(no subject)
Movie Review, 2009
Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild! - WHY?!
Speed Racer - Bright and rich, with a heartiness to it I really enjoyed. Great interaction among the cast. Spritle stole the show.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe - Eh.
Babylon A.D. - Okay... Where did Michelle Yeoh's listing go for this movie? Seriously. Though, given the over all quality of this movie, I could over look little things like that.
Dog Tags - I can feel the edges of this movie curl up like old wall paper. It did not add gritty life to any of it, just broke the tenuous suspension of reality. Certainly nothing is helped by the practically glacial formation and direction of our main character's individual plots. No, no, not glacial... that would indicate large changes... more like the watching green wood dry.
Shelter - ::shrug:: I just didn't get into the movie. That might come with having phoned in the plot line within the first 20 minutes. Maybe. The gay plot is cliche, if not sentimental in a touchy feelly way, while the classism is at a moment refreshing, but largely left in the background.
Taken - It's a stupid movie (you could weave a rug with the loose ends). Massively entertaining though. Liam Neeson plays the embodiment of vengeance very well. Not at all surprised to find out it's a Luc Besson movie.
Watchmen - Two story tall flaccid blue penis. Fantastic interpretation from the original comic. I need to go back and reread it once more to check some things. I'm impressed with where they went with some of the story, cleaning some things up, but more importantly reinforcing some fundamentals of the characters; Dr Manhatten and Roschach are unmitigated successes in forcing us to question the meaning of 'hero'.
Seven Pounds - Hm... depressing much. Yes.
Dragonball: Evolution - Sadly, this movie takes itself far far too seriously. DB needs to have a certain edge of stupid, not bad. This was bad.
Bolt - Great animation. Straight up the most adorable movie this year. Or last year. Or recently.
XMen Origins: Wolverine - Please, for the love of god, stop. While not Dragonball, it's hard to call Wolverine a good movie. Cheesie, limited development. The pace moves so far that all the emotional hooks whize by like a documentary. And then there is the reenvisioning... Yes, I know, the movies have never been true to the source, I get it. Creed and Logan as half brothers, nifty. Oddly twist the reality of XMen, not so nifty (though, given the comics, it's been done before). Definitely not worth the $11.
Star Trek - Some how they pulled it off. Kirk ended up the most annoying character. Really fantastic movie though.
Hannibal Rising - Really just awful, given the material character they were working with. The young lead just did not pull off the right demeanor. Though for me it was really the plot, so fantastical in it's construct, that threw it for me. I would have been far more pleased with a more evil evil.
Angels & Demons - Really quiet brillant. Entertaining, well paced, good characters and a great twist. Not high art or cinema, but good none the less.
In Bruges - Not what I thought it was going to be. Really... ::shrug:: Meh.
Terminator Salvation - 'Best comedy of the summer!'
Up - Probably the best Pixar movie ever made. The 3d Was better than Coraline. It's the storyline though that's a real killer here. I don't know how they avoid dragging their feet through the mud of cliche.
Coraline - About what I expect from this particular partnership. Stunning but subdued. My only problem was with the 3d portions, which felt as out of place as the matting around the xwings in the original Star Wars.
Solace - ::shrug:: Maybe a little bit better than the standard fair, as the tension was drawn out, but nothing particularly jaw dropping. Or personally moving.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Not the reeking dump that I was expecting, but certainly won't be purchasing it any time soon.
Signage - So I have a thing for movies set in DC. Granted, this is a short, and you wouldn't realize it was set in DC if you didn't know something about Gallaudet. Still... this short is a sharply written bit on the differences between people. I liked it.
Doorman - Short and confusing. Voyeuristic look into the lives of two people... but we have no context to put them in, no surrounding to understand their actions.
No Match Found - Entertaining short on dating and what's right in front of you.
Between Something and Nothing - Certainly a different story. What drives me mad is the lack of a story arc.
Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince - Really quiet good. I love the more down action interpersonal drama. And I really think the action makes up for it well enough. Didn't explain enough though! Hello?! Who the hell just gives themselves the title Half Blood Price? Anyone else (who hasn't read the books) figure out the RAB reference?
Push - Was I expecting much from this movie? No, not really. Still, it wasn't a complete disappoints, and surprising free of cliche cheese. The story line was layed out, the characters played their parts, and there is almost a plot twist. I would have liked is the tk users ('movers' in the movie vernacular) demonstrated slightly more impressive powers, but it was no where near the bag of hurt that was the end of The Covenant. Cute, and totally worth the $1 at RedBox.
Ciao - Tender, and betray's expectations, which certainly makes it more intimate and realistic. I'd like to see a better quality copy (DVD, perhaps).
Frost/Nixon - It's interesting to note that even though this all happened not long before I was born, I didn't know anything about them. With the title as it is, I was expecting a character study of two men who face off against each other. That's not what this movie is. At best it's a study of Nixon, though I would say it's more the authors exploration of Nixon in abstract. The other characters are largely one dimensional, which is not really to the detriment of the movie; they play their part for what it is. What really got me though is that you might come into this movie thinking in clearly delineated protagonist/antagonist roles which don't manifest themselves. Or if they do, it's as a grey zone at best. The air is not polarized with the likes of Reston or Brennan. Which is what makes it interesting to watch.
State of Play - This movie certainly hit all the right notes; a translucent plot you've guessed in the first five minutes, tension building seens of the mundane, surprise twist at the end. It also invokes a new level of black-helicopter paranoia and corporate dominance which surprised me. Still... worth watching. A trashy thriller novel done up on film.
Awakening (En forelskelse) - So I picked this up because one of the leads ended up in True Blood.
GI Joe: Rise of Cobra Commander - Ice fucking FLOATS?! Everything that has gone horribly wrong with Hollywood, and then some.
Duplicity - Well executed spy story. I'm actually really impressed with the tension between the leads.
Were The World Mine - A little rough in the expansion from short to feature length. I find fascinating the role of the drama teacher, possibly an ageless being of magic quality? Unfortunately, while they hit some notes well (abuse of powers and corrosion) I think the ending leaves a few too many loose ends. And dancing rugby team... o.0
Eating Out 3: All You Can Eat - Unlike the Gay Sequel franchise, Eating Out is getting... better? Say it an't so. Don't get me wrong, it's still a gay sex comedy flaunting hot men, bitchy girls, and cheesy lines. Just toss in some universal topics of inter-generational dialogue and community with a plot that doesn't entirely suck, and I am willing to sit my ass down for 90 minutes.
Make the Yuletide Gay - It's a gay movie... that doesn't (entirely) project it's plot?! I have to say this was entertaining to say the least. Yes yes, cheesy, rehashing of the closet-case-coming-out story... but interesting characters with (and I'm not sure what it is here) life breathed into them by script and/or actor. Throw aways that add to the grit, and cute lead couple with only one really horrible scene.
Omg/HaHaHa - Hmmm... very art school-esque. Which is just a euphemism for low-budget-weird. Strangely, I guess not that far off target from what they were going for. Queer culture of the South. Mostly frustrated attempting to find grander meanings.
The New Twenty - All hype and little bang. Coming of age that isn't about teenagers.
The Art of Being Straight - Strange title for an otherwise passible low budget movie about self discovery.
Kiss of the Spider Woman - While a young William Hurt is a sight to see, this movie was just not compelling. I think I lack an understanding of the political background, but then the movie does too. We know more of Luis' life than anything else, and it is as divorced from politics as any.
500 Days of Summer - Enjoyable little anti-romantic comedy.
Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild! - WHY?!
Speed Racer - Bright and rich, with a heartiness to it I really enjoyed. Great interaction among the cast. Spritle stole the show.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe - Eh.
Babylon A.D. - Okay... Where did Michelle Yeoh's listing go for this movie? Seriously. Though, given the over all quality of this movie, I could over look little things like that.
Dog Tags - I can feel the edges of this movie curl up like old wall paper. It did not add gritty life to any of it, just broke the tenuous suspension of reality. Certainly nothing is helped by the practically glacial formation and direction of our main character's individual plots. No, no, not glacial... that would indicate large changes... more like the watching green wood dry.
Shelter - ::shrug:: I just didn't get into the movie. That might come with having phoned in the plot line within the first 20 minutes. Maybe. The gay plot is cliche, if not sentimental in a touchy feelly way, while the classism is at a moment refreshing, but largely left in the background.
Taken - It's a stupid movie (you could weave a rug with the loose ends). Massively entertaining though. Liam Neeson plays the embodiment of vengeance very well. Not at all surprised to find out it's a Luc Besson movie.
Watchmen - Two story tall flaccid blue penis. Fantastic interpretation from the original comic. I need to go back and reread it once more to check some things. I'm impressed with where they went with some of the story, cleaning some things up, but more importantly reinforcing some fundamentals of the characters; Dr Manhatten and Roschach are unmitigated successes in forcing us to question the meaning of 'hero'.
Seven Pounds - Hm... depressing much. Yes.
Dragonball: Evolution - Sadly, this movie takes itself far far too seriously. DB needs to have a certain edge of stupid, not bad. This was bad.
Bolt - Great animation. Straight up the most adorable movie this year. Or last year. Or recently.
XMen Origins: Wolverine - Please, for the love of god, stop. While not Dragonball, it's hard to call Wolverine a good movie. Cheesie, limited development. The pace moves so far that all the emotional hooks whize by like a documentary. And then there is the reenvisioning... Yes, I know, the movies have never been true to the source, I get it. Creed and Logan as half brothers, nifty. Oddly twist the reality of XMen, not so nifty (though, given the comics, it's been done before). Definitely not worth the $11.
Star Trek - Some how they pulled it off. Kirk ended up the most annoying character. Really fantastic movie though.
Hannibal Rising - Really just awful, given the material character they were working with. The young lead just did not pull off the right demeanor. Though for me it was really the plot, so fantastical in it's construct, that threw it for me. I would have been far more pleased with a more evil evil.
Angels & Demons - Really quiet brillant. Entertaining, well paced, good characters and a great twist. Not high art or cinema, but good none the less.
In Bruges - Not what I thought it was going to be. Really... ::shrug:: Meh.
Terminator Salvation - 'Best comedy of the summer!'
Up - Probably the best Pixar movie ever made. The 3d Was better than Coraline. It's the storyline though that's a real killer here. I don't know how they avoid dragging their feet through the mud of cliche.
Coraline - About what I expect from this particular partnership. Stunning but subdued. My only problem was with the 3d portions, which felt as out of place as the matting around the xwings in the original Star Wars.
Solace - ::shrug:: Maybe a little bit better than the standard fair, as the tension was drawn out, but nothing particularly jaw dropping. Or personally moving.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Not the reeking dump that I was expecting, but certainly won't be purchasing it any time soon.
Signage - So I have a thing for movies set in DC. Granted, this is a short, and you wouldn't realize it was set in DC if you didn't know something about Gallaudet. Still... this short is a sharply written bit on the differences between people. I liked it.
Doorman - Short and confusing. Voyeuristic look into the lives of two people... but we have no context to put them in, no surrounding to understand their actions.
No Match Found - Entertaining short on dating and what's right in front of you.
Between Something and Nothing - Certainly a different story. What drives me mad is the lack of a story arc.
Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince - Really quiet good. I love the more down action interpersonal drama. And I really think the action makes up for it well enough. Didn't explain enough though! Hello?! Who the hell just gives themselves the title Half Blood Price? Anyone else (who hasn't read the books) figure out the RAB reference?
Push - Was I expecting much from this movie? No, not really. Still, it wasn't a complete disappoints, and surprising free of cliche cheese. The story line was layed out, the characters played their parts, and there is almost a plot twist. I would have liked is the tk users ('movers' in the movie vernacular) demonstrated slightly more impressive powers, but it was no where near the bag of hurt that was the end of The Covenant. Cute, and totally worth the $1 at RedBox.
Ciao - Tender, and betray's expectations, which certainly makes it more intimate and realistic. I'd like to see a better quality copy (DVD, perhaps).
Frost/Nixon - It's interesting to note that even though this all happened not long before I was born, I didn't know anything about them. With the title as it is, I was expecting a character study of two men who face off against each other. That's not what this movie is. At best it's a study of Nixon, though I would say it's more the authors exploration of Nixon in abstract. The other characters are largely one dimensional, which is not really to the detriment of the movie; they play their part for what it is. What really got me though is that you might come into this movie thinking in clearly delineated protagonist/antagonist roles which don't manifest themselves. Or if they do, it's as a grey zone at best. The air is not polarized with the likes of Reston or Brennan. Which is what makes it interesting to watch.
State of Play - This movie certainly hit all the right notes; a translucent plot you've guessed in the first five minutes, tension building seens of the mundane, surprise twist at the end. It also invokes a new level of black-helicopter paranoia and corporate dominance which surprised me. Still... worth watching. A trashy thriller novel done up on film.
Awakening (En forelskelse) - So I picked this up because one of the leads ended up in True Blood.
GI Joe: Rise of Cobra Commander - Ice fucking FLOATS?! Everything that has gone horribly wrong with Hollywood, and then some.
Duplicity - Well executed spy story. I'm actually really impressed with the tension between the leads.
Were The World Mine - A little rough in the expansion from short to feature length. I find fascinating the role of the drama teacher, possibly an ageless being of magic quality? Unfortunately, while they hit some notes well (abuse of powers and corrosion) I think the ending leaves a few too many loose ends. And dancing rugby team... o.0
Eating Out 3: All You Can Eat - Unlike the Gay Sequel franchise, Eating Out is getting... better? Say it an't so. Don't get me wrong, it's still a gay sex comedy flaunting hot men, bitchy girls, and cheesy lines. Just toss in some universal topics of inter-generational dialogue and community with a plot that doesn't entirely suck, and I am willing to sit my ass down for 90 minutes.
Make the Yuletide Gay - It's a gay movie... that doesn't (entirely) project it's plot?! I have to say this was entertaining to say the least. Yes yes, cheesy, rehashing of the closet-case-coming-out story... but interesting characters with (and I'm not sure what it is here) life breathed into them by script and/or actor. Throw aways that add to the grit, and cute lead couple with only one really horrible scene.
Omg/HaHaHa - Hmmm... very art school-esque. Which is just a euphemism for low-budget-weird. Strangely, I guess not that far off target from what they were going for. Queer culture of the South. Mostly frustrated attempting to find grander meanings.
The New Twenty - All hype and little bang. Coming of age that isn't about teenagers.
The Art of Being Straight - Strange title for an otherwise passible low budget movie about self discovery.
Kiss of the Spider Woman - While a young William Hurt is a sight to see, this movie was just not compelling. I think I lack an understanding of the political background, but then the movie does too. We know more of Luis' life than anything else, and it is as divorced from politics as any.
500 Days of Summer - Enjoyable little anti-romantic comedy.