Movie Reviews: SHERLOCK HOLMES

Friday, December 25, 2009
Movie Reviews: SHERLOCK HOLMES
IN THEATERS



SHERLOCK HOLMES

In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous characters, Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson embark on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes battles as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, Kelly Reilly

Opened ..December 25, 2009..

Runtime: 2 hr. 14 min

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and a scene of suggestive material.

Director: Guy Ritchie

Genres: Detective Film, Action, Mystery

Review:

Outside of general knowledge and a few episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, yes I’m that nerdy, I have no real knowledge of Sherlock Holmes or any connection to his literary incarnation. As a result, I was a blank slate for Guy Ritchie’s re-imagining of this iconic character and was met with mixed returns. Ritchie’s style and eye work just fine to give this version a visceral hook and freshness lacking form previous versions. He moves the film along at a brisk pace even if some portions feel like they could have been left on the cutting room floor. His biggest advantage is showcasing Downey and Law’s palatable on screen chemistry as Holmes and Watson. The two play off each other incredibly well and give the audience a real sense of their camaraderie. Downey, with an excellent British accent that borders on unintelligible at times, brings a fun bit of manic energy mixed with eccentricity all the while maintaining Holmes’s keen power of detection. He’s like an 18th century Batman sans the mask. Law’s work as Watson is a nice updated and he gives the character depth that isn’t written into the script. Eddie Marsan does strong work in a small role as Inspector Lestrade. Not faring nearly as well is Rachel McAdams and Mark Strong. McAdam’s feels miscast and her character isn’t really much use to the overall story aside from a movie long set up for a possible sequel. The script doesn’t do her character any favors; instead the romantic relationship feels forced and unconvincing. Mark Strong’s role suffers a similar fate as he isn’t required to do much except look villainous and utter dialogue in a monotone voice. Both roles are examples of the main issue with this film in general. The script is convoluted mess, the crux of the main mystery is something about a Masonic like group mixed with supernatural elements, and it’s not nearly as engrossing as it should be for its sometime laborious 2 hours plus runtime. The finale feels hallow as it seems more interested in setting up the sequel than wrapping up this film’s plot points. Even with these issues it’s a fun film that is saved by Downey and Law’s strong work.

C+

Movie Reviews: AVATAR 3D

Saturday, December 19, 2009
Movie Reviews: AVATAR 3D
IN THEATERS

AVATAR 3D

AVATAR takes us to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save the alien world he has learned to call home. James Cameron, the Oscar-winning director of “Titanic,” first conceived the film 15 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not exist yet. Now, after four years of production, AVATAR, a live action film with a new generation of special effects, delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story.


Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore


Director: James Cameron


Opened ..December 18, 2009..


Runtime: 2 hr. 30 min.


Rated PG-13 for warfare, intense battle sequences, some smoking, sensuality and language


Genres: Sci-Fi Action, Science Fiction


Review:


James Cameron’s Avatar is a thrilling and mind blowing visual feast for the eyes and ears. It’s the type of film that will leave you with your mouth wide open on more than a few occasions. Cameron’s Pandora and the Na’vi are completely realized creations that feel entirely real and believable the entire way through. The lush landscape and its inhabitants are incredible marvels of technological achievements. This is epic filmmaking in every sense of the word and nothing here is done on a small scale. The environments are massive there isn’t nary a sense that anything was skimped on. While this is Cameron’s crowing achievement in visual and technical feats, the story and characters don’t come anywhere close to living up to them. The plot is a predictable rehash of the “gone native” themes that’s been done plenty of times over the years. The characters are mostly single dimensional and paint by the numbers. Sam Worthington gives a mostly wooden performance throughout but he’s not really done any favors by thread bare scripting. He does his best to emote passion in the last act but it never reaches a believe level. Faring much better is Zoe Saldana who gives life and energy to her CGI Na’vi character. Saldana adds as much depth and pathos to her character as she can. Sigourney Weaver is mostly in Jane Goodall mode for the better part of her time on screen. Stephen Lang plays the one dimensional army head well and I would have liked to have seen what he could have done with a more fleshed out role. Michelle Rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi are in the film for what amount to extended cameos and neither really adds anything to the goings on. Regardless of the story’s shortcomings, this the type of movie watching experience that will leave an indelible experience and won’t be quickly forgotten. It’s a real disservice to not see this film in 3D as it adds a wonderful level of immersion to the entire thing.


B

Movie Reviews: THE ROAD

Saturday, November 28, 2009
Movie Reviews: THE ROAD
IN THEATERS

 

THE ROAD

A father (Viggo Mortensen) and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) try to keep the dream of civilization alive as they wander through a post-apocalyptic landscape.

Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce


Director: John Hillcoat


Opened ..November 25, 2009..


Runtime: 1 hr. 59 min.


Rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language


Genres: Road Movie, Sci-Fi Disaster Film, Science Fiction


Review:


The film adaptation The Road requires the viewer’s patience and attention as it pontificates on various elements of human nature and civility in extreme circumstances. Strikingly bleak yet inspirational and hopeful, John Hillcoat’s film can be a slight chore to trudge through but that’s kind of the point. Hillcoat doesn’t attempt to give the audience any glimmer of anything resembling a ..Hollywood.. style happy ending. The majority of the film is shot in weather worn greys and blacks, sapped of color and life mirroring the plot. The characters all look like walking cadavers; most look like they could barely be considered living breathing human beings. It’s a tough movie to watch and not the type that has a clear path, instead it meanders almost aimlessly. The plot isn’t concerned with the destination as much as the journey and the pivotal relationship between father and son. Viggo Mortensen delivers an Oscar worthy performance, his face a mixture of melancholy and quiet strength. Determined but devastated, Mortensen allows the audience to feel every painful step of this harrowing journey. Newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee also delivers fine work as Mortensen’s onscreen son only occasionally bordering on irritating. It’s a challenging role and could have easily been drowned out by Mortensen’s shining work but Smit-McPhee more than holds his own. The two share strong on screen chemistry as demonstrated by some gut wrenchingly tough scenes near the film’s conclusion. Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce are nearly unrecognizable in small roles but both make the most of their limited screen time. Charlize Theron has an equally small role her but is nearly forgettable in comparison. Small issues aside the cast provides strong work across the board. Hillcoat’s adaptation of Cormac McCarthy best selling novel, maintains all the power and most of the shocking imagary of the book. The Road is a fasicinating visual parabable about the human condition and the perserverance of the human spirit, a rewarding excursion that might not be for everyone.


B+

Movie Review: 2012

Monday, November 15, 2009
Movie Reviews: 2012
IN THEATERS

 

2012

Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. 2012 is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

Cast: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt

Director: Roland Emmerich

Opened November 13, 2009..

Runtime: 2 hr. 38 min.

Rated PG-13 for intense disaster sequences and some language

Genres: Sci-Fi Disaster Film, Science Fiction

Review:

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen was Michael Bay at his most excessive and bombastic; the film was an orgy of everything ever associated with the much maligned director. Equally, Roland Emmerich’s 2012 is a new high point for this apocalyptic auteur. By high point I mean its Emmerich unleashed and unchecked, destruction occurs on such a grand scale that it’s almost comical. It feels like watching an old Tex Avery cartoon, so much so that if a massive anvil were to fall on a major city of monument you’d hardly notice or care. Visually, it’s a technical marvel. A virtual highlight reel of what the best CGI in the business can do with nearly unlimited funds and imagination. The film’s massive set pieces are great fun and deliver the trill ride promised. Then there the story, much like his previous film, Emmerich populates this with a bevy of clichéd characters that always act and react the way you’d expect. John Cusack is pretty much just asked to scream a lot of painfully atrocious dialogue. Cusack is a fine actor but here there very little he can do to elevate a script that sounds like it was written on a Mad Libs book. Equally mired is Chiwetel Ejiofor who has the task of playing the world’s worse scientist. Everything he does and says are wrong but people continue to listen to him because he’s got a conscience unlike Oliver Platt’s stereotypical government chief. Amanda Peet isn’t given anything to do other than stand run and look worried from time to time. Thandie Newton, Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson are collecting a paycheck here and don’t really add much to the proceedings. Harrelson even phones in a character which should have been a lot of fun. It’s all par for the course and should be expected since it’s Emmerich we’re talking about. While some of this films failings are expected one major one wasn’t, the films massive run time that’ll have you wishing the world would just end already! I’ve always thought of directors like Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich like candy bars, they give you a nice little rush but too much could make you sick. Excepting any depth or substance is foolish because like the candy bars they have no problem telling you what they are ahead of time.

C

Movie Reviews: THE BOX

Friday, November 13, 2009
Movie Reviews: THE BOX
IN THEATERS

THE BOX


A suburban couple, Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur (James Marsden), face a moral dilemma when they receive a gift that bears irrevocable consequences. With the press of a button, their simple wooden box will bestow $1 million; however, a stranger somewhere else will die, at the same time. The box will be theirs for only 24 hours, and as time ticks away, Norma and Arthur confront the depth of their humanity as they consider their choices.


Cast: Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella


Director: Richard Kelly


Opened ..November 6, 2009..


Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images


Genres: Supernatural Horror, Horror


Review:


Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko is a cult classic and rightfully so. His second film, Southland Tales, was a masturbatory cinematic explosion of excess that it’s entirely up to the viewer as to whether it’s high art or the worst kind of garbage. His third film is similar to his first two but different in various ways. The Box is as a visually arresting morality tale that has Kelly melding Twilight Zone-ish scenario with Kubrick like visuals and music. It’s a fascinating blend that makes the entire endeavor feel like some metaphysical dream. It’s probably Kelly’s most accessible film as the story and plot stay fairly tight for the most part. That’s not to say there aren’t the typical oddities that Kelly likes to dabble in, there are plenty especially as the film reaches its 3rd act. If you’ve watched his previous films you should know going in that everything won’t have a nice tidy resolution by the films close. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed this type of filmmaking which leaves the final interpretation of its meaning up to the individual viewer. Kelly’s talent as a filmmaker shouldn’t be in doubt even if he does tend to over extend himself too much at times in his story telling. The cast here is up to the task for the most part and give the subject matter sufficient gravitas. Frank Langella’s cold yet empathetic turn as morally nebulous Arlington Steward was the real ....high point.... of the film. Langella possesses an interesting quality to display varying emotions without changing expressions. Cameron Diaz and James Marsden do fairly impressive jobs with the leads. Diaz seems a bit limited by the exaggerated southern accent she’s trying to pull off, most of the time she sounds like Anna Paquin on True Blood. Regardless, she turns in a solid performance throughout. Richard Kelly’s The Box is a fascinating piece of cinema that probably won’t convert any of his detractors or let down his fans.


B

My 10 favorite horror movies....

Friday, October 30, 2009
My 10 favorite horror movies....
If you feel like watching something creepy on All Hallows Eve, may I recommend one of my 10 favorite Horror movies…....

10. The Ring (2002) Gore Verbinski


Before all the hype more or less killed the scares in this film, remake of the Japanese film Ringu, delivered plenty of atmosphere and scares. At the same time it paid homage to plenty of horror staples like dimension bending TV's, scary little girls, people being marked in photos for death and me being creeped out and loving it.



9. Suspiria (1977) Dario Argento








Dario Argento's Suspiria is the great auteur’s best film. Bloodshed mixed with wonderful use of Techicolor makes the whole thing seem like a nightmarish hallucination. The whole thing may not make perfect sense but it’s horror as high art and the visuals are just so beautifully shot that you can’t help but captivated. A scene involving a girl with very little clothing and a pit of barbed wire still gets me. Not to mention having a blind man get killed by his own seeing eye dog. Disturbing yes, and just a little funny too.



8. 28 Days Later (2002) Danny Boyle







Visceral, unrelenting and extremely effective Not a Zombie movie, according to Danny Boyle, 28 Days Later reinvigorated the long stagnate zombie movie genre. This movie offers some of the best zombie scares around and the director puts you right in the middle of the action, by shooting the whole thing with digital cameras, the tension and immediacy of the predicament is always palpable.



7. A Nightmare on .. (1984) Wes Craven



....



Before Freddy Krueger lost all his fright and became a walking one liner machine in the lesser sequels, he was pretty scary. Wes Craven's first foray into nightmares was a head-trip of a movie that is still effective today; just watch that scene where Freddy is walking down the alley with the super long arms in the dark and tell me it doesn’t freak you out.



6. Poltergeist (1982) Tope Hooper







An underrated, sometimes forgotten, ghost movie that still packs a punch today. Plenty of everyday things are turned sinister in this Tobe Hooper classic. It became very hard to look at clowns, tree branches and especially TV's in the same way after watching this flick.





5. Halloween (1978) John Carpenter







John Carpenter's low budget film slasher is still the standard by which all slasher films should be measured against. Simplistic and precise, it laid all the now recognizable plot points of slasher movies. Jamie Lee Curtis kicks offs off her career in this flick at the tender age of 19. Now a days you'll know what's coming but with such an effective use of atmosphere it can still give you the creeps.



4. Dawn of the Dead (1978) George A. Romero





George A. Romero more or less created the modern zombie horror genre with his groundbreaking film Night of the Living Dead with Dawn of the Dead he perfected it. Now I've never, even as a kid, been a fan of the blue zombies but if you can get past that you have one of the best horror films ever made. Gory, funny and laced with Romero’s social commentary Dawn of the Dead is one of top horror movies ever made.



3. The Thing (1982) John Carpenter







John Carpenter's best film, The Thing, is a marvel of the now lost art of creature effects; and they still hold up today. Carpenter's movie moves at an perfectly deliberate and paranoid pace. When the Thing makes its first and subsequent appearances, it's the stuff of glorious nightmares.



2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Tobe Hooper






The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is over 30 years old and still a scary piece of filmmaking. This films effectiveness is directly related to its budget. It feels grimly dirty and real. That's the main reason this film's remake could never live up, it just look to clean and proper, reeking of ..Hollywood.. hokum. One of the favorite and most manic scenes has to be the finale with Marilyn Chambers covered in blood in the back of the pick up screaming her brains out as Leatherface waves around that chainsaw in the dawn sunlight before we cut to the credits.



The Exorcist (1973) William Friedkin





Friedkin's The Exorcist is still the ....Mount.. ..Olympus.... of horror films, for me at least, and too be honest I doubt anyone will ever top this masterpiece. Directed with a detached almost cold point of view, the audience is subjected to subtle jabs then in your face scares that build as the movie processes. The acting in this film is top notch, especially note worthy are Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller and, of course, Linda Blair. The scene with the final exorcism maybe the most effective horror movie climax ever. A movie that's not just about silly scares instead this one get under your skin