The Official Review Thread of 2006

[Mister Tee]

Are people not seeing Cars, or just not feeling motivated to mention it?

Unlike some here, I've been a fan of the Pixar movies, but I think this is the least distinguished of all their releases (outdistancing the previous nadir, A Bug's Life, by a comfortable margin). It starts off well, at the Piston Cup race, with dazzling visuals and typically casual wit (i.e., the female cars' line for refueling being so much longer than the males'). But as soon as Lightning gets stranded in Radiator Springs, the movie turns shockingly dull -- both visually (partly a design-concept problem, as the town is supposed to look drab), but more importantly in plot turns, as we get yet another "small town left behind by progress where the people are so much more real" parable (critics seem to feel this plot is rippped off from Doc Hollywood -- don't they realize the plot goes back about to the silent days?). The best song -- the James Taylor-sung "Our Town" -- has a sweetness, but it suffers mightily in obvious comparison to When She Loved Me. The latter had a fresh, bittersweet angle -- what it means for a child to grow up and leave her favorite toy behind. This current song is the old wheeze about the town that dried up when the interstate came. Gee, I haven't heard that 1000 times.

The film does rally for a decent finish, and most of the actors are fine. But there are also more than usual of the standard movie platitudes (sticking with the old sponsor, etc.); it's the first Pixar movie that really feels infected with Disney-itis.

Sure hope there's something better to win this year's animated trophy. I preferred all three of last year's nominees to this.

[Hustler]

POSEIDON

Oh my god! what have they done! This remake is so insipid! what was was the purpose of this revival? It smells of mothballs.

[Penelope]

I don't think we need a separate thread for The Lake House, since it's unlikely to be remembered either at the end of the year or much beyond. Haven't seen the original Korean film it's based on, so I can't comment on a comparison. This film veers between comfortably pleasant and unnecessarily leaden; the second half--when the tension should be rising--instead devolved into a drawn out process.

It's telling that during a scene (two, actually) in which an old movie clip is shown, they've selected not something that would be similar to the theme--say, Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten in Portrait of Jennie--but, rather, the more well-known (today, at least) Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in Notorious.

For this lover of romantic movies, The Lake House is a disappointment.

[Reza]

I would like to know about Burstyn´s performance in this film. and what about Oscar chances?

It played on HBO, so it's not eligible for Oscars.

Years ago Ellen Burstyn played Jean Harris in the tv film - The People vs Jean Harris - and won an Emmy nod!

[dws1982]

I would like to know about Burstyn´s performance in this film. and what about Oscar chances?

It played on HBO, so it's not eligible for Oscars.

[Hustler]

Mrs. Harris (2005) starring Annette Bening, Ben Kingsley, Frances Fisher, Chloë Sevigny, Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn, Mary McDonnell, Philip Baker Hall

I would like to know about Burstyn´s performance in this film. and what about Oscar chances?

[anonymous1980]

INSIDE MAN
Cast: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Dir: Spike Lee

Though far from his masterpiece, this is a pretty absorbing and gripping thriller from director Spike Lee. If only more Hollywood thrillers were this entertaining but alas....

Oscar Prospects: None.

Grade: B+

[anonymous1980]

CARS
Cast: Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Keaton, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Jenifer Lewis, Paul Dooley, Michael Wallis, George Carlin, Katharine Helmond, John Ratzenberger, Jeremy Piven (voices).
Dir: John Lasseter.

This is the best movie of 2006 so far (but considering the string of crap that's been 2006 so far, it's not that big of a compliment) but still, although it isn't QUITE as great as its predecessors, PIXAR still managed to produce a film that did not suck. This is still a visual feast that packs a lot of comical and emotional punch. I even didn't mind Larry the Cable Guy's voice much.

Oscar Prospects: Definitely a lock in the Animated Feature category. Also a strong contender in Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Score and Best Original Song ("Our Town" - very reminiscent of "When She Loved Me")

Grade: A-

[anonymous1980]

X-MEN: THE LAST STAND
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Rebecca Romijn, Jason Marsden, Vinnie Jones, Ben Foster, Dania Ramirez, Ellen Page, Michael Murphy, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Cameron Bright.
Dir: Brett Ratner

The first two X-Men were well-crafted franchise flicks. Nothing outstanding but very good, entertaining films on their own right. This one is just one big disappointing film that entertains but doesn't involve. You pretty much forget about it once you leave the theater. Brett Ratner's direction copies the style but none of the substance of Bryan Singer's direction. Sure, the effects all look cool but lacks genuine fun.

Oscar Prospects: Makeup maybe.

Grade: C+

[anonymous1980]

THE DA VINCI CODE
Cast: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Paul Bettany, Alfred Molina, Jean Reno, Jurgen Prochnow.
Dir: Ron Howard

After all the controversy, hype and ballyhoo, when it's all said and done, this film's biggest sin is being boring. Having not read the book beforehand, this film comes off as neither a satisfying thriller nor a thought-provoking question on faith, religion and belief. The film only comes alive through the first-rate efforts of McKellen and Bettany. Otherwise, the entire thing is just blah.

Oscar Prospects: Makeup and Editing maybe.

Grade: C

[anonymous1980]

POSEIDON
Cast: Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss, Emmy Rossum, Jacinda Barrett, Andre Braugher, Mike Vogel, Mia Maestro, Jimmy Bennett, Kevin Dillon, Freddy Rodriguez, Stacy Ferguson.
Dir: Wolfgang Petersen

The remake of the campy 70's cult favorite contains louder, glossier, more polished special effects but has little else going for it. Sure, the kid in this one is far less annoying than the original but the script sorely needed more characterization. Everything just falls flat since we care little about most of the characters. It was entertaining nonetheless.

Oscar Prospects: Maybe Sound, Sound Editing, Art Direction, Original Song.

Grade: C+

[The Original BJ]

Art School Confidential . . .

. . . was almost one of the best films of the year. It is for at least two acts. Rebounding from the unfunny Bad Santa, Terry Zwigoff rekindles Ghost World's wicked sense of humor for a hilarious (and quite accurate, I might add) skewering of art schools. Avoiding the limp satire of Thank You for Smoking (and it seems American Dreamz, although I avoided that one), Art School Confidential takes appropriately cruel stabs at its subjects, and it's quite miraculous that, through all of it, these crazy kids and even more bizarre teachers remain lovable and endearing. Zwigoff's absolutely bent cynicism appears delightfully in detail after detail, often simply in the way shots linger on seemingly unrelated objects within the frame, and I just about fell in love with the whole darn thing like I swooned for Ghost World five years ago.

But then there's the third act. Like A History of Violence, here is a movie that starts off fantastically, offers one blissfully entertaining sequence after another, doesn't lack for profound subtext . . . and then has no idea where to go and just about derails. (And I think Art School Confidential falls apart much more than Violence did.) A subplot involving a strangler (not a spoiler) takes over, and the creaky plot mechanics begin to churn. There are at least two "plot" reveals that provoked groans from my audience, one of which is of the "Oh no, character, how could you be so stupid as to not get what we get!" variety . . . at least I think the character doesn't get it. If he doesn't, that's super sloppy writing, and if he does, it's a flaw in Max Minghella's performance that he doesn't make that clear, methinks. (I realize this is all very obtuse, but I'm trying to talk about as much as I can without spoilers.) Like A History of Violence, Art School Confidential's conclusion works, but I feel like it took some major wrong turns before getting there.

I have no idea how to rate this film. Most of it is far more interesting than anything in United 93, yet that film seemed to accomplish what it set out to do while Art School Confidential practically collapses as a result of trying too hard. I will say that I have no idea how the film received such pans from critics. Art School Confidential is no Ghost World, but after the near evangelical reception for United 93, it strikes me as frustrating that such an original, quirky, if flawed film like this one can't get a break. Heck, the fact that Mission: Impossible III has a higher Rotten Tomatoes rating is outrageous enough.

[anonymous1980]

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III
Cast: Tom Cruise, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan, Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Maggie Q, Keri Russell, Simon Pegg.
Dir: J.J. Abrams

I'm a huge fan of director/co-writer J.J. Abrams's work on television namely Lost and Alias and although I wouldn't recommend that he quit TV and focus solely on movies, he acquits himself quite well as an action director in this third installment of the Mission: Impossible series. Though it's not quite as intriguing as the Brian DePalma-directed original, it is DEFINITELY better than the second one.

Oscar Prospects: Maybe for Sound Editing.

Grade: B

[anonymous1980]

Oscar Prospects: None.

Really? I think the late Adrian Biddle's expressive cinematography might be a possibility.

Might get overshadowed by other contenders for the rest of the year but we'll see.

[Penelope]

Oscar Prospects: None.

Really? I think the late Adrian Biddle's expressive cinematography might be a possibility.