One of the things that I think helps me standout as a critic is that I do have a fanboy side to me; and when the situation calls for it, I listen to it. So when it comes to comic book movies, there's usually no point in paying attention to the majority of professional critics, with all due respect. There are always interesting reads and opinions (Roger Ebert, James Berardinelli, etc.), but most of them will not give a great comic book movie the accolades it deserves. Granted they got it right with "Spider-man 2" and the recent "Iron Man," but I don't think they're doing justice to "The Incredible Hulk," which may be better than both of those movies. Considered the mixed reviews on rottentomatoes (none of them really praised the film) compared to the 8.2 user rating on IMDb.com.
We can now officially pretend that Ang Lee never made his 2003 misfire, "Hulk." I think this new version is exactly what summer movies are all about. It delivers on all levels. And can you believe this came from the same director of the unwatchable "Transporter 2"? While I can't soon forget or forgive a film for being that bad, I was impressed with Louis Leterrier's handling of the story. He gets it absolutely right and really nails the character development as well as Stan Lee's original message of the destruction that anger and greed can cause. There are only three action set pieces (all of them spectacular), leaving plenty of room for good storytelling. Edward Norton, William Hurt and Tim Roth are excellent here and Liv Tyler is good, but not quite as good as the Betty played by Jennifer Connelly. This movie lives up to the title. Incredible indeed.
A-
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Funny Games (DVD)
Spoilers!
Already dividing movie critics and general audiences alike, "Funny Games" is destined to go down as 2008's most controversial film. An original suspense thriller? Yes. Necessary or welcomed? Not by a long shot. Michael Haneke shows once again that he is a master of taut suspense; Naomi Watts and Tim Roth show once again that they are among the best actors working today; and Michael Pitt and Brady Corbett are immensely creepy as two terrorizing young men. Unfortunately, it doesn't add up to much except a big FU from the director to the audience. The movie can be summed up by it's first three minutes. We see the Farber family (Tim Roth as George, Naomi Watts as his wife, Ann, and Devon Gearhart as his son, Georgie) driving down to their vacation home. The cinematography is beautiful when suddenly the music changes from peaceful classical to unbearable death metal. It's symbolism for what's to come.
The family is taken hostage by Pitt and Corbett, who decide to include them in their sick mind games and end up killing them off one by one. Now for a while, I thought I was going to end up liking this movie, but in the final act it completely collapses. That's putting it lightly. It's actually some of the worst final 30 minutes I've ever seen in a film. It's one thing for a director to want to make his audience uncomfortable, but it's another to arrogantly rub it in their faces. As far as a movie experience goes, Haneke is just like the two antagonist and we the viewers are hoping against hope that things will turn out okay.
I wouldn't classify this movie as torture porn at all. Heck, there's not even much violence in it. All of it takes places off screen. My problem is how these characters are so unfairly treated and it's really just a slap in the face how Haneke disrepectively manipulates his audience. It's a depressing experience and I wish it would have just told a story and been an intriguing psychological study like 2005's "Cache". "Funny Games" could have worked as a normal 90-minute suspense thriller, but instead it's a grueling 112-minute experience that punishes every gullible individual who gives it a chance. Don't say I didn't warn you.
D
Already dividing movie critics and general audiences alike, "Funny Games" is destined to go down as 2008's most controversial film. An original suspense thriller? Yes. Necessary or welcomed? Not by a long shot. Michael Haneke shows once again that he is a master of taut suspense; Naomi Watts and Tim Roth show once again that they are among the best actors working today; and Michael Pitt and Brady Corbett are immensely creepy as two terrorizing young men. Unfortunately, it doesn't add up to much except a big FU from the director to the audience. The movie can be summed up by it's first three minutes. We see the Farber family (Tim Roth as George, Naomi Watts as his wife, Ann, and Devon Gearhart as his son, Georgie) driving down to their vacation home. The cinematography is beautiful when suddenly the music changes from peaceful classical to unbearable death metal. It's symbolism for what's to come.
The family is taken hostage by Pitt and Corbett, who decide to include them in their sick mind games and end up killing them off one by one. Now for a while, I thought I was going to end up liking this movie, but in the final act it completely collapses. That's putting it lightly. It's actually some of the worst final 30 minutes I've ever seen in a film. It's one thing for a director to want to make his audience uncomfortable, but it's another to arrogantly rub it in their faces. As far as a movie experience goes, Haneke is just like the two antagonist and we the viewers are hoping against hope that things will turn out okay.
I wouldn't classify this movie as torture porn at all. Heck, there's not even much violence in it. All of it takes places off screen. My problem is how these characters are so unfairly treated and it's really just a slap in the face how Haneke disrepectively manipulates his audience. It's a depressing experience and I wish it would have just told a story and been an intriguing psychological study like 2005's "Cache". "Funny Games" could have worked as a normal 90-minute suspense thriller, but instead it's a grueling 112-minute experience that punishes every gullible individual who gives it a chance. Don't say I didn't warn you.
D
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days (DVD)
"4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days" is told from the perspective of Otilia (Anamaria Marcina), a college student who helps her roommate, Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) carry out an abortion. The film takes place in 1987 Romania, a time where it is illegal to have an abortion. The two arrange for a specialist named Mr. Bebe (Vlad Ivanov) to meet them privately at a hotel room and insert a probe into Gabita to force out the fetus.
Whatever your position on abortion, "4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days" is a must see film. It's a bleak, harrowing, and indelible motion picture with standout performances and acerbic directing. The film is filled with long, drawn out sequences with terrific and realistic dialogue. Pay close attention to the camerawork from director Christian Mungui and notice how few (or fewer than usual) cuts are needed to tell and advance the story.
If there is a flaw, and it's an understandable one, it's that because the film takes place in only a day, we never know how bad Laura's situation is nor any kind of background information on the characters. But it's easy to let that slide because then the film might appear to be taking sides, which it doesn't. It describes an event; this happened on this day and this is how it happened. The choice of telling the story from a friend's point of view and making her the main character is a wise one.
A
Whatever your position on abortion, "4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days" is a must see film. It's a bleak, harrowing, and indelible motion picture with standout performances and acerbic directing. The film is filled with long, drawn out sequences with terrific and realistic dialogue. Pay close attention to the camerawork from director Christian Mungui and notice how few (or fewer than usual) cuts are needed to tell and advance the story.
If there is a flaw, and it's an understandable one, it's that because the film takes place in only a day, we never know how bad Laura's situation is nor any kind of background information on the characters. But it's easy to let that slide because then the film might appear to be taking sides, which it doesn't. It describes an event; this happened on this day and this is how it happened. The choice of telling the story from a friend's point of view and making her the main character is a wise one.
A
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Reservation Road (DVD)
I see the problems everyone else has with "Reservation Road," Terry George's follow up to "Hotel Rwanda," but I'm going recommend it, with reservations of course (yes, that pun was intended). Sure it's contrived. I'll give you that. A man accidentally kills another man's son with his car and then takes off. He's a decent person, so why did he take off? Because then there wouldn't be a movie, right? Then the last act fills cliched and the viewer is left to ruminate over how well the ending works.
Where the film succeeds though, is in it's character development and performances. Mark Ruffalo plays the killer and Joaquin Phoenix plays the grieving father. A neat little twist is added when Ruffalo ends up being the attorney assigned to Phoenix's case. The film does a nice job of portraying these characters. Ruffalo tries to make things right with his own soon as he regrets his action and wonders if he'll have the courage to turn himself in. Phoenix can't even move to the stage of coping with his loss until he's found his son's killer. Jennifer Connelly and Mira Sorvino are underused as Phoenix's wife and Ruffalo's ex-wife respectively.
Grade: B-
Where the film succeeds though, is in it's character development and performances. Mark Ruffalo plays the killer and Joaquin Phoenix plays the grieving father. A neat little twist is added when Ruffalo ends up being the attorney assigned to Phoenix's case. The film does a nice job of portraying these characters. Ruffalo tries to make things right with his own soon as he regrets his action and wonders if he'll have the courage to turn himself in. Phoenix can't even move to the stage of coping with his loss until he's found his son's killer. Jennifer Connelly and Mira Sorvino are underused as Phoenix's wife and Ruffalo's ex-wife respectively.
Grade: B-
Kung Fu Panda
Once upon a time, it was said that a time would come when Pixar Animation Studios, who seem turn turnout one great animated movie after another, would be challenged and rivaled by an unsuspected summer hit from another studio. Leave that feat to the awesomeness of a panda named Po. It looks like "Wall-E" has some competition this summer.
The story to "Kung Fu Panda" is nothing really new, but it is told so well as to actually pack an emotional wallop. And it never comes off as laughable, which in lesser hands could easily have happened. Speaking of laughs, there are many to be had here as well. "Kung Fu Panda" works on just about every level a family movie can. The cast features Jack Black as Po the Panda. The furious five, the most feared group of warriors in all of China, consists of Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross). Their master is Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), a furball critter (I'm not quite sure as to what I'm supposed to classify him as) who is a legendary teacher of Kung Fu. Escaped from prison and on his way to claim the Dragon Scroll, which will make him the all-powerful Dragon Warrior, is the good gone bad Tai Lung (Ian McShane). But first, he'll have to muscle his way around 400 pounds of panda to get to it.
"Kung Fu Panda" is a damn good time at the movies. This was the movie that Dreamworks Animation so desperately needed after the disappoining "Shrek The Third". With gorgeous animation, spectacular action, a great cast and the dramatic weight of an Akira Kurosawa film, Kung Fu Panda is one of my favorite movies of the year so far. It's unusual that two of the year's more impressive films comes from the animated department (the other being "Horton Hears a Who!"), but that's exactly how it's played out so far. With Wall-E just around the corner, this could be a golden year for animated films. A good sign considering in the last couple of years we've only had so few good ones to pick from.
Grade: A-
The story to "Kung Fu Panda" is nothing really new, but it is told so well as to actually pack an emotional wallop. And it never comes off as laughable, which in lesser hands could easily have happened. Speaking of laughs, there are many to be had here as well. "Kung Fu Panda" works on just about every level a family movie can. The cast features Jack Black as Po the Panda. The furious five, the most feared group of warriors in all of China, consists of Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross). Their master is Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), a furball critter (I'm not quite sure as to what I'm supposed to classify him as) who is a legendary teacher of Kung Fu. Escaped from prison and on his way to claim the Dragon Scroll, which will make him the all-powerful Dragon Warrior, is the good gone bad Tai Lung (Ian McShane). But first, he'll have to muscle his way around 400 pounds of panda to get to it.
"Kung Fu Panda" is a damn good time at the movies. This was the movie that Dreamworks Animation so desperately needed after the disappoining "Shrek The Third". With gorgeous animation, spectacular action, a great cast and the dramatic weight of an Akira Kurosawa film, Kung Fu Panda is one of my favorite movies of the year so far. It's unusual that two of the year's more impressive films comes from the animated department (the other being "Horton Hears a Who!"), but that's exactly how it's played out so far. With Wall-E just around the corner, this could be a golden year for animated films. A good sign considering in the last couple of years we've only had so few good ones to pick from.
Grade: A-
My Blueberry Nights
Singer Norah Jones makes her first transition into acting in "My Blueberry Nights". The film was helmed by Kar Wai Wong, who made the international hit "2046". My Blueberry Nights is the definition of an art film. It's much more about experimenting with visuals than anything else. I didn't particularly care for Wong's technical choices here. There are many scenes where the pacing is slowed, as if it were nearly in slow motion. This creates one of the longest 90-minute films I've ever experienced. A caveat: this is a slow movie, but not so much a dull one. Viewers will probably be looking for any reason not to fall asleep, but I think there's just enough here, with compelling characters to go along with generally strong performances (with the exception of a bad apple in a pile of oranges), to keep people interested and the film recommendable. It's not that the story is dull or inert, it's the way that it's told that keeps it from possibly being something special.
Jones makes an impressive debut as an actress. Should she want to try it again in a better movie, she would be most welcome. Jude Law ("Breaking and Entering") continues to give solid performances in movies that fly straight under your radar. Natalie Portman ("The Other Boleyn Girl") and David Strathairn ("The Bourne Ultimatum") are easily the standouts on the supporting team. Portman is perfectly cast as a young woman who makes her way in life through poker. Strathairn is excellent as a cop that drinks his troubles away after he and his wife separate. The film also features Oscar winner Rachel Weisz ("Definitely, Maybe") as Strathairn's wife, but she gets the bad deal of things. Weisz was born in London and is asked here to play a Tennessee southern girl. Needless to say, she doesn't quite fit the bill.
Grade: B-
Jones makes an impressive debut as an actress. Should she want to try it again in a better movie, she would be most welcome. Jude Law ("Breaking and Entering") continues to give solid performances in movies that fly straight under your radar. Natalie Portman ("The Other Boleyn Girl") and David Strathairn ("The Bourne Ultimatum") are easily the standouts on the supporting team. Portman is perfectly cast as a young woman who makes her way in life through poker. Strathairn is excellent as a cop that drinks his troubles away after he and his wife separate. The film also features Oscar winner Rachel Weisz ("Definitely, Maybe") as Strathairn's wife, but she gets the bad deal of things. Weisz was born in London and is asked here to play a Tennessee southern girl. Needless to say, she doesn't quite fit the bill.
Grade: B-
About This Blog
Hello all,
My name is Nathan Deen. If the name sounds familiar, yes I did have a personal movie review website, which I ran, managed, and paid for for almost a year. It was an interesting experiment, but I can no longer maintain it. I thank everyone who visited the site, but it is on hiatus indefinitely. The reason is I am leaving home to attend the University of Florida, and felt that trying to keep up the web site could have been a distraction. If I don't update it consistently to keep readership, it's not really worth paying for. Which is why I started this blog. Here I won't be limited to writing 800-1000 word reviews on a weekly basis. I can just post a paragraph or two, with a grade, that summarizes my opinion of a given film in a small amount of time.
I am also a staff writer for one of the most popular online movie news magazines, FilmSchoolRejects. I will link any news stories and reviews I write there from this blog.
Now we move to the goal of this website. It is to give you a small perspective of cinema from America's youth. I'm am not as knowledgable about film as full-time critics are, but I'm working hard to get there. I'm constantly trying to expand my knowledge of cinema by watching American classics from directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder to foriegn gems from directors such as Luis Bunuel, Akira Kurosawa, and Ingmar Bergman.
At the University of Florida I will study film as well as journalism. My future career could go in a number of directions, but my dream is to write and direct my own films. I decided to go ahead and get an early start this summer by working on my very first screenplay.
Thank you for reading, my first capsule reviews will be up soon.
My name is Nathan Deen. If the name sounds familiar, yes I did have a personal movie review website, which I ran, managed, and paid for for almost a year. It was an interesting experiment, but I can no longer maintain it. I thank everyone who visited the site, but it is on hiatus indefinitely. The reason is I am leaving home to attend the University of Florida, and felt that trying to keep up the web site could have been a distraction. If I don't update it consistently to keep readership, it's not really worth paying for. Which is why I started this blog. Here I won't be limited to writing 800-1000 word reviews on a weekly basis. I can just post a paragraph or two, with a grade, that summarizes my opinion of a given film in a small amount of time.
I am also a staff writer for one of the most popular online movie news magazines, FilmSchoolRejects. I will link any news stories and reviews I write there from this blog.
Now we move to the goal of this website. It is to give you a small perspective of cinema from America's youth. I'm am not as knowledgable about film as full-time critics are, but I'm working hard to get there. I'm constantly trying to expand my knowledge of cinema by watching American classics from directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder to foriegn gems from directors such as Luis Bunuel, Akira Kurosawa, and Ingmar Bergman.
At the University of Florida I will study film as well as journalism. My future career could go in a number of directions, but my dream is to write and direct my own films. I decided to go ahead and get an early start this summer by working on my very first screenplay.
Thank you for reading, my first capsule reviews will be up soon.
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