“Hey, don’t knock masturbation. It’s sex with someone I love.” — Woody Allen (as Alvy Singer), Annie Hall (1977)
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S. Darko (2009) I liked Donnie Darko, but I didn’t see much point in S. Darko, unless the point was to cash in on the the success of Donnie Darko. Movie producers don’t do that, do they? Or maybe the “S” stands for Sequel? You could argue that Donnie Darko was a pointless movie and that there could be no good reason to like it. But I did like it. I thought it was clever, and I guess that was point enough for me. S. Darko was more of the same, but without the cleverness. On top of that, I couldn’t really figure out what it was about. Vaguely spooky stuff happens. Cute girls go back and forth in time to undo their own deaths, but wind up dead anyway. So do a bunch of peripheral characters. There’s a drunk guy who never seems drunk, a nerdy guy who’s really a serial killer (I think), and Rambo (how’d he get in this movie?). Uh, okay, so what? Since I can’t bring myself to believe the producers just stamped out S. Darko for no reason, I’ll tell myself they made it so middle-aged men could lust over the scantily-clad maidens therein. And in that respect, it was good. |
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Run Lola Run (1999) I didn’t know what year this movie was made until I sat down to review it. 1999? I thought it was maybe a year old. Wow. So, like, Run Lola Run must have been one of the first movies made in graphic novel style, with a mix of animation and live acting. It’s clever, it’s hip, it’s engaging. The live action camerawork is amazing. Lola . . . except for her scream . . . is fantastic. I’m a sucker for alternate reality stories, and Run Lola Run is all about alternate realities. A fun ride, this one, more than worth the effort of reading the subtitles. |
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Fanboys (2008) I hesitated to rent this one because it was obviously going to be one of those lighthearted & uplifting buddy movies. But I did rent it, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Of course I’d heard all about Trekkies, but didn’t realize there were legions of similarly-obsessed fans on the Star Wars side . . . and was completely unaware of the tensions between them. This movie is filled with Star Wars and Star Trek references and trivia: the boner on the statue of Captain Kirk was priceless. Oh, maybe that’s a spoiler . . . well, if you’re any kind of Lucashead, that won’t stop you from seeing this, and see it you should. If the whole Star Wars thing leaves you cold, skip it entirely . . . you Trekkie fag. |
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Righteous Kill (2008) Wow, what a blah movie. De Niro & Pacino doing their De Niro & Pacino schtick, basically sleepwalking through their lines. Aren’t these guys a little old to be playing cops? And Brian Dennehy, what is he, in his 80s now? Jesus Christ, he looks it! The plot is lame, the plot twist is lame, the acting is lame, the sex is lame, the crimes are lame . . . I can picture the pitch that led to this movie: “De Niro and Pacino!” “Sold!” Don’t bother with this one. It’s a waste of time. |
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W. (2008) It’s simply too soon for a movie about the Bush/Cheney administration. We don’t know the half of it; hell, we don’t know the tenth of it. Truly horrifying revelations await us, revelations that will launch countless books and movies. But is it too early to try to depict the essential nature of our recent Boy King? I think not, and I think Oliver Stone captures the essence of this spoiled impulsive unintelligent thoughtless overindulged egotistical man-child (but don’t get me started). You may think, as I did, that you hate George W. Bush too much to watch this movie. Yes, you probably do, but you need to watch W. The last scene, and the expression on W’s face as he stands alone at center field in a deserted baseball stadium, is Shakespearean, probably one of the best scenes Oliver Stone has ever filmed. |
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City of God (2003) Did you think Slumdog Millionaire, for all its brilliance, was a little too fairytale? City of God is the antidote, and it’ll cure you fast. This film, and the story it tells, is brutal and direct . . . like the reality of life in the slums of Rio, it’s a kick to the balls. I’m just floored . . . the characters, the story, the violence are going to be with me a long time. Another foreign film that blows the socks off the standard fare coming out of Hollywood, worth every subtitle. Look, you have to see this movie. I mean it. |
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The Lucky Ones (2008) A road flick in the fine tradition of road flicks, filled with interesting, likable characters and solid acting. The plot is somewhat contrived, but I found myself pulled into the story anyway, rooting for these three unlikely friends. A sweet movie, even though it tries too hard in places to be sweet. Tim Robbins and Rachel McAdams were particularly great. I’m happy I watched this one. |
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Julie & Julia (2009) I blog. I cook. I blog about cooking. I LOVED this movie! It made me happy; it made me want to learn more about Julia Child; it made me want to cook boeuf bourguignon. We saw it opening day in a theater, and subsequently ordered a DVD copy in Blu-Ray. Since Christmas, we have watched it two more times.
I thought at first Meryl Streep was mugging, playing Julia Child more broadly than necessary, but as the story unfolded, I realized that Meryl was Julia. She was brilliant, and perfect, and has earned my forgiveness for her participation in that wretched piece of Hollywood fluff, Mamma Mia! What a terrific movie. What a ton of fun. Go see it now! |
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The International (2009) Fashionable, cynical, flat, snotty. You know that Mercedes-Benz commercial where the new sedan crashes through the plate glass window of the Mercedes-Benz museum and slides to a stop in the middle of the floor, and this German kid sneers at all the commotion in a snotty Euro-upperclass way? Who you sneering at, Adolph? I get the same thing from this movie. To make things worse, I never quite got what was going on. |
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Ghost Town (2008) There’s this movie they keep making over and over, where dead people have to hang around as ghosts for awhile because their lives weren’t finished yet, and somehow they find a way to interact with a living person who gets into all sorts of hilarious situations where he’s talking to his ghost buddies but of course his living friends and acquaintances don’t know there are ghosts there so he looks a right willy, and in the end the ghosts are magically released from their earthly bondage and the still-living human plods on, his life enriched from this profound experience. Have I got that about right? Okay, you can save your money now, unless you really like Ricky Gervais and just want to listen to his adorable little British accent. |