12 Quick Movie Reviews

[clemenceau]

Somehow, I've managed to watch several movies lately:

• The Prestige (2006): Awesome all around, and I really can't complain about the ending.  It was too cool, too cinematic for me to think that all the twists at the end had to make perfect sense.  Nolan/Bale strike again.  A
  
• The Illusionist (2006): Why was this ever mentioned in the same sentence as The Prestige?  It's totally different, and not nearly as good.  Still, Jessica Biel is always watchable.  B-
  
• The Devil Wears Prada (2006): fun, different, light-hearted but dramatic.  Likeable characters and legit dramedy.  Authentic performances all around, but a little bit of the same old "lose and then rediscover yourself" story.  A-
• A Scanner Darkly (2006): deserved best animation of 2006, if nothing else.  Downey is fantastic and hilarious, but the story and drama are a little weak, in that "this is cool, a little crazy, but also a little boring" way.  The final twist felt inauthentic.  B
• Scoop (2006): I thought I liked Woody Allen.  The acting was the same as in Match Point (horrible), but Allen still pulls out the occasional funny one-liner.  For the most part, I was gagging on the over-exposition through dialogue.  B-
• When a Stranger Calls (2006): Ignorant me, I totally didn't see the twist coming.  Spooky while I watched it, but a little silly in retrospect.  Not scary enough to be awesome, but Camilla Belle is really pretty.  C+
• Freedomland (2006): Bad, just bad.  Lame story, disingenuous acting, poorly-executed social critique.  Julianne Moore was annoying in this, whereas I loved her in Children of Men.  C-
• The Science of Sleep (2006): Had a lot of hope for this one, but it was consumed by massive fail.  Acting was totally uninspired, story and editing were pitiful compared to Eternal Sunshine, and while it's clear that something's wrong with Stéphan, you're never sure what, exactly.  Narcolepsy?  Schizophrenia?  How is any of this supposed to be charming?  And to boot, it's almost entirely about men.  Annoying!  D
• Brick (2005): Going into this I had totally forgotten the trailer thus had no idea what it was about.  25 minutes into the movie I'm already liking the main character (Brendan) but wondering what the hell the movie is about.  Ten minutes later the movie's picked up in a big way and I'm on a ride that will be hilarious, mysterious, suspenseful, exciting, interesting, and overall, really, really entertaining.  Some call it a high school noir, I just call it an original winner.  My favourite movie since Children of Men.  A
• The Quiet (2005): Mystery, incest/pedophilia, deception, Camilla Belle and Elisha Cuthbert.  Cheesy only at points, but always over-acted.  This film is not more than the sum of its parts, but was still a lot of fun to watch.  Some really hilarious lines--to laugh at, not with.  Good flick for a fun night with your friends, but it won't make the men cringe like Hard Candy.  C+
  
• Pan's Labyrinth (2006): Unlike Little Miss Sunshine, this film totally lived up to its hype.  Fantastic story, beautiful cinematography, and evocative art direction.  Ivana Baquero is no Dakota Fanning (thank God), and her performance alone could have kept my eyes glued to the screen--luckily, there's a wonderful anti-fascist storyline in there as well, and the best bittersweet ending I've ever seen in a film.  A+
• Little Miss Sunshine (2006): As an aspiring screenwriter, I was first taken by the enormous amount of background on the family that is given via the dinner scene dialogue.  It establishes all the characters for the rest of the film in about seven minutes, and that's impressive.  Unfortunately the pageant ending, while heartwarming, is probably the creepiest piece of satire I've ever seen in a fiction film.  Carrell, Arkin, and Collette deliver in spades.  Right, wrong or indifferent, it felt too real and I couldn't wait to get away from all of them by the end of the film.  Honestly, I preferred watching The Devil Wears Prada.  B+
• The Number 23 (2007): Hilariously bad from the beginning, but cataclysmic hilarity envelopes the end.  I fell asleep about 4 different times during this film because there is absolutely nothing scary about the number 23, but to be fair, it had good acting, a new visual style, and it was a ton of fun.  B-
  

In order of how much they resemble the kinds of films I'd like to make:

1. Brick (A)
2. The Prestige (A)
3. Pan's Labyrinth (A+)
4. Scoop (B-)
5. The Devil Wears Prada (A-)
6. A Scanner Darkly (B+)
7. The Number 23 (B-)
8. Little Miss Sunshine (A-)
9. The Quiet (C+)
10. When a Stranger Calls (C+)
11. Freedomland (C-)
12. The Science of Sleep (D)