Reviews: There Will Be Blood / Juno / The Matador / The Producers
Wow, I think I've gone mad . .
190. There Will Be Blood (2007)
Of all the Oscar nominated films, this was the one I was most excited to see. I mean, how can you lose with a title like that? But I was surprised to see on the DVD that it was rated PG . . huh? (Turns out that that was the Canadian rating, I guess when the MPAA saw the title they already had their R stamp ready).
Then there was the "I'VE ABANDONED MY BOY!!" that was attached to every ad and clip associated to the movie. I figured it must've been a kind of "Pursuit of Happyness" set in the Old West, and again I was wrong. It turned out to be part of a comedy!
Then I saw the "There Will Be Boredom" thread here and there was a surprising number of people who hated the film, and my expectations sunk. But thankfully, I was wrong too. Or they were wrong? ;) I personally found the movie very engrossing and finished it in a single sitting without much struggle.
Then I saw the ending, where my first reaction was "Will I ever see a movie without an abrupt ending again??!" My next reaction was disturbance. It disturbed me more than any movie I've seen in some time -- I really enjoyed the movie up to the point and I wasn't sure what to think about it.
( Definitely NOT the film I expected! )
After some sleep, I think I figured it out. My interpretation is that it was a struggle between God and Satan in the Old West, and a long struggle since neither was right. My favorite scene in the movie was the pillar of fire; it reminded me of the Finger of God in the 10 Commandments movie . . or was it the Finger of Satan? They were definitely messing with something very evil. I started typing out my interpretation of the ending, but I think I'll leave it out since it's a bit spoilery and doesn't really work in a review. I would love to hear your interpretations though, I'm sure there's several ways to take it. While I originally didn't like the ending, it's grown on me, and hey, it finally lives up to the title. ;)
The acting is excellent. Even the little kid is awesome. And while Daniel Day Lewis gets a lot of the spotlight, I thought Paul Dano was also very impressive and deserved a few more nominations. Actually, I think the biggest weakness of the movie started after that towering inferno . . I was all pumped to see more of Daniel vs. Eli, but instead they split them up and went on a tangent with other minor characters. Daniel and Eli were great characters and if they just kept the interactions going, this could've been a perfect film. I think it'd also support the theme better (if I interpreted what Anderson was trying to do correctly at least . .) 9 out of 10
191. Juno (2007)
I loved this film. I read somewhere that many of the people who didn't like this film cite that it was an unrealistically optimistic and happy portrayal of teen pregnancy. But just in my past month of movie watching, I've seen beheadings, slashed throats, starvation, betrayal, broken marriages, dementia, terrorism, old ladies getting shot, suicides, hangings, a wall of corpses, child rape, insanity, and people getting killed by baseball bats, bowling pins, cattle guns and missiles. And after watching a trailer for Cannes, the trend of depressing themes seems to be continuing this year. So a movie like Juno was a welcome sight for me -- you guys can wallow in all that blood and angst, but I welcomed the happy. :)
But the happiness wasn't the only thing it had going, otherwise I'd love Bee Movie too. No, the directing, writing and acting was impressive too. Everyone acted their part well, and any weak links got very little screen time. The dialog flowed really naturally like it were adlibbed. I actually used to teach a 14 year old student who speaks EXACTLY like Juno. It was uncanny, that's really how they speak in high school!
And, *finally*, a Best Picture nomination with AN ENDING!!
While the film didn't blow me away like my Perfect 10 films, it was still very entertaining to watch and there's nothing really terribly wrong with it. Perhaps the only thing that seemed missing was the husband experiencing an epiphany like everyone else was having; instead, he went missing himself. :P Oh, and I thought the Asian girl could've used more than 20 seconds of screentime, she seemed like an interesting character. I'm sure she'll have a bigger role in the inevitable TV spin-off.
Otherwise, isn't Canadian cinema the greatest? /biased 9 out of 10
192. The Matador (2005)
This movie has one of the best taglines ever: "A hitman and salesman walk into a bar" haha
Ebert says: "I walked into The Matador expecting one film, and saw another." I completely echo this sentiment . . I mean, Pierce Brosnan on the cover wearing sunglasses with a title like that, must be action right? From the tagline, I figured it was actually a Prince and the Pauper action thriller type deal, but I was very wrong.
I was thinking of skipping Golden Globe movies since I tend to enjoy Oscar movies more, but I'm glad I didn't because every now and then I find a gem like this. The Matador wasn't on anyone's award season radar, but it did get one Golden Globe nod for Best Actor. Now if you had never heard of Pierce Brosnan or seen any of his 007 work, then you may not find this film funny. BUT if you are familiar with him, then Brosnan will steal the show for you. Here he plays an anti-Bond, he's an unsexy drunk, suffering from mid-life crisis and losing his ability to kill. It's as if he had just gotten the news that he'd been replaced by a younger Bond and fell off the wall. It's an excellent comedic performance, even more so given the outside context.
The first 20 minutes of this film are a mess, you're going to struggle to get through it, it's almost daring you to turn your TV off and maybe that's what some critics of this movie did. But once you get past the initiation, it's a real treat and I'm smiling just thinking about it. The acting is fantastic, but I think the biggest props go to the director, who took an alright script and transformed it into a beautiful and vibrant film. If you like color, rent Frida. Then rent Dick Tracy. But if you still have some change left, give The Matador a try. This movie has stuck with me and is the best comedy I've seen since . . um, Juno? Minus the crappy 20 minutes, it might even be better than Juno. 9 out of 10
193. The Producers (2005)
I'm surprised that many critics and movie goers hated this film. Maybe they're comparing it to the stage performance or original . . I've seen neither so it was all new to me.
RT calls it stale. I'm shocked and completely disagree. I thought it was quite lively and kept my attention for the most part.
And RT calls it stagy. That was what I thought at first too. Seems like they just used the stage show sets for the movie; there's not much reimagining like Chicago or Dreamgirls.
But the performances ended up winning me over. Matthew Broderick was the only weak link for me -- his accent was very fake and I think he'd be a better character using his usual voice. Otherwise, I thought every one did a superb job, especially Nathan Lane and Gary Beach.
The music numbers, um, some worked, some didn't. I really loved most of the gags though, I laughed more during this film than Juno and Matador combined. I love the Mel Brooks comedy style, with zinger after zinger. And WHAT AN ENDING!! Finally, THAT'S the kind of ending I've been starving for for a looong time. If that wasn't enough, they even throw in an extra post-credit ending!
So yeah, I'm sure it's better on stage where you can laugh along with the audience, and I hope I will catch it on Broadway someday. But if you don't have $250 and a ticket to New York, I think the movie will make a fine substitute until you do. 9 out of 10
190. There Will Be Blood (2007)
Of all the Oscar nominated films, this was the one I was most excited to see. I mean, how can you lose with a title like that? But I was surprised to see on the DVD that it was rated PG . . huh? (Turns out that that was the Canadian rating, I guess when the MPAA saw the title they already had their R stamp ready).
Then there was the "I'VE ABANDONED MY BOY!!" that was attached to every ad and clip associated to the movie. I figured it must've been a kind of "Pursuit of Happyness" set in the Old West, and again I was wrong. It turned out to be part of a comedy!
Then I saw the "There Will Be Boredom" thread here and there was a surprising number of people who hated the film, and my expectations sunk. But thankfully, I was wrong too. Or they were wrong? ;) I personally found the movie very engrossing and finished it in a single sitting without much struggle.
Then I saw the ending, where my first reaction was "Will I ever see a movie without an abrupt ending again??!" My next reaction was disturbance. It disturbed me more than any movie I've seen in some time -- I really enjoyed the movie up to the point and I wasn't sure what to think about it.
( Definitely NOT the film I expected! )
After some sleep, I think I figured it out. My interpretation is that it was a struggle between God and Satan in the Old West, and a long struggle since neither was right. My favorite scene in the movie was the pillar of fire; it reminded me of the Finger of God in the 10 Commandments movie . . or was it the Finger of Satan? They were definitely messing with something very evil. I started typing out my interpretation of the ending, but I think I'll leave it out since it's a bit spoilery and doesn't really work in a review. I would love to hear your interpretations though, I'm sure there's several ways to take it. While I originally didn't like the ending, it's grown on me, and hey, it finally lives up to the title. ;)
The acting is excellent. Even the little kid is awesome. And while Daniel Day Lewis gets a lot of the spotlight, I thought Paul Dano was also very impressive and deserved a few more nominations. Actually, I think the biggest weakness of the movie started after that towering inferno . . I was all pumped to see more of Daniel vs. Eli, but instead they split them up and went on a tangent with other minor characters. Daniel and Eli were great characters and if they just kept the interactions going, this could've been a perfect film. I think it'd also support the theme better (if I interpreted what Anderson was trying to do correctly at least . .) 9 out of 10
191. Juno (2007)
I loved this film. I read somewhere that many of the people who didn't like this film cite that it was an unrealistically optimistic and happy portrayal of teen pregnancy. But just in my past month of movie watching, I've seen beheadings, slashed throats, starvation, betrayal, broken marriages, dementia, terrorism, old ladies getting shot, suicides, hangings, a wall of corpses, child rape, insanity, and people getting killed by baseball bats, bowling pins, cattle guns and missiles. And after watching a trailer for Cannes, the trend of depressing themes seems to be continuing this year. So a movie like Juno was a welcome sight for me -- you guys can wallow in all that blood and angst, but I welcomed the happy. :)
But the happiness wasn't the only thing it had going, otherwise I'd love Bee Movie too. No, the directing, writing and acting was impressive too. Everyone acted their part well, and any weak links got very little screen time. The dialog flowed really naturally like it were adlibbed. I actually used to teach a 14 year old student who speaks EXACTLY like Juno. It was uncanny, that's really how they speak in high school!
And, *finally*, a Best Picture nomination with AN ENDING!!
While the film didn't blow me away like my Perfect 10 films, it was still very entertaining to watch and there's nothing really terribly wrong with it. Perhaps the only thing that seemed missing was the husband experiencing an epiphany like everyone else was having; instead, he went missing himself. :P Oh, and I thought the Asian girl could've used more than 20 seconds of screentime, she seemed like an interesting character. I'm sure she'll have a bigger role in the inevitable TV spin-off.
Otherwise, isn't Canadian cinema the greatest? /biased 9 out of 10
192. The Matador (2005)
This movie has one of the best taglines ever: "A hitman and salesman walk into a bar" haha
Ebert says: "I walked into The Matador expecting one film, and saw another." I completely echo this sentiment . . I mean, Pierce Brosnan on the cover wearing sunglasses with a title like that, must be action right? From the tagline, I figured it was actually a Prince and the Pauper action thriller type deal, but I was very wrong.
I was thinking of skipping Golden Globe movies since I tend to enjoy Oscar movies more, but I'm glad I didn't because every now and then I find a gem like this. The Matador wasn't on anyone's award season radar, but it did get one Golden Globe nod for Best Actor. Now if you had never heard of Pierce Brosnan or seen any of his 007 work, then you may not find this film funny. BUT if you are familiar with him, then Brosnan will steal the show for you. Here he plays an anti-Bond, he's an unsexy drunk, suffering from mid-life crisis and losing his ability to kill. It's as if he had just gotten the news that he'd been replaced by a younger Bond and fell off the wall. It's an excellent comedic performance, even more so given the outside context.
The first 20 minutes of this film are a mess, you're going to struggle to get through it, it's almost daring you to turn your TV off and maybe that's what some critics of this movie did. But once you get past the initiation, it's a real treat and I'm smiling just thinking about it. The acting is fantastic, but I think the biggest props go to the director, who took an alright script and transformed it into a beautiful and vibrant film. If you like color, rent Frida. Then rent Dick Tracy. But if you still have some change left, give The Matador a try. This movie has stuck with me and is the best comedy I've seen since . . um, Juno? Minus the crappy 20 minutes, it might even be better than Juno. 9 out of 10
193. The Producers (2005)
I'm surprised that many critics and movie goers hated this film. Maybe they're comparing it to the stage performance or original . . I've seen neither so it was all new to me.
RT calls it stale. I'm shocked and completely disagree. I thought it was quite lively and kept my attention for the most part.
And RT calls it stagy. That was what I thought at first too. Seems like they just used the stage show sets for the movie; there's not much reimagining like Chicago or Dreamgirls.
But the performances ended up winning me over. Matthew Broderick was the only weak link for me -- his accent was very fake and I think he'd be a better character using his usual voice. Otherwise, I thought every one did a superb job, especially Nathan Lane and Gary Beach.
The music numbers, um, some worked, some didn't. I really loved most of the gags though, I laughed more during this film than Juno and Matador combined. I love the Mel Brooks comedy style, with zinger after zinger. And WHAT AN ENDING!! Finally, THAT'S the kind of ending I've been starving for for a looong time. If that wasn't enough, they even throw in an extra post-credit ending!
So yeah, I'm sure it's better on stage where you can laugh along with the audience, and I hope I will catch it on Broadway someday. But if you don't have $250 and a ticket to New York, I think the movie will make a fine substitute until you do. 9 out of 10