Dave Reviews Movies Part 7
I think by now we all know why we’re here, so let us cut through the claptrap and continue reviewing the movies I’ve seen from the past decade. After 2005, with 25 more movies watched, my total stands at 149 movies. Let’s keep slogging forward…
Hoodwinked
Whoever made this movie took a lot of flack from Dreamworks and Pixar because it seemed like the producers were creating as cheap a movie as they could to cash in on the all-CGI craze. I can see their point. The animation is pretty low grade, and the plot and script aren’t as clever as even the Dreamworks stuff. It’s still a sorta-cute film. It’s based on Little Red Riding Hood and is told from the perspective of an investigation after the events of the girl showing up at her grandma’s house and finding grandma replaced by a wolf. The story is told by from each character’s perspective- first the girl, then the wolf, then Grandma, then the woodsman who showed up to save the girl- and each the story is a little different and a new layer is added. Like I said, it’s cute, but not necissarily good.
Tristan and Isolde
It was marketed as, “Before ‘Romeo and Juliet’ there was ‘Tristan and Isolde’.” I’m not sure why they thought anyone would care. The movie is clearly made for heart-throbbing teenage girls who know about Romeo and Juliet but probably couldn’t tell you why it’s a classic romance story. There’s also the fact that anything older than last week is crap to the young generation, so why something older than Shakespeare would inspire teenaged theater-goers is beyond me. I don’t remember anything about this movie except for James Franco’s atrocious performance.
Thank You for Smoking
Here’s a movie based on people that you probably don’t have a high opinion of unless you are one or need them to convince Congress to give your corporation billions of dollars… I’m talking about lobbyists. Specifically, this movie deals with a tobacco company lobbyist played by the ever smooth Aaron Eckhart. It’s no wonder companies invest millions into ‘think tanks’ that do nothing but try to sway public opinion in their favor. One thing is made clear… lobbyists may be slimy and underhanded, but they know how to argue and get things done. Of course, when Eckhart’s scheming ways are displayed to the public, opinions quickly turn against him. This is a funny movie about a guy honestly trying to justify his lifestyle and coming to grips with his dishonesty. I like it.
V for Vendetta
Like Sin City, this is based off a ‘graphic novel’ but I’m not sure if it’s the same writer. Either way, this adaptation was produced by the Waskowski brothers, the same guys who brought us The Matrix Trilogy. So I was expecting a weak script and a film overloaded with special effects. I am surprised by how wrong I was. The movie does have its big moments, but for the most part isn’t reliant on big CGI or bullet-time effects. The script in probably the movie’s biggest strength. It is set in an alternate present-day Britain where a totalitarian regime led by John Hurt has taken control, and Hugo Weaving dons a Guy Fox mask and vows to destroy parliament. Hurt and Weaving expertly handle the heavy lines they are given, and Natalie Portman makes up for her Episode III debacle with a strong, graceful turn as our heroine. Too bad there won’t be a sequel, because I would have come back for more.
The Da Vinci Code
Ron Howard directs Tom Hanks and his horrible haircut through a script based on one of the most popular books of the decade, based around one of the most ridiculous conspiracy theories ever concocted. The skinny is Jesus supposedly had children with Mary Magdalene and the Catholics have a secret order of albinos to keep it covered up. As evidence for this, Ian McKellan uses Da Vinci’s Last Supper painting in Photoshop and cuts and pastes figures around to suggest their placements have been altered. Brilliant. OK, so the conspiracy is pretty lame, but the movie isn’t bad. The action is fun and the plot runs deep enough to keep you interested. There are some twists and turns that should keep you guessing, if you haven’t already read the book.
X-Men: The Last Stand
The first two X-Men movies were excellent because the characters were interesting, the plot threads were explored with care, and the action didn’t sacrifice emotion for any wow-factor. That was mostly due to the work of Bryan Singer and his creative team. Unfortunately, they left during pre-production of this film (more on that later) and 20th Century Fox filled the gap with Brett Ratner, known mostly for his blah work like Rush Hour and Red Dragon. And the movie suffers big time. One thing I noticed right away was no effort was made to make Wolverine appear short- in the first two films, extra care was taken to make the 6’2” Hugh Jackman appear to be 5'-7, as Wolverine appears in the comics. That’s a nitpick, but it shows a lack of attention to detail. The script suffers from a) not knowing how to deal with BIG moments (like Gene Grey’s return simply prefaced with, “How are you alive?” “I don’t know…”) and b) trying to cram way too much plot into a single film. Dark Phoenix should have gotten her own movie, and the "cure" certainly could have been handled better with more screen time. Oh, and c) the movie pointlessly includes a ton of lame mutants whose only reason for existing is to show up at the exact moment their powers are useful and use their powers once and then disappear. The worst is probably when the porcupine mutant hugs the scientist to kill her. There are rumors Bryan Singer might come back for a future sequel. He’s sorely needed.
Cars
Again, I’m not a big fan of Pixar movies. One would think that one of the least popular Pixar movies would not be of much interest to me. In fact, I kinda like this movie. It’s probably because I like cars and still have some interest in motorsports. There’s also the attention paid by this movie to Route 66 and the other cross-country roads rendered extinct by the interstate highway system. It’s a fascinating piece of Americana and even though it’s shown through the eyes of CGI cars it feels real. This was Paul Newman’s last role before his death… knowing how much he loved racing, it’s kinda cool.
Superman Returns
So when Bryan Singer left X-Men, he did it so he could revive the long ignored Superman film franchise. I am one of the few who are glad he did. He gave me exactly the Superman movie I was hoping for, very much in the mold of the classic Richard Donner film. The common complaint about Superman is his invulnerability makes him a hard character to really relate to. I say that’s crap, because every superhero is invulnerable… How many superheroes have crashed into a brick wall and broken their spine during one of their movies? How many superheroes have received fatal gunshot wounds? I'm guessing none, unless that movie or comic was about the character dying. And of course next issue they are brought back from the dead somehow. I think the one thing that might have turned people off is after Batman Begins and the Spiderman and X-Men movies, people were expecting something grittier out of Superman. I just don’t understand the need for every superhero movie to be dark. It’s too bad Bryan Singer probably won’t get a chance to do a sequel and expand on the plotlines he’s set up. Making a Superman movie just costs too much to turn a real profit, and Warner Brothers is not taking that risk again.
The Devil Wears Prada
My mom was watching this one day and I got sucked in. I’m not ashamed to admit that I am a bit fascinated with the world of fashion. The personalities of the people involved floor me- do any of them know the meanings of the words ‘humble’ or ‘tact’? Also, I wonder what goes through their minds when they create a collection of truly awful outfits and try to convince the public that their work is beautiful and we should buy it. This movie deals with a lot of that. Meryl Streep is devilishly delightful as the queen of high fashion, and Anne Hathaway is her beautiful self as always. I’m not saying I liked this movie, but it’s not awful.
Miami Vice
I’m gonna guess that this movie has nothing to do with the show of the same name that was on in the 80’s, even though both were created by the same guy (Michael Mann). Maybe the characters have the same names, but the TV show always seemed kinda goofy, where as this movie is very dark and serious. I’m not sure if the detectives depicted are actually on the vice squad, because the plot deals more with a major drug or weapons ring they have infiltrated. It’s pretty violent at times, but it’s kinda fun.
The Illusionist
Edward Norton kinda phones it in but I found this film entertaining. Norton plays a magician who falls in love with some nobleman’s girlfriend and uses his illusionist skills to steal her away. To tell you much more would ruin some of the twists of the story. The movie does drag a bit and the end is sorta far-fetched. Another magic movie released this year renders this one sorta lame (more later).
Snakes on a Plane
I think you know what this movie is about. A guy is put in witness protection and needs to be flown across the country for trial. The Japanese drug lord he plans to incriminate decides the best way to kill him is to fill his plane with thousands of venomous snakes to be set loose after the plane has taken off. The stupid title led many, including me, to think this film would be campy fun. Instead the movie takes its absurd plot seriously and tries to sell it as a thriller. It is pretty scary, but not really in an enjoyable way. Somehow, they managed to edit it enough to show it on TBS every other weekend.
Hollywoodland
This movie deals with a private investigator hired to unravel the story around the unexpected death of George Reeves, who played Superman on television. Adrian Brody plays the investigator, and he does a decent job. Ben Aflek plays Reeves, and yeah… it is weird to see Aflek in a Superman costume. Despite my initial chuckles, I found Aflek to be shockingly effective as the dejected actor. The first shot of him admiring the drab Superman costume he would have to wear (on black and white TVs, the contrast would cause the standard blue/red suit to appear washed out) is really depressing. Brody’s scenes are kinda distracting and boring, so it’s really only half a good movie. Still one I’d recommend.
Fearless
Jet Li, of Hero fame, returns as another indestructible kung-fu master. I can’t remember if there is a coherent plot or if this was just an endless string of unconnected kung-fu greatness. But I remember enjoying it. The Japanese seem to know how to keep such films interesting.
The Departed
I don’t like Scorsese films. The male characters are all uncaring brutes with hardly a brain between them. The female characters tend to be weak and uninteresting. The editing tends to be haphazard and the violence unrelenting. All that said, I really enjoyed this movie. It is based around a Japanese movie that I should probably see. It’s set in South Boston, which from what I’ve heard is a rough neighborhood if you’re not connected to the mob. Jack Nicholson breaks out of his recent old guy roles and turns full-badass. Leo D doesn’t embarrass himself as a tough guy cop undercover. And Matt Damon once again proves how flexible an actor he can be by turning into the perfect weasily sleazeball. The movie has one of the greatest “Holy Shit!” moments I’ve ever seen. If you can stomach it, you should watch it.
Flags of Our Fathers
There are too many World War II movies, but nobody told Clint Eastwood. This is an important story, about the flag that was raised over Iwo Jima, the photograph of the event that inspired a nation, and the men who were brought home to sell the propaganda. I learned a lot about said picture… for instance, I didn’t know the photo actually depicted the second flag that was raised over the island after the first had been hastily removed. I did know that the flag raising was followed by several more days of bloody fighting, but I didn’t know that the government used the surviving men from the photo to sell war bonds to pay for the war. It is nice to know all of that, but I wish the movie were a little better. It is edited out of order for some reason, and in the end it turns out the movie was actually told from the perspective of someone in modern times trying to piece together the story surrounding the photo. I don’t know, I recommend it solely for the history involved. It’s a story that isn’t often told.
The Prestige
Another from the mind of Christopher Nolan, he of Memento and Batman Begins fame. This movie is about a rivalry between two 19th Century magicians who continuously try to one-up/sabotage each other's magic tricks, often with tragic results. Hugh Jackman plays against Christian Bale and both are excellent. David Bowie does a shocking (pun intended) turn as Nicola Tesla. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested, and the ending is almost as twisted as Memento. To say any more might ruin the movie. Recommended quite highly!
Casino Royale
Bond is back! After Die Another Day did big business despite being highly derided, the producers had an important choice to make. More of the same would probably guarantee a modest return on investment, since fans were still loyal to the series even during its most outlandish moments. However, more of the same might also trigger a steady decline in that loyalty as the series continued to rely on past greatness and not offer anything new. So the decision was made to blow it up and start over- after all, reboots are in! Daniel Craig thus comes aboard as the hardest hitting Bond yet. Casino Royale, the first Bond story and the only original Bond novel not made into a movie was the logical choice for a new start. All of the goofy gadgets are tossed aside along with the crappy CGI. The movie manages to reboot without killing the heart of the Bond franchise- Craig is as smooth a gentleman as he is a ruthless killing machine, and the action scenes are once again top-notch. Of all the recent reboots this is easily my favorite.
Blood Diamond
One of these days I’d like to see a movie where Africa is not depicted as a corrupt hellhole. In this movie, guerrilla soldiers raid defenseless villages for workers to troll the rivers for diamonds, and for young boys who can be molded into future soldiers. The diamonds can then be sold to American diamond brokers for millions, which is then spent on more weapons for the army. That much is based on reality. I’m not sure about the rest… Leo D and his goofy attempt at a South African accent try to help an escaped troller reunite his family in exchange for a diamond the troller supposedly found that would be worth millions by itself. Leo D plans on stealing the diamond for his own greed, but is eventually turned into a decent human being by a journalist played by Jennifer Connelly, who convinces him to tell all he knows about the corrupt blood diamond trade. The movie claims at the end that the country depicted (Sierra Leon) is currently at peace… I hope so.
Letters from Iwo Jima
This is a companion piece to Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers. It is a straight depiction of the battle of Iwo Jima told from the Japanese perspective. All the actors are Japanese and speak in Japanese, which gives this movie something of a foreign-movie feel. What I find fascinating is how little attention the Japanese mainland gave Iwo Jima, even though all involved agreed that if the US claimed the island, the Japanese would almost certainly lose the war. There are some disturbing scenes of Japanese soldiers deciding that an honorable death is preferable to capture, so they grab live grenades and blow themselves apart. Ken Wantanbe does another fantastic job as a conflicted warrior, once respected and welcome on the American mainland and now mistrusted by the soldiers he wants to save.
Rocky Balboa
Poor Sylvester Stallone… talk about the worst kind of type casting. When Stallone made Rocky in 1975 and launched his Hollywood career, he played a stiff dunderhead so well no one could see him in any other part. He eventually made First Blood and launched a second iconic character in Rambo, but Stallone’s only fulfilling success came in the persona of Rocky Balboa. So while 60-year olds don’t usually make the best heavy-weight boxers, Stallone decided that since reboots were in, he should put his money down and give it one last shot. I’ve seen all of Rocky and only parts of the other four movies. This movie does rely a bit heavily on reminiscing about the first movie to recapture some glory, and the idea that Rocky could still fight at such a high level at his age is really absurd. Still, this movie is not bad. It’s certainly better than most of the junk Stallone has starred in since he made Rocky, and every one agrees it’s a better send-off for the character than Rocky V ever was.
Curse of the Golden Flower
Another genuine Japanese import, this movie features an epic plot of a domineering king and his dysfunctional family- it’s all his fault. The king is poisoning his queen for reasons I forget, but she is secretly planning a coup with her son against incredible odds. There’s a ton of extra plot that’s tied together quite well and the visual design is simply stunning. Of course, there’s plenty of good kung-fu action to keep those fans happy.
The Good Shepherd
This is a fictionalized tail of the birth of the CIA. Matt Damon plays a career creep who gets hired by Robert Dinero to spy on Germany during World War II. While he’s gone, Angeline Jolie raises his son. When he comes back home, his marriage is kept up for their son’s sake, and eventually the boy comes to idolize his father and join the CIA himself. I actually just glossed over 80% of this 3-hour movie. Most of it is pretty boring.
Children of Men
Ah, this is more like it. The movie is set in a dystopian future where humans have become infertile and must deal with their eventual extinction. The reason for this is never explained, and the movie is actually quite light on exposition. That’s probably one of the reasons it’s so good- it wastes no time on the background and instead gets on with its story. Clive Owen plays a disenchanted menial laborer who gets pulled into a dangerous revolution. A suspected terrorist group has discovered a pregnant woman, and it eventually falls on Owen to assure her safety. Alfonso Cuaron directs the action to perfection. Some of the longest action sequences in the movie are done with one continuous camera take, which really heightens the tension. I love this film. I’d watch it again right now if I weren’t talking to you about it.
Pan’s Labyrinth
What a great finish to the year! You know how I said Tim Burton movies are never as weird as I’d hoped? Well Guillermo Del Toro delivers. This movie is an odd fusion of a realistic Spanish (Mexican?) revolution and a child’s fantasy world. The juxtaposition is just fascinating. In one scene we are in a unnerving war zone, and in the next we are following a small girl as she searches for a giant toad. Doug Jones is masterful acting underneath his masks. I hope Del Toro gets to make more fantasy pictures in the future. Apparently, he will get to do two films based on The Hobbit. Yay!
Hoodwinked
Whoever made this movie took a lot of flack from Dreamworks and Pixar because it seemed like the producers were creating as cheap a movie as they could to cash in on the all-CGI craze. I can see their point. The animation is pretty low grade, and the plot and script aren’t as clever as even the Dreamworks stuff. It’s still a sorta-cute film. It’s based on Little Red Riding Hood and is told from the perspective of an investigation after the events of the girl showing up at her grandma’s house and finding grandma replaced by a wolf. The story is told by from each character’s perspective- first the girl, then the wolf, then Grandma, then the woodsman who showed up to save the girl- and each the story is a little different and a new layer is added. Like I said, it’s cute, but not necissarily good.
Tristan and Isolde
It was marketed as, “Before ‘Romeo and Juliet’ there was ‘Tristan and Isolde’.” I’m not sure why they thought anyone would care. The movie is clearly made for heart-throbbing teenage girls who know about Romeo and Juliet but probably couldn’t tell you why it’s a classic romance story. There’s also the fact that anything older than last week is crap to the young generation, so why something older than Shakespeare would inspire teenaged theater-goers is beyond me. I don’t remember anything about this movie except for James Franco’s atrocious performance.
Thank You for Smoking
Here’s a movie based on people that you probably don’t have a high opinion of unless you are one or need them to convince Congress to give your corporation billions of dollars… I’m talking about lobbyists. Specifically, this movie deals with a tobacco company lobbyist played by the ever smooth Aaron Eckhart. It’s no wonder companies invest millions into ‘think tanks’ that do nothing but try to sway public opinion in their favor. One thing is made clear… lobbyists may be slimy and underhanded, but they know how to argue and get things done. Of course, when Eckhart’s scheming ways are displayed to the public, opinions quickly turn against him. This is a funny movie about a guy honestly trying to justify his lifestyle and coming to grips with his dishonesty. I like it.
V for Vendetta
Like Sin City, this is based off a ‘graphic novel’ but I’m not sure if it’s the same writer. Either way, this adaptation was produced by the Waskowski brothers, the same guys who brought us The Matrix Trilogy. So I was expecting a weak script and a film overloaded with special effects. I am surprised by how wrong I was. The movie does have its big moments, but for the most part isn’t reliant on big CGI or bullet-time effects. The script in probably the movie’s biggest strength. It is set in an alternate present-day Britain where a totalitarian regime led by John Hurt has taken control, and Hugo Weaving dons a Guy Fox mask and vows to destroy parliament. Hurt and Weaving expertly handle the heavy lines they are given, and Natalie Portman makes up for her Episode III debacle with a strong, graceful turn as our heroine. Too bad there won’t be a sequel, because I would have come back for more.
The Da Vinci Code
Ron Howard directs Tom Hanks and his horrible haircut through a script based on one of the most popular books of the decade, based around one of the most ridiculous conspiracy theories ever concocted. The skinny is Jesus supposedly had children with Mary Magdalene and the Catholics have a secret order of albinos to keep it covered up. As evidence for this, Ian McKellan uses Da Vinci’s Last Supper painting in Photoshop and cuts and pastes figures around to suggest their placements have been altered. Brilliant. OK, so the conspiracy is pretty lame, but the movie isn’t bad. The action is fun and the plot runs deep enough to keep you interested. There are some twists and turns that should keep you guessing, if you haven’t already read the book.
X-Men: The Last Stand
The first two X-Men movies were excellent because the characters were interesting, the plot threads were explored with care, and the action didn’t sacrifice emotion for any wow-factor. That was mostly due to the work of Bryan Singer and his creative team. Unfortunately, they left during pre-production of this film (more on that later) and 20th Century Fox filled the gap with Brett Ratner, known mostly for his blah work like Rush Hour and Red Dragon. And the movie suffers big time. One thing I noticed right away was no effort was made to make Wolverine appear short- in the first two films, extra care was taken to make the 6’2” Hugh Jackman appear to be 5'-7, as Wolverine appears in the comics. That’s a nitpick, but it shows a lack of attention to detail. The script suffers from a) not knowing how to deal with BIG moments (like Gene Grey’s return simply prefaced with, “How are you alive?” “I don’t know…”) and b) trying to cram way too much plot into a single film. Dark Phoenix should have gotten her own movie, and the "cure" certainly could have been handled better with more screen time. Oh, and c) the movie pointlessly includes a ton of lame mutants whose only reason for existing is to show up at the exact moment their powers are useful and use their powers once and then disappear. The worst is probably when the porcupine mutant hugs the scientist to kill her. There are rumors Bryan Singer might come back for a future sequel. He’s sorely needed.
Cars
Again, I’m not a big fan of Pixar movies. One would think that one of the least popular Pixar movies would not be of much interest to me. In fact, I kinda like this movie. It’s probably because I like cars and still have some interest in motorsports. There’s also the attention paid by this movie to Route 66 and the other cross-country roads rendered extinct by the interstate highway system. It’s a fascinating piece of Americana and even though it’s shown through the eyes of CGI cars it feels real. This was Paul Newman’s last role before his death… knowing how much he loved racing, it’s kinda cool.
Superman Returns
So when Bryan Singer left X-Men, he did it so he could revive the long ignored Superman film franchise. I am one of the few who are glad he did. He gave me exactly the Superman movie I was hoping for, very much in the mold of the classic Richard Donner film. The common complaint about Superman is his invulnerability makes him a hard character to really relate to. I say that’s crap, because every superhero is invulnerable… How many superheroes have crashed into a brick wall and broken their spine during one of their movies? How many superheroes have received fatal gunshot wounds? I'm guessing none, unless that movie or comic was about the character dying. And of course next issue they are brought back from the dead somehow. I think the one thing that might have turned people off is after Batman Begins and the Spiderman and X-Men movies, people were expecting something grittier out of Superman. I just don’t understand the need for every superhero movie to be dark. It’s too bad Bryan Singer probably won’t get a chance to do a sequel and expand on the plotlines he’s set up. Making a Superman movie just costs too much to turn a real profit, and Warner Brothers is not taking that risk again.
The Devil Wears Prada
My mom was watching this one day and I got sucked in. I’m not ashamed to admit that I am a bit fascinated with the world of fashion. The personalities of the people involved floor me- do any of them know the meanings of the words ‘humble’ or ‘tact’? Also, I wonder what goes through their minds when they create a collection of truly awful outfits and try to convince the public that their work is beautiful and we should buy it. This movie deals with a lot of that. Meryl Streep is devilishly delightful as the queen of high fashion, and Anne Hathaway is her beautiful self as always. I’m not saying I liked this movie, but it’s not awful.
Miami Vice
I’m gonna guess that this movie has nothing to do with the show of the same name that was on in the 80’s, even though both were created by the same guy (Michael Mann). Maybe the characters have the same names, but the TV show always seemed kinda goofy, where as this movie is very dark and serious. I’m not sure if the detectives depicted are actually on the vice squad, because the plot deals more with a major drug or weapons ring they have infiltrated. It’s pretty violent at times, but it’s kinda fun.
The Illusionist
Edward Norton kinda phones it in but I found this film entertaining. Norton plays a magician who falls in love with some nobleman’s girlfriend and uses his illusionist skills to steal her away. To tell you much more would ruin some of the twists of the story. The movie does drag a bit and the end is sorta far-fetched. Another magic movie released this year renders this one sorta lame (more later).
Snakes on a Plane
I think you know what this movie is about. A guy is put in witness protection and needs to be flown across the country for trial. The Japanese drug lord he plans to incriminate decides the best way to kill him is to fill his plane with thousands of venomous snakes to be set loose after the plane has taken off. The stupid title led many, including me, to think this film would be campy fun. Instead the movie takes its absurd plot seriously and tries to sell it as a thriller. It is pretty scary, but not really in an enjoyable way. Somehow, they managed to edit it enough to show it on TBS every other weekend.
Hollywoodland
This movie deals with a private investigator hired to unravel the story around the unexpected death of George Reeves, who played Superman on television. Adrian Brody plays the investigator, and he does a decent job. Ben Aflek plays Reeves, and yeah… it is weird to see Aflek in a Superman costume. Despite my initial chuckles, I found Aflek to be shockingly effective as the dejected actor. The first shot of him admiring the drab Superman costume he would have to wear (on black and white TVs, the contrast would cause the standard blue/red suit to appear washed out) is really depressing. Brody’s scenes are kinda distracting and boring, so it’s really only half a good movie. Still one I’d recommend.
Fearless
Jet Li, of Hero fame, returns as another indestructible kung-fu master. I can’t remember if there is a coherent plot or if this was just an endless string of unconnected kung-fu greatness. But I remember enjoying it. The Japanese seem to know how to keep such films interesting.
The Departed
I don’t like Scorsese films. The male characters are all uncaring brutes with hardly a brain between them. The female characters tend to be weak and uninteresting. The editing tends to be haphazard and the violence unrelenting. All that said, I really enjoyed this movie. It is based around a Japanese movie that I should probably see. It’s set in South Boston, which from what I’ve heard is a rough neighborhood if you’re not connected to the mob. Jack Nicholson breaks out of his recent old guy roles and turns full-badass. Leo D doesn’t embarrass himself as a tough guy cop undercover. And Matt Damon once again proves how flexible an actor he can be by turning into the perfect weasily sleazeball. The movie has one of the greatest “Holy Shit!” moments I’ve ever seen. If you can stomach it, you should watch it.
Flags of Our Fathers
There are too many World War II movies, but nobody told Clint Eastwood. This is an important story, about the flag that was raised over Iwo Jima, the photograph of the event that inspired a nation, and the men who were brought home to sell the propaganda. I learned a lot about said picture… for instance, I didn’t know the photo actually depicted the second flag that was raised over the island after the first had been hastily removed. I did know that the flag raising was followed by several more days of bloody fighting, but I didn’t know that the government used the surviving men from the photo to sell war bonds to pay for the war. It is nice to know all of that, but I wish the movie were a little better. It is edited out of order for some reason, and in the end it turns out the movie was actually told from the perspective of someone in modern times trying to piece together the story surrounding the photo. I don’t know, I recommend it solely for the history involved. It’s a story that isn’t often told.
The Prestige
Another from the mind of Christopher Nolan, he of Memento and Batman Begins fame. This movie is about a rivalry between two 19th Century magicians who continuously try to one-up/sabotage each other's magic tricks, often with tragic results. Hugh Jackman plays against Christian Bale and both are excellent. David Bowie does a shocking (pun intended) turn as Nicola Tesla. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested, and the ending is almost as twisted as Memento. To say any more might ruin the movie. Recommended quite highly!
Casino Royale
Bond is back! After Die Another Day did big business despite being highly derided, the producers had an important choice to make. More of the same would probably guarantee a modest return on investment, since fans were still loyal to the series even during its most outlandish moments. However, more of the same might also trigger a steady decline in that loyalty as the series continued to rely on past greatness and not offer anything new. So the decision was made to blow it up and start over- after all, reboots are in! Daniel Craig thus comes aboard as the hardest hitting Bond yet. Casino Royale, the first Bond story and the only original Bond novel not made into a movie was the logical choice for a new start. All of the goofy gadgets are tossed aside along with the crappy CGI. The movie manages to reboot without killing the heart of the Bond franchise- Craig is as smooth a gentleman as he is a ruthless killing machine, and the action scenes are once again top-notch. Of all the recent reboots this is easily my favorite.
Blood Diamond
One of these days I’d like to see a movie where Africa is not depicted as a corrupt hellhole. In this movie, guerrilla soldiers raid defenseless villages for workers to troll the rivers for diamonds, and for young boys who can be molded into future soldiers. The diamonds can then be sold to American diamond brokers for millions, which is then spent on more weapons for the army. That much is based on reality. I’m not sure about the rest… Leo D and his goofy attempt at a South African accent try to help an escaped troller reunite his family in exchange for a diamond the troller supposedly found that would be worth millions by itself. Leo D plans on stealing the diamond for his own greed, but is eventually turned into a decent human being by a journalist played by Jennifer Connelly, who convinces him to tell all he knows about the corrupt blood diamond trade. The movie claims at the end that the country depicted (Sierra Leon) is currently at peace… I hope so.
Letters from Iwo Jima
This is a companion piece to Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers. It is a straight depiction of the battle of Iwo Jima told from the Japanese perspective. All the actors are Japanese and speak in Japanese, which gives this movie something of a foreign-movie feel. What I find fascinating is how little attention the Japanese mainland gave Iwo Jima, even though all involved agreed that if the US claimed the island, the Japanese would almost certainly lose the war. There are some disturbing scenes of Japanese soldiers deciding that an honorable death is preferable to capture, so they grab live grenades and blow themselves apart. Ken Wantanbe does another fantastic job as a conflicted warrior, once respected and welcome on the American mainland and now mistrusted by the soldiers he wants to save.
Rocky Balboa
Poor Sylvester Stallone… talk about the worst kind of type casting. When Stallone made Rocky in 1975 and launched his Hollywood career, he played a stiff dunderhead so well no one could see him in any other part. He eventually made First Blood and launched a second iconic character in Rambo, but Stallone’s only fulfilling success came in the persona of Rocky Balboa. So while 60-year olds don’t usually make the best heavy-weight boxers, Stallone decided that since reboots were in, he should put his money down and give it one last shot. I’ve seen all of Rocky and only parts of the other four movies. This movie does rely a bit heavily on reminiscing about the first movie to recapture some glory, and the idea that Rocky could still fight at such a high level at his age is really absurd. Still, this movie is not bad. It’s certainly better than most of the junk Stallone has starred in since he made Rocky, and every one agrees it’s a better send-off for the character than Rocky V ever was.
Curse of the Golden Flower
Another genuine Japanese import, this movie features an epic plot of a domineering king and his dysfunctional family- it’s all his fault. The king is poisoning his queen for reasons I forget, but she is secretly planning a coup with her son against incredible odds. There’s a ton of extra plot that’s tied together quite well and the visual design is simply stunning. Of course, there’s plenty of good kung-fu action to keep those fans happy.
The Good Shepherd
This is a fictionalized tail of the birth of the CIA. Matt Damon plays a career creep who gets hired by Robert Dinero to spy on Germany during World War II. While he’s gone, Angeline Jolie raises his son. When he comes back home, his marriage is kept up for their son’s sake, and eventually the boy comes to idolize his father and join the CIA himself. I actually just glossed over 80% of this 3-hour movie. Most of it is pretty boring.
Children of Men
Ah, this is more like it. The movie is set in a dystopian future where humans have become infertile and must deal with their eventual extinction. The reason for this is never explained, and the movie is actually quite light on exposition. That’s probably one of the reasons it’s so good- it wastes no time on the background and instead gets on with its story. Clive Owen plays a disenchanted menial laborer who gets pulled into a dangerous revolution. A suspected terrorist group has discovered a pregnant woman, and it eventually falls on Owen to assure her safety. Alfonso Cuaron directs the action to perfection. Some of the longest action sequences in the movie are done with one continuous camera take, which really heightens the tension. I love this film. I’d watch it again right now if I weren’t talking to you about it.
Pan’s Labyrinth
What a great finish to the year! You know how I said Tim Burton movies are never as weird as I’d hoped? Well Guillermo Del Toro delivers. This movie is an odd fusion of a realistic Spanish (Mexican?) revolution and a child’s fantasy world. The juxtaposition is just fascinating. In one scene we are in a unnerving war zone, and in the next we are following a small girl as she searches for a giant toad. Doug Jones is masterful acting underneath his masks. I hope Del Toro gets to make more fantasy pictures in the future. Apparently, he will get to do two films based on The Hobbit. Yay!