It could just be a quirk of mine but I honestly don't see the draw of Jake Gylee...Gyllenellel...no, Gy...Gyelenhally...dang, Jake Gyllenhaalalaalaalaal, ah, screw it. Like his sister, he has very little presence on screen. For example, he played opposite Heath Ledger in that gay cowboy, er sheepherder, flick Brokeback Mountain. Now, when I was dry heaving and fumbling for the fast-forward button, it was obvious in that film which of them was the actor and which one wasn't (I was going to rewrite that but the fact is that when you're talking about Brokeback Mountain, everything becomes a play on words). Ledger had presence, depth. Jake Gyllennenhell...Gel In Hall is flatter than a week old cup of Dr. Pepper.

Now, Gemma Arterton? Oh, there's plenty of presence there.

"The gods have a plan for you." Well, since there are no "gods" but only "God" whatever plan "they" have for you will probably stink.




Screenwriters: Doug Miro (The Great Raid) and Carlo Bernard (The Uninvited)
Director: Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain), Gemma Atherton (Quantum of Solace), Ben Kingsley (Transsiberian) and Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2)

Labels: Alfred Molina, Ben Kingsley, film, Gemma Arterton, Jake Glyyenhaal, movie trailer

There is an old saying that "good things come in three's". The person who coined that phrase didn't live long enough to witness this cinematic trio of tripe.

But hey, at least these vampires don't sparkle like a bunch of mincing fairies.

This is like the others in the series: schlocky and overwrought. If you enjoy watching very good actors taking their material far too seriously and screaming nearly every line - knock yourself out. If you have better things to do than watch something as sophomoric as vampires fighting werewolves while taking off their clothes and rolling around in the moonlight and then chopping an untold number of people in half - then do those things.



Related Reviews:
Michael Sheen movies
Frost/Nixon (2008)
Underworld (2003)


Other Critic’s Reviews:
ReelTalk
The Movie Report

Labels: Bill Nighy, film, Michael Sheen, movie review, Rhona Mitra, sequel, vampire

There are times when all of the hype surrounding a film is actually justified. This is one of those productions. This is a pitch-perfect, well executed film that walks the balance beam of showing the harsh conditions and psychological horror of war without portraying our soldiers are seething brutes who are out of control. Unlike Oliver Stone's self-loathing (albeit interesting) presentation in Platoon, where the battle zone is a place of no heroic action and no honor, this film, directed by Kathryn Bigelow (K-19: The Widowmaker), admits the truth: war is painful, it is horrible and ugly, but it is also very human. This means it brings out the extreme evil in men but also the extreme good.

This is a far cry from a pro-war film, do not get me wrong. Bigelow and company are stridently anti-war, as they should be. What makes them different from the cohorts in the entertainment industry is that they don't conflate their anti-war philosophy with being anti-solider. This is a huge difference.

SFC William James (Jeremy Renner) is the newly appointed head of an Army bomb squad unit in Iraq. James along with Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Spc. Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) go from one deadly scene to the next as they diffuse bombs, handle snipers and avoid being shot on their tour of duty. James seems to have a death wish. He is a belligerent risk-taker who doesn't appear to have his survival instincts hooked up any more. This is naturally disconcerting to his comrades, as they still hope to live through their time in service. What results is a battle between the nihilistic James and Sanborn, who still clings to hope.

The one main flaw of the film is that James is a little too quirky in some respects. I am not a military guy - never served and you don't want me to. Speaking as an outsider, it would seem to me that someone as broken and apparently suicidal as James wouldn't be allowed on a bomb squad, or at least not given one to lead. Perhaps that is wishful thinking on my part. Having known a number of veterans I hold plenty of anecdotal evidence that our military command is that foolhardy (read stupid).

There is one sequence in the film that stands out. There is a patient, sniper battle when the squad gets pinned down. It is the most enthralling and tense battle sequence since Saving Private Ryan. Bigelow doesn't overplay the scene but rather draws it out, allowing the tension of the situation to take command of the audience. It is impossible to see this scene and not get drawn in. The transition between this scene and the next, you'll have to see the film to see what I mean, is one of the better examples of the psychotic emotional roller coaster our soldiers endure.

This deserves the Best Picture Oscar. It is easily the best American film of the year.




Related Reviews:
Iraq War movies
Full Battle Rattle (2008)
Gunner Palace (2004)


Other Critic’s Reviews:
Commentary Track
Film Critics United

Labels: film, Iraq War, Jeremy Renner, movie review, war

Just imagine if the studios put this much effort into making original material.

Remakes of cheesy 80's horror flicks is about as being offered a bag full of secondhand Doritos.





Screenwriters: Wesley Strick (Doom) and Eric Heisserer
Director: Samuel Bayer
Actors: Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen), Rooney Mara (Youth in Revolt), Thomas Dekker (From Within), Katie Cassidy (Taken), Kyle Gallner (Jennifer's Body) and Clancy Brown (Highlander)

Labels: Clancy Brown, film, horror, Jackie Earle Haley, movie trailer, remake, Rooney Mara, Thomas Dekker

"respected journalist"? Isn't that like saying "honest politician", "approachable dentist" or "responsible pedophile?"

Clive Owen always sounds like he's saying his lines while chewing on a mouthful of cashews.

This is a simple, conventional trailer. Plenty of sunny scenes, smiles and bouncy music to alert the viewer this is supposed to be uplifting.

"Just say yes". There's a parenting plan.

"Hey Dad, can I put the puppy in the clothes dryer with these unopened soup cans?"

"Yes, Billy. Daddy says yes because Daddy is more concerned with concerned with your temporary happiness rather than helping you develop into a useful purpose."





Screenwriters: Allan Cubitt
Director: Scott Hicks (Hearts in Atlantis)
Actors: Clive Owen (Children of Men), Laura Fraser (The Passion), George MacKay (Defiance) and Emma Booth

Labels: Clive Owen, film, movie trailer

...and neither do unnecessary sequels.

Here are some pairs of words I that make me wretch:

• Root canal
• Proctology examination
• Tax hike
  
• Weeping sore
• Fungal infection
• Wet socks
• Oliver Stone
  

Labels: film, Michael Douglas, movie trailer, Shia LaBeouf

Hey, it has Helen Mirren in it. Even if it is an annoying, melodramatic wad of self-indulgence, I still say, hey, it's got Helen Mirren in it.





Screenwriters: Michael Hoffman
Director: Michael Hoffman (The Emperor's Club)
Actors: Helen Mirren (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover), James McAvoy (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), Christopher Plummer (Dragnet), Paul Giamatti (Lady in the Water), Patrick Kennedy (Munich) and Anne-Marie Duff (Notes on a Scandal)

Labels: Anne-Marie Duff, Christopher Plummer, film, Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, movie trailer, Patrick Kennedy, Paul Giamatti

This is a very good trailer. It does a wonderful job of selling the film and the performances. George Clooney does have a goofy comedic side which doesn't get utilized enough. As this trailer displays, he has a particularly good knack for double-takes.






Screenwriters: Jon Ronson (How to Lose Friends & Alienate People)
Director: Grant Heslov
Actors: George Clooney (Burn After Reading), Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting), Jeff Bridges (The Fisher King), Kevin Spacey (21), Stephen Lang (Avatar), Robert Patrick (Terminator II: Judgment Day), Stephen Root (Office Space) and Waleed Zuaiter

Labels: Ewan McGregor, film, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, movie trailer, Robert Patrick, Stephen Lang, Stephen Root

Short Review: It’s a Über-chick flick and I really enjoyed it. Don’t worry, when I was done watching I killed a bear with a knife, mangled things with a chainsaw and left the toilet seat up all night to recalibrate my masculinity.


This is a well-built film. Oh, it’s a chick flick supreme, but ultimately it is a darn good movie. The piece is about Andy, a smart but naive young woman from Ohio, who finds herself assisting a cruel fashion magazine editor in New York City. Basically this is the mother lode of chick flicks. There are clothes, boy trouble, girly politics and more clothes.

Sex In The City and Entourage director David Frankel deserves great credit for his work. The movie is sharply paced providing some great moments. Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna (27 Dresses) do a fantastic job of making the elite world of fashion accessible and interesting. They smartly know that the casual haughtiness of the citizens of that world is not only annoying, but also seen as undeserved by the average person. Actually, the haughtiness is undeserved regardless of how it is seen. Frankel and company offer enough explanations of why fashion is taken so seriously by so many that it gives a pass to what could have been the film’s biggest hurdle – getting people to care.

Much has been written about Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Runway magazine’s editor Miranda Priestly. Miranda is a cold, dismissive woman and Streep obviously enjoyed the role. She commands her scenes managing the role with an overbearing presence. She comes across as a snootier version of Cruella De Vil. Beyond Streep’s great performance, I think lead Anne Hathaway deserves more credit for the success of the film. As Julia Robert's heir apparent, Hathaway has now shown she is capable of extending enough charm and ability to handle a large role. She doesn’t throw down an Oscar worthy performance, but she threads the piece nicely and provides a sympathetic lead against Streep’s stronger character.

The only serious flaw in the film is that it doesn’t know what to do when not concentrating on Streep and Hathaway. Mostly in the first third of the film, Andy (Hathaway) hangs with her “normal” friends that have been inserted into the piece so we can see her roots. These friends are likable enough and their brief scenes do the job, but the scenes are inserted just the same. On the other end of the film, Andy gets embroiled in a needless sex romp with Christian (Simon Baker), an elite guy who’s supposed to represent her new life. Christian is also inserted in the film to fill a hole in the plot. These scenes, while not disastrous, do feel like distractions from the main event. They feed Andy’s growing discomfort with joining the ranks of the fashion hierarchy so they do have a purpose. The transformation of the character of Andy from Ohio girl to fashion fancy pants is so complete that by the time she has to decide if she should stay with the fashion hierarchy or go back to shopping at The Gap, it seems stupid for her to turn back. She’s sacrificed everything, gained a great deal, and her old life seems troubled and petty. Granted, the fashion world is the sham, but it is sold in the film as being better than hanging with the grunts of the world.

I didn’t want to like this movie. I have a natural aversion to both fashion and chick flicks. This movie overpowered my disdain. This is a good movie. The performances are wonderful, the writing is great, and the direction is thoughtful. I highly recommend this film.



Related Reviews:
Meryl Streep movies
The Deer Hunter (1978)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Screen It!
Fresh Film Reviews

Labels: Adrian Grenier, Anne Hathaway, chick flick, film, Meryl Streep, movie review, Stanley Tucci

Labels: movie quote