Moon is an engaging enough mind-bender, and it looks quite good for an indie-level feature. I don't think it goes deep enough into its premise to be truly memorable (the way, say, Memento does), and the ending is more audience-pleasing than interesting. I also would have liked a clearer delineation of the character arc of the sometimes HAL-like, sometimes not computer (I'd be clearer on what I mean, but that would require spoilers). On the whole, though, the film is a decently fresh effort that's worth seeing.
It's clear when you've seen the film why Sam Rockwell has been touted by some as deserving of an Oscar push, and he's quite effective in the role. I get the feeling Rockwell's one of those guys who's going to get a nomination somewhere down the line, possibly for a half-assed effort, based on all his accumulated points over the years.
Don't know whether it counts as '09 or '08 -- foreign language nominee in '08, a US (at least NY) release in '09 -- but I also caught up with The Baader-Meinhof Complex. I found it engrossing without ever being terribly gripping...like a solid feature-length magazine article. I wasn't aware of this specific group, but of course all too informed about their American counterparts, who were constantly pointed at to delegitimize the peaceful protest groups of the era. It would have ben nice to have understood the steps that pushed these people over the edge to violent action, but the film doesn't find a way to connect me to these folks. If anything, they seem like people who just had an affinity for destruction and would have found a way to get to it whether there'd been an appropriate cause or not. Maybe this is reality, but it doesn't do much to draw me into their story, as I really don't like them very much nor feel any empathy. As I said, the movie is absorbing enough -- for 2 1/2 hours, it goes quickly enough -- but I can see why it, too, failed to win over voters looking for an alternative to Waltz with Bashir or The Class.
The Official Review Thread of 2009
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Mister Tee
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anonymous1980
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AN EDUCATION
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Rosamund Pike, Dominic Cooper, Cara Seymour, Emma Thompson, Olivia Williams, Matthew Beard, Sally Hawkins.
Dir: Lone Scherfig
A nice little coming of age tale of a young teenage girl bound for Oxford involving herself with an older man. We've all seen it before in one form or another but the script, direction and acting all make it seem fresh. I can see why Carey Mulligan is getting all these acting accolades: In the hands of a lesser actress, her character would've been annoying and grating but instead she makes her layered, complex and sympathetic. Alfred Molina not nominated in Best Supporting Actor - What the hell?
Grade: B+
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Rosamund Pike, Dominic Cooper, Cara Seymour, Emma Thompson, Olivia Williams, Matthew Beard, Sally Hawkins.
Dir: Lone Scherfig
A nice little coming of age tale of a young teenage girl bound for Oxford involving herself with an older man. We've all seen it before in one form or another but the script, direction and acting all make it seem fresh. I can see why Carey Mulligan is getting all these acting accolades: In the hands of a lesser actress, her character would've been annoying and grating but instead she makes her layered, complex and sympathetic. Alfred Molina not nominated in Best Supporting Actor - What the hell?
Grade: B+
Julia (Erick Zonca)
Absolutely ridiculous movie, with scarcely a believable moment in it, from Tilda Swinton's cruel male predator/victimized woman drunken sexual encounters to her hapless indulging in outlaw escapades that make Thelma & Louise look like kids pilfering bubble gum from a candy store.
But it is a testament to Zonca's filmmaking skills that a movie with such a ludicrous narrative is as watchable as it is. Even if at 2 hours 14 minutes it does seem endless.
Lots of talk about how Swinton was robbed of critics' awards. Pffffft -- the woman has as many tics here as Charlize Thereon did when she played The Monster. But, admittedly, at least, because she's a better actress, Swinton's tics seemed to come from within rather than being plastered from above. Still Swinton's acting is all over the place and unreal.I never lost sight that I was watching an actress Acting -- Gena Rowlands's long-lost daughter (and the film does owe a bit to Gloria). I know a couple of sad, deep-seated alcoholics, and they don't have the wild, erratic mood swings of Swinton's performance -- they are steadily, nervously, always under control, with just the occasional blip that tells you they are not. Ultimately, Swinton seems to be channeling Jane Curtin.
5/10
Edited By Damien on 1265747586
Absolutely ridiculous movie, with scarcely a believable moment in it, from Tilda Swinton's cruel male predator/victimized woman drunken sexual encounters to her hapless indulging in outlaw escapades that make Thelma & Louise look like kids pilfering bubble gum from a candy store.
But it is a testament to Zonca's filmmaking skills that a movie with such a ludicrous narrative is as watchable as it is. Even if at 2 hours 14 minutes it does seem endless.
Lots of talk about how Swinton was robbed of critics' awards. Pffffft -- the woman has as many tics here as Charlize Thereon did when she played The Monster. But, admittedly, at least, because she's a better actress, Swinton's tics seemed to come from within rather than being plastered from above. Still Swinton's acting is all over the place and unreal.I never lost sight that I was watching an actress Acting -- Gena Rowlands's long-lost daughter (and the film does owe a bit to Gloria). I know a couple of sad, deep-seated alcoholics, and they don't have the wild, erratic mood swings of Swinton's performance -- they are steadily, nervously, always under control, with just the occasional blip that tells you they are not. Ultimately, Swinton seems to be channeling Jane Curtin.
5/10
Edited By Damien on 1265747586
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
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FilmFan720
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I have been playing catch up on a couple of documentaries (The Cove is on the way)
Food, Inc. - A noble film, but it has almost too much to say. It jumps around so much, that it is never able to focus on any of them. There are a lot of strong moments, and it opens some good questions, but had it chosen one story to tell (or one topic to focus on) rather than every problem in the food industry, it might have been more powerful.
Burna VJ - This is available on You Tube, and is well worth watching. It is probably my favorite documentary of the year. It follows the Burmese protests in 2007 completely by illegally shot footage from the ground by underground journalists. The film is gripping, shocking and suspenseful, and tells a fascinating story without dwelling on talking heads and background politics. Instead, it lets the visuals and the adventure speak for itself.
China's Unnatural Disaster - Like so many HBO documentary shorts, this tells a necessary story in a dull, unengaging way. The footage is powerful, but there isn't much else to it.
Food, Inc. - A noble film, but it has almost too much to say. It jumps around so much, that it is never able to focus on any of them. There are a lot of strong moments, and it opens some good questions, but had it chosen one story to tell (or one topic to focus on) rather than every problem in the food industry, it might have been more powerful.
Burna VJ - This is available on You Tube, and is well worth watching. It is probably my favorite documentary of the year. It follows the Burmese protests in 2007 completely by illegally shot footage from the ground by underground journalists. The film is gripping, shocking and suspenseful, and tells a fascinating story without dwelling on talking heads and background politics. Instead, it lets the visuals and the adventure speak for itself.
China's Unnatural Disaster - Like so many HBO documentary shorts, this tells a necessary story in a dull, unengaging way. The footage is powerful, but there isn't much else to it.
"Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good."
- Minor Myers, Jr.
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anonymous1980
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THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
Cast: Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael Leon-Wooley, Jennifer Cody, Jim Cummings, Jenifer Lewis, Peter Bartlett, Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard, John Goodman (voices).
Dirs: John Musker and Ron Clements.
The film's not QUITE as great as say, The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast but it's definitely better than some of the later animated features in the latter half of the Disney "Golden Age" of the 1990's. True, the story's a tad formulaic but the animation's freakin' gorgeous. Randy Newman may not be Menken/Ashman but his songs are mostly truly charming (especially "Almost There").
Grade: B+
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
Cast: Max Records, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo and the voices of James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, Paul Dano, Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker.
Dir: Spike Jonze
If there's such a thing as a children's art house flick, this would probably qualify. Spike Jonze's quirky sensibility is nearly perfect in capturing both the emotional resonance and the energetic exuberance of the source material. Fantastic cinematography by Lance Acord and an outstanding score by Karen O and Carter Burwell. Max Records also gives a great performance.
Grade: B+
Cast: Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael Leon-Wooley, Jennifer Cody, Jim Cummings, Jenifer Lewis, Peter Bartlett, Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard, John Goodman (voices).
Dirs: John Musker and Ron Clements.
The film's not QUITE as great as say, The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast but it's definitely better than some of the later animated features in the latter half of the Disney "Golden Age" of the 1990's. True, the story's a tad formulaic but the animation's freakin' gorgeous. Randy Newman may not be Menken/Ashman but his songs are mostly truly charming (especially "Almost There").
Grade: B+
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
Cast: Max Records, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo and the voices of James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, Paul Dano, Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker.
Dir: Spike Jonze
If there's such a thing as a children's art house flick, this would probably qualify. Spike Jonze's quirky sensibility is nearly perfect in capturing both the emotional resonance and the energetic exuberance of the source material. Fantastic cinematography by Lance Acord and an outstanding score by Karen O and Carter Burwell. Max Records also gives a great performance.
Grade: B+
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The Original BJ
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Playing Oscar catch-up, I caught Food, Inc. last night on Netflix Instant Play, and found it an engrossing and worthy Documentary nominee. It's not nearly as eye-opening a muckraking piece as The Cove (and nowhere near as gut-wrenching), but it's an insightful, sometimes funny, powerful piece on numerous subjects related to the food industry and its affect on ordinary Americans. It doesn't really delve into too much depth with any one topic, but for me it was definitely a cut above something like Super Size Me, which I found amusing enough (how could you not?), but which, idea-wise, never went that much deeper than "fast food is bad for you."
I think ultimately, it's a bit too light to pose a threat to frontrunner The Cove. (Haven't seen any of the other nominees, though.)
I think ultimately, it's a bit too light to pose a threat to frontrunner The Cove. (Haven't seen any of the other nominees, though.)
Should Damien ever write a sequel to his book about casting mistakes, I've got suggestions for two chapters:
Jessica Biel in Easy Virtue
and
Zac Efron and Matthew Perry in 17 Again
Jessica Biel's is classic miscasting, as in, "Who the hell thought she was the right choice to play the lead in a Noel Coward adaptation?" Movie's a dreadful bore too.
The other two is a more complicated situation, but it basically comes down to the question of who thought that Zac Efron and Matthew Perry would be remotely believable as the same person at different stages in life. Individually, they could both work, but in the same film as the same person, they don't even remotely work. Whatever we think of Efron, anyone who is alive and intelligent knows that he is not ever going to grow up to become Matthew Perry. So Leslie Mann seems insane when she tells Efron how much he looks like her husband. And it's not just looks: Efron here is laid back and essentially likable, while Perry is his usual uptight and unpleasant self. There's not much sense of a 37 year-old man whose life is falling apart in Efron, and no sense at all that Perry's character was once an optimistic, popular, and athletic 17 year-old.
The movie itself has some laughs (Margaret Cho as a health teacher; Efron's patronizing lectures to the sex-obsessed teenagers) but that casting is too big of a stretch, even in a film where a man can fall into a portal and come out twenty years younger. The clear inspiration is Peggy Sue Got Married, but unlike that film, there's no moment like Peggy Sue talking to hearing her grandmother's voice again (or Peggy Sue's realization that she would probably make many of the same choices on her second go around) that gives it any resonance beyond the plot gimmick. That may be because he doesn't actually go back in time--he just gets younger--which does limit the concept a bit. Not much of a movie, really, but with some tweaking, and some recasting (dump Matthew Perry for Matthew Settle) it could've worked a little better.
Jessica Biel in Easy Virtue
and
Zac Efron and Matthew Perry in 17 Again
Jessica Biel's is classic miscasting, as in, "Who the hell thought she was the right choice to play the lead in a Noel Coward adaptation?" Movie's a dreadful bore too.
The other two is a more complicated situation, but it basically comes down to the question of who thought that Zac Efron and Matthew Perry would be remotely believable as the same person at different stages in life. Individually, they could both work, but in the same film as the same person, they don't even remotely work. Whatever we think of Efron, anyone who is alive and intelligent knows that he is not ever going to grow up to become Matthew Perry. So Leslie Mann seems insane when she tells Efron how much he looks like her husband. And it's not just looks: Efron here is laid back and essentially likable, while Perry is his usual uptight and unpleasant self. There's not much sense of a 37 year-old man whose life is falling apart in Efron, and no sense at all that Perry's character was once an optimistic, popular, and athletic 17 year-old.
The movie itself has some laughs (Margaret Cho as a health teacher; Efron's patronizing lectures to the sex-obsessed teenagers) but that casting is too big of a stretch, even in a film where a man can fall into a portal and come out twenty years younger. The clear inspiration is Peggy Sue Got Married, but unlike that film, there's no moment like Peggy Sue talking to hearing her grandmother's voice again (or Peggy Sue's realization that she would probably make many of the same choices on her second go around) that gives it any resonance beyond the plot gimmick. That may be because he doesn't actually go back in time--he just gets younger--which does limit the concept a bit. Not much of a movie, really, but with some tweaking, and some recasting (dump Matthew Perry for Matthew Settle) it could've worked a little better.
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anonymous1980
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CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE AT MEATBALLS
Cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Andy Samberg, Mr. T, Bobb'e J. Thompson, Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris.
Dirs: Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
It's very nice to see other animation studios trying to take their cue from PIXAR: Not trying to cast big-named A-list stars, not loading it up with pop culture references or trying too hard to be "hip". This is just a nice straightforward story loosely based on the picture book filled with great animation and clever gags. It's not quite PIXAR-level but very, very enjoyable.
Oscar Prospects: It's got a shot for Best Animated Feature. Sound Editing would be not totally undeserved.
Grade: B+
Cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Andy Samberg, Mr. T, Bobb'e J. Thompson, Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris.
Dirs: Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
It's very nice to see other animation studios trying to take their cue from PIXAR: Not trying to cast big-named A-list stars, not loading it up with pop culture references or trying too hard to be "hip". This is just a nice straightforward story loosely based on the picture book filled with great animation and clever gags. It's not quite PIXAR-level but very, very enjoyable.
Oscar Prospects: It's got a shot for Best Animated Feature. Sound Editing would be not totally undeserved.
Grade: B+
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Mister Tee
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If you go in knowing it's basically crud, and if you (as I do) have an easy tolerance of mysteries, Sherlock Holmes is reasonably enjoyable. There are a few knockabout action scenes that go on way too long, but the story is engaging, if utterly without import.
Perhaps because of the casting of Downey, the film seems to play up the drug angle more than most incarnations. It also frames Holmes' famed insights as a form of OCD -- as if he has a multitude of voices screaming continually in his head, which is what enables him to perceive so much. It's as if he were a step away from the madhouse rather than a gentleman with a bad habit -- a fairly fresh approach. Downey handles all this very well. He's in flippant mode, but no one does flippant better, and his approach helps the film (a number of jokes are funnier because of the way he throws them away rather than whamming them home). He and Jude Law also have a pretty nice chemistry.
The sets are, unsurprisingly, impressive -- might even be a winner in a non-Avatar year. But I was disappointed by the way they were lit: things looked generally drab, and, in the case of a restaurant interior, actively ugly. I was shocked at the end credits to find Phillippe Rousselot's name attached. It's not up to his standard.
Perhaps because of the casting of Downey, the film seems to play up the drug angle more than most incarnations. It also frames Holmes' famed insights as a form of OCD -- as if he has a multitude of voices screaming continually in his head, which is what enables him to perceive so much. It's as if he were a step away from the madhouse rather than a gentleman with a bad habit -- a fairly fresh approach. Downey handles all this very well. He's in flippant mode, but no one does flippant better, and his approach helps the film (a number of jokes are funnier because of the way he throws them away rather than whamming them home). He and Jude Law also have a pretty nice chemistry.
The sets are, unsurprisingly, impressive -- might even be a winner in a non-Avatar year. But I was disappointed by the way they were lit: things looked generally drab, and, in the case of a restaurant interior, actively ugly. I was shocked at the end credits to find Phillippe Rousselot's name attached. It's not up to his standard.
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anonymous1980
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THE BLIND SIDE
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Kathy Bates, Jae Head, Lily Collins, Ray McKinnon, Kim Dickens, Adriane Lenox.
Dir: John Lee Hancock
I had absolutely NO interest in seeing this film. But seeing that Sandy is a threat to win the Oscar (no longer a "filler" nominee), I'm sort of obligated to see this film. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (except for the scenes with that insufferable child actor Jae Head - ugh) but it ain't that good either. Very predictable, overlong and only a few notches above a Lifetime movie, quite frankly.
Oscar Prospects: I wouldn't be mad with a Sandy NOMINATION but a win would be irksome. But quite frankly, if this film has to have an Oscar nomination, it would be Best Supporting Actress for Adriane Lenox. Her scene almost belongs to another better movie altogether.
Grade: C
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Kathy Bates, Jae Head, Lily Collins, Ray McKinnon, Kim Dickens, Adriane Lenox.
Dir: John Lee Hancock
I had absolutely NO interest in seeing this film. But seeing that Sandy is a threat to win the Oscar (no longer a "filler" nominee), I'm sort of obligated to see this film. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (except for the scenes with that insufferable child actor Jae Head - ugh) but it ain't that good either. Very predictable, overlong and only a few notches above a Lifetime movie, quite frankly.
Oscar Prospects: I wouldn't be mad with a Sandy NOMINATION but a win would be irksome. But quite frankly, if this film has to have an Oscar nomination, it would be Best Supporting Actress for Adriane Lenox. Her scene almost belongs to another better movie altogether.
Grade: C
Rudo y Cursi (Carlos Cuarón)
Very slight, fanciful comedy-drama about two poor brothers given a chance to become soccers stars is nevertheless immensely enjoyable. Both raucous and sweet-natured, it reunited the stars of Y tu mamá también (Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna) and it's a damn sight better than that obnoxious earlier film.
6/10
Very slight, fanciful comedy-drama about two poor brothers given a chance to become soccers stars is nevertheless immensely enjoyable. Both raucous and sweet-natured, it reunited the stars of Y tu mamá también (Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna) and it's a damn sight better than that obnoxious earlier film.
6/10
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
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anonymous1980
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THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
Cast: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, Verne Troyer, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield, Colin Farrell, Johnny Depp, Jude Law.
Dir: Terry Gilliam.
Although it's certainly not one of director Terry Gilliam's best works, the film is still a rollicking delight. The death of Heath Ledger halfway through the film actually added another layer of fantasy and creativity to the proceedings. You know, I can't wait to see what Gilliam does with the technology pioneered by James Cameron. I think he's the one director who will bring it to the next level.
Oscar Prospects: Art Direction is a strong possibility. Maybe Costume Design and Makeup.
Grade: B
Cast: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, Verne Troyer, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield, Colin Farrell, Johnny Depp, Jude Law.
Dir: Terry Gilliam.
Although it's certainly not one of director Terry Gilliam's best works, the film is still a rollicking delight. The death of Heath Ledger halfway through the film actually added another layer of fantasy and creativity to the proceedings. You know, I can't wait to see what Gilliam does with the technology pioneered by James Cameron. I think he's the one director who will bring it to the next level.
Oscar Prospects: Art Direction is a strong possibility. Maybe Costume Design and Makeup.
Grade: B
That Evening Sun (Scott Teems)
Or how NOT to make a small indie film. Scott Teems should never be allowed behind a camera again. He has the worst visual sense and most inappropriate camera set-ups since Sidney Lumet, and holds shots for a seeming eternity after there should have been a cut. He shouldn’t be allowed to write another screenplay either, given the stilted dialogue, absurd melodramatic situations and narrative turns and utterly inappropriate monologues. The basic situation of an old man who has escaped from a nursing home and returned to his farm to find it rented out to a miscreant setting up quarters in a sharecroppers quarters next to the main house possibly could have worked metaphorically in the short story upon which the film is based but seeing this premise presented in naturalistic form just makes it all seem ludicrous. A miscast Hal Holbrook (much too genteel for a supposedly ornery old bastard) gives a quite bad performance, but most of the unappealing supporting players are lousy too. The one exception is the always terrific character actor Barry Corbin who brings the only moments of believability and interest to the film. SEMI-SPOILER: There’s something in the picture involving a dog that’s horrifying at first but then what Teems does with it becomes (unintentionally) crazily hilarious.
2/10
Or how NOT to make a small indie film. Scott Teems should never be allowed behind a camera again. He has the worst visual sense and most inappropriate camera set-ups since Sidney Lumet, and holds shots for a seeming eternity after there should have been a cut. He shouldn’t be allowed to write another screenplay either, given the stilted dialogue, absurd melodramatic situations and narrative turns and utterly inappropriate monologues. The basic situation of an old man who has escaped from a nursing home and returned to his farm to find it rented out to a miscreant setting up quarters in a sharecroppers quarters next to the main house possibly could have worked metaphorically in the short story upon which the film is based but seeing this premise presented in naturalistic form just makes it all seem ludicrous. A miscast Hal Holbrook (much too genteel for a supposedly ornery old bastard) gives a quite bad performance, but most of the unappealing supporting players are lousy too. The one exception is the always terrific character actor Barry Corbin who brings the only moments of believability and interest to the film. SEMI-SPOILER: There’s something in the picture involving a dog that’s horrifying at first but then what Teems does with it becomes (unintentionally) crazily hilarious.
2/10
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
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