Action, Crime
5 stars
Wicked good. Ben Affleck (who also co-wrote and directed) stars as a Boston bank robber who falls for his kidnap victim, Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona). Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker) co-stars as Affleck’s volatile best friend. Realistic and gritty with lots of intense action and some wicked violent scenes. (I hope you’re getting my Boston humor here!). My only possible complaint is that there were a couple of scenes where even I couldn’t decipher what they were saying and I lived just outside Boston for 35 years! Excellent (i.e. wicked good!) casting, excellent acting, excellent movie.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Easy A
Comedy, Teen
3.5 stars
Cute but forgettable teen drama that pays homage to the late John Hughes, but isn’t going to become the classic that his films became. Emma Stone (Superbad) stars as a straight-A student who pretends to be a hussy to help her gay friends from being bullied. Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson co-star as her lovable parents and Thomas Haden Church and Lisa Kudrow co-star as teachers at her school. I like that the movie may bring interest to some classic books, and her S.A.T.-type vocabulary may be inspirational for some kids to learn. And then there’s the moral of the story regarding lying. A better than average teen flick.
3.5 stars
Cute but forgettable teen drama that pays homage to the late John Hughes, but isn’t going to become the classic that his films became. Emma Stone (Superbad) stars as a straight-A student who pretends to be a hussy to help her gay friends from being bullied. Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson co-star as her lovable parents and Thomas Haden Church and Lisa Kudrow co-star as teachers at her school. I like that the movie may bring interest to some classic books, and her S.A.T.-type vocabulary may be inspirational for some kids to learn. And then there’s the moral of the story regarding lying. A better than average teen flick.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Machete
Action, Camp
3 stars
Gratuitously violent and I laughed my butt off but I’m not sure that was the film’s intent. The grizzled title character, Danny Trejo, is a one man killing machine as he wields his namesake weapon of choice and body parts go flying in every direction (I may very possibly be a sick individual, but those scenes in particular were hilarious to me). There are a handful of tragic murders, but mostly it’s pretty funny. For the men, all the females are scantily clad, many of them completely naked including Jessica Alba and Lindsay Lohan. Lohan’s nude scene was hysterical! Robert De Niro stars as a twisted Senator who spends his downtime at the border shooting Mexicans. Jeff Fahey (“Lost”) co-stars as a sleaze ball. Michelle Rodriguez plays a badass local, Cheech Marin has a small role as a Padre, Don Johnson as a local redneck cop and Steven Seagal plays a Mexican drug lord whose death scene (c’mon, he’s a baddie, how do you think he ends up?) is probably the phoniest, most laughable death scene I have ever witnessed. I laughed A LOT. Included are all the bad clichés, like bouncing cars with flames painted on the sides and the Mexicans all fighting with garden tools; politically incorrect for sure, but the film does portray the Mexicans as the good guys. Very violent and funny.
3 stars
Gratuitously violent and I laughed my butt off but I’m not sure that was the film’s intent. The grizzled title character, Danny Trejo, is a one man killing machine as he wields his namesake weapon of choice and body parts go flying in every direction (I may very possibly be a sick individual, but those scenes in particular were hilarious to me). There are a handful of tragic murders, but mostly it’s pretty funny. For the men, all the females are scantily clad, many of them completely naked including Jessica Alba and Lindsay Lohan. Lohan’s nude scene was hysterical! Robert De Niro stars as a twisted Senator who spends his downtime at the border shooting Mexicans. Jeff Fahey (“Lost”) co-stars as a sleaze ball. Michelle Rodriguez plays a badass local, Cheech Marin has a small role as a Padre, Don Johnson as a local redneck cop and Steven Seagal plays a Mexican drug lord whose death scene (c’mon, he’s a baddie, how do you think he ends up?) is probably the phoniest, most laughable death scene I have ever witnessed. I laughed A LOT. Included are all the bad clichés, like bouncing cars with flames painted on the sides and the Mexicans all fighting with garden tools; politically incorrect for sure, but the film does portray the Mexicans as the good guys. Very violent and funny.
Cairo Time
Indie, Drama
3.5 stars
A nice armchair travel tool. Patricia Clarkson stars as the wife of a UN officer who is supposed to meet her husband in Cairo for a vacation. Her husband gets delayed so he has his former aide escort her around town and affections abound. There are some hints of the local culture but it mostly shows off a great city I’d like to visit someday. It’s a simple story, since it’s mostly a love affair with the setting. I liked it.
3.5 stars
A nice armchair travel tool. Patricia Clarkson stars as the wife of a UN officer who is supposed to meet her husband in Cairo for a vacation. Her husband gets delayed so he has his former aide escort her around town and affections abound. There are some hints of the local culture but it mostly shows off a great city I’d like to visit someday. It’s a simple story, since it’s mostly a love affair with the setting. I liked it.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Action, Fantasy
3 stars
Cute comic book style film, but not really my thing. Michael Cera –he who has extremely limited acting range – stars as his usual loser self who falls for a girl (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) with seven evil ex-boyfriends with special powers he must combat and defeat. I liked the way the movie transitioned from one scene to the next. I liked Keiran Culkin as Cera’s gay roommate and Ellen Wong as Cera’s high schooler girlfriend. It’s a silly, fantastical movie that I’d only recommend to comic book fans.
3 stars
Cute comic book style film, but not really my thing. Michael Cera –he who has extremely limited acting range – stars as his usual loser self who falls for a girl (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) with seven evil ex-boyfriends with special powers he must combat and defeat. I liked the way the movie transitioned from one scene to the next. I liked Keiran Culkin as Cera’s gay roommate and Ellen Wong as Cera’s high schooler girlfriend. It’s a silly, fantastical movie that I’d only recommend to comic book fans.
Monday, September 6, 2010
The American
Indie, Intrigue
4 stars
A little slow, with spare dialogue and leaves you with more questions than answers. That being said, there is still a certain quiet beauty to this film. George Clooney stars as a hit man in hiding in an ancient city in Italy where everyone is suspect. I could tell most folks in the theater were frustrated with the film because they’re not used to indies and were expecting explosions, constant excitement and a dramatic musical score. Instead, the dialogue and music are sparse. There is certainly intrigue with plenty of suspenseful moments, it’s just not what the typical American viewer expects at the multiplex these days. I liked it.
4 stars
A little slow, with spare dialogue and leaves you with more questions than answers. That being said, there is still a certain quiet beauty to this film. George Clooney stars as a hit man in hiding in an ancient city in Italy where everyone is suspect. I could tell most folks in the theater were frustrated with the film because they’re not used to indies and were expecting explosions, constant excitement and a dramatic musical score. Instead, the dialogue and music are sparse. There is certainly intrigue with plenty of suspenseful moments, it’s just not what the typical American viewer expects at the multiplex these days. I liked it.
Going the Distance
Chick Flick, Romance
3 stars
Average romantic comedy. Drew Barrymore and Justin Long star as a couple in love whose jobs force them into a bi-coastal relationship. Some of the humor was needlessly crude, and I found Long’s buddies annoying (Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis). Christina Applegate costars as Barrymore’s sister. I got a few laughs out of it, but mostly, it just reminded me of the frustrations of my own long distance experience before I moved to Chicago. The movie was OK, but I wouldn’t recommend rushing out to the theaters for it.
3 stars
Average romantic comedy. Drew Barrymore and Justin Long star as a couple in love whose jobs force them into a bi-coastal relationship. Some of the humor was needlessly crude, and I found Long’s buddies annoying (Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis). Christina Applegate costars as Barrymore’s sister. I got a few laughs out of it, but mostly, it just reminded me of the frustrations of my own long distance experience before I moved to Chicago. The movie was OK, but I wouldn’t recommend rushing out to the theaters for it.
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