The Official Review Thread of 2010

[Damien]

I think this plot went out of style with The Cassandra Crossing (1977).

One of my guilty pleasures.

I loved it too.

[Sonic Youth]

Two years ago Scott and Washington remade The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Looks to me like they remade it again.

Albeit, with an 86% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

[ITALIANO]

I think this plot went out of style with The Cassandra Crossing (1977).

One of my guilty pleasures.

[anonymous1980]

UNSTOPPABLE
Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Dunn, Ethan Suplee, T.J. Miller.
Dir: Tony Scott.

Two guys: One white, one black. One old, one young try to stop a runaway train. It's pretty straightforward and quite formulaic for what it is, it's quite fun mainly due to the fact that it hits all the right notes well. Those may be notes we've heard before but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Strong performances of the two leads sell the material.

Oscar Prospects: Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

Grade: B.

I think this plot went out of style with The Cassandra Crossing (1977). Hollywood is really in need of fresh ideas. Same formula with slight variations.

I just cannot fathom why anyone with half a brain would sit through something like this, or any Tony Scott picture for that mater.

I find the idea of sitting through a Tony Scott movie more appealing than sitting through a Twilight movie.

[Big Magilla]

Two years ago Scott and Washington remade The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Looks to me like they remade it again.

[Damien]

UNSTOPPABLE
Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Dunn, Ethan Suplee, T.J. Miller.
Dir: Tony Scott.

Two guys: One white, one black. One old, one young try to stop a runaway train. It's pretty straightforward and quite formulaic for what it is, it's quite fun mainly due to the fact that it hits all the right notes well. Those may be notes we've heard before but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Strong performances of the two leads sell the material.

Oscar Prospects: Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

Grade: B.

I think this plot went out of style with The Cassandra Crossing (1977). Hollywood is really in need of fresh ideas. Same formula with slight variations.

I just cannot fathom why anyone with half a brain would sit through something like this, or any Tony Scott picture for that mater.

[Reza]

UNSTOPPABLE
Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Dunn, Ethan Suplee, T.J. Miller.
Dir: Tony Scott.

Two guys: One white, one black. One old, one young try to stop a runaway train. It's pretty straightforward and quite formulaic for what it is, it's quite fun mainly due to the fact that it hits all the right notes well. Those may be notes we've heard before but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Strong performances of the two leads sell the material.

Oscar Prospects: Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

Grade: B.

I think this plot went out of style with The Cassandra Crossing (1977). Hollywood is really in need of fresh ideas. Same formula with slight variations.

[anonymous1980]

UNSTOPPABLE
Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Dunn, Ethan Suplee, T.J. Miller.
Dir: Tony Scott.

Two guys: One white, one black. One old, one young try to stop a runaway train. It's pretty straightforward and quite formulaic for what it is, it's quite fun mainly due to the fact that it hits all the right notes well. Those may be notes we've heard before but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Strong performances of the two leads sell the material.

Oscar Prospects: Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

Grade: B.

[Damien]

Howl (Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman)

Not a straight-ahead bio-pic, nor a detailed recreation of the obscenity trial over Allen Ginsberg's ground-breaking poem or a cinematic rendering of that poem, but rather a collage of these, and other elements -- alternatively docu-drama and straight (so to speak) narrative. Some parts, of course, work better than others -- and the animated illustrations accompany readings of "Howl!" are a bit too literal -- although the imagery is quite beautiful -- and the filmmakers sometimes try to be too clever by half But if you go with it, you'll frequently be mesmerized by this grab bag fantasia. And if James Franco seems to be channeling another 50's sensitive hipster icon -- James Dean -- as much as he does Ginsberg, well it can be said that Dean was a different kind of poet, and physically embodied the inner Ginsberg. A very sweet-natured film.
6/10

===================
Nora's Will (aka 5 Days Without Nora) (Mariana Chenillo)

A very, very dry Mexican black comedy that is so dry that the comedy eventually evaporates. In any case even at its best it's never more than slightly amusing. An older Jewish woman commits suicide and complications ensue when her non-religious ex-husband demurs at the idea of a religious funeral - he does things like serving a rabbi a bacon-sausage-pepperoni pizza during Passover. That's the level of depth and comedy. Predictably, it takes a sentimental turn in its final act.
3/10



Edited By Damien on 1289672946

[anonymous1980]

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
Cast: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwartzman, Kieran Culkin, Mark Webber, Alison Pill, Johnny Simmons, Brie Larson, Aubrey Plaza, Brandon Routh, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Mae Whitman, Ellen Wong.
Dir: Edgar Wright.

I had to break my code of conduct a little (just a little) to see this film because those damn distributors wasn't going to release this film theatrically. I'm pretty happy I did. This movie is just, well, no other phrase for it, pretty fuckin' awesome. It's essentially a pure, unbridled pop art film - a comic book movie, video game movie, rom-com - filtered through indie sensibility and it totally works. Michael Cera shines in what's probably his best movie role and is supported by a pretty good supporting cast. One of the best films of the year.

Oscar Prospects: Deserves nominations for Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Visual Effects and maybe Original Song (are they eligible) - AT LEAST.

Grade: A-

[Sabin]

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Oliver Stone)

It's not difficult to see where this film goes wrong. It suffers in a sense from Jungle Fever-syndrome, wrt The Big Picture. But in reverse. WS: MNS is the story of two lovers, but also the irresponsibility that led to the financial collapse. It's about a father and a daughter, but it's also about the tightening of the noose post-'08. It's a rehash, but it's timely. It's a noir and it's a soap opera. The latter charge is something I found very interesting. This film has the power within its [beautiful] lines of dialogue to ricochet from beautifully rich lines to cliché within syllables. Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff use poetry and tech-speak as an intoxicating storm that disguises the utter absence of impact.

To put it mildly, it's distracting but what on Earth am I supposed to feel in this film? It's not like the first Wall Street was anything deep, but at least it knew what it wanted to be. There's a great movie to be made from the collapse but any attempt to incorporate Gordon Gekko is a fool's errand. He's been so lionized over the years that there is no fate other than a return to glory that could be conceived. Michael Douglas makes the most of everything he's given in this film, as does the entire supporting cast who are all uniformly fine (though Frank Langella should be singled out), but it's all directed at the cheap seats. The funny thing is, the cheap seats won't seek it out or endure it once found.

[Damien]

Brotherhood (Nicolo Donato)

Two gay Danish men fall in love -- the fly in the ointment is that they're both skinheads. The film is as nonsensical as it sounds -- they express their love for each other in soft-core sex, as well as by frolicking in the waves and in sharing time writing neo-Nazi propaganda together. Absurdly meldramatic, lacking coherence or anything approaching credible character development, its only possible worthiness is it sheer (unaware) goofiness.

3/10

[Sabin]

Stone (John Curran)

This is the weekend of under-reaching narratives. John Curran's Stone is adapted from Angus MacLachlan's play, and it feels that way. On the stage, this might be slightly more scintillating stuff. I could see it as a two man show very easily. Through reasonably shrewd sleight of hand though (awkward opening with "Young De Niro" and "Young Conroy" notwithstanding), John Curran does a good job of both opening it up and maintaining an intoxicating sense of interior. For a good long stretch, Curran had me going, thinking that this film was actually going somewhere.

But it doesn't. It just continues its trajectory inexorably until the end. He should have studied Revanche in how to widen his moral view of the universe. Stone is worthwhile for how it succeeds as a con for a short while and for its three leads. DeNiro is more lucid than he's been in years. I can't remember the last time Jovovich's wild sexuality was put to such good use. It's like the kind of role Angelina Jolie took when she was younger. But really the MVP is Edward Norton, gamely selling a religious transformation in cornrows. The actor might not have a wide range, but he may have more conviction than any other act of his generation.

[anonymous1980]

MEGAMIND
Cast: Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, David Cross, Ben Stiller, J.K. Simmons (voices).
Dir: Tom McGrath.

This film is entertaining but it would've seemed a hell of a lot fresher had Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and Despicable Me not preceded it. The entire concept of the twisting of the superhero/supervillain tropes and archetypes is starting to become tired. Nevertheless, the film still has some laughs thanks to Will Ferrell (who gets more laughs here than in The Other Guys).

Oscar Prospects: Has a decent shot at Animated Feature but ONLY if there are five slots.

Grade: C+

[Sabin]

Take a moment and watch the trailer.

I know how that sounds but hear me out. The straight-forward self-accusation that James Franco delivers to his handicap juxtaposed with the hopeless imagery set to Band of Horses' The Funeral conveys such a beautiful sense of humanity. And like all trailers afforded to Oscar-winning auteurs, it's focused, structured, and otherwise well-produced.

You've just watched a superior rendition of Danny Boyle's 127 Hours. The film that I saw was one of those incredibly promising movies consisting undercut by the whims of the director. Despite fantastic work by James Franco, the film is so manically conceived that aligning oneself with Aron Ralston becomes almost impossible. Even more frustrating is the film's innate power when Danny Boyle all but accidentally comes up with a legitimate scene that plays out with a beginning, middle and end, and the film devastates. I'm talking about Ralston's staging of a morning show to his hand-held camera, and through various states of coverage he reenacts host, caller, listener. The way that Boyle plays with sound (not the cheap audience effect, but the overall atmosphere) perfectly complements Franco's work, and the result is almost casually wrenching.

Ultimately 127 Hours may be remembered as the film where James Franco amputates his arm. Although everything that follows is a trailer-mixed disappointment, that scenes does not disappoint. A woman either fainted or vomited in my theater, and I completely understand. Had Boyle succeeded in creating a preceding narrative honestly, it would elicit tears. Instead, it's a miasma of hard cuts and noises, and Boyle does not shy away from the brutality of the scene. The technique that Boyle utilizes is fantastic, but like Slumdog Millionaire I wonder why he has become so insistent upon bludgeoning his audience with such hyperkinetic nonsense.

NOTE: Danny Boyle touches on one thing that I do really like. He focuses on things, rather than the human body. I think that's kind of a cool idea. His journey is measures in his watch, his thermos, his handheld camera, his pulley, etc. It's almost enough for me to shrug off complaints about a Perfect World Herzog version, much like Lynne Ramsay's The Lovely Bones. While there's no doubt that Herzog would have made a much better film, it would not focus on things as much as Boyle would. The problem isn't that Herzog didn't make it in the first place, but that Boyle just kinda failed.



Edited By Sabin on 1289151369