The Official Review Thread of 2010

[Damien]

Dear John (Lasse Hallström)

I probably hold Lasse Hallström in slightly higher esteem then most people here because I think that The Cider House Rules is a beautiful film, but this thing is just shameless. A love story in which the actions of the (vaguely defined) characters seem completely arbitrary and having little connection with life as we know it. It even throws in (rather upbeat forms of) autism and cancer, as well as 9/11. Amanda Seyfried was a wonderful hoot as a ditz in Mean Girls, but she is vacant and vacuius here. Channing Tatum is a robotic lug. They deserve each other. It doesn't help that Hallström allows for long pauses in between dialogue ao that the couple never sounds as if they're talking to each other; rather they seem to be making pronouncements. most of them of the Hallmark greeting card variety.
3/10

[Damien]

Valentine's Day (Garry Marshall)

There are a number of very appealing actors in this Los Angeles would-be Le Ronde (Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway, Hector Elizondo, Queen Latifah, Ashton Kutcher, George Lopez, the wonderful Topher Grace) as well as some not-so-appealing presences (Jessica Alba, Taylor Lautner, Kathy Bates, Bradley Cooper), most of whom probably spent no more than 2 days on the set, but despite the largely likable cast, the movie is pretty awful. Stupid, contrived situations, characterizations and relationships with not an ounce of truth to them, shameless sentimentality that ventures into the maudlin.

It does have one of the more bizarre sequences I've ever seen. Hector Elizondo and Shirley MacLaine embracing and kissing in front of a movie screen on which is projected Shirley and Warren Stevens embracing and kissing in a scene from Hot Spell -- plus it's an outdoor movie screen at a cemetery(!), and this is Valentine's Day, not Halloween. It says something when the funniest performance in a romantic comedy is given by Taylor Swift. And the film also makes me wonder anew -- why didn't Topher grace become a major leading man?
3/10

[Sabin]

Megamind (Tom McGrath)

Quick caveat: I read comic books. Or at least, I'm reasonably well-read in comic books to the degree that I can differentiate the different feels between a Marvel, a DC, an Image, etc. Outside of Batman, I can't for the life of me warm up to DC. Their heroes present a power register that is so incredibly that any kind of threat that would satisfy as a dramatic narrative would essentially be a planetary threat, and I can't believe those happen every other day. The worst is Superman. Fans who read Superman don't really care about good plotting. Metropolis is utopian almost in defiance of the god-like forces that strike her on a daily basis. And yet, Superman has no real equal outside of the "powerless" evil genius Lex Luthor, on whom Megamind is clearly based and who happens to be far more interesting than Superman.

It comes as a pleasant surprise then that Megamind doesn't just aim to turn the superhero story on its head by featuring the victorious villain, but actually wants to mine the material for all its worth. It's a surprisingly engaging story of destiny thwarted for good. I'm not as current on computer animated features as I ever thought I would be (post-Toy Story, I wanted to watch every single one; now I catch maybe one a year), but Dreamworks Animation is interested in the post-modern subversion of fable. Look at Shrek, for instance. I may not like the series at all, but they're intent on siding with the baddy. Outside of a truly wretched soundtrack, Megamind does so with a blissful dearth of snark. It's not on PIXAR's level wrt to set-up and pay-off (their screenplays are just marvelous) but it comes closer than any other CGI film I've seen. And while PIXAR's films are gloriously corny in their jokes, Megamind takes a page from its cast and combines the most throwaway of Will Ferrell with the snappiness of Tina Fey. It's laden with self-deprecating wit, but also it almost weirdly underplays a city-wide takeover. Megamind accidentally wins the day and immediately has no idea what to do with himself. He then begins a plan to train a new superhero to fight WHILE dating Roxanne Ritchi (under the visage of kindly book-keeper Bernard)...during which the fact that the city has been completely conquered is hilariously underplayed. Like The Incredibles (to which it acts as direct thematic answer), Megamind could have easily been just an incredibly expensive live-action film. I'm glad it wasn't because it seems increasingly more apparent that studio blockbusters must be group-thunked to exhaustion. Although it lacks the heart of PIXAR and Toy Story 3, I think this is the first year where a rival animation studio provided a more entertaining offering for me.

Very entertaining.

[anonymous1980]

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART ONE
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Griffiths, Rhys Ifans, Jason Isaacs, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, David Thewlis, Julie Walters, Peter Mullan, Tom Felton, Toby Jones, Evanna Lynch.
Dir: David Yates.

I guess it is not secret I'm a huge Potter fan so this review may be a bit biased. This may not win over non-fans but even they have to admit, it is visually spectacular (the cinematography, the art direction, visual effects, etc.) and the acting by the ensemble quite engaging. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have all matured and their acting here is a far cry from the first two films and they're supported by a terrific cast who seem to having a ball with their roles. This is an incomplete review since I would like to see Part 2 before assessing it as a whole but once the credits started, I really wanted more.

Oscar Prospects: Strong contender for Visual Effects and Art Direction. Also deserves mention for Cinematography, Score, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

Grade: B+

[Damien]

Brooklyn's Finest (Antoine Fugua)
Admirable in that it seeks to deal with moral ambiguities among three different cops in the same precinct and sets out to be more complex than most contemporary policiers. Unfortunately, those ambiguities come across more as a script writer's contrivances and inconsistencies than psychological insight and depth. And truth to tell, the narrative is incoherent at times. Still, Fuqua knows action and ambience, and the movie more often than not is riveting. Ethan Hawke is -- how can I put this -- not especially good; well, let's just say his director let him down: he's overwrought. Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and especially Brían F. O'Byrne are terrific, though.
6/10



Edited By Damien on 1290052319

[Damien]

Stolen (Anders Anderson)
Genuinely (and memorably) creepy, grim and disturbing tale of two child abduction cases 40 years apart. Unfortunately, the film comes up a bit short in its details; lacking in credibility, period detail, characterizations and inter-actions, it also over-extends itself when it tries to examine the effect a missing child has on his parents’ relationship. Despite its undeniable flaws, the movie does manage to be quite emotionally affecting. Nicely acted by Jon Hamm, Josh Lucas and James Van Der Beek.
5/10

[rolotomasi99]

I don't mind runaway train movies as long as Ava Gardner is a passenger and she gets to paw Martin Sheen.

What about RUNAWAY TRAIN (1985)? I thought that movie was great. Beautifully made and very smart. The exact opposite of UNSTOPPABLE...if the trailers are any indication.



Edited By rolotomasi99 on 1289938373

[anonymous1980]

EASY A
Cast: Emma Stone, Penn Badgeley, Amanda Bynes, Dan Byrd, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Thomas Haden Church, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm McDowell, Cam Gigandet, Aly Michalka, Fred Armisen.
Dir: Will Gluck.

It's a solid though unremarkable teen movie (not as good as say Mean Girls). Its lack of all-out belly laughs it compensates on charm, a smarter-than-usual script (very loosely based on The Scarlet Letter) and very good performances. Emma Stone ably fills the void left by the not-so-sober Lindsay Lohan and gives a star-making performance and she's supported by a great supporting cast especially Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as her parents.

Oscar Prospects: None but Emma Stone has a shot at a Golden Globe nom.

Grade: B

[Damien]

Neshoba (Micki Dickoff and Tony Pagano)

To my mind, there have been no greater heroes in American history than those on the front line of the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 60s. This documentary both pays homage to three of the most prominent martyrs, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, and examines the excruciatingly slow route that justice (incomplete as it has been) has taken in their murders. Fairly straightforward, the film is deeply moving, but also chilling in the way many of the citizens of Neshoba county are happy to show the world that their racial views have not changed in 40 years. Seeing the families of Chaney and Goodman and Mickey Schwerner's widow is both heartbreaking and uplifting. And I never knew that on the night he was killed, Chaney had an 8-day-old daughter.
6/10

[MovieWes]

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.

That's pretty nonsensical coming from an adult who's obsessed with Harry Potter :p

This statement is pretty ironic coming from an adult who loves the Alvin and the Chipmunk movies. :p

[anonymous1980]

LET ME IN
Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Grace Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Elias Koteas, Cara Buono, Sasha Barrase, Dylan Minnette.
Dir: Matt Reeves.

This is coming from someone who's a huge fan of the original Swedish film which kept me from getting sick of cinematic vampires. Is it as good or better? No. But it came pretty close. It's not a shot-for-shot remake at all. It stayed close to the story but managed to have its own identity (their version of the climactic pool scene doesn't hold a candle to the original version, however). Both Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Moretz were outstanding and the cinematography and score are topnotch.

Oscar Prospects: Deserves Cinematography and Score noms.

Grade: B+

[Reza]

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.

That's pretty nonsensical coming from an adult who's obsessed with Harry Potter :p

Oops I think I started this !!

I don't mind runaway train movies as long as Ava Gardner is a passenger and she gets to paw Martin Sheen.

[Damien]

Ajami (Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani)

The eliptical, circular narrative sub-genre has is fairly shopworn by this point (hell, it wasn't even anything new when Tarantino employed it in Pulp Fiction, although brain trust Gene Siskel declared that dopey movie to be "revolutionary" in form), but its seldom been put to better use than here, a Best Foreign Film nominee last year. There's a great deal of rage present in the film, but the picture never even remotely comes close to being a gasbag of anger because of the sheer filmmaking skills of Copti and Shani -- this is one kinetic ride, but one in which action shots don't simply exist for their own purposelessness, a la Michael Bay, Tony Scott, Stephen Hopkins, et a, but as integral parts of, and tools for deepening, the narrative. There is also a genuine sense of sorrow, and this picture co-directed by an Israeli Arab and an Israeli Jew has no real villains, other than the way things are.

A fascinating aspect of the film is that despite its Lsraeli/Palestinian setting, the many conflicts in the film are mostly of a criminal and/or personal basis, not a political/territorial one (although the deep rooted eminity between the two peoples is always just below the surface and does boil over in spots). And there is inter-Palestinian/and inter-Israeli strife present in the film, as well as inter-family discordance. All of which is forcefully portrayed. And day-to-day life is expressed in a manner that is both matter-of-fact and fraught with tension.

It's a heartbreaking movie but also a curiously exhilarating one, both because of the enormous talent evident both behind and in front of the camera (the mostly non-professional cast is pretty extraordinary, and, wow, what complex, multi-faceted characters they enact) but also because of the film's non-sentimental humanism.

There is a flaw -- and it's perhaps inescapable in this kind of non-linear narrative film -- the final moments tidily tie up all the loose strands and do so with heavy-handed "irony." If the denouement of the film disappoints, it's partially because everything else up to that point is so good.

8/10



Edited By Damien on 1289711322

[Damien]

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.

That's pretty nonsensical coming from an adult who's obsessed with Harry Potter :p

[Precious Doll]

I have had the displeasure of seeing the trailer to Unstoppable twice recently. It supposedly based on a true story, so states the trailer, though the film looks more like based on a number of films based on runaway trains.