intense and raw tale of terror. This movie establishes just enough of a backstory to get its characters into an inescapable situation, and from there it turns the monsters loose and becomes a harrowing spectacle of intense frights and melancholy outcomes. Marshall, fresh off the success of Dog Soldiers, establishes himself as a director who can take the barest of plots and apply layer upon layer of suspense. His project is an exercise in minimalism. The setting offers few opportunities for the characters to improvise any kind of plan, yet Marshall works within the confines of this scenario to heighten the tension.
Neil Marshall's The Descent understands the inherent fear-inducing components of cave exploration—the tight spaces, the darkness, the twisting tunnels—and combines them with the creature feature to come away with this intense and raw tale of terror. This movie establishes just enough of a backstory to get its characters into an inescapable situation, and from there it turns the monsters loose and becomes a harrowing spectacle of intense frights and melancholy outcomes. Marshall, fresh off the success of Dog Soldiers, establishes himself as a director who can take the barest of plots and apply layer upon layer of suspense. His project is an exercise in minimalism. The setting offers few opportunities for the characters to improvise any kind of plan, yet Marshall works within the confines of this scenario to heighten the tension.
Annie (1982)
★★★
Highlighted by a cheerful performance by Aileen Quinn in the starring role, Annie comes off as one of the more endearing of the post-Hollywood Golden Age musicals. Its status has taken a back seat to some better-known musicals from that time period in the late '70s and '80s. Grease has seen one wide theatrical rerelease, and Little Shop of Horrors was given due consideration when it came out on D.V.D. (including its rarely-seen alternate ending on a very limited edition D.V.D.), but Annie has since slipped under the radar screen despite its catchy songs.
Highlighted by a cheerful performance by Aileen Quinn in the starring role, Annie comes off as one of the more endearing of the post-Hollywood Golden Age musicals. Its status has taken a back seat to some better-known musicals from that time period in the late '70s and '80s. Grease has seen one wide theatrical rerelease, and Little Shop of Horrors was given due consideration when it came out on D.V.D. (including its rarely-seen alternate ending on a very limited edition D.V.D.), but Annie has since slipped under the radar screen despite its catchy songs.
Thursday, November 03, 2022
Black Adam (2022)
★★
Black Adam, for all its bluster and spectacle, is just too ordinary. Its setup and execution offer few surprises, and Dwayne Johnson is becoming less interesting as the years go by. Once again we get the origin story, the introduction of the hero, the introduction of the supporting characters and the final battle between everyone involved. This can work, and it has worked many times, because the wide variety of comic book superheroes and their powers offers filmmakers enough material to give each entry a different look. Of course, the nature of the D.C. Extended Universe (D.C.E.U.) requires that many movies are made within close proximity to each other to capitalize on the opportunities for cross pollination while squeezing as many appearances as possible out of the actors before they age out of their roles, but this business model can give rise to a tendency to fall into redundancy. If Black Adam had been played by a different actor, then there might have been hope for a better movie, but Black Adam was played by Dwayne Johnson, who looks like he's just passing through from San Andreas to high-five everyone in the audience on his way to the next Jumanji sequel.
Black Adam, for all its bluster and spectacle, is just too ordinary. Its setup and execution offer few surprises, and Dwayne Johnson is becoming less interesting as the years go by. Once again we get the origin story, the introduction of the hero, the introduction of the supporting characters and the final battle between everyone involved. This can work, and it has worked many times, because the wide variety of comic book superheroes and their powers offers filmmakers enough material to give each entry a different look. Of course, the nature of the D.C. Extended Universe (D.C.E.U.) requires that many movies are made within close proximity to each other to capitalize on the opportunities for cross pollination while squeezing as many appearances as possible out of the actors before they age out of their roles, but this business model can give rise to a tendency to fall into redundancy. If Black Adam had been played by a different actor, then there might have been hope for a better movie, but Black Adam was played by Dwayne Johnson, who looks like he's just passing through from San Andreas to high-five everyone in the audience on his way to the next Jumanji sequel.
Saturday, October 29, 2022
Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
★★★
Not Another Teen Movie is a total riot. It's vulgar, crass, smutty and thoroughly unrefined, but darn it all it's hilarious too often to dislike. Much like his lead character's gift for sloppily applying paint to a canvas and creating a simplistic yet comprehensible picture, director Joel Gallen hastily fills his frame with gags that run the gamut from tasteless to bizarre, yet it all comes together to form a coherent story that smuggles in every familiar teen archetype from over a dozen movies while stitching together the plots of She's All That and Varsity Blues. The result resembles a quilt of oddly mismatched colors and patterns that at least functions in its primary purpose of providing warmth. I suppose we can thank Keenan Ivory Wayans's Scary Movie for setting the stage for this kind of oversexualized parody.
Not Another Teen Movie is a total riot. It's vulgar, crass, smutty and thoroughly unrefined, but darn it all it's hilarious too often to dislike. Much like his lead character's gift for sloppily applying paint to a canvas and creating a simplistic yet comprehensible picture, director Joel Gallen hastily fills his frame with gags that run the gamut from tasteless to bizarre, yet it all comes together to form a coherent story that smuggles in every familiar teen archetype from over a dozen movies while stitching together the plots of She's All That and Varsity Blues. The result resembles a quilt of oddly mismatched colors and patterns that at least functions in its primary purpose of providing warmth. I suppose we can thank Keenan Ivory Wayans's Scary Movie for setting the stage for this kind of oversexualized parody.
Unfaithful (2002)
★★★
I've always viewed Adrian Lyne as a high-rent version of Zalman King. Whereas Lyne's films explore the darker side of human sexuality with tactful awareness, King's movies present shallow characters who get naughty with each other just for the sake of it (Delta of Venus). The two men collaborated on 9½ Weeks, but Lyne's direction overcame the premise's silliness. From that point on, Lyne has produced an interesting series of films about characters driven by lustful desires and their destructive effects on everyone involved. Fatal Attraction was a harrowing look at obsession, while Lolita examined the pedophilic tendencies of a middle-aged man. Unfaithful is about a housewife who cheats on her husband, her feelings about the affair and her husband's reaction to it.
I've always viewed Adrian Lyne as a high-rent version of Zalman King. Whereas Lyne's films explore the darker side of human sexuality with tactful awareness, King's movies present shallow characters who get naughty with each other just for the sake of it (Delta of Venus). The two men collaborated on 9½ Weeks, but Lyne's direction overcame the premise's silliness. From that point on, Lyne has produced an interesting series of films about characters driven by lustful desires and their destructive effects on everyone involved. Fatal Attraction was a harrowing look at obsession, while Lolita examined the pedophilic tendencies of a middle-aged man. Unfaithful is about a housewife who cheats on her husband, her feelings about the affair and her husband's reaction to it.
Friday, October 21, 2022
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)
★★★★
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is the kind of movie I want to see Michael Bay make more often. I don't mean he should make more war movies, but rather he should commit to showing respect for the subject matter and audience first, and then deploy the kind of dizzying action scenes on which he has built his reputation. He is certainly capable of it. He made the excellent The Rock early in his career, and the more recent (and grounded) Pain & Gain showed what he could accomplish if he just focused on the story and didn't succumb to his bad habits. He does that more often than not. Pearl Harbor was as bloated as it was overly sentimental, and his five entries of the Transformers franchise are mind-numbingly stupid. I walked into this movie—based on the true story of the 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya—knowing full well how much Bay could botch this up, and I was stunned by how well he handles the story, the action and the characters. Just imagine how much better Pearl Harbor could have been if he had brought the same level of commitment to that story as he did here.
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is the kind of movie I want to see Michael Bay make more often. I don't mean he should make more war movies, but rather he should commit to showing respect for the subject matter and audience first, and then deploy the kind of dizzying action scenes on which he has built his reputation. He is certainly capable of it. He made the excellent The Rock early in his career, and the more recent (and grounded) Pain & Gain showed what he could accomplish if he just focused on the story and didn't succumb to his bad habits. He does that more often than not. Pearl Harbor was as bloated as it was overly sentimental, and his five entries of the Transformers franchise are mind-numbingly stupid. I walked into this movie—based on the true story of the 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya—knowing full well how much Bay could botch this up, and I was stunned by how well he handles the story, the action and the characters. Just imagine how much better Pearl Harbor could have been if he had brought the same level of commitment to that story as he did here.
The Amityville Horror (1979)
★★★
I read the book The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson sometime in 1989, when I was in 7th grade. It wasn't an assignment. I picked it up off the shelf because I had seen the movie and wanted to compare it to the book. I don't remember the details of the novel anymore, but I do remember enjoying it as a good haunted house story. It purported to be based on the true story of the Lutz family, which fled its home twenty days after moving in. I'm not concerned with whether the book or film was based on fact or fiction.
I read the book The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson sometime in 1989, when I was in 7th grade. It wasn't an assignment. I picked it up off the shelf because I had seen the movie and wanted to compare it to the book. I don't remember the details of the novel anymore, but I do remember enjoying it as a good haunted house story. It purported to be based on the true story of the Lutz family, which fled its home twenty days after moving in. I'm not concerned with whether the book or film was based on fact or fiction.
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
The Belko Experiment (2017)
★★★
The Belko Experiment invites comparisons to Battle Royale, but rather than let the similarities be a crutch, it runs wild with its premise. The combatants, arena, weapons and powerful overseers are different from the Japanese classic, but with that we get new possibilities for where this story could go. It's really no different than finishing a great television series and then wanting to repeat the experience but not watch the same show all over again. Loved watching the Roddenberry/Berman universe of Star Trek? Check out Babylon 5 or the Battlestar Galactica reboot to get your fix. Liked Chuck Norris's The Delta Force? Then you have to see Executive Decision. Do you want the same kind of suspense that comes with a war of attrition featuring a large cast that will eventually be whittled down to a few? The Belko Experiment delivers.
The Belko Experiment invites comparisons to Battle Royale, but rather than let the similarities be a crutch, it runs wild with its premise. The combatants, arena, weapons and powerful overseers are different from the Japanese classic, but with that we get new possibilities for where this story could go. It's really no different than finishing a great television series and then wanting to repeat the experience but not watch the same show all over again. Loved watching the Roddenberry/Berman universe of Star Trek? Check out Babylon 5 or the Battlestar Galactica reboot to get your fix. Liked Chuck Norris's The Delta Force? Then you have to see Executive Decision. Do you want the same kind of suspense that comes with a war of attrition featuring a large cast that will eventually be whittled down to a few? The Belko Experiment delivers.
Friday, September 30, 2022
Bats (1999)
★
Bats is a lame nature-run-amok movie made worse by horrible supporting characters. Writer John Logan, who moved on to better things (much better things) in the years since this catastrophe, can be forgiven for trying to make an impression with his debut screenplay, which comes across as a mix between The Birds and Kingdom of the Spiders, but even if I grant him a wide berth for the mad scientist who is overly protective of his creation at the expense of the human population, I cannot do the same for his inclusion of a mouthy sidekick who grows more irritating as the story progresses. This movie has a lot of familiar elements of this genre, like the novice scientist minding her own business before she's recruited to solve a mystery, or the big climax featuring a town under attack by animals, but it does nothing new or interesting with them. The story unfolds in a very basic manner, with the only new visual being a cave full of waist-high guano (bat droppings).
Bats is a lame nature-run-amok movie made worse by horrible supporting characters. Writer John Logan, who moved on to better things (much better things) in the years since this catastrophe, can be forgiven for trying to make an impression with his debut screenplay, which comes across as a mix between The Birds and Kingdom of the Spiders, but even if I grant him a wide berth for the mad scientist who is overly protective of his creation at the expense of the human population, I cannot do the same for his inclusion of a mouthy sidekick who grows more irritating as the story progresses. This movie has a lot of familiar elements of this genre, like the novice scientist minding her own business before she's recruited to solve a mystery, or the big climax featuring a town under attack by animals, but it does nothing new or interesting with them. The story unfolds in a very basic manner, with the only new visual being a cave full of waist-high guano (bat droppings).
Agent Cody Banks (2003)
★★½
I find the idea of a C.I.A. division that trains teenagers to be junior agents a stretch, but Agent Cody Banks is focused on being a children's fantasy rather than a deep dive into the C.I.A.'s bag of tricks. Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz) is 15 years old and was selected by the C.I.A. to attend a summer camp/training center for new recruits. Recruits receive the latest in spy gadgetry and lessons in fighting and diving. Cody is a boy of amazing dexterity, but despite his double life, he goes to a regular high school, has a bratty little brother and endures daily chores.
I find the idea of a C.I.A. division that trains teenagers to be junior agents a stretch, but Agent Cody Banks is focused on being a children's fantasy rather than a deep dive into the C.I.A.'s bag of tricks. Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz) is 15 years old and was selected by the C.I.A. to attend a summer camp/training center for new recruits. Recruits receive the latest in spy gadgetry and lessons in fighting and diving. Cody is a boy of amazing dexterity, but despite his double life, he goes to a regular high school, has a bratty little brother and endures daily chores.
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
★★
John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 is big on ambition and short on execution. It's the story of a gang siege on a police precinct with minimal staffing. The movie features dozens, maybe over 100 gang members all trying to break in, and they're kept at bay by a brave Lieutenant, a secretary and a few prisoners who have no choice but to fight back. It's an interesting concept—inspired by Howard Hawks's Rio Bravo, of which Carpenter is a fan—but the direction is tepid, and the acting is stilted. Carpenter would, of course, find greater success later in his career, so this early effort is best viewed as a practice run, allowing the director to fine tune his skills for his most famous projects to come. Carpenter was just getting started, having completed Dark Star with college classmate Dan O'Bannon two years before this. His career went through its growing pains before maturing, so there should be no expectation that he would hit a home run with his first or second movie. Nevertheless, his failed efforts should be scrutinized for what they are.
John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 is big on ambition and short on execution. It's the story of a gang siege on a police precinct with minimal staffing. The movie features dozens, maybe over 100 gang members all trying to break in, and they're kept at bay by a brave Lieutenant, a secretary and a few prisoners who have no choice but to fight back. It's an interesting concept—inspired by Howard Hawks's Rio Bravo, of which Carpenter is a fan—but the direction is tepid, and the acting is stilted. Carpenter would, of course, find greater success later in his career, so this early effort is best viewed as a practice run, allowing the director to fine tune his skills for his most famous projects to come. Carpenter was just getting started, having completed Dark Star with college classmate Dan O'Bannon two years before this. His career went through its growing pains before maturing, so there should be no expectation that he would hit a home run with his first or second movie. Nevertheless, his failed efforts should be scrutinized for what they are.
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Return to Paradise (1998)
★★★★
Before he found his groove as a reliable comedic actor in the 2000s, Vince Vaughn starred in this little-seen and barely-remembered drama from 1998 about two friends who contemplate whether they should help a third friend in need. Return to Paradise premiered in the middle of the late '90s creative surge for mainstream and independent films and costarred the late Anne Heche, who was on a roll during this time with appearances in Six Days, Seven Nights, Gus Van Sant's Psycho and Volcano, while finding time to appear in I Know What You Did Last Summer in a small role. Vaughn himself had recently appeared in Swingers and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, knocking on the door to stardom and proving here he could carry an emotionally heavy narrative.
Before he found his groove as a reliable comedic actor in the 2000s, Vince Vaughn starred in this little-seen and barely-remembered drama from 1998 about two friends who contemplate whether they should help a third friend in need. Return to Paradise premiered in the middle of the late '90s creative surge for mainstream and independent films and costarred the late Anne Heche, who was on a roll during this time with appearances in Six Days, Seven Nights, Gus Van Sant's Psycho and Volcano, while finding time to appear in I Know What You Did Last Summer in a small role. Vaughn himself had recently appeared in Swingers and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, knocking on the door to stardom and proving here he could carry an emotionally heavy narrative.
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Uncut Gems (2019)
★★★★
There are many things going on at the same time in Uncut Gems, but above it all rises Adam Sandler's performance. It is the performance of a lifetime. The day will hopefully come when somebody writes a book on his career. It will cover his beginnings on Saturday Night Live and his Happy Madison output, the good and the bad. It will cover his breakout role in Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love before his career stalled thanks to some truly terrible movies like Jack & Jill. After a stint producing movies for Netflix, he came back in force, and by that I mean he came back with the gloves off and landed every single punch with deadly accuracy. Uncut Gems is a masterpiece. It is not only Sandler's best movie by far, but one of the best I've ever seen. It comes at you like a tornado that sweeps you away with its perfect storm of dialogue and music. In the book of Sandler's career, the chapter on Uncut Gems would be excruciating even if it captured just a tenth of the movie's chaotic unfolding.
There are many things going on at the same time in Uncut Gems, but above it all rises Adam Sandler's performance. It is the performance of a lifetime. The day will hopefully come when somebody writes a book on his career. It will cover his beginnings on Saturday Night Live and his Happy Madison output, the good and the bad. It will cover his breakout role in Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love before his career stalled thanks to some truly terrible movies like Jack & Jill. After a stint producing movies for Netflix, he came back in force, and by that I mean he came back with the gloves off and landed every single punch with deadly accuracy. Uncut Gems is a masterpiece. It is not only Sandler's best movie by far, but one of the best I've ever seen. It comes at you like a tornado that sweeps you away with its perfect storm of dialogue and music. In the book of Sandler's career, the chapter on Uncut Gems would be excruciating even if it captured just a tenth of the movie's chaotic unfolding.
Wrong Turn (2003)
★★
Wrong Turn is so effective at times that the glaring improbabilities in terms of plot development can be overlooked—almost. This is a horror movie that is not afraid to be gory. There's lots of bloodshed to be found, something to give Fangoria fans something to watch. There are also genuine scares, good acting and real tension. I'd recommend it if the premise wasn't so unlikely.
Wrong Turn is so effective at times that the glaring improbabilities in terms of plot development can be overlooked—almost. This is a horror movie that is not afraid to be gory. There's lots of bloodshed to be found, something to give Fangoria fans something to watch. There are also genuine scares, good acting and real tension. I'd recommend it if the premise wasn't so unlikely.
Friday, September 09, 2022
The Edge (1997)
★★★★
The Edge is a beast of a film. Much like its monstrous antagonist, it is intimidating, scary and untamed. It's a survival movie with a raging pulse. I watched this in a theater back in 1997. I remember distinctly how a loudmouth customer behind me kept second-guessing the hero. Don't do this, do that, he said. When the hero came up with ingenious ways to get out of a difficult situation, I concluded that the guy behind me would have quickly perished in the wild. It isn't just about being stranded in the wilderness. The dynamics among the stranded men reveal some truths about status and wealth that could prove uncomfortable for people who make assumptions regarding the rich. This is not surprising, considering that writer David Mamet's reputation for complex characters and dialogue precedes him. When you see his name in the opening credits, don't think for a moment that he's settling for popcorn entertainment. In crafting this riveting story, he traversed the road paved by the likes of Runaway Train (1985) to force two dissimilar characters together in a crisis and have their experiences up to that point cause as much tension as the environment around them.
The Edge is a beast of a film. Much like its monstrous antagonist, it is intimidating, scary and untamed. It's a survival movie with a raging pulse. I watched this in a theater back in 1997. I remember distinctly how a loudmouth customer behind me kept second-guessing the hero. Don't do this, do that, he said. When the hero came up with ingenious ways to get out of a difficult situation, I concluded that the guy behind me would have quickly perished in the wild. It isn't just about being stranded in the wilderness. The dynamics among the stranded men reveal some truths about status and wealth that could prove uncomfortable for people who make assumptions regarding the rich. This is not surprising, considering that writer David Mamet's reputation for complex characters and dialogue precedes him. When you see his name in the opening credits, don't think for a moment that he's settling for popcorn entertainment. In crafting this riveting story, he traversed the road paved by the likes of Runaway Train (1985) to force two dissimilar characters together in a crisis and have their experiences up to that point cause as much tension as the environment around them.
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Becoming Bond (2017)
★★½
I'm all for trying new ways to tell stories via the documentary format. Documentaries often work just fine with interview subjects and supporting footage, but a little innovation can go a long way in giving us a fresh look. Errol Morris masterfully introduced his Interrotron in Fast, Cheap & Out of Control, while Jonathan Caouette spent just over $200 to edit home movies together into Tarnation, a story about his mother's mental illness. Innovation can't happen without risk. That brings us to Josh Greenbaum's Becoming Bond, an informative (most of the time) and whimsical account of George Lazenby's brush with fame as the iconic British spy James Bond. Many fans and Bond historians revere Lazenby's On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) as one of the best. Count me among them. It is also his only time starring as the character. He left for reasons made unclear when you consider the multiple sources of information already out there. That aside, the documentary is a little flimsy, trying to balance comedy and drama and sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing.
I'm all for trying new ways to tell stories via the documentary format. Documentaries often work just fine with interview subjects and supporting footage, but a little innovation can go a long way in giving us a fresh look. Errol Morris masterfully introduced his Interrotron in Fast, Cheap & Out of Control, while Jonathan Caouette spent just over $200 to edit home movies together into Tarnation, a story about his mother's mental illness. Innovation can't happen without risk. That brings us to Josh Greenbaum's Becoming Bond, an informative (most of the time) and whimsical account of George Lazenby's brush with fame as the iconic British spy James Bond. Many fans and Bond historians revere Lazenby's On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) as one of the best. Count me among them. It is also his only time starring as the character. He left for reasons made unclear when you consider the multiple sources of information already out there. That aside, the documentary is a little flimsy, trying to balance comedy and drama and sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing.
Saturday, August 20, 2022
Message in a Bottle (1999)
★½
I never reviewed Message in a Bottle (1999) during its original release. On my master list, I noticed that I gave it three stars, so I must have liked it at the time. I don't know what changed between then and now, and I won't try to understand it. This movie just didn't hold up at all. It's bad. I only have a small sample size from which to draw, but based on that small sample, I won't be in a rush to see the other adaptations of the works of Nicholas Sparks. Oh, I might like The Notebook, but time is too precious for me to bother with it. Now, the reader might notice my positive reaction to 2002's A Walk to Remember. Would I be disappointed upon a second look? I don't think so. Shane West and Mandy Moore made a lovely couple. I still remember that. I don't remember anything about Message in a Bottle, so this rewatch is a clean slate. I definitely remember 2012's dreadful The Lucky One, also based on a Sparks novel. Message in a Bottle, like The Lucky One, practically dares us to see ahead to a likely conclusion that it doesn't deliver, only to replace it with a hackneyed plot twist that is itself predictable because it can only end one way. To end otherwise would add no value to the relationship between the main characters.
I never reviewed Message in a Bottle (1999) during its original release. On my master list, I noticed that I gave it three stars, so I must have liked it at the time. I don't know what changed between then and now, and I won't try to understand it. This movie just didn't hold up at all. It's bad. I only have a small sample size from which to draw, but based on that small sample, I won't be in a rush to see the other adaptations of the works of Nicholas Sparks. Oh, I might like The Notebook, but time is too precious for me to bother with it. Now, the reader might notice my positive reaction to 2002's A Walk to Remember. Would I be disappointed upon a second look? I don't think so. Shane West and Mandy Moore made a lovely couple. I still remember that. I don't remember anything about Message in a Bottle, so this rewatch is a clean slate. I definitely remember 2012's dreadful The Lucky One, also based on a Sparks novel. Message in a Bottle, like The Lucky One, practically dares us to see ahead to a likely conclusion that it doesn't deliver, only to replace it with a hackneyed plot twist that is itself predictable because it can only end one way. To end otherwise would add no value to the relationship between the main characters.
Stuck on You (2003)
★★★
The Farrelly brothers hit a small road bump with Shallow Hal, but with Stuck on You, they're back in top form. Peter and Bobby have had a great amount of success with their comedies, starting with Dumb and Dumber in 1994. They're showing no signs of slowing down.
The Farrelly brothers hit a small road bump with Shallow Hal, but with Stuck on You, they're back in top form. Peter and Bobby have had a great amount of success with their comedies, starting with Dumb and Dumber in 1994. They're showing no signs of slowing down.
Friday, August 12, 2022
Prey (2022)
★★★½
Prey doesn't just go back to the basics; it builds on the basics so that instead of getting a retread, we get an entirely new way of experiencing the Predator story while re-experiencing what made the original movie so good in the first place. Director Dan Trachtenberg and writer Patrick Aison have created a worthy entry in a long-running series that has included too many disappointing sequels. The premise alone is brilliant: Take the familiar armored and high-tech Predator alien and transplant him to 1719 earth and have him do battle with Native American warriors. It absolutely could work, and it does. This is a thrilling and bloody action movie that gets the period details right while featuring a strong female character with aspirations of fighting alongside her male companions. It's a return to the wilderness environment of Predator with new challenges like the presence of French fur trappers, primitive weapons and the wild animals of the Americas.
Prey doesn't just go back to the basics; it builds on the basics so that instead of getting a retread, we get an entirely new way of experiencing the Predator story while re-experiencing what made the original movie so good in the first place. Director Dan Trachtenberg and writer Patrick Aison have created a worthy entry in a long-running series that has included too many disappointing sequels. The premise alone is brilliant: Take the familiar armored and high-tech Predator alien and transplant him to 1719 earth and have him do battle with Native American warriors. It absolutely could work, and it does. This is a thrilling and bloody action movie that gets the period details right while featuring a strong female character with aspirations of fighting alongside her male companions. It's a return to the wilderness environment of Predator with new challenges like the presence of French fur trappers, primitive weapons and the wild animals of the Americas.
Next Friday (2000)
★
As of this writing, I have yet to see Friday, a 1995 comedy of which I know nothing. After seeing Next Friday, it isn't likely that I'll watch the first film anytime soon, though failed sequels are common enough that I should probably check it out one day. This movie is an absolute abomination. It contains some of the unfunniest jokes to hit the screen. Is it really funny to watch a dog crap on someone's yard? To make it worse, the camera lingers on the pile for about five seconds before cutting away. Then Mr. Jones (John Witherspoon) steps out of his house, and the intelligent viewer will anticipate his coming into contact with the pile in one way or another.
As of this writing, I have yet to see Friday, a 1995 comedy of which I know nothing. After seeing Next Friday, it isn't likely that I'll watch the first film anytime soon, though failed sequels are common enough that I should probably check it out one day. This movie is an absolute abomination. It contains some of the unfunniest jokes to hit the screen. Is it really funny to watch a dog crap on someone's yard? To make it worse, the camera lingers on the pile for about five seconds before cutting away. Then Mr. Jones (John Witherspoon) steps out of his house, and the intelligent viewer will anticipate his coming into contact with the pile in one way or another.
Sunday, August 07, 2022
The Killer (1989)
★★★½
There are basic themes explored throughout the Heroic Bloodshed genre, and The Killer exemplifies all of them. It is one of director John Woo's most ambitious projects, taking the crime story concept told to perfection in his A Better Tomorrow and the frenetic gunplay found in A Better Tomorrow II and combining them into this explosive tale of brotherhood, betrayal and redemption. It has a conflicted assassin who values loyalty and honor above all else and a cop who uncovers the good in him. When these two join forces, they make for a most satisfying partnership against a Triad organization that is slowly undergoing unrest due to corrupting influences. The story tells of a clash between an older breed of gangsters and the next generation, which includes members less likely to abide by the rules. Prosperity breeds contentment, which gives rise to complacency. Those who come in later, far removed from building the structure that beckons them, embrace a new way of thinking that poisons the well. Will adherents to the old ways push back? That's where Ah Jong comes in.
There are basic themes explored throughout the Heroic Bloodshed genre, and The Killer exemplifies all of them. It is one of director John Woo's most ambitious projects, taking the crime story concept told to perfection in his A Better Tomorrow and the frenetic gunplay found in A Better Tomorrow II and combining them into this explosive tale of brotherhood, betrayal and redemption. It has a conflicted assassin who values loyalty and honor above all else and a cop who uncovers the good in him. When these two join forces, they make for a most satisfying partnership against a Triad organization that is slowly undergoing unrest due to corrupting influences. The story tells of a clash between an older breed of gangsters and the next generation, which includes members less likely to abide by the rules. Prosperity breeds contentment, which gives rise to complacency. Those who come in later, far removed from building the structure that beckons them, embrace a new way of thinking that poisons the well. Will adherents to the old ways push back? That's where Ah Jong comes in.
Rock Star (2001)
★★★
Rock Star is one of those standard rags-to-riches stories. Through an amazing coincidence, one faithful fan of a heavy metal band will get his chance at stardom with the same band. The plot contains many elements akin to such a movie, yet it all plays out with satisfaction. Perhaps it's Mark Wahlberg's giddy-eyed performance that saves the day, or it could be director Stephen Herek's faithful recreation of the 1980s music scene. Either way, I enjoyed the movie. It has a lot of light humor, pleasant surprises and good songs.
Rock Star is one of those standard rags-to-riches stories. Through an amazing coincidence, one faithful fan of a heavy metal band will get his chance at stardom with the same band. The plot contains many elements akin to such a movie, yet it all plays out with satisfaction. Perhaps it's Mark Wahlberg's giddy-eyed performance that saves the day, or it could be director Stephen Herek's faithful recreation of the 1980s music scene. Either way, I enjoyed the movie. It has a lot of light humor, pleasant surprises and good songs.
Sunday, July 31, 2022
Event Horizon (1997)
★★½
Event Horizon represented Paul W. S. Anderson's most ambitious project to date (1997). His debut film was Shopping, a little-known but respectable effort about thieves who crash cars into stores to steal merchandise. He was also responsible for Mortal Kombat, one of the better video game adaptations. That movie's financial success opened doors for Anderson and gave him the clout needed to take on a bigger challenge. Event Horizon is a space movie with some horror mixed into it. Among Event Horizon's virtues is that it's a sci-fi thriller that gives us a future world that is mostly technologically plausible. I liked a tense scene featuring a man about to be exposed to space, and his commanding officer gives him all the right directions to minimize the damage to his body. There's attention to detail here. What's missing is a lack of ambition. The technical look is great, the special effects are realistic, and the premise is intriguing. Anderson's film just doesn't do these finer qualities much justice. He's satisfied to tell the tale and insert effective imagery, some shocking, but it feels like there's more to the story. Studio interference played a role, according to Anderson, and that wouldn't be a surprise. A similar fate would befall Walter Hill's Supernova several years later.
Event Horizon represented Paul W. S. Anderson's most ambitious project to date (1997). His debut film was Shopping, a little-known but respectable effort about thieves who crash cars into stores to steal merchandise. He was also responsible for Mortal Kombat, one of the better video game adaptations. That movie's financial success opened doors for Anderson and gave him the clout needed to take on a bigger challenge. Event Horizon is a space movie with some horror mixed into it. Among Event Horizon's virtues is that it's a sci-fi thriller that gives us a future world that is mostly technologically plausible. I liked a tense scene featuring a man about to be exposed to space, and his commanding officer gives him all the right directions to minimize the damage to his body. There's attention to detail here. What's missing is a lack of ambition. The technical look is great, the special effects are realistic, and the premise is intriguing. Anderson's film just doesn't do these finer qualities much justice. He's satisfied to tell the tale and insert effective imagery, some shocking, but it feels like there's more to the story. Studio interference played a role, according to Anderson, and that wouldn't be a surprise. A similar fate would befall Walter Hill's Supernova several years later.
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Abduction (2011)
★★½
Abduction (2011) gets plenty of things right. It has an interesting plot, a solid supporting cast, a talented director in John Singleton (in his last movie before his passing in 2019) and some good fight scenes. It goes wrong in a crucial area, though, and that is the lead role. Taylor Lautner, in the middle of his career peak thanks to his appearance in the Twilight movies, is physically adept, but his lack of emotional range interferes with the necessary task of conveying his character's mental stress while on the run from mob enforcers and C.I.A. agents. During a few scenes, when he's under extreme duress, he finds a believable way to react, but there's not much in between his two endpoints of "normal" and "dialed up to 11." His female co-star Lily Collins, on the other hand, gets it exactly right. Compare the two as the story progresses, and you'll see two different kinds of performances. She endures the same violent situations, but she dials up her emotional state according to the level of danger and decompresses in the same manner. When the two make out in a train car, she looks like she needs it more. For her, it's an emotional release after a close call with a mob henchman. For him, he's just kissing a girl while on a date.
Abduction (2011) gets plenty of things right. It has an interesting plot, a solid supporting cast, a talented director in John Singleton (in his last movie before his passing in 2019) and some good fight scenes. It goes wrong in a crucial area, though, and that is the lead role. Taylor Lautner, in the middle of his career peak thanks to his appearance in the Twilight movies, is physically adept, but his lack of emotional range interferes with the necessary task of conveying his character's mental stress while on the run from mob enforcers and C.I.A. agents. During a few scenes, when he's under extreme duress, he finds a believable way to react, but there's not much in between his two endpoints of "normal" and "dialed up to 11." His female co-star Lily Collins, on the other hand, gets it exactly right. Compare the two as the story progresses, and you'll see two different kinds of performances. She endures the same violent situations, but she dials up her emotional state according to the level of danger and decompresses in the same manner. When the two make out in a train car, she looks like she needs it more. For her, it's an emotional release after a close call with a mob henchman. For him, he's just kissing a girl while on a date.
Friday, July 22, 2022
Vanilla Sky (2001)
★★★★
Vanilla Sky is magnificent. It is absolutely astonishing. From beginning to end, I couldn't take my eyes off it. 2001 was a strong year with some brilliant movies, which was a relief because 2000 was weak by comparison. I don't know what happened there. I loved Beautiful People and The Virgin Suicides, but few others stood out. Gladiator was good, but not that good. When 2001 came around, it was like a return to form, and all was well. Vanilla Sky premiered in December, and I never once considered that its proximity to the end of the year influenced my decision to place it at the top of my year-end list. If it had come out in January, it would have still been the best movie of the year. That's how strong it is. It has a story that's beautifully told, features wonderful cinematography and contains memorable performances and a great soundtrack that sets the mood appropriately. There isn't a flawed moment, and writer/director Cameron Crowe deserves high praise for delivering to us this ingenious creation. It is significantly better than his over-hyped Almost Famous.
Vanilla Sky is magnificent. It is absolutely astonishing. From beginning to end, I couldn't take my eyes off it. 2001 was a strong year with some brilliant movies, which was a relief because 2000 was weak by comparison. I don't know what happened there. I loved Beautiful People and The Virgin Suicides, but few others stood out. Gladiator was good, but not that good. When 2001 came around, it was like a return to form, and all was well. Vanilla Sky premiered in December, and I never once considered that its proximity to the end of the year influenced my decision to place it at the top of my year-end list. If it had come out in January, it would have still been the best movie of the year. That's how strong it is. It has a story that's beautifully told, features wonderful cinematography and contains memorable performances and a great soundtrack that sets the mood appropriately. There isn't a flawed moment, and writer/director Cameron Crowe deserves high praise for delivering to us this ingenious creation. It is significantly better than his over-hyped Almost Famous.
Saturday, July 16, 2022
House (1986)
★★
There has been only one horror movie that made me scream out loud, and that was 1986's House, a horror/comedy production from the Friday the 13th team (producer Sean S. Cunningham, director Steve Miner). My dad took me to the theater to see it, and I remember the moment it happened. The entire theater blew up with a deafening noise. It was that good, and what made it better was the timing. I think we all expected something was going to happen after a well-placed false alarm, but it was scary anyway because of some effective editing and the gruesome special effects work. I'll go ahead and declare House's jump scare as one of the greatest in horror movie history, ranking up there with Wait Until Dark's iconic leap from out of nowhere courtesy of Alan Arkin. It doesn't matter that I was 10 years old when I saw it. A theater full of adults reacted the same way.
There has been only one horror movie that made me scream out loud, and that was 1986's House, a horror/comedy production from the Friday the 13th team (producer Sean S. Cunningham, director Steve Miner). My dad took me to the theater to see it, and I remember the moment it happened. The entire theater blew up with a deafening noise. It was that good, and what made it better was the timing. I think we all expected something was going to happen after a well-placed false alarm, but it was scary anyway because of some effective editing and the gruesome special effects work. I'll go ahead and declare House's jump scare as one of the greatest in horror movie history, ranking up there with Wait Until Dark's iconic leap from out of nowhere courtesy of Alan Arkin. It doesn't matter that I was 10 years old when I saw it. A theater full of adults reacted the same way.
Cyborg (1989)
★★½
Mathematics teaches us that two negatives make a positive, but such a concept doesn’t apply to film very often. In the case of Cyborg, those two negatives are Cannon Pictures and Albert Pyun. The former was a 1980s production company with a wildly varied output, ranging from near greatness (Runaway Train) to laughable action (Invasion U.S.A.). The latter is an action movie director who had some success with theatrical releases, but was mostly confined to direct-to-video nonsense. With track records like these, it’s a wonder that Cyborg turns out to be pretty decent.
Mathematics teaches us that two negatives make a positive, but such a concept doesn’t apply to film very often. In the case of Cyborg, those two negatives are Cannon Pictures and Albert Pyun. The former was a 1980s production company with a wildly varied output, ranging from near greatness (Runaway Train) to laughable action (Invasion U.S.A.). The latter is an action movie director who had some success with theatrical releases, but was mostly confined to direct-to-video nonsense. With track records like these, it’s a wonder that Cyborg turns out to be pretty decent.
Wednesday, July 06, 2022
Despicable Me (2010)
★★★
Universal's Despicable Me has all the flair (though little of the depth) of a Pixar animated movie, with the kind of good humor reminiscent of that iconic company. It has a likable lead, funny creatures, cute kids and a greedy villain. The twist is that there is no hero with the usual traits of nobility. The likable lead is a thief, but he has a soft side that is exposed with time. The movie's selling point then is not how the hero can overcome obstacles on the way to victory. This is really more about the humorous situations in which the thief finds himself on his way to hatching his master plan.
Universal's Despicable Me has all the flair (though little of the depth) of a Pixar animated movie, with the kind of good humor reminiscent of that iconic company. It has a likable lead, funny creatures, cute kids and a greedy villain. The twist is that there is no hero with the usual traits of nobility. The likable lead is a thief, but he has a soft side that is exposed with time. The movie's selling point then is not how the hero can overcome obstacles on the way to victory. This is really more about the humorous situations in which the thief finds himself on his way to hatching his master plan.
Robots (2005)
★★½
The world of C.G.I. animation is opening up the doors to all sorts of visual artists who can't wait to impress us with the images they can create, but it's also opening up the doors to all these screenwriters who want to impress us with how smart they are. Actually, "smart" is the wrong word. The writers of Robots, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, are smart guys, but their script reveals that they've seen a lot of movies, so they're really just trying to impress us with their knowledge of movies.
The world of C.G.I. animation is opening up the doors to all sorts of visual artists who can't wait to impress us with the images they can create, but it's also opening up the doors to all these screenwriters who want to impress us with how smart they are. Actually, "smart" is the wrong word. The writers of Robots, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, are smart guys, but their script reveals that they've seen a lot of movies, so they're really just trying to impress us with their knowledge of movies.
Sunday, July 03, 2022
Bloodsport (1988)
★★
Bloodsport was my favorite movie coming out of high school. Jean-Claude Van Damme was at his box office peak in the mid-'90s, and his physique and fighting skills were a sight to behold. He didn’t quite have the muscle mass of Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he had more bulk than Chuck Norris, making him an atypical martial arts action star. Highly touted as a true story about the only American to win a secret tournament in Hong Kong, Bloodsport was based on the alleged exploits of Frank Dux, who told many disputed tales of his accomplishments both in martial arts and in the U.S. military. Whether his stories are true or not is no concern of mine. What is a concern is how the movie presents the story, and there are many glaring weaknesses that have become more apparent to me with the passage of time. That is the inevitable result of maturing and developing an ear for dialogue. The acting from the E.S.L. cast is horrendous. I've been all over the world. I've been to Hong Kong and Africa and the Middle East and Europe. I've conversed with many individuals whose second language was English, and they all sounded more natural than most of the actors here. The ability to recite lines is of paramount importance in motion picture storytelling outside of the silent era. Bloodsport fails to deliver because the producers hired the wrong people. It is as simple as that.
Bloodsport was my favorite movie coming out of high school. Jean-Claude Van Damme was at his box office peak in the mid-'90s, and his physique and fighting skills were a sight to behold. He didn’t quite have the muscle mass of Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he had more bulk than Chuck Norris, making him an atypical martial arts action star. Highly touted as a true story about the only American to win a secret tournament in Hong Kong, Bloodsport was based on the alleged exploits of Frank Dux, who told many disputed tales of his accomplishments both in martial arts and in the U.S. military. Whether his stories are true or not is no concern of mine. What is a concern is how the movie presents the story, and there are many glaring weaknesses that have become more apparent to me with the passage of time. That is the inevitable result of maturing and developing an ear for dialogue. The acting from the E.S.L. cast is horrendous. I've been all over the world. I've been to Hong Kong and Africa and the Middle East and Europe. I've conversed with many individuals whose second language was English, and they all sounded more natural than most of the actors here. The ability to recite lines is of paramount importance in motion picture storytelling outside of the silent era. Bloodsport fails to deliver because the producers hired the wrong people. It is as simple as that.
The Unforgiven (1960)
★½
Audrey Hepburn was a wonderful actress, but as good as she was, her range didn't spread far enough to play this role in The Unforgiven, her weakest movie. At her best, Hepburn delighted audiences with her ethereal beauty and charming disposition, and her best movies bring out those qualities, making her irresistible to watch. I don't know who was in charge of casting The Unforgiven, but whoever he was, he added a blemish to Hepburn's filmography. The movie doesn't work for a lot of reasons. It's badly executed, poorly scripted and miscast to the point of embarrassment.
Audrey Hepburn was a wonderful actress, but as good as she was, her range didn't spread far enough to play this role in The Unforgiven, her weakest movie. At her best, Hepburn delighted audiences with her ethereal beauty and charming disposition, and her best movies bring out those qualities, making her irresistible to watch. I don't know who was in charge of casting The Unforgiven, but whoever he was, he added a blemish to Hepburn's filmography. The movie doesn't work for a lot of reasons. It's badly executed, poorly scripted and miscast to the point of embarrassment.
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
The Black Phone (2022)
★★★½
It didn't take long for Blumhouse Productions to redeem itself after the awful Firestarter. That was a cash grab, though its underwhelming box office performance showed that it failed as a cash grab as much as it failed as a horror movie. The Black Phone is serious horror. It's scary and original. It's based on a short story by Joe Hill, whose works I've never read, but if this movie is any indication, his imagination is just as rich as his father Stephen King. It's a ghost story and features a character with psychic powers, but it's largely about a child kidnapper with no supernatural powers but is still frightening just for his voice and personality. He's like a human Pennywise by feeding his need to terrorize children.
It didn't take long for Blumhouse Productions to redeem itself after the awful Firestarter. That was a cash grab, though its underwhelming box office performance showed that it failed as a cash grab as much as it failed as a horror movie. The Black Phone is serious horror. It's scary and original. It's based on a short story by Joe Hill, whose works I've never read, but if this movie is any indication, his imagination is just as rich as his father Stephen King. It's a ghost story and features a character with psychic powers, but it's largely about a child kidnapper with no supernatural powers but is still frightening just for his voice and personality. He's like a human Pennywise by feeding his need to terrorize children.
Killing Me Softly (2002)
★
Killing Me Softly exists because some filmmakers thought it would be a good idea to make an erotic thriller starring two good-looking actors and put them in a bunch of sex scenes. It can work, but here, the script was apparently the last thing anyone considered. Maybe someone should have thought up a decent plot first.
Killing Me Softly exists because some filmmakers thought it would be a good idea to make an erotic thriller starring two good-looking actors and put them in a bunch of sex scenes. It can work, but here, the script was apparently the last thing anyone considered. Maybe someone should have thought up a decent plot first.
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Coming to America (1988)
★★★★
Coming to America represents peak Eddie Murphy during his rise in the 1980s. A string of failures followed, resulting in critical and box office disappointments that would finally be reversed with 1995's The Nutty Professor, although Murphy reached peak form again with 1999's outstanding Bowfinger. Before all that, we got to witness a comic dynamo full of energy, whose rapid delivery of hilarious vulgarities was unmatched. His gut-busting concert films Delirious and Raw are some of the greatest stand-up performances ever. Working again with director John Landis after the role-reversing comedy Trading Places, Murphy gives us one of his most memorable roles. It's a fish-out-of-water story with some of the expected culture shock that goes with the territory, but it works because it's so well executed. The humor is great. The chemistry between the would-be couple is great. The dialogue is fun. There are subtleties everywhere that enrich the viewing experience. The leads are terrific, but the supporting cast is every bit up to the task. This is truly one of the '80s best comedies. It's a complete experience—a neat and tidy story wrapped in Murphy's boundless optimism and handed to us on a silver platter.
Coming to America represents peak Eddie Murphy during his rise in the 1980s. A string of failures followed, resulting in critical and box office disappointments that would finally be reversed with 1995's The Nutty Professor, although Murphy reached peak form again with 1999's outstanding Bowfinger. Before all that, we got to witness a comic dynamo full of energy, whose rapid delivery of hilarious vulgarities was unmatched. His gut-busting concert films Delirious and Raw are some of the greatest stand-up performances ever. Working again with director John Landis after the role-reversing comedy Trading Places, Murphy gives us one of his most memorable roles. It's a fish-out-of-water story with some of the expected culture shock that goes with the territory, but it works because it's so well executed. The humor is great. The chemistry between the would-be couple is great. The dialogue is fun. There are subtleties everywhere that enrich the viewing experience. The leads are terrific, but the supporting cast is every bit up to the task. This is truly one of the '80s best comedies. It's a complete experience—a neat and tidy story wrapped in Murphy's boundless optimism and handed to us on a silver platter.
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Nobody (2021)
★★★
Nobody may be a low-rent John Wick, but it's darn good one. It works largely because of our familiarity with Bob Odenkirk as the shady lawyer Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Saul Goodman is not a fighter or weapons expert, but he's good at feigning ignorance and relying on his wits to surprise the opposition. Odenkirk's Hutch Mansell is much the same way. Years ago he left his position as a top assassin working for the "three letter agencies" to start a new life as a family man. Just as in John Wick, the villains cross the retired hero without realizing who he is, which starts a series of fights that escalates into a final confrontation between the hero and an army of mobsters, featuring lots of amazing stunts and gun battles. Take those Saul Goodman traits and give them to a guy possessing everyman looks and the skills of an "auditor" (as he calls it), and you have an interesting blend of characteristics for a new kind of hero. He lacks Keanu Reeves's steely-eyed intensity and Jason Statham's gruff demeanor. Instead, he has this nonthreatening appearance that conceals the quick reflexes of a seasoned assassin.
Nobody may be a low-rent John Wick, but it's darn good one. It works largely because of our familiarity with Bob Odenkirk as the shady lawyer Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Saul Goodman is not a fighter or weapons expert, but he's good at feigning ignorance and relying on his wits to surprise the opposition. Odenkirk's Hutch Mansell is much the same way. Years ago he left his position as a top assassin working for the "three letter agencies" to start a new life as a family man. Just as in John Wick, the villains cross the retired hero without realizing who he is, which starts a series of fights that escalates into a final confrontation between the hero and an army of mobsters, featuring lots of amazing stunts and gun battles. Take those Saul Goodman traits and give them to a guy possessing everyman looks and the skills of an "auditor" (as he calls it), and you have an interesting blend of characteristics for a new kind of hero. He lacks Keanu Reeves's steely-eyed intensity and Jason Statham's gruff demeanor. Instead, he has this nonthreatening appearance that conceals the quick reflexes of a seasoned assassin.
Monday, June 20, 2022
Van Helsing (2004)
★★
This is one noisy movie. For almost the entire film, we're subjected to screeching, snarling, growling, thumping and yelling. When that's not happening, we get a pounding soundtrack to even things out. I had higher hopes for Van Helsing. I really liked 2003's Underworld, and I figured this movie would be of the same ilk. It isn't. Whereas last year's vampire movie depended more on style, plot, dialogue and acting, this movie is more concerned with crushing special effects and a loud soundtrack. These two qualities are so prevailing that an interesting story has difficulty emerging from the rubble.
This is one noisy movie. For almost the entire film, we're subjected to screeching, snarling, growling, thumping and yelling. When that's not happening, we get a pounding soundtrack to even things out. I had higher hopes for Van Helsing. I really liked 2003's Underworld, and I figured this movie would be of the same ilk. It isn't. Whereas last year's vampire movie depended more on style, plot, dialogue and acting, this movie is more concerned with crushing special effects and a loud soundtrack. These two qualities are so prevailing that an interesting story has difficulty emerging from the rubble.
Old Gringo (1989)
★★
Old Gringo is a movie so full of half-baked ideas that I gave up trying to find reason in the motives of its characters. There are scenes that are oddly disjointed, as if something was left out that would provide a better explanation. The movie is not helped by Jane Fonda's allure or Gregory Peck's commanding presence. In the absence of these two actors, Old Gringo would have turned out a lot worse.
Old Gringo is a movie so full of half-baked ideas that I gave up trying to find reason in the motives of its characters. There are scenes that are oddly disjointed, as if something was left out that would provide a better explanation. The movie is not helped by Jane Fonda's allure or Gregory Peck's commanding presence. In the absence of these two actors, Old Gringo would have turned out a lot worse.
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
3-Iron (2005)
★★★½
This review was written years before Ki-duk Kim's passing in 2020.
Ki-duk Kim is fast becoming one of the most interesting foreign directors (foreign to the U.S.) working today. His Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring was my pick for the best movie of 2004. In that film, he showed a fascination with the passage of time. He found interest in everyday actions, because it's the little things in life that can have a profound effect on how we mature. Kim's follow-up film, 3-Iron, also utilizes the passage of time as a way to develop a character, but he takes that growth one step further by giving it a metaphysical quality.
This review was written years before Ki-duk Kim's passing in 2020.
Ki-duk Kim is fast becoming one of the most interesting foreign directors (foreign to the U.S.) working today. His Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring was my pick for the best movie of 2004. In that film, he showed a fascination with the passage of time. He found interest in everyday actions, because it's the little things in life that can have a profound effect on how we mature. Kim's follow-up film, 3-Iron, also utilizes the passage of time as a way to develop a character, but he takes that growth one step further by giving it a metaphysical quality.
Thursday, June 09, 2022
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
★★★★
Everything Everywhere All at Once belongs in the same category as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Tree of Life and Synecdoche, New York—movies about the challenges of being alive and how it is worth it all the same. They have one thing in common. Their main characters experience a journey into worlds that stretch into infinity. Eternal Sunshine… went into the deepest recesses of the mind, the limits of which are unfathomable (imagine a human brain with the capacity of over 1000 terabyte hard drives). Tree of Life gave us a glimpse of the afterlife, which will exist well after the earth's destruction. In Synecdoche…, Philip Seymour Hoffman composed the grandest of plays to explore the nuances of his own life. The play eventually consumed him and everyone around him. Everything Everywhere All at Once works within the theory of infinite universes, based on the idea that every choice we make actually happens, resulting in the birth of new universes that branch off from those choices. In an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Worf experienced this concept firsthand when he jumped into different versions of himself in multiple universes.
Everything Everywhere All at Once belongs in the same category as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Tree of Life and Synecdoche, New York—movies about the challenges of being alive and how it is worth it all the same. They have one thing in common. Their main characters experience a journey into worlds that stretch into infinity. Eternal Sunshine… went into the deepest recesses of the mind, the limits of which are unfathomable (imagine a human brain with the capacity of over 1000 terabyte hard drives). Tree of Life gave us a glimpse of the afterlife, which will exist well after the earth's destruction. In Synecdoche…, Philip Seymour Hoffman composed the grandest of plays to explore the nuances of his own life. The play eventually consumed him and everyone around him. Everything Everywhere All at Once works within the theory of infinite universes, based on the idea that every choice we make actually happens, resulting in the birth of new universes that branch off from those choices. In an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Worf experienced this concept firsthand when he jumped into different versions of himself in multiple universes.
Wednesday, June 08, 2022
After the Sunset (2004)
★★½
Aside from the great locations and splendid chemistry between the actors, there’s not much to recommend After the Sunset. If you’re looking for a good caper movie, stick with Ocean’s Twelve. There’s very little here in the way of elaborate set pieces and cool precision. There is, however, an amusing good-guy/bad-guy relationship based on mutual respect and obsessive one-upmanship.
Aside from the great locations and splendid chemistry between the actors, there’s not much to recommend After the Sunset. If you’re looking for a good caper movie, stick with Ocean’s Twelve. There’s very little here in the way of elaborate set pieces and cool precision. There is, however, an amusing good-guy/bad-guy relationship based on mutual respect and obsessive one-upmanship.
Wednesday, June 01, 2022
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
★★★½
Top Gun (1986) was about the brotherhood, the camaraderie, the personal challenges. Top Gun: Maverick is about those things too, but it takes all that and gives them purpose and direction. Tom Cruise returns to one of his signature roles after so many years away from it and delivers a knockout performance. Once the student, he is now the teacher as he trains a new generation of Navy pilots for a mission behind enemy lines. This movie isn't just another entry in Cruise's impressively expanding list of quality action pictures. It is recognition that our time in the spotlight is limited, and that eventually it will be time to step aside to let others take the reins. I did that recently, having left my employer of 21 years because the rules required it. I received a nice sendoff, and my retirement will be sweet once I can start to collect, but I feel I could have done more, and I would have been in position to continue if I had made different decisions years ago. Cruise's Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell sees the end. As his commander tells him, his kind is headed for extinction. Maverick defiantly responds, "maybe so sir, but not today." He has some gas left in the tank, and he intends to get all the mileage out of it as possible before flying into the sunset. We all want to be useful; it's a strong motivator.
Top Gun (1986) was about the brotherhood, the camaraderie, the personal challenges. Top Gun: Maverick is about those things too, but it takes all that and gives them purpose and direction. Tom Cruise returns to one of his signature roles after so many years away from it and delivers a knockout performance. Once the student, he is now the teacher as he trains a new generation of Navy pilots for a mission behind enemy lines. This movie isn't just another entry in Cruise's impressively expanding list of quality action pictures. It is recognition that our time in the spotlight is limited, and that eventually it will be time to step aside to let others take the reins. I did that recently, having left my employer of 21 years because the rules required it. I received a nice sendoff, and my retirement will be sweet once I can start to collect, but I feel I could have done more, and I would have been in position to continue if I had made different decisions years ago. Cruise's Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell sees the end. As his commander tells him, his kind is headed for extinction. Maverick defiantly responds, "maybe so sir, but not today." He has some gas left in the tank, and he intends to get all the mileage out of it as possible before flying into the sunset. We all want to be useful; it's a strong motivator.
Sunday, May 29, 2022
André the Giant (2018)
★★★
My first exposure to André the Giant came while viewing the V.H.S. tape for WrestleMania III. The story before his match with Hulk Hogan was that André aligned himself with the heel manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and challenged Hogan for the World Wrestling Federation title. André was serious about his challenge, and he proved it by ripping the shirt from a distraught Hogan, who couldn't believe what he was witnessing. One of his closest friends turned against him. The setup was professional wrestling storytelling at its finest, with the payoff signifying a monumental shift in the wrestling landscape. The old ways of territorial wrestling were already losing ground to the W.W.F.'s national expansion, and this match was hyped as a passing of the torch from one generation to the next. As an 11-year-old, I watched this giant of a man envelope the muscular Hogan in a bear hug. The crowd was going nuts. Many years later, W.W.E. (name changed in 2002) advertised 2022's WrestleMania as featuring the biggest match of all time, between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. It wasn't even close. That André/Hogan match was one to remember.
My first exposure to André the Giant came while viewing the V.H.S. tape for WrestleMania III. The story before his match with Hulk Hogan was that André aligned himself with the heel manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and challenged Hogan for the World Wrestling Federation title. André was serious about his challenge, and he proved it by ripping the shirt from a distraught Hogan, who couldn't believe what he was witnessing. One of his closest friends turned against him. The setup was professional wrestling storytelling at its finest, with the payoff signifying a monumental shift in the wrestling landscape. The old ways of territorial wrestling were already losing ground to the W.W.F.'s national expansion, and this match was hyped as a passing of the torch from one generation to the next. As an 11-year-old, I watched this giant of a man envelope the muscular Hogan in a bear hug. The crowd was going nuts. Many years later, W.W.E. (name changed in 2002) advertised 2022's WrestleMania as featuring the biggest match of all time, between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. It wasn't even close. That André/Hogan match was one to remember.
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Go (1999)
★★★
Go represents the first movie for which I wrote a full-length review. I saw it in early 1999 at a special screening on my college campus. The crowd was a rambunctious lot, with everyone clearly having a great time. Upon the movie's theatrical release a few weeks later, a pair of reviews appeared in the campus newspaper. They were terrible, and not just because they were negative. They were poorly constructed. In fact, they didn't even describe the movie, but were instead tirades against the Hollywood trend of copying the structure of hit movies and reconstructing them into a new package. Pulp Fiction is the obvious inspiration for Go, so the point is not invalid. There were other examples from the time. The Aaron Eckhart vehicle Thursday was one, as was 2 Days in the Valley. When I read those Go reviews, I thought to myself that I could do better. It wasn't that the writers disliked it. They didn't get into why Go was bad in and of itself, inspiration notwithstanding.
Go represents the first movie for which I wrote a full-length review. I saw it in early 1999 at a special screening on my college campus. The crowd was a rambunctious lot, with everyone clearly having a great time. Upon the movie's theatrical release a few weeks later, a pair of reviews appeared in the campus newspaper. They were terrible, and not just because they were negative. They were poorly constructed. In fact, they didn't even describe the movie, but were instead tirades against the Hollywood trend of copying the structure of hit movies and reconstructing them into a new package. Pulp Fiction is the obvious inspiration for Go, so the point is not invalid. There were other examples from the time. The Aaron Eckhart vehicle Thursday was one, as was 2 Days in the Valley. When I read those Go reviews, I thought to myself that I could do better. It wasn't that the writers disliked it. They didn't get into why Go was bad in and of itself, inspiration notwithstanding.
Monday, May 23, 2022
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991)
★★★
The writers of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead didn't like the name change (original title: The Real World), but that name change was the best thing that could have happened. The movie was already going to receive a few curious looks due to Christina Applegate's involvement, thanks to her role on Fox's Married…With Children, but its longevity was not going to rest on her role alone. The movie did okay business, but the title made it one to remember. It was marketable. It was that movie starring Christina Applegate, who had the opportunity to play a character unlike her signature role of Kelly Bundy. Kelly was an airheaded and promiscuous blonde. Applegate's new character, Sue Ellen Crandell, was a typical 17-year-old who had to mature fast to take care of her family. Applegate's chance to shine combined with the movie's title cemented its longevity. H.B.O.'s involvement helped too, since the cable company produced it and gave it a second life on television after a warm but not outstanding theatrical run.
The writers of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead didn't like the name change (original title: The Real World), but that name change was the best thing that could have happened. The movie was already going to receive a few curious looks due to Christina Applegate's involvement, thanks to her role on Fox's Married…With Children, but its longevity was not going to rest on her role alone. The movie did okay business, but the title made it one to remember. It was marketable. It was that movie starring Christina Applegate, who had the opportunity to play a character unlike her signature role of Kelly Bundy. Kelly was an airheaded and promiscuous blonde. Applegate's new character, Sue Ellen Crandell, was a typical 17-year-old who had to mature fast to take care of her family. Applegate's chance to shine combined with the movie's title cemented its longevity. H.B.O.'s involvement helped too, since the cable company produced it and gave it a second life on television after a warm but not outstanding theatrical run.
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Firestarter (2022)
½ star
Firestarter is slow burn torture. The actors display no conviction. They recite their lines woodenly and walk around as if wading through quicksand while wearing concrete boots. The victims of psychic attacks react like pod people. The tepid direction looks to have been inspired by Albert Pyun. The villains appear bored. The climactic firefight has all the excitement of a fireplace screensaver. I expected more from Blumhouse Productions, which has established a good reputation for decent horror movies. Taking the 1984 Stephen King adaptation and passing it through the Blumhouse sausage factory should have yielded better results, but instead we get a movie that fails not spectacularly but in whimpering fashion.
Firestarter is slow burn torture. The actors display no conviction. They recite their lines woodenly and walk around as if wading through quicksand while wearing concrete boots. The victims of psychic attacks react like pod people. The tepid direction looks to have been inspired by Albert Pyun. The villains appear bored. The climactic firefight has all the excitement of a fireplace screensaver. I expected more from Blumhouse Productions, which has established a good reputation for decent horror movies. Taking the 1984 Stephen King adaptation and passing it through the Blumhouse sausage factory should have yielded better results, but instead we get a movie that fails not spectacularly but in whimpering fashion.
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Bad Teacher (2011)
★
Navy ships have a form of self-defense called chaff. Upon sighting incoming missiles, the ship will fire chaff into the air and lure the missile into targeting it. Chaff can also be used to confuse enemy radar. Bad Teacher, a morally inept movie, launches chaff in the form of adult humor to distract from the fact that its main character is getting away with murder. Cameron Diaz's Elizabeth Halsey is a useless and self-absorbed teacher who isn't interested in providing her students with a quality education but would rather show them movies so that she can sleep off her hangover at her desk. Chaff is effective. This movie has some funny scenes that deflected my attempts to pierce through its defenses and see its shortcomings. Eventually the chaff supply runs out, leaving the movie's flaws exposed. Moving in for the kill, I was astonished by the story's disregard for Elizabeth's actions, making her out to be heroic and giving her a happy ending when she should have an ominous one.
Navy ships have a form of self-defense called chaff. Upon sighting incoming missiles, the ship will fire chaff into the air and lure the missile into targeting it. Chaff can also be used to confuse enemy radar. Bad Teacher, a morally inept movie, launches chaff in the form of adult humor to distract from the fact that its main character is getting away with murder. Cameron Diaz's Elizabeth Halsey is a useless and self-absorbed teacher who isn't interested in providing her students with a quality education but would rather show them movies so that she can sleep off her hangover at her desk. Chaff is effective. This movie has some funny scenes that deflected my attempts to pierce through its defenses and see its shortcomings. Eventually the chaff supply runs out, leaving the movie's flaws exposed. Moving in for the kill, I was astonished by the story's disregard for Elizabeth's actions, making her out to be heroic and giving her a happy ending when she should have an ominous one.
Friday, May 13, 2022
Shrek (2001)
★★½
Shrek (2001) rode a wave of success following the rise of Pixar and the production of C.G.I movies outside of the Pixar umbrella like Antz. For its time, it was groundbreaking, and it still is. The character design is amazing. The vivid, detailed imagery is outstanding and holds up today. Like Antz, it featured adult humor, and its soundtrack contained modern pop hits that stand in contrast to its medieval setting. A Knight's Tale would do the same several years later. The voice actors embody their characters just as well as the actors do in Pixar's output. I loved the movie when it came out, so imagine my surprise when, after watching it again years later, my reaction wasn't so enthusiastic. The technical details are still spectacular, and it's easy to get swept away by them, but the characters—Shrek himself and Donkey in particular—have not retained their appeal.
Shrek (2001) rode a wave of success following the rise of Pixar and the production of C.G.I movies outside of the Pixar umbrella like Antz. For its time, it was groundbreaking, and it still is. The character design is amazing. The vivid, detailed imagery is outstanding and holds up today. Like Antz, it featured adult humor, and its soundtrack contained modern pop hits that stand in contrast to its medieval setting. A Knight's Tale would do the same several years later. The voice actors embody their characters just as well as the actors do in Pixar's output. I loved the movie when it came out, so imagine my surprise when, after watching it again years later, my reaction wasn't so enthusiastic. The technical details are still spectacular, and it's easy to get swept away by them, but the characters—Shrek himself and Donkey in particular—have not retained their appeal.
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Being John Malkovich (1999)
★★★★
Every moment in Being John Malkovich, from the opening scene featuring a puppet show all the way to its conclusion, is a revelation. Here is a movie that bursts with so much originality that writing about it fails to do it justice. I remember when I first saw it. Appropriately, a new theater had opened in downtown Reno, and I had already watched Dogma there not long before I saw this. It looked impressive, having been built along the Truckee River and featuring a large lobby with above average offerings at the concession stand. The seats were very comfortable. I read a few reviews for the movie prior to seeing it, but nothing could have prepared me for its creative outburst and imaginative premise. I cannot emphasize enough how thrilled I was to see this. It further cemented 1999's position as one of the strongest years for movies of all time. When it was over, all I could do was watch the credits in admiration and contemplate the fates of its characters.
Every moment in Being John Malkovich, from the opening scene featuring a puppet show all the way to its conclusion, is a revelation. Here is a movie that bursts with so much originality that writing about it fails to do it justice. I remember when I first saw it. Appropriately, a new theater had opened in downtown Reno, and I had already watched Dogma there not long before I saw this. It looked impressive, having been built along the Truckee River and featuring a large lobby with above average offerings at the concession stand. The seats were very comfortable. I read a few reviews for the movie prior to seeing it, but nothing could have prepared me for its creative outburst and imaginative premise. I cannot emphasize enough how thrilled I was to see this. It further cemented 1999's position as one of the strongest years for movies of all time. When it was over, all I could do was watch the credits in admiration and contemplate the fates of its characters.
Monday, May 09, 2022
Bad Lieutenant (1992)
★★★★
Characteristic of an Abel Ferrera film, Bad Lieutenant is a gritty, dark crime story featuring a cop who has completely succumbed to his demons. He prowls the streets looking for ways to indulge his terrible habits, whether it's hard drugs, gambling or sexual harassment. As far as he's concerned, he has nowhere to go but down. Any chance he might have had to save himself is gone. When the opportunity presents itself, he will steal from crime scenes to fuel his descent even further. With his mind in a constant state of disarray, the cop can barely hold himself together as he pivots between his latest investigation and visiting his associates to obtain the only thing that matters to him anymore. His family is a distant reminder of how things used to be for him, while his position as a lieutenant puts him in position to manipulate everyone for his personal gain. He hasn't been happy for years.
Characteristic of an Abel Ferrera film, Bad Lieutenant is a gritty, dark crime story featuring a cop who has completely succumbed to his demons. He prowls the streets looking for ways to indulge his terrible habits, whether it's hard drugs, gambling or sexual harassment. As far as he's concerned, he has nowhere to go but down. Any chance he might have had to save himself is gone. When the opportunity presents itself, he will steal from crime scenes to fuel his descent even further. With his mind in a constant state of disarray, the cop can barely hold himself together as he pivots between his latest investigation and visiting his associates to obtain the only thing that matters to him anymore. His family is a distant reminder of how things used to be for him, while his position as a lieutenant puts him in position to manipulate everyone for his personal gain. He hasn't been happy for years.
Saturday, May 07, 2022
Forces of Nature (1999)
★½
Forces of Nature is a Planes, Trains and Automobiles retread, and not a very good one. The plot features two dissimilar characters stuck together on a road trip using a variety of conveyances to get to their destination. In what could have been resolved in a matter of minutes turns into an endless parade of mishaps. That's unfortunate, because Ben Affleck's performance is really good. He takes a weak script and salvages the story somewhat, but eventually he falls victim to the decisions made by writer Marc Lawrence and director Bronwen Hughes. Sandra Bullock, on the other hand, gives what is quite possibly the most irritating performance of her career.
Forces of Nature is a Planes, Trains and Automobiles retread, and not a very good one. The plot features two dissimilar characters stuck together on a road trip using a variety of conveyances to get to their destination. In what could have been resolved in a matter of minutes turns into an endless parade of mishaps. That's unfortunate, because Ben Affleck's performance is really good. He takes a weak script and salvages the story somewhat, but eventually he falls victim to the decisions made by writer Marc Lawrence and director Bronwen Hughes. Sandra Bullock, on the other hand, gives what is quite possibly the most irritating performance of her career.
Thursday, May 05, 2022
Top Gun (1986)
★★★
Tony Scott’s testosterone-fueled U.S. Navy recruiting film Top Gun promises to deliver the goods and does so with resounding glee. It’s as reckless as its main character, veering between exciting aerial dogfight scenes and characters who don’t really grow but react. It’s an early indicator that Tom Cruise could carry an action movie, something he would do well into his 50s with no sign of losing his step. It takes a risk by not featuring a traditional antagonist, despite its cold war themes, and instead internalizes the challenges for the hero to overcome. This works to a point. Watching the movie is the equivalent of downing a box of energy drinks, because once the adrenalin rush wears off all that’s left is the memory of what took place in the skies and that iconic soundtrack. Everything in between is largely filler.
Tony Scott’s testosterone-fueled U.S. Navy recruiting film Top Gun promises to deliver the goods and does so with resounding glee. It’s as reckless as its main character, veering between exciting aerial dogfight scenes and characters who don’t really grow but react. It’s an early indicator that Tom Cruise could carry an action movie, something he would do well into his 50s with no sign of losing his step. It takes a risk by not featuring a traditional antagonist, despite its cold war themes, and instead internalizes the challenges for the hero to overcome. This works to a point. Watching the movie is the equivalent of downing a box of energy drinks, because once the adrenalin rush wears off all that’s left is the memory of what took place in the skies and that iconic soundtrack. Everything in between is largely filler.
Tuesday, May 03, 2022
Party Girl (1995)
★★★
There’s an iconic photograph of Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s in the middle of a party. She stands still and smiles gleefully at the camera while revelers party on. The photo highlights the character’s position as the center of attention amidst the merrymaking. It is very likely that Holly didn’t know everyone around her. She was part of a scene, and she enjoyed it and thrived in it. It was a lifestyle. I thought about that photo as I watched Party Girl, featuring Parker Posey as a free spirit who throws raves and charges a fee so that she can pay the rent. Parker Posey—the Queen of the Indies who adorned video store shelves with a steady supply of movies throughout the ‘90s. By the end of the decade, she had starred in dozens of movies, most of which played at art houses, where she made her mark.
There’s an iconic photograph of Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s in the middle of a party. She stands still and smiles gleefully at the camera while revelers party on. The photo highlights the character’s position as the center of attention amidst the merrymaking. It is very likely that Holly didn’t know everyone around her. She was part of a scene, and she enjoyed it and thrived in it. It was a lifestyle. I thought about that photo as I watched Party Girl, featuring Parker Posey as a free spirit who throws raves and charges a fee so that she can pay the rent. Parker Posey—the Queen of the Indies who adorned video store shelves with a steady supply of movies throughout the ‘90s. By the end of the decade, she had starred in dozens of movies, most of which played at art houses, where she made her mark.
Monday, May 02, 2022
Father Stu (2022)
★★★
I applaud Mark Wahlberg’s determination to make films that he could show his kids. If this new direction in his career provides personal and spiritual fulfillment, then I hope the best for him, and I look forward to seeing what he has in store for us. I wish he didn’t regret his involvement in Boogie Nights (1997). It’s a masterpiece of writing and acting, with a soundtrack loaded with many iconic ‘70s and ‘80s hits, all incorporated seamlessly into the action. It helped solidify his position as a dependable leading man, one that was integral in shedding his Marky Mark persona. In making Father Stu, he invested millions of his own money into its production, much like Mel Gibson had done years earlier for his own faith-based film, The Passion of the Christ. (Getting Gibson to co-star was a smart decision.) It tells the story of Father Stuart Long, a former boxer who became a priest after a near death experience. Wahlberg has played gritty characters before, but this time he gets to bring one to redemption, displaying his range as an actor in the process. It’s a remarkable job.
I applaud Mark Wahlberg’s determination to make films that he could show his kids. If this new direction in his career provides personal and spiritual fulfillment, then I hope the best for him, and I look forward to seeing what he has in store for us. I wish he didn’t regret his involvement in Boogie Nights (1997). It’s a masterpiece of writing and acting, with a soundtrack loaded with many iconic ‘70s and ‘80s hits, all incorporated seamlessly into the action. It helped solidify his position as a dependable leading man, one that was integral in shedding his Marky Mark persona. In making Father Stu, he invested millions of his own money into its production, much like Mel Gibson had done years earlier for his own faith-based film, The Passion of the Christ. (Getting Gibson to co-star was a smart decision.) It tells the story of Father Stuart Long, a former boxer who became a priest after a near death experience. Wahlberg has played gritty characters before, but this time he gets to bring one to redemption, displaying his range as an actor in the process. It’s a remarkable job.
Friday, April 29, 2022
Police Story (1985)
★★
One of Jackie Chan’s biggest hits, Police Story (1985) is a wildly inventive martial arts movie with lots of action and thrilling chases. Using his signature style of fighting multiple enemies with any prop within reach, Chan is a master choreographer with an endless imagination. Throughout his career, he has staged fights in almost every imaginable scenario, often with a dash of humor throw in to make his movies accessible to all ages. It’s a formula that has served him well for many years and allowed him to gain worldwide recognition. Unfortunately, outside of Chan’s most devoted fanbase, Police Story is not likely to find much approval. The action is all there, and it’s terrific, but the slapstick is bad.
One of Jackie Chan’s biggest hits, Police Story (1985) is a wildly inventive martial arts movie with lots of action and thrilling chases. Using his signature style of fighting multiple enemies with any prop within reach, Chan is a master choreographer with an endless imagination. Throughout his career, he has staged fights in almost every imaginable scenario, often with a dash of humor throw in to make his movies accessible to all ages. It’s a formula that has served him well for many years and allowed him to gain worldwide recognition. Unfortunately, outside of Chan’s most devoted fanbase, Police Story is not likely to find much approval. The action is all there, and it’s terrific, but the slapstick is bad.
Monday, April 25, 2022
L.A. Confidential (1997)
★★★★
Lieutenant Detective Ed Exley interrogates a man suspected of murdering multiple people in a diner, among them a former cop. Exley has the suspect right where he wants him, or does he? There are two other suspects, and after he sorts through their stories, he realizes that he just uncovered another crime. He shifts his questioning to get answers about the location of a missing girl. This is a small sampling of how L.A. Confidential plays out. It’s a richly layered story taking place in 1950s Los Angeles, a city and era brought to life with Danny DeVito’s opening narration and Curtis Hanson’s brilliant direction. The aforementioned crimes intersect, but even then, it’s half the story. The movie features lots of detours and many characters with different agendas, yet Hanson juggles these elements effectively and it all comes together in a smashing conclusion.
Lieutenant Detective Ed Exley interrogates a man suspected of murdering multiple people in a diner, among them a former cop. Exley has the suspect right where he wants him, or does he? There are two other suspects, and after he sorts through their stories, he realizes that he just uncovered another crime. He shifts his questioning to get answers about the location of a missing girl. This is a small sampling of how L.A. Confidential plays out. It’s a richly layered story taking place in 1950s Los Angeles, a city and era brought to life with Danny DeVito’s opening narration and Curtis Hanson’s brilliant direction. The aforementioned crimes intersect, but even then, it’s half the story. The movie features lots of detours and many characters with different agendas, yet Hanson juggles these elements effectively and it all comes together in a smashing conclusion.
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Ambulance (2022)
★★★
Michael Bay is a good director when he just focuses on telling the story and resists his tendency to be in awe of his own vision. He demonstrated that with Pain & Gain and especially 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. He achieves that for the most part in Ambulance. There are times when he can’t help himself, though depending on how much you dislike Bay, that might apply to the whole movie. He was determined to make a tight action picture for little money, yet the final product suggests the studio wrote additional checks to cover Bay’s excesses. Like its titular vehicle, the movie careens wildly and recklessly. Despite the previews, I still wanted to see it. Despite the result, I’m glad I saw it. Whatever Bay’s faults, and there are many, he loves what he does. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, he got antsy and wanted to get out there and make something. While his Hollywood brethren are trolling social media and putting their political illiteracy on full display, Bay just wants to roll up his sleeves and make something entertaining. He can keep on doing it, just as long as he never sits in the director’s seat for the Transformers franchise ever again.
Michael Bay is a good director when he just focuses on telling the story and resists his tendency to be in awe of his own vision. He demonstrated that with Pain & Gain and especially 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. He achieves that for the most part in Ambulance. There are times when he can’t help himself, though depending on how much you dislike Bay, that might apply to the whole movie. He was determined to make a tight action picture for little money, yet the final product suggests the studio wrote additional checks to cover Bay’s excesses. Like its titular vehicle, the movie careens wildly and recklessly. Despite the previews, I still wanted to see it. Despite the result, I’m glad I saw it. Whatever Bay’s faults, and there are many, he loves what he does. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, he got antsy and wanted to get out there and make something. While his Hollywood brethren are trolling social media and putting their political illiteracy on full display, Bay just wants to roll up his sleeves and make something entertaining. He can keep on doing it, just as long as he never sits in the director’s seat for the Transformers franchise ever again.
Monday, April 18, 2022
The Other Sister (1999)
★½
Garry Marshall focused his career on making feel-good movies, but with The Other Sister he misfires by failing to deal with the difficult topic of mental impairment. His 1999 release stars Juliette Lewis as Carla Tate, a young woman with an undefined handicap that required her to go to a special school. Her parents and two sisters love her very much, but what should be a challenge for the whole family is reduced to the mother pulling her hair out over what’s best for Carla, creating dispute when none should exist. I’ll admit that I have very little experience working with the handicapped and the commitment involved. I volunteered for a few months in 2001 to provide Saturday morning recreational activities for the mentally disabled in my community, but that’s pretty much it. However, I do recognize when a movie is trying to pit characters against each other to create conflict. Conflict is essential in many movies, but it must arise naturally from characters who are fleshed out so that their dilemma makes sense. Marshall instead creates a playing field much like one of those generic vibrating football board games with plastic players that scamper in all directions.
Garry Marshall focused his career on making feel-good movies, but with The Other Sister he misfires by failing to deal with the difficult topic of mental impairment. His 1999 release stars Juliette Lewis as Carla Tate, a young woman with an undefined handicap that required her to go to a special school. Her parents and two sisters love her very much, but what should be a challenge for the whole family is reduced to the mother pulling her hair out over what’s best for Carla, creating dispute when none should exist. I’ll admit that I have very little experience working with the handicapped and the commitment involved. I volunteered for a few months in 2001 to provide Saturday morning recreational activities for the mentally disabled in my community, but that’s pretty much it. However, I do recognize when a movie is trying to pit characters against each other to create conflict. Conflict is essential in many movies, but it must arise naturally from characters who are fleshed out so that their dilemma makes sense. Marshall instead creates a playing field much like one of those generic vibrating football board games with plastic players that scamper in all directions.
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Night of the Living Dead: 30th Anniversary Edition (1999)
★½
The 30th anniversary edition of Night of the Living Dead will no doubt go down in history as one of filmdom's greatest oddities. In 1968, a group of Pittsburgh filmmakers made one of the scariest horror movies of all time. Night of the Living Dead was groundbreaking, influential and shocking all at once. It went on to continued success on video thanks to a missing copyright notice and eventually spawned two sequels. In 1998, for the film's 30th anniversary, original co-writer John A. Russo wrote and directed new scenes and inserted them into the original narrative. Not since the colorization of old movies have I heard of a more ludicrous form of film rape.
The 30th anniversary edition of Night of the Living Dead will no doubt go down in history as one of filmdom's greatest oddities. In 1968, a group of Pittsburgh filmmakers made one of the scariest horror movies of all time. Night of the Living Dead was groundbreaking, influential and shocking all at once. It went on to continued success on video thanks to a missing copyright notice and eventually spawned two sequels. In 1998, for the film's 30th anniversary, original co-writer John A. Russo wrote and directed new scenes and inserted them into the original narrative. Not since the colorization of old movies have I heard of a more ludicrous form of film rape.
Wednesday, April 06, 2022
Brother (2001)
★★
Brother made such an insignificant impact on me that only a few hours after seeing it, I have forgotten huge portions of it. This is a movie that will likely slip out from under you like a banana peel. Takeshi Kitano, the writer and director, gives us very little information on the plot. We're supposed to admire his technique, you see. His method here, as in his dull 1997 effort Fireworks, is to pause the action so that we can study the characters, to figure out what they're thinking and to allow the scene to sink in, before he jolts us with sudden and shocking violence. After about a dozen or so scenes like this, I grew impatient.
Brother made such an insignificant impact on me that only a few hours after seeing it, I have forgotten huge portions of it. This is a movie that will likely slip out from under you like a banana peel. Takeshi Kitano, the writer and director, gives us very little information on the plot. We're supposed to admire his technique, you see. His method here, as in his dull 1997 effort Fireworks, is to pause the action so that we can study the characters, to figure out what they're thinking and to allow the scene to sink in, before he jolts us with sudden and shocking violence. After about a dozen or so scenes like this, I grew impatient.
Tuesday, April 05, 2022
The Sweetest Thing (2002)
★★½
The Sweetest Thing has an immediate likeability about it. It's kind of sweet, has some funny scenes and the actresses are charming. After giving it some thought, though, I realized that because the movie takes place in the real world, the things that happen in it are far-fetched and included for the sake of shock value. Most of the blame for this can be placed with screenwriter Nancy Pimental. She also writes episodes of South Park, so I can only assume that the extreme sexual nature of The Sweetest Thing can be attributed to that show's influence.
The Sweetest Thing has an immediate likeability about it. It's kind of sweet, has some funny scenes and the actresses are charming. After giving it some thought, though, I realized that because the movie takes place in the real world, the things that happen in it are far-fetched and included for the sake of shock value. Most of the blame for this can be placed with screenwriter Nancy Pimental. She also writes episodes of South Park, so I can only assume that the extreme sexual nature of The Sweetest Thing can be attributed to that show's influence.
Friday, April 01, 2022
The Chaser (2009)
★★★★
The Chaser starts out as a routine thriller featuring a former cop, now a pimp, who uses his skills to track down a serial killer. It morphs into something more emotional, more raw, and takes twists that are devastating in their impact. The end is an outburst of pure anger, featuring a man driven to rage, gradually realizing the threat in front of him and the extent to which that threat has manifested itself. When it is over, the cop is exhausted, as are we. The story takes a toll on everyone.
The Chaser starts out as a routine thriller featuring a former cop, now a pimp, who uses his skills to track down a serial killer. It morphs into something more emotional, more raw, and takes twists that are devastating in their impact. The end is an outburst of pure anger, featuring a man driven to rage, gradually realizing the threat in front of him and the extent to which that threat has manifested itself. When it is over, the cop is exhausted, as are we. The story takes a toll on everyone.
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
King Arthur (2004)
★★★
If given a choice, I'll take John Boorman's version of the Arthurian legend, Excalibur, any day of the week over Antoine Fuqua's King Arthur. This new envisioning purports to be based on the actual historical figure who inspired the stories, but there are still plenty of routine plot elements present, right down to the hero and villain meeting on the battlefield, to raise a few eyebrows. The movie's accuracy is hardly the point, though. Writer David Franzoni took the characters we already know and gave them new backgrounds and incorporated them into a new adventure, to give us something unfamiliar to watch. It turned out to be pretty good, which surprised me. He'll probably tell you he was being faithful to true events, but as the opening caption tells us, recent archaeological discoveries have uncovered the true King Arthur. Since the evidence is recent, we hardly know the whole story. Give the archaeologists time to keep digging.
If given a choice, I'll take John Boorman's version of the Arthurian legend, Excalibur, any day of the week over Antoine Fuqua's King Arthur. This new envisioning purports to be based on the actual historical figure who inspired the stories, but there are still plenty of routine plot elements present, right down to the hero and villain meeting on the battlefield, to raise a few eyebrows. The movie's accuracy is hardly the point, though. Writer David Franzoni took the characters we already know and gave them new backgrounds and incorporated them into a new adventure, to give us something unfamiliar to watch. It turned out to be pretty good, which surprised me. He'll probably tell you he was being faithful to true events, but as the opening caption tells us, recent archaeological discoveries have uncovered the true King Arthur. Since the evidence is recent, we hardly know the whole story. Give the archaeologists time to keep digging.
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
The Batman (2022)
★★★½
Matt Reeves has a wonderfully creative mind. While a Batman reboot might normally be cause for alarm in this era of reboots, Reeve’s deft hand and clear vision guide this character into an exciting new direction. Clocking in at a sprawling 176 minutes, The Batman ditches any semblance of an origin story and gets straight to the point, much to our benefit. Rather than a protracted training and equipping sequence, the movie dives right into an intriguing narrative involving high-profile murders, police corruption, mobsters, detective work and a long-overdue appearance by The Riddler, who gets a serious upgrade from his previous incarnations. He’s meaner, more menacing and more threatening than he’s ever been.
Matt Reeves has a wonderfully creative mind. While a Batman reboot might normally be cause for alarm in this era of reboots, Reeve’s deft hand and clear vision guide this character into an exciting new direction. Clocking in at a sprawling 176 minutes, The Batman ditches any semblance of an origin story and gets straight to the point, much to our benefit. Rather than a protracted training and equipping sequence, the movie dives right into an intriguing narrative involving high-profile murders, police corruption, mobsters, detective work and a long-overdue appearance by The Riddler, who gets a serious upgrade from his previous incarnations. He’s meaner, more menacing and more threatening than he’s ever been.
Wednesday, March 02, 2022
Michael Moore Hates America (2004)
★★★
In 2004, I didn’t believe that Michael Moore hated America. Now I’m not so sure. He is a filmmaker who uses the documentary format to tell stories and advance his viewpoint. He’s shameless about it. It worked in Roger & Me and The Big One. By the time Fahrenheit 9/11 came out, he had morphed into a pompous imbecile who presented events in his films that were completely detached from reality. It’s interesting to chart the evolution of his career, to watch him maintaining his everyman act but appearing in increasingly absurd situations that have become more obvious as the years progressed. When he couldn’t fall any lower, he did with Sicko, in which he abandoned all pretensions of a man searching for the truth. He is actually a man who will manipulate events to his liking and employ whatever means necessary, no matter how unscrupulous, to achieve his objectives. Maybe this is the man who was there all along. Perhaps The Big One, his most authentic film, was to get us to drop our guard and make way for the liar within him.
In 2004, I didn’t believe that Michael Moore hated America. Now I’m not so sure. He is a filmmaker who uses the documentary format to tell stories and advance his viewpoint. He’s shameless about it. It worked in Roger & Me and The Big One. By the time Fahrenheit 9/11 came out, he had morphed into a pompous imbecile who presented events in his films that were completely detached from reality. It’s interesting to chart the evolution of his career, to watch him maintaining his everyman act but appearing in increasingly absurd situations that have become more obvious as the years progressed. When he couldn’t fall any lower, he did with Sicko, in which he abandoned all pretensions of a man searching for the truth. He is actually a man who will manipulate events to his liking and employ whatever means necessary, no matter how unscrupulous, to achieve his objectives. Maybe this is the man who was there all along. Perhaps The Big One, his most authentic film, was to get us to drop our guard and make way for the liar within him.
Sunday, February 20, 2022
Scorched (2003)
★★★
Scorched came and went so fast it passed virtually unnoticed in the public's eye. At first sight, that doesn't seem like a big deal. Receiving top billing are Alicia Silverstone and Rachael Leigh Cook, two actresses who delivered terrific performances in their respective breakout movies but have since slipped into obscurity with few successes after their initial brush with fame.
Scorched came and went so fast it passed virtually unnoticed in the public's eye. At first sight, that doesn't seem like a big deal. Receiving top billing are Alicia Silverstone and Rachael Leigh Cook, two actresses who delivered terrific performances in their respective breakout movies but have since slipped into obscurity with few successes after their initial brush with fame.
Willy's Wonderland (2021)
★★★
Good for Nicolas Cage for making oddball movies like Willy’s Wonderland. One could argue that his peak years are behind him, but… are they really? A combination of financial issues and perhaps a desire to seek out imaginative projects has led to an interesting late-career trajectory into low-profile high-concept territory. Though many of these efforts have gone straight to video and are of variable quality, there are hidden gems to be found. The path he has taken is the complete opposite of Bruce Willis, who has appeared in such a staggering number direct-to-video garbage that a rare theatrical appearance at this point would be an accident. Cage, on the other hand, still displays a passion for acting, and we can all benefit from his decision.
Good for Nicolas Cage for making oddball movies like Willy’s Wonderland. One could argue that his peak years are behind him, but… are they really? A combination of financial issues and perhaps a desire to seek out imaginative projects has led to an interesting late-career trajectory into low-profile high-concept territory. Though many of these efforts have gone straight to video and are of variable quality, there are hidden gems to be found. The path he has taken is the complete opposite of Bruce Willis, who has appeared in such a staggering number direct-to-video garbage that a rare theatrical appearance at this point would be an accident. Cage, on the other hand, still displays a passion for acting, and we can all benefit from his decision.
Thursday, February 17, 2022
A Quiet Place Part II (2021)
★★★
A Quiet Place Part II picks up right where the previous film left off, carries over the strengths of that movie, and expands its world to include other survivors. It opens with a fantastic sequence that reveals the origin of the aliens and establishes how they quickly took over the planet. It leaves a few breadcrumbs behind for a potential sequel, which will hopefully delve more deeply into how the aliens got here. There are still questions that I had when it was over, but I’m confident Part III will tackle these and more when it comes around. This movie is better than the first one and shows that writer/director John Krasinski has a good idea of where to take this story.
A Quiet Place Part II picks up right where the previous film left off, carries over the strengths of that movie, and expands its world to include other survivors. It opens with a fantastic sequence that reveals the origin of the aliens and establishes how they quickly took over the planet. It leaves a few breadcrumbs behind for a potential sequel, which will hopefully delve more deeply into how the aliens got here. There are still questions that I had when it was over, but I’m confident Part III will tackle these and more when it comes around. This movie is better than the first one and shows that writer/director John Krasinski has a good idea of where to take this story.
The Raid: Redemption (2012)
★½
The Raid: Redemption is a con job. It’s like the friend who buys a new car and takes you for a spin to show it off only to have it break down on the freeway. The story involves an elite police squad in Jakarta that descends on a 15-story apartment building to arrest a drug lord, all the while contending with his henchmen the whole way up. It’s an interesting concept, but the movie emphasizes its fight scenes so much that it capsizes. The story just wasn’t developed well enough to provide any compelling reason for this risky mission. As a result, there are lots of fights, lots of deaths, lots of bullets, but it adds up to nothing.
The Raid: Redemption is a con job. It’s like the friend who buys a new car and takes you for a spin to show it off only to have it break down on the freeway. The story involves an elite police squad in Jakarta that descends on a 15-story apartment building to arrest a drug lord, all the while contending with his henchmen the whole way up. It’s an interesting concept, but the movie emphasizes its fight scenes so much that it capsizes. The story just wasn’t developed well enough to provide any compelling reason for this risky mission. As a result, there are lots of fights, lots of deaths, lots of bullets, but it adds up to nothing.
Friday, February 11, 2022
Jawbreaker (1999)
★★
A black comedy fusion of Clueless and Heathers, Jawbreaker falls short of both. Darren Stein’s tale of high school murder and revenge isn’t nearly as clever as it thinks it is and relies on a heavy dosage of in-sync dialogue delivery and creative cutting to carry the day. It isn’t boring, and sometimes it’s amusing, but once the subterfuge wears off, all that’s left is a forgettable story of insignificant impact. Only two weeks after this movie’s release came Cruel Intentions, another twisted high school tale, but one that was much more satisfying, with an ending that worked because that movie’s villainess was fully fleshed out, while Jawbreaker’s Courtney is the result of a script run amok.
A black comedy fusion of Clueless and Heathers, Jawbreaker falls short of both. Darren Stein’s tale of high school murder and revenge isn’t nearly as clever as it thinks it is and relies on a heavy dosage of in-sync dialogue delivery and creative cutting to carry the day. It isn’t boring, and sometimes it’s amusing, but once the subterfuge wears off, all that’s left is a forgettable story of insignificant impact. Only two weeks after this movie’s release came Cruel Intentions, another twisted high school tale, but one that was much more satisfying, with an ending that worked because that movie’s villainess was fully fleshed out, while Jawbreaker’s Courtney is the result of a script run amok.
Tuesday, February 08, 2022
Yor, the Hunter from the Future (1983)
½ star
Riding the wave generated by the success of Conan the Barbarian, Yor, The Hunter from the Future is a film so cheesy it'll make your stomach turn from overexposure. According to the good old Internet Movie Database, this was edited down from a four-part Italian miniseries. The American version clocks in at a mighty 90 minutes, thereby reducing the amount of cheese hurled at viewers. This movie is hideous from start to finish, a film featuring insipid dialogue, poor acting and nasty makeup. The hero looks like a Ken doll come to life, while the enemies range from hairy Papa Smurfs to cheap knockoffs of Darth Vader. Actually, Yor may have provided the model for Dark Helmet in Spaceballs.
Riding the wave generated by the success of Conan the Barbarian, Yor, The Hunter from the Future is a film so cheesy it'll make your stomach turn from overexposure. According to the good old Internet Movie Database, this was edited down from a four-part Italian miniseries. The American version clocks in at a mighty 90 minutes, thereby reducing the amount of cheese hurled at viewers. This movie is hideous from start to finish, a film featuring insipid dialogue, poor acting and nasty makeup. The hero looks like a Ken doll come to life, while the enemies range from hairy Papa Smurfs to cheap knockoffs of Darth Vader. Actually, Yor may have provided the model for Dark Helmet in Spaceballs.
Passengers (2016)
★★★½
Passengers is exciting not just because of the action but because it carefully examines the full effect of the unenviable dilemma of its characters. Like 2004’s Open Water or the 2010 Ryan Reynolds one-man show Buried, Passengers features a small cast stranded far from help and having only limited means to survive the predicament. These movies live and die by the strength of the actors, and by that I mean their ability to convey the psychological breakdown and hopelessness of their characters. Open Water was about two scuba divers stranded in the middle of the ocean. That premise all by itself is bound to cause anxiety. Now imagine that on a whole other level, like stranding two passengers on a spaceship that still has 90 years to go to its destination. It’s a fantastic idea.
Passengers is exciting not just because of the action but because it carefully examines the full effect of the unenviable dilemma of its characters. Like 2004’s Open Water or the 2010 Ryan Reynolds one-man show Buried, Passengers features a small cast stranded far from help and having only limited means to survive the predicament. These movies live and die by the strength of the actors, and by that I mean their ability to convey the psychological breakdown and hopelessness of their characters. Open Water was about two scuba divers stranded in the middle of the ocean. That premise all by itself is bound to cause anxiety. Now imagine that on a whole other level, like stranding two passengers on a spaceship that still has 90 years to go to its destination. It’s a fantastic idea.
Monday, February 07, 2022
Bumblebee (2018)
★★★½
After five mind-numbing Transformers movies by Michael Bay, we finally get the movie we should have gotten right from the get-go. Bay, a good director when he isn’t trying to create large-scale spectacles, thankfully steps aside and allows someone else to take the reins, which is the best thing he could have done for this franchise. Now, under the patient and sure-handed supervision of Travis Knight, the Transformers find themselves in a movie worthy of their passionate fanbase. Bumblebee, from a script by Christina Hodson, reboots the series, erasing the Bay universe from existence and gives us a fresh take on the longtime war on Cybertron. I can’t emphasize enough how much this movie needed to happen. I don’t dislike Michael Bay. Pain & Gain and especially 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi represent Bay at his best, and the upcoming Ambulance looks promising, but he was all wrong for the Transformers. He didn’t respect the material. Knight and Hodson, on the other hand, totally get it. Their movie is hopefully a positive sign of things to come.
After five mind-numbing Transformers movies by Michael Bay, we finally get the movie we should have gotten right from the get-go. Bay, a good director when he isn’t trying to create large-scale spectacles, thankfully steps aside and allows someone else to take the reins, which is the best thing he could have done for this franchise. Now, under the patient and sure-handed supervision of Travis Knight, the Transformers find themselves in a movie worthy of their passionate fanbase. Bumblebee, from a script by Christina Hodson, reboots the series, erasing the Bay universe from existence and gives us a fresh take on the longtime war on Cybertron. I can’t emphasize enough how much this movie needed to happen. I don’t dislike Michael Bay. Pain & Gain and especially 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi represent Bay at his best, and the upcoming Ambulance looks promising, but he was all wrong for the Transformers. He didn’t respect the material. Knight and Hodson, on the other hand, totally get it. Their movie is hopefully a positive sign of things to come.
Sunday, February 06, 2022
A Quiet Place (2018)
★★½
A Quiet Place is an effective little horror movie that offers an interesting challenge for its characters, then comes up with ways for them to negotiate that challenge that range from subtlety clever to downright ingenious. The horrifying scenario presented here could have been rife with standard fright movie set pieces, yet co-writer and director John Krasinski wants to set the tone with atmosphere and silence, and he wants us to be patient as events unfold. The result is a satisfying thriller, though imperfect, which is unfortunate.
A Quiet Place is an effective little horror movie that offers an interesting challenge for its characters, then comes up with ways for them to negotiate that challenge that range from subtlety clever to downright ingenious. The horrifying scenario presented here could have been rife with standard fright movie set pieces, yet co-writer and director John Krasinski wants to set the tone with atmosphere and silence, and he wants us to be patient as events unfold. The result is a satisfying thriller, though imperfect, which is unfortunate.
American Siege (2022)
½ star
There might come a time for serious discussion on whether Bruce Willis tarnished his legacy. Starting in 2014, he has relentlessly (and shamelessly) churned out a number of direct-to-video movies of dreadful quality, supposedly only working for a few days at a time before moving on to the next paycheck. I’m sure it’s fun to make money by working as little as possible, but Willis doesn’t appear to be enjoying himself. In exchange for easy money, he gives us wooden performances and stilted dialogue. Nicolas Cage has also been making a lot of obscure movies lately, but he still makes interesting choices, and his performances show that he brings his “A” game no matter what. Willis looks like he’d rather be somewhere else, but here he is anyway.
There might come a time for serious discussion on whether Bruce Willis tarnished his legacy. Starting in 2014, he has relentlessly (and shamelessly) churned out a number of direct-to-video movies of dreadful quality, supposedly only working for a few days at a time before moving on to the next paycheck. I’m sure it’s fun to make money by working as little as possible, but Willis doesn’t appear to be enjoying himself. In exchange for easy money, he gives us wooden performances and stilted dialogue. Nicolas Cage has also been making a lot of obscure movies lately, but he still makes interesting choices, and his performances show that he brings his “A” game no matter what. Willis looks like he’d rather be somewhere else, but here he is anyway.
Friday, February 04, 2022
Moonfall (2022)
★★★
I read somewhere that after 2012, Roland Emmerich would be finished with disaster movies. Indeed, how could he top that? He returned anyway with Independence Day: Resurgence, not only breaking that pledge but also delivering his weakest movie by far. It was not his finest hour, that’s for sure. Was he out of ideas? After every kind of disaster imaginable, what else was left for him to toss at us? An asteroid? Michael Bay hit us over the head with that one. This kind of movie is his calling card, and I suppose we’re better off with him at the helm. After trying something different, like the solid Midway, Emmerich is back, unable to stay away from the genre he knows best. One thing he hasn’t tried yet was crashing the moon into the earth, an event humans couldn’t possibly survive. Therein lies the challenge. How exactly is he going to show us such a gargantuan spectacle while sparing humanity from extinction? Leave it to Emmerich to find a way.
I read somewhere that after 2012, Roland Emmerich would be finished with disaster movies. Indeed, how could he top that? He returned anyway with Independence Day: Resurgence, not only breaking that pledge but also delivering his weakest movie by far. It was not his finest hour, that’s for sure. Was he out of ideas? After every kind of disaster imaginable, what else was left for him to toss at us? An asteroid? Michael Bay hit us over the head with that one. This kind of movie is his calling card, and I suppose we’re better off with him at the helm. After trying something different, like the solid Midway, Emmerich is back, unable to stay away from the genre he knows best. One thing he hasn’t tried yet was crashing the moon into the earth, an event humans couldn’t possibly survive. Therein lies the challenge. How exactly is he going to show us such a gargantuan spectacle while sparing humanity from extinction? Leave it to Emmerich to find a way.
Her (2013)
★★★½
Spike Jonze doesn't direct many movies, but when he does he is guaranteed to give us something amazing. Even his weaker efforts (Where the Wild Things Are) have something to offer. He cut his teeth on music videos before getting his big chance to direct a feature. What a debut it was. Being John Malkovich (1999) is a masterpiece. It still resonates with me over 20 years later. It was fascinated with the thrill one could gain by temporarily escaping one’s own identity and live another life completely. Imagine being an introvert and suddenly thrust into a new body. You could behave in an entirely different manner and take risks that you wouldn’t otherwise take. Her, Jonze’s most recent movie, is along the same lines, and is his best project since that magnificent debut.
Spike Jonze doesn't direct many movies, but when he does he is guaranteed to give us something amazing. Even his weaker efforts (Where the Wild Things Are) have something to offer. He cut his teeth on music videos before getting his big chance to direct a feature. What a debut it was. Being John Malkovich (1999) is a masterpiece. It still resonates with me over 20 years later. It was fascinated with the thrill one could gain by temporarily escaping one’s own identity and live another life completely. Imagine being an introvert and suddenly thrust into a new body. You could behave in an entirely different manner and take risks that you wouldn’t otherwise take. Her, Jonze’s most recent movie, is along the same lines, and is his best project since that magnificent debut.
Monday, January 31, 2022
Norma Jean and Marilyn (1996)
★½
I admit that I know very little of the life of Marilyn Monroe. Nonetheless, I think I can safely say that Norma Jean and Marilyn does her little justice. The movie doesn't go wrong in the acting or the directing, but in the material itself. Jill Isaacs's screenplay gives us a Marilyn Monroe who was pathetic and stupid. There's no hint of the legendary actress at her best. We see no indication that she was talented. Instead, we see a loser who slept her way to the top and trampled on everyone who got in her way.
I admit that I know very little of the life of Marilyn Monroe. Nonetheless, I think I can safely say that Norma Jean and Marilyn does her little justice. The movie doesn't go wrong in the acting or the directing, but in the material itself. Jill Isaacs's screenplay gives us a Marilyn Monroe who was pathetic and stupid. There's no hint of the legendary actress at her best. We see no indication that she was talented. Instead, we see a loser who slept her way to the top and trampled on everyone who got in her way.
Sunday, January 30, 2022
The Wedding Singer (1998)
★★★
The Wedding Singer was the first sign that Adam Sandler had the talent to sustain interest and carry a movie confidently on his shoulders. I never watched Saturday Night Live and was unfamiliar with his work there. I am familiar with Billy Madison, which had its moments but was still a lame comedy about a temperamental man-child. Sandler had a pretty good idea of what people found funny, no matter the quality of the story or the execution, and he milked that desire shamelessly. Billy Madison came out in 1995, a year after Jim Carey’s obnoxious Ace Ventura: Pet Detective became a big hit. The blueprint was there for others to follow. For Sandler, it was just good business to ride that wave, even if the product was artistically lacking. That said, the previews for his 1998 film The Wedding Singer looked promising. Was Sandler using this vehicle to challenge himself? It’s worth considering.
The Wedding Singer was the first sign that Adam Sandler had the talent to sustain interest and carry a movie confidently on his shoulders. I never watched Saturday Night Live and was unfamiliar with his work there. I am familiar with Billy Madison, which had its moments but was still a lame comedy about a temperamental man-child. Sandler had a pretty good idea of what people found funny, no matter the quality of the story or the execution, and he milked that desire shamelessly. Billy Madison came out in 1995, a year after Jim Carey’s obnoxious Ace Ventura: Pet Detective became a big hit. The blueprint was there for others to follow. For Sandler, it was just good business to ride that wave, even if the product was artistically lacking. That said, the previews for his 1998 film The Wedding Singer looked promising. Was Sandler using this vehicle to challenge himself? It’s worth considering.
Friday, January 28, 2022
Overboard (2018)
★★½
Against all odds, this 2018 remake of 1987’s Overboard rises above the current wave of remakes and reboots despite swapping the male/female roles of the original. Instead of Kurt Russell’s sweaty carpenter we get Anna Farris’s pizza delivery woman slash carpet cleaner slash aspiring nurse. Instead of Goldie Hawn’s spoiled rich girl we get Eugenio Derbez’s womanizing party animal (and spoiled rich boy) Leonardo Montenegro, with the yacht imported over since falling overboard is one of the common threads uniting the two movies. It works because, among other reasons, instead of simply dumping opposite-sex actors into familiar roles, the movie plays to their strengths and anticipates our expectations. When Derbez’s character finds himself on a construction job, his coworkers notice his soft hands. He’s never worked a day in his life.
Against all odds, this 2018 remake of 1987’s Overboard rises above the current wave of remakes and reboots despite swapping the male/female roles of the original. Instead of Kurt Russell’s sweaty carpenter we get Anna Farris’s pizza delivery woman slash carpet cleaner slash aspiring nurse. Instead of Goldie Hawn’s spoiled rich girl we get Eugenio Derbez’s womanizing party animal (and spoiled rich boy) Leonardo Montenegro, with the yacht imported over since falling overboard is one of the common threads uniting the two movies. It works because, among other reasons, instead of simply dumping opposite-sex actors into familiar roles, the movie plays to their strengths and anticipates our expectations. When Derbez’s character finds himself on a construction job, his coworkers notice his soft hands. He’s never worked a day in his life.
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Levity (2003)
★★★★
Levity is about a man with a wound so deep that he can't emerge from it and put the past behind him. Twenty-three years prior, Manuel Jordan (Billy Bob Thornton) killed a man in a robbery and spent those years behind bars. He admits that he likes prison, and he doesn't want to leave. He knows that he has done a terrible thing; he feels bad for it and having his life sentence shortened for good behavior was never his wish. As far as he's concerned, he deserves prison, but a review board doesn't agree. Manuel Jordan is a free man.
Levity is about a man with a wound so deep that he can't emerge from it and put the past behind him. Twenty-three years prior, Manuel Jordan (Billy Bob Thornton) killed a man in a robbery and spent those years behind bars. He admits that he likes prison, and he doesn't want to leave. He knows that he has done a terrible thing; he feels bad for it and having his life sentence shortened for good behavior was never his wish. As far as he's concerned, he deserves prison, but a review board doesn't agree. Manuel Jordan is a free man.
Exiled (2007)
★★½
Macau is an amazing city. I had the privilege of visiting in 2017. It’s a city steeped in history, with its Portuguese colonial architecture, breathtaking casinos and the amazing Ruins of Saint Paul’s. The Macau Tower is a sight to behold. Few movies are wholly set in Macau. James Bond passed through a few times, while Hong Kong cinema will occasionally drop in now and then. Director Johnnie To has been here before (Fulltime Killer), and he set his 2007 film Exiled in the former colony. This is an effective if somewhat muted Triad crime film taking place in 1998, the year prior to the administrative handover from Portugal to China.
Macau is an amazing city. I had the privilege of visiting in 2017. It’s a city steeped in history, with its Portuguese colonial architecture, breathtaking casinos and the amazing Ruins of Saint Paul’s. The Macau Tower is a sight to behold. Few movies are wholly set in Macau. James Bond passed through a few times, while Hong Kong cinema will occasionally drop in now and then. Director Johnnie To has been here before (Fulltime Killer), and he set his 2007 film Exiled in the former colony. This is an effective if somewhat muted Triad crime film taking place in 1998, the year prior to the administrative handover from Portugal to China.
Sunday, January 23, 2022
The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)
★★½
The Kentucky Fried Movie is the first effort by the ZAZ team, which consisted of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. Throughout the '80s and into the early '90s, these men wrote and directed some of the funniest movies ever made. Though they didn’t develop the idea of the cinematic parody, they used it frequently as the method to deliver their jokes. They would pick genres or current events and apply a humorous spin on them. This approach resulted in their best work, Top Secret! and The Naked Gun.
The Kentucky Fried Movie is the first effort by the ZAZ team, which consisted of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. Throughout the '80s and into the early '90s, these men wrote and directed some of the funniest movies ever made. Though they didn’t develop the idea of the cinematic parody, they used it frequently as the method to deliver their jokes. They would pick genres or current events and apply a humorous spin on them. This approach resulted in their best work, Top Secret! and The Naked Gun.
Saturday, January 22, 2022
Piranha (1978)
½ star
Everyone has to start somewhere. For Joe Dante and John Sayles, Piranha gave the young filmmakers the opportunity to work on their craft in a throwaway horror movie, allowing them to get their foot in the door before moving on to better things—much better things like Gremlins and Limbo. Ditto for special effects legends Phil Tippett and Rob Bottin, who supplied the stop-motion animation and gory makeup here before showcasing their talent in Robocop and Starship Troopers. Those titles came later. For now, we have to deal with this mess. Piranha is dreadful, with bad dialogue, questionable decision-making and insane plotting. Only the climactic gorefest brings any suspense to the story. Beyond that, this is a disaster.
Everyone has to start somewhere. For Joe Dante and John Sayles, Piranha gave the young filmmakers the opportunity to work on their craft in a throwaway horror movie, allowing them to get their foot in the door before moving on to better things—much better things like Gremlins and Limbo. Ditto for special effects legends Phil Tippett and Rob Bottin, who supplied the stop-motion animation and gory makeup here before showcasing their talent in Robocop and Starship Troopers. Those titles came later. For now, we have to deal with this mess. Piranha is dreadful, with bad dialogue, questionable decision-making and insane plotting. Only the climactic gorefest brings any suspense to the story. Beyond that, this is a disaster.
Friday, January 21, 2022
I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
★★★
The level of vitriol leveled at I Spit on Your Grave during its initial release in 1980 (after a smaller release in 1978 under the original title Day of the Woman) ensured not only its notoriety but also its longevity. While other grindhouse movies have come and gone, Meir Zarchi’s rape-and-revenge film refuses to go away, inspiring an awful remake with two sequels, as well as its own official sequel released in 2019. Contemporary reviews blasted it, while retrospective reviews have attempted to analyze the movie in a new light. This is a dark tale. There is no way to enjoy this experience, nor should there be. There is simply to watch and ask why. Don’t read into the subtext (there is little) or deconstruct the events or characters (they are too simplistic for that). The actors are the director’s props, on hand to give form to his own outrage following an up-close encounter with a rape victim.
The level of vitriol leveled at I Spit on Your Grave during its initial release in 1980 (after a smaller release in 1978 under the original title Day of the Woman) ensured not only its notoriety but also its longevity. While other grindhouse movies have come and gone, Meir Zarchi’s rape-and-revenge film refuses to go away, inspiring an awful remake with two sequels, as well as its own official sequel released in 2019. Contemporary reviews blasted it, while retrospective reviews have attempted to analyze the movie in a new light. This is a dark tale. There is no way to enjoy this experience, nor should there be. There is simply to watch and ask why. Don’t read into the subtext (there is little) or deconstruct the events or characters (they are too simplistic for that). The actors are the director’s props, on hand to give form to his own outrage following an up-close encounter with a rape victim.
Saturday, January 15, 2022
Scream (2022)
★★
I once wrote, in my review for Scream 3, that I hope there isn’t another installment. Years later, there was another installment, Scre4m, which turned out to be a strong entry in the series. Now I’m going to say it again. I hope there isn’t a Scream 6, because Scream (not called Scream 5), is a weak entry. While it cleverly tackles the latest trend of soft reboots (as seen in Star Wars and Jurassic Park) and the motivation for making them and featuring a Ghostface killer who follows the rules for soft reboot storytelling, the movie plods along, devolving into a standard slasher affair instead of rising above it. The first, second and fourth installments managed to incorporate the formulaic construction of slasher movies into gripping stories. This one, and part 3, fall victim to their source material.
I once wrote, in my review for Scream 3, that I hope there isn’t another installment. Years later, there was another installment, Scre4m, which turned out to be a strong entry in the series. Now I’m going to say it again. I hope there isn’t a Scream 6, because Scream (not called Scream 5), is a weak entry. While it cleverly tackles the latest trend of soft reboots (as seen in Star Wars and Jurassic Park) and the motivation for making them and featuring a Ghostface killer who follows the rules for soft reboot storytelling, the movie plods along, devolving into a standard slasher affair instead of rising above it. The first, second and fourth installments managed to incorporate the formulaic construction of slasher movies into gripping stories. This one, and part 3, fall victim to their source material.
Tremors (1990)
★★★½
Tremors is one of those amazing success stories in modern film. When it was released in 1990, it received good reviews, but it wasn't successful at the box office. That's where the beauty of home video comes in. Many times over the years, this format has elevated films from mediocre release to cult status. Friday and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery are two recent examples of movies that were wildly popular on video after unimpressive showings in theaters.
Tremors is one of those amazing success stories in modern film. When it was released in 1990, it received good reviews, but it wasn't successful at the box office. That's where the beauty of home video comes in. Many times over the years, this format has elevated films from mediocre release to cult status. Friday and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery are two recent examples of movies that were wildly popular on video after unimpressive showings in theaters.
Thursday, January 13, 2022
Hide and Seek (2005)
★★½
Robert De Niro is once again at the center of mysterious circumstances, which could be undone by a simple revelation that asks us to rethink everything in the film and reassemble it to form a new picture. The actor took part in the best twist ending I've ever seen, in Alan Parker's bloody Angel Heart, and here he is again to participate in another mind-boggler, only this time he's at the receiving end. His daughter, played by Dakota Fanning, has an imaginary friend named Charlie, who is responsible for the poltergeist-style haunting of his new home.
Robert De Niro is once again at the center of mysterious circumstances, which could be undone by a simple revelation that asks us to rethink everything in the film and reassemble it to form a new picture. The actor took part in the best twist ending I've ever seen, in Alan Parker's bloody Angel Heart, and here he is again to participate in another mind-boggler, only this time he's at the receiving end. His daughter, played by Dakota Fanning, has an imaginary friend named Charlie, who is responsible for the poltergeist-style haunting of his new home.
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
In the Company of Men (1997)
★★★½
I read my one-star review of In the Company of Men before writing this update. I saw it years ago, when I was still fresh out of college and barely into a career job. This movie’s themes were largely foreign to me. I compared it unfavorably to Tootsie, “…which does a much better job of examining the challenges women must face in the workplace, as well as how men act in each other's company, and how some men change face when around women.” I also compared it to Welcome to the Dollhouse, “…another movie about cruel people picking on an outcast. That movie was far superior because director Todd Solandz placed our sympathies and focus on the teenage girl character who was the subject of torment.” Seeing Neil LaBute’s movie now, years later, is like looking into my past. Aaron Eckhart’s Chad is one of the slimiest characters ever written. It is with great misfortunate that I’ve encountered his type.
I read my one-star review of In the Company of Men before writing this update. I saw it years ago, when I was still fresh out of college and barely into a career job. This movie’s themes were largely foreign to me. I compared it unfavorably to Tootsie, “…which does a much better job of examining the challenges women must face in the workplace, as well as how men act in each other's company, and how some men change face when around women.” I also compared it to Welcome to the Dollhouse, “…another movie about cruel people picking on an outcast. That movie was far superior because director Todd Solandz placed our sympathies and focus on the teenage girl character who was the subject of torment.” Seeing Neil LaBute’s movie now, years later, is like looking into my past. Aaron Eckhart’s Chad is one of the slimiest characters ever written. It is with great misfortunate that I’ve encountered his type.
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D (2005)
½ star
The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D is bad enough already, but the addition of 3-D effects makes it worse. I don't know what Robert Rodriguez's fixation is with 3-D, and I don't care to understand it. Most of his film is very dark, with heightened shadow detail and pale-skinned characters. This is because we have to wear those ancient blue and red glasses, which create the desired three-dimensional effects, but also dominate over every other color on the screen. It looks like we're watching the movie through a stained-glass window.
The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D is bad enough already, but the addition of 3-D effects makes it worse. I don't know what Robert Rodriguez's fixation is with 3-D, and I don't care to understand it. Most of his film is very dark, with heightened shadow detail and pale-skinned characters. This is because we have to wear those ancient blue and red glasses, which create the desired three-dimensional effects, but also dominate over every other color on the screen. It looks like we're watching the movie through a stained-glass window.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)
★★½
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a refreshing return to the source material to create a movie that fans will instantly recognize. Rather than introduce new characters and situations, writer/director Johannes Roberts faithfully brings the stories of the first two video games of the series to the big screen, perhaps because he sensed how tired the Paul W.S. Anderson adaptations were getting by the end. It’s a commendable goal. Anderson jettisoned much of the series’ mythology in favor of his own narrative, and though his formula was financially successful (his movies grossed over $1 billion), it nevertheless felt like something was lacking. Anderson’s series peaked at the third entry (Resident Evil: Extinction) and went on the decline afterwards, with each installment making enough money to justify another sequel without any sense of direction on where to take it all.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a refreshing return to the source material to create a movie that fans will instantly recognize. Rather than introduce new characters and situations, writer/director Johannes Roberts faithfully brings the stories of the first two video games of the series to the big screen, perhaps because he sensed how tired the Paul W.S. Anderson adaptations were getting by the end. It’s a commendable goal. Anderson jettisoned much of the series’ mythology in favor of his own narrative, and though his formula was financially successful (his movies grossed over $1 billion), it nevertheless felt like something was lacking. Anderson’s series peaked at the third entry (Resident Evil: Extinction) and went on the decline afterwards, with each installment making enough money to justify another sequel without any sense of direction on where to take it all.
Friday, January 07, 2022
Escape Plan (2013)
★★★½
This was a long time coming. Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the two action stars of the ‘80s and sometime rivals, finally appear together in a movie worthy of their reputations. Better late than never, I say. Escape Plan catches these two at the right moment in their careers. Not in their prime but still capable of projecting forceful characters on screen, Stallone and Schwarzenegger bring with them the grizzled appearances of men who have been around the block. This movie could not have been made in the ‘80s. They were too young and too amped up with adrenaline. The ‘90s? Probably, but Stallone’s missteps (The Specialist, Judge Dredd) could have doomed a potential pairing. In the ‘00s, Stallone was making a comeback with his two iconic characters Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, while Schwarzenegger became the California governor. By the time he left office, the failure of Collateral Damage was long enough in the past that by 2013, the time was right to bring these two together finally.
This was a long time coming. Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the two action stars of the ‘80s and sometime rivals, finally appear together in a movie worthy of their reputations. Better late than never, I say. Escape Plan catches these two at the right moment in their careers. Not in their prime but still capable of projecting forceful characters on screen, Stallone and Schwarzenegger bring with them the grizzled appearances of men who have been around the block. This movie could not have been made in the ‘80s. They were too young and too amped up with adrenaline. The ‘90s? Probably, but Stallone’s missteps (The Specialist, Judge Dredd) could have doomed a potential pairing. In the ‘00s, Stallone was making a comeback with his two iconic characters Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, while Schwarzenegger became the California governor. By the time he left office, the failure of Collateral Damage was long enough in the past that by 2013, the time was right to bring these two together finally.
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Update on Site
Due to health issues and upcoming surgery, I have not added new reviews recently. I hope to start again in 2024, but for now I'm takin...
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