Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen Directed by: Larry Charles My rating: Over the Counter
As far as mockumentary's go, I'm not really a big fan. Usually I find them so absurd and full of dry humor that I find my mind wandering out of boredom. Still, being a fan of Da Ali G show, and laughing at many trailers for this film, I decided to see Borat opening weekend.
This is definitely mockumentary at it's best. At a running time of only 1 hour 24 minutes it's short enough for my attention span and does not linger on too many jokes unnecessarily. Unfortunately, it's short running time also means that you may have seen many of the clean jokes already in the previews. Still, there are plenty of naughty scenes that cannot be spoiled because of their obscene nature and that are genuinely hilarious.
Of course, some of the film is staged for the purpose of story-telling and you are left wondering how much of it is "real." Borat at a proper southern dinner though was the highlight of the film for myself because it was so obviously not staged that I squirmed with embarrassment. Discomfort at it's best!
This brand of humor is not for everyone but if you enjoy shows like Jackass, The Dave Chapelle Show, and even sketch comedy like MadTV or SNL, than I suggest you hit the matinee for the film. I don't think it is worth a full-admission ticket but if you need a laugh you can find it here.
Starring: Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Steve Carell, Alan Arkin
Directed by: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
My rating: Euphoria
I haven't been too big on the independent movie scene recently. Most indy films don't sound that interesting to me. However, after reading an article in Entertainment Weekly about Little Miss Sunshine and hearing all the good buzz I decided to give this one a chance.
Glad I did.
Growing up my mom had a VW bug that was a temperamental piece of you-know-what. The clutch was bad, sometimes it didn't start without a push, and most of the time the windows didn't roll down. So imagine my delight when I watched Little Miss that they had a VW bus with as many ailments as my own families car. Or that the parents fought about money as much as mine did when I was young. I could go on and on, because this is a movie that strikes a cord. While these are the things that spoke out to me, I know there are other things about the family that will resonate with each person watching the film. And in the end, even though the family had all these problems, they were still there for each other, which is what a family should be about.
The music and direction are expertly done for an independent film, making the experience much more enjoyable than a standard low-budget flick. Plus, the acting is A+ by everyone. You soon forget the actors names and start seeing them as family members, which is tough to do if you're Steve Carrell or Alan Arkin.
If you grew up in a perfect family than perhaps you shouldn't watch Little Miss Sunshine. Otherwise, be prepared to laugh and to be moved as you relate this movie family to your own.
Starring: a cast of nobodies in flamboyant outfits
I love cult films. There is just something so fun in embracing a film that can be reviled by so many people but that you can bond with a select group of people about. What is a cult film? Read a definition of cult films here.
So for review today is this cult classic (ranked #13 on Entertainment Weekly's top 100 cult films) titled The Warriors. You may recognize the title as a popular Rockstar games video game.
First off, let's be honest about this film. It's cheesy and not in the least bit scary or tough. The premise is extremely simplistic. A prominent gang leader who wants to unite all the New York City gangs is gunned down during an important speech and the gang named "The Warriors" is wrongfully accused. The Warriors are now targeted by every gang in NYC so they must get to their home turf of Coney Island ASAP. The movie follows their journey back to Coney Island through the subway system, parties and the streets.
What makes this movie unique though are the gangs themselves. It's hilarious to see so many flamboyant gangs attempting to murder The Warriors in face paint, silly outfits, and with ridiculous gang names. We have the mime gang, the baseball gang, the orphans, the "lizzies" (lesbian gang, although never outwardly named such), the high-hats, etc. The film has a very comic book feel because of the variety of costumed gangs and on the DVD version comic book panels have been added for segway between scenes. The film wraps up quickly and only has a running time of 93 minutes, which is perfection.
This is a fun, memorable, quotable movie that deserves cult status. I highly recommend it to those of you out there with eclectic tastes.
Starring: Johnny Depp, Bill Nighy, Kiera Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Jonathan Price & More Directed by: Gore Verbinski
My rating: Euphoria!
Here we have a very fun film. While long, Pirates provides the viewer with non-stop action and plot twists that I thought were phenomenal. The packed theater, which included very young children, elderly couples, couples my age and large groups of business types, all burst into clapping at the end of the film which just about sums up how well received this film was at 11am in the morning on a weekend. In fact, I had no idea there were so many small children till we left the theater because I didn't hear a peep out of them for the whole film, which attests to how quick-paced and eye-candy-like the events are happening on screen. Things move so fast you have no time to examine any one scene too much though and I can see people needing to see the film more than once to catch everything.
Johnny Depp is funny, brash and somewhat redemptive this time around as Captain Jack Sparrow, the selfish pirate. His one-liners are priceless. Not only are we treated to Mr.Depp, who is one of my favorite actors, Disney has surrounded him with lots of talent including Bill Nighy as the evil Davey Jones. Even with so many characters, everyone manages to shine. The CGI is virtually flawless and there are some real action surprises in store that feature a startling good-looking special effects.
My only recommendation is that you rewatch the first film. Almost every character returns at some point and they reference many points from The Black Pearl that I didn't quite remember.
This is the must-see film of the summer. If you haven't seen it on the big screen (I think most people have...) I highly recommend you go!
Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden, Parker Posey & more Directed by: Bryan Singer
My rating: Over the Counter
I was majorly disappointed with Superman Returns.
Let's start with the big question: Can anyone really ever replace Christopher Reeves? No.
While Brandon Routh looks the part I have to say the makers didn't have the confidence in the actor to give him much dialogue through the film. He's monosyllabic and stoic with a lot less charm as Clark than I remember from the old films. In short, he's just not as fun to watch.
The story is also a bit shaky, as we see our hero return to Earth after a five year absence. Supes is *shocked* that life didn't stop after he left five years ago. That's silly in my opinion and makes Superman out to be a lot dumber than he really is. And why did he leave the Earth to begin with? I feel like I have no clue. There should have been some sort of catalyst explained but they best the writers come up with is that he wanted to see if his planet of krypton was still there. Isn't there a telescope for that? One of many major plot holes in the film.
Anyway, the directing is very well done by Bryan Singer. His shots are professional and flawless and he does his best to add as much heart as possible to Superman. Unfortunately it fails for me. I won't say why here (no spoilers in my reviews!) but it has to do with practically abandoning someone he should love.
The action sequences are quite breathtaking as well and probably what will save this movie from becoming a flop. When Superman saves a plane it's jaw-dropping cool. I had some problems with the CGI of his maroon cape - it's very rubber and fake looking and does not flow naturally like it should. Instead of being beautiful it's quite an eye sore in the film.
Kevin Spacey as LexLuthor is amazing as well and is the only character I can say fits his part like a glove. He's crazy and wild, just like Lex should be. I loved him. The kid I could have done without however and he adds nothing to the story except wide-eyed cuteness, which I generally despise.
Overall, probably worth the admission price but there are some very slow parts that drag the movie on instead of giving the characters depth. Be prepared to sit through some slow scenes in between the action.
Another note: I saw the movie on IMAX and there were select scenes in 3-D. It was not as cool as it sounds. I wish I would have skipped the whole 3-D experience because it really was done poorly and I missed a lot of detail because of them.
Starring: Jack Black Directed by: Jared Hess My rating: Painless
Let me straighten something out for you about this film. Here is my public announcement: Nacho Libre is a kids movie! Notice that it says "Nickelodeon Studios" at the beginning of the film. For some reason I think critics have no clue about that because they've been pretty serious about panning it. And I don't want to hear about how people don't give kids enough credit, they're little adults, etc. Take a child psychology class old critic dudes! Kids like slapstick and farts, okay? It's the adults that find that stuff tiresome.
So with that in mind this is a really great kids movie. It's lighthearted, clean and has a simple plot that probably a toddler could handle. I particularly liked the wrestling scenes, something that really surprised me. They aren't that violent. More like two brothers wrestling around in the backyard and humorous enough for me. Jack Black is his usual crazy self and at times is a little over the top for me. His song and dance routine is a little old in my book but the little ones still think it's fantastic. He's at his best making those awesome expressive faces. His sidekick is also all-teeth and I think I giggled every time he smiled.
Overall, there isn't as much new territory covered in this film as far as jokes go. The story is original enough and it was definitely fun to see some Luchador action. I recommend it if you aren't too high-brow.
Starring: Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, & more Pixar Studios
My rating: EUPHORIA!
There is a little something you should know about this film before you head into it - it's less about the characters than you think. While other animated companies rush forward with formulaic story lines (cute/gross hero + annoying sidekick = misadventures), Pixar proves they are laps ahead of the rest with a moving tribute to Route 66. I thought the movie was amazing in it's complex, sweet storyline. I think most adults will too. You don't have to be a NASCAR fan to enjoy the film either, something I was a bit worried about just from seeing the previews. There are plenty voice appearances by racers but that is a very small part of the film and far from the heart.
Furthermore, the animation of the film is simply breathtaking. The cars gleam in all the right places and the backgrounds and details are present in even the minutest detail. It makes anything by Dreamworks look like crap. Because the visuals are so complex this is a must see on the big screen. I really think this is THE animated feature to see this year.
Trust me, it's much better than the previews will lead you to believe.
