Watched a lot of movies on the weekend after we put the baby to bed... but I haven't written them up! Clearing out the back log.
Revolutionary Road
Mixed feelings about this one. I enjoyed the novel, as brutal as it was at times. The movie intensified the brutality, and seemingly altered the ending (won't spoil it). Great period piece, the sets and costuming were spot-on, and the two leads were fantastic (Leo doesn' get the accolades that Kate does, but he's turned into a very good actor).
Highly recommended.
Duplicity
Enjoyable, but it felt undercooked. Corporate espionage is a great subject for a film, since most know little about it, but it's not the high stakes of regular espionage. Not enough chemistry between Julia Roberts and Clive Owen.
Recommended if you like either of the actors.
Star Trek
If you haven't seen this yet, you might not be an NT. I recommend one views
The Wrath of Khan prior to this so you get all the references. Enjoyable plot, excellent recasting of the classic characters, I can't wait to see the next one. Star Trek really needed this.
Highly recommended.
Up
Much like
Wall-E, a moving and virtuoso beginning that deflates a bit as you move to the conclusion. Pixar makes better animated movies than anything Japan has ever produced.
Highly recommended.
Brazil
I didn't remember much of this, so I saw it again. I was a bit underwhelmed by it all. Loved the sarcastic take on modern consumerist society, but the plot was a bit muddled and the end didn't pack the emotional wallop one would hope. See it just for the set direction, CGI can imagine more now, but rarely is it as effective as this.
Recommended.
Body of Lies
Russell Crowe movie #1. I couldn't remember the plot. Had to look it up on Wikipedia. That's not good.
Not recommended.
Taken
Much better action movie than I was expecting. Realistic except for the uncanny ability of Liam Neeson to always find just the right clue on his search for his kidnapped daughter.
Reocmmended.
Kung Fu Panda
Not Pixar-good, but entertaining nonetheless.
Recommended.
3:10 to Yuma
Russell Crowe movie #2. A remake of a classic western I have not seen, Christian Bale is one of the men tasked to bring train robber Russell Crowe to the prison train in Yuma. He does this for his own prideful reasons, and Crowe's character has his own sense of honor. A macho movie about duty and honor, I was thoroughly captivated (esp. by Crowe's charismatic killer) from beginning to end. Men like this no longer exist much in the modern world, but they did exist.
Highly recommended.
Wanted
James McAvoy and Angelina in one of the silliest CGI-pumped action movies I've seen in a while. Needed MST3k.
Not recommended.
The Hangover
Not as funny as it was made out to be raking in all that cash at the theater, still very funny at times.
Recommended.
Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Hanks should play more characters like this - a bit sleazy with hidden depth and smarts; pretty much the opposite of Forrest Gump. A very interesting look into how America came to back the mujahedeen in Afghanistan against the Soviets. Actions that still have massive implications to this day. Philip Seymour Hoffman was great in his role as a CIA agent (and probably antagonistic smarty-pants NT).
Highly recommended.
Be Kind Rewind
Too whimsical for me, there were some fantastic set pieces here (the ladder and chain link fence camouflage was the best). I just couldn't buy into the premise that people would want to watch refilmed low-budget shorts based on movies. Maybe I was in a bad mood.
No recommendation.
(500) Days of Summer
You know how women will complain about one guy that comes on too strong and has their whole future planned? Now you can see what it's like from his side: how soul-crushing and desperate to make things work he is. Zooey Deschanel is the quirky-cipher girl men dream about, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is maturing into an actor that I'm really starting to look for. Who doesn't like a Hall & Oates musical number????
Highly recommended.
Sweeney Todd
I knew there was throat-cutting, but I didn't know there'd be so much and so graphic! A black comedy that could really go even blacker in my opinion, and a musical with non-singers that acquit themselves quite well, I can recommend it as long as you know you're getting spraying blood and singing.
Recommended.
Inglourious Basterds
The first scene was one of the most tension-filled and well-done scene any director has done, let alone QT. The rest of the movie didn't quite match that, though it did continually surprise me with who would live or die right through the end. Christoph Waltz deserved the Oscar.
Recommended.
Burn After Reading
Every once in a while the Coen brothers make a movie where it's hard to like any of the characters. Without a way in, one remains detached and unmoved (except for a shocking death in the middle of the movie).
Not recommended.
Coraline
A beautiful little film for the stop-motion animation crowd and the little goth inside all of us. Just the right amount of creepiness and wonder.
Highly Recommended.
District 9
Been reviewed countless times on INTPc, just go see it.
Highly recommended.
Up in the Air
I discussed this movie a bit earlier @ INTPc, so I don't feel like rehashing the plot.
Recommended.
Dirty Pretty Things
A minor thriller/mystery involving the underworld of undocumented workers at a London hotel. You figure out what is going on halfway through the film, but that's okay because it's really about the characters. Characters people don't often think about as they go about their daily business... unless you are one of them.
Recommended.
Alien vs. Predator
Better than I expected, but still silly.
Not recommended.
Cloverfield
I think everyone saw this before I did. Some criticize the hand-held style, but I think that really draws you into the chaos and confusion of a giant monster attack the way a Godzilla movie never did.
Recommended.
The Burrowers
A horror/western? Yep, and a decent one at that. People go missing and a posse follows the trail assuming Injuns took 'em. It wasn't Injuns.
Recommended for horror lovers.
Crazy Heart
You don't have to like country to enjoy this movie, but it really helps. Framed almost like a biopic in the last years of a fading country legend, Jeff Bridges nails the character: his alcoholism, his regrets, his talent, his scheming, his goodness that still hasn't been killed off. Even Colin Farrell surprised me.
Highly recommended.
Where the Wild Things Are
More like where the depressed monsters mope! It turns the book from a bratty everykid to a confused and angry child of divorce. Few movies are able to capture what it's like to be a kid, and this one does. If you are a child of divorce yourself, you may even identify more with this than I did.
Recommended.
Pandorum
Well-made sci-fi horror movies are rarely well-done these days. They know a certain crowd will go to see this anyway, so I appreciate it when there is some effort involved by the filmmakers. A mash-up of
Aliens and
Event Horizon, there's nothing new here, just a solid entry into the genre. Thanks for the recommendation, whatever!
Recommended.