I actually got to see several good films this week:
Goodfellas - I was finally able to see this film, and I understand what all the praise is about. From the small handful of Scorsese films I've seen, it's arguably the best. I love The Departed, but Goodfellas just had something special. With faultless direction, top-notch performances (especially the Oscar-winning Joe Pesci, of course), and a rivetingly tragic story, it's too bad it only came away with a Supporting Actor Oscar win. Scorsese deserved his awards for The Departed, but I think he shouldn't have had to wait an extra 16 years to finally win. Grade: A
Precious - This has been floating around limited release for about three months now, and finally made it to my town this last week. I was unsure of what what I thought about the film after seeing it, and my first instinct was to give it a B. It is a very good film, but a few technical aspects of the film, all rooted in Lee Daniels directing, seemed a bit lacking. I guess Daniels' only previous experience as a film director was a crime thriller, so that may be where some of the unusual shots came from. However, the film succeeds on both the strength of its very emotional story and the power of the performances, especially Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique, which led me to give it more credit. Grade: B+
In the Loop - A very, very funny and clever political satire. Very well-written film, as evidenced by its single Oscar nomination of Best Adapted Screenplay. I liken it to one of 2009's best films, In Bruges. Similar to In Bruges, it's a very sweary movie, but in the best way possible. The dialogue is so unbelievably creative and irreverent and Armando Iannucci's direction so precise, and I was laughing out loud the whole movie. The primarily British cast is led most hilariously by Peter Capaldi and Tom Hollander, while some of the Americans, like James Gandolfini, Anna Chlumsky, and David Rasche, held their own as well. Grade: A-
Monday, February 22, 2010
Note: Some Random Updates
I haven't posted in about a week. Being sick will do that I suppose. So I guess instead of doing an actual article, I decided to do this post. I don't know why. At any rate, I've made a few decisions about some upcoming articles. Here we go...
First, I had intended to write up a Most Anticipated Films of 2010 list awhile back. I ran into some issues with that, beyond simply finding time to do it. I realized that, since I wanted to make a serious attempt at a list, such a task was a bit harder than just digging through this year's upcoming releases and finding a few cool movies. Since I'd simply be relying on old news articles from months ago or random searching on IMDB, I figured there were too many unknowns for an amateur movie blogger like myself to compile a comprehensive list. I may try to do a list for 2011, starting it throughout this year as I hear of movies. We'll have to see. As it turns out, I still intend to do a monthly post relating to upcoming movies I am excited for within that month, starting with March. I figure this would also help cover all the movies coming out later this year that we don't yet know about, that a typical list would miss.
Second, I still fully intend to finish my article of my Top Movies of 2009. I started it awhile back, when it was a Top 10 list. It eventually grew into a Top 15, then finally a Top 25 Movies of 2009 list. I was going to post it at the beginning of the year, but I realized there were still some movies that I really should see before making the list official, most notably several Oscar-nominated films. I have been able to see a few of those films, and I only have a few more I consider to be must-watches before I can complete my list. I know I'll be a bit late to the party with my 'Top Films' list, but I think it's something I should finish, whether on principle, as good practice, or just for fun. I plan to have it up before the Oscars on March 7th, at the very latest.
Also, I have a new poll up for who will win Best Actress at the Oscars. I don't care if you select who you think will win, or who should win. It's up to you! So vote if your heart desires.
First, I had intended to write up a Most Anticipated Films of 2010 list awhile back. I ran into some issues with that, beyond simply finding time to do it. I realized that, since I wanted to make a serious attempt at a list, such a task was a bit harder than just digging through this year's upcoming releases and finding a few cool movies. Since I'd simply be relying on old news articles from months ago or random searching on IMDB, I figured there were too many unknowns for an amateur movie blogger like myself to compile a comprehensive list. I may try to do a list for 2011, starting it throughout this year as I hear of movies. We'll have to see. As it turns out, I still intend to do a monthly post relating to upcoming movies I am excited for within that month, starting with March. I figure this would also help cover all the movies coming out later this year that we don't yet know about, that a typical list would miss.
Second, I still fully intend to finish my article of my Top Movies of 2009. I started it awhile back, when it was a Top 10 list. It eventually grew into a Top 15, then finally a Top 25 Movies of 2009 list. I was going to post it at the beginning of the year, but I realized there were still some movies that I really should see before making the list official, most notably several Oscar-nominated films. I have been able to see a few of those films, and I only have a few more I consider to be must-watches before I can complete my list. I know I'll be a bit late to the party with my 'Top Films' list, but I think it's something I should finish, whether on principle, as good practice, or just for fun. I plan to have it up before the Oscars on March 7th, at the very latest.
Also, I have a new poll up for who will win Best Actress at the Oscars. I don't care if you select who you think will win, or who should win. It's up to you! So vote if your heart desires.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
What I Watched this Week #1 (2/13/10)
I realized a few days ago that writing reviews is actually quite the feat. Until I've gotten more experienced with reviews, I've decided to just do a weekly roundup of the movies I've watched, and share a few thoughts on each film. This first installment is posted on a Saturday night. I'm not sure yet, but I may end up doing this weekly post on Fridays, with new releases kicking off each week. That'll be something that will I figure out after I've done a few installments.
Nine – It showed some promise, especially with the emotional depth of Marion Cotillard's performance, it just didn't follow through on its potential. I'm so glad "Take It All" got an Oscar nom for Original Song. I only wish Marion had as well, instead of Penelope Cruz (so boring). Grade: C+
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief – The script, mostly the dialogue, could certainly have used some work. It was a bit corny, but still entertaining. I love Greek mythology, so it was fun to see it set in a modern setting. There was definitely some fun casting as well. Grade: C+
Adam – One of few romantic, albeit dramatic, comedies I have seen recently that I liked. Solid performances from the leads, especially Hugh Dancy, made it a charming if unspectacular movie. Started to run out of steam towards the end, but still ended well. Grade: B-
The Wolfman – I don't know why so many people are knocking this film, but it is my favorite of the week. Well-made and directed, well-acted, and patiently paced piece of Gothic horror. Rick Baker's makeup was fantastic as were the special effects (the transformations were incredible) and action sequences. After waiting so long for this movie, I was not disappointed. Grade: B+
Nine – It showed some promise, especially with the emotional depth of Marion Cotillard's performance, it just didn't follow through on its potential. I'm so glad "Take It All" got an Oscar nom for Original Song. I only wish Marion had as well, instead of Penelope Cruz (so boring). Grade: C+
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief – The script, mostly the dialogue, could certainly have used some work. It was a bit corny, but still entertaining. I love Greek mythology, so it was fun to see it set in a modern setting. There was definitely some fun casting as well. Grade: C+
Adam – One of few romantic, albeit dramatic, comedies I have seen recently that I liked. Solid performances from the leads, especially Hugh Dancy, made it a charming if unspectacular movie. Started to run out of steam towards the end, but still ended well. Grade: B-
The Wolfman – I don't know why so many people are knocking this film, but it is my favorite of the week. Well-made and directed, well-acted, and patiently paced piece of Gothic horror. Rick Baker's makeup was fantastic as were the special effects (the transformations were incredible) and action sequences. After waiting so long for this movie, I was not disappointed. Grade: B+
Dark Sci-Fi May Get a Big Boost This Summer
Producer Joel Silver and Dark Castle in talks to buy Sundance hit Splice; to be distributed by Warner Bros.
Months ago, when the first images were released for the sci-fi/horror film Splice from director Vincenzo Natali (Cube), I immediately knew this was a movie I couldn't wait to see. In addition to being produced by Guillermo del Toro, it stars Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as a husband and wife team of geneticists who specialize in creating new creatures by combining different animal DNA. But when they decide to put human DNA in one of their creations, the situation turns disastrous. From what I can tell, it offers up a thought-provoking commentary of scientific ethics about "playing God," while still keeping the chilling and gory touches that del Toro and Natali are so good at. That's enough to get me interested. Additionally, many reviewers have compared it to some of David Cronenberg's older work.
For several months I had been silently waiting to hear anything about a release date. When I heard it would be playing at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival last month, I was excited for the chance to hear some kind of buzz about the film. I've heard almost universally positive words from critics and bloggers who saw it. Steve "Frosty" Weintraub of Collider called it "original, dark, and twisted, and it looks like a Hollywood film."
The news just keeps getting better. Yesterday, both Collider and Slashfilm reported via a story at Deadline Hollywood, that mega-producer Joel Silver (Die Hard, The Matrix, V for Vendetta, Sherlock Holmes) and his Dark Castle label are in negotiations to purchase the film for at least $25 million, if not more. Warner Brothers would presumably distribute. This would make it one of the biggest buys in recent Sundance memory. The deal is also said to include a requirement that the film get a big summer release of 3,000 screens. If this comes true, it could turn a film that would probably have been nothing more than a niche cult-classic into a huge blockbuster. Imagine possible Paranormal Activity, except this one might actually have replay value.
Here's a clip released last year that was premiered by Rotten Tomatoes:
Months ago, when the first images were released for the sci-fi/horror film Splice from director Vincenzo Natali (Cube), I immediately knew this was a movie I couldn't wait to see. In addition to being produced by Guillermo del Toro, it stars Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as a husband and wife team of geneticists who specialize in creating new creatures by combining different animal DNA. But when they decide to put human DNA in one of their creations, the situation turns disastrous. From what I can tell, it offers up a thought-provoking commentary of scientific ethics about "playing God," while still keeping the chilling and gory touches that del Toro and Natali are so good at. That's enough to get me interested. Additionally, many reviewers have compared it to some of David Cronenberg's older work.
For several months I had been silently waiting to hear anything about a release date. When I heard it would be playing at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival last month, I was excited for the chance to hear some kind of buzz about the film. I've heard almost universally positive words from critics and bloggers who saw it. Steve "Frosty" Weintraub of Collider called it "original, dark, and twisted, and it looks like a Hollywood film."
The news just keeps getting better. Yesterday, both Collider and Slashfilm reported via a story at Deadline Hollywood, that mega-producer Joel Silver (Die Hard, The Matrix, V for Vendetta, Sherlock Holmes) and his Dark Castle label are in negotiations to purchase the film for at least $25 million, if not more. Warner Brothers would presumably distribute. This would make it one of the biggest buys in recent Sundance memory. The deal is also said to include a requirement that the film get a big summer release of 3,000 screens. If this comes true, it could turn a film that would probably have been nothing more than a niche cult-classic into a huge blockbuster. Imagine possible Paranormal Activity, except this one might actually have replay value.
Here's a clip released last year that was premiered by Rotten Tomatoes:
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Reaction to the Oscar nominations
I realize this post is about a week behind schedule, but better late than never. There were a number of expected nominations (some of them are already being pegged as expected winners), as well as a few surprises (both pleasant or otherwise). I will make my actual picks a day or two before the Oscar ceremonies. So in the meantime, here are my thoughts/reactions on what turned out to be the best nominations, the names that shouldn't be there, and a few of the biggest snubs of the year.
Best Picture -
1. Avatar
2. The Blind Side
3. District 9
4. An Education
5. The Hurt Locker
6. Inglourious Basterds
7. Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
8. A Serious Man
9. Up
10. Up in the Air
My reaction: I still need to see Precious and A Serious Man, though I expect to have seen them within the next couple of weeks. I'm not surprised to see either of them nominated. Other nominees that were expected are Avatar, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, and Up in the Air. All of these are deserving, as is the pleasant surprise, District 9.
I think I was one of the few people that didn't expect Up to get a nomination. It's a great and truly moving film, and I'm glad to see an animated film make the Best Picture race, but I would have preferred what I believe to be the best animated movie of 2009, Fantastic Mr. Fox. The other big surprise is the omission of Invictus (which I unfortunately missed in theaters), and the inclusion of The Blind Side, a film I don't think belongs in a Best Picture race. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the movie, and Sandra Bullock gives a great performance. Nonetheless, I think it rode into the nomination solely because of the growing Sandra Bullock bandwagon.
Rather than Up or Blind Side, I would have preferred others movie that were more deserving to get into the race. I think some good picks would have been: Star Trek, (500) Days of Summer, Moon, or Fantastic Mr. Fox.
I promise the rest of the categories won't be quite as long. So here we go:
Best Actor -
1. Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
2. George Clooney for Up in the Air
3. Colin Firth for A Single Man
4. Morgan Freeman for Invictus
5. Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker
My reaction: No big surprises in this category. Bridges, Clooney, and Firth were all guaranteed to get nominations. There was some talk that Freeman could end up getting snubbed at the last minute, but I still expected him to make it as well. I had a feeling Jeremy Renner would score a nomination, and am very pleased that the Academy agreed. The only name I feel is missing is Sam Rockwell for his tour-de-force performance in the criminally overlooked Moon. I'm not sure whose slot Rockwell would have otherwise taken, but I can't help feeling that he should be on there.
Best Actress -
1. Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side
2. Helen Mirren for The Last Station
3. Carey Mulligan for An Education
4. Gabourey Sidibe for Precious
5. Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia
My reaction: There is instantly one name missing: Melanie Laurent, for her role in Ingourious Basterds as Shoshanna, a young Jewish woman seeking revenge against the Nazis after the death of her family. She could fit into either Lead or Supporting Actress, but was somehow overlooked in both. In my opinion, it will go down as the biggest snub of the year. Props to the Austin Film Critics Association for being the only group to recognize her as Best Actress. Also missing is Emily Blunt for her wonderful performance in The Young Victoria. I would happily have seen her get a nom over Helen Mirren if Laurent could not, but am once again disappointed.
Of the nominees, Bullock, Mulligan, Sidibe, and Streep all deserve to be on the list, especially Mulligan and (from all the buzz I've heard) Sidibe. I've heard some critics say that this is a weak year for lead female performances. I would disagree, and suggest that the problem is actually that most of the best nominees are being overlooked in favor of weaker ones. Case in point is Helen Mirren's nomination. I haven't seen the film and I've got nothing against her, and I even thought she was good in State of Play last April. But I've heard she gives a rather average performance in what Rope of Silicon's Brad Brevet called "a made-for-TV film masquerading as a theatrical feature."
Best Supporting Actor -
1. Matt Damon for Invictus
2. Woody Harrelson for The Messenger
3. Christopher Plummer for The Last Station
4. Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones
5. Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds
My reaction: Not much of a reaction to this category, as I've only seen Waltz's performance and all of these noms were expected anyway. Christoph Waltz has got this category in the bag. It would have been nice to see Tucci recognized for his hilarious performance in Julie & Julia rather than a creepy role like The Lovely Bones. Also, it would have been cool to see Alfred Molina get a nom for An Education, but it's not something I'm too worried about.
Best Supporting Actor -
1. Penelope Cruz for Nine
2. Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air
3. Maggie Gyllenhaal for Crazy Heart
4. Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air
5. Mo'Nique for Precious
My reaction: Once again, Melanie Laurent should have been here. As for those nominated, Mo'Nique, Kendrick, and Farmiga all were expected to get nominations. While Gyllenhaal is the big surprise of the category, I would have to say that she belongs much more than Penelope Cruz. She was honestly one of the weakest parts of the promising, but ultimately disappointing Nine. The slot should have gone to Cruz's co-star, Marion Cotillard, for one of two possible performances: Nine or Public Enemies. I would even have rather seen Nicole Kidman nominated for Nine instead of Cruz. It's also a little surprising that both Julianne Moore (A Single Man) and Samantha Morton (The Messenger) were snubbed, since both had been picking up awards season steam, and were expected to score nominations.
Best Director -
1. Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
2. James Cameron for Avatar
3. Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
4. Jason Reitman for Up in the Air
5. Quentin Tarentino for Inglourious Basterds
My reaction: It would have been cool to see Neill Blomkamp score a nomination for District 9, but I wasn't putting too much stock in that happening. The only semi-surprise was Lee Daniels getting a nom over the expected Clint Eastwood (Invictus). My only reaction is that either Bigelow or Tarentino better win or I'll have a conniption.
Other various reactions -
Best Screenplay: I am very pleased with good crop of Best Screenplay nods, including Inglourious Basterds, The Hurt Locker, District 9, An Education, In the Loop, and Up in the Air.
Sci-fi: I'm also very excited that Star Trek scored four nominations, even if I was hoping for a nod for Best Picture or Director. Also, I'm happy that District 9 got nominated for Best Visual Effects instead of the disaster that was Transformers 2. While the effects in Transformers 2 were arguably one of the few good things about that movie, I would rather see a more quality film get the honor.
Best Original Song: I'm also pleased that the two best songs of the year, "The Weary Kind" (Crazy Heart) and "Take It All" (Nine), were nominated.
Best Animated: Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up, Coraline are all deserving. I missed Princess and the Frog in theaters. But what the hell is The Secret of Kells, and how did it beat Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for the fifth slot.
Go 'Kavi' for best Best Short Film, Live Action!
And a final thought...Didn't Il Divo (Best Makeup) get released in 2008?
Best Picture -
1. Avatar
2. The Blind Side
3. District 9
4. An Education
5. The Hurt Locker
6. Inglourious Basterds
7. Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
8. A Serious Man
9. Up
10. Up in the Air
My reaction: I still need to see Precious and A Serious Man, though I expect to have seen them within the next couple of weeks. I'm not surprised to see either of them nominated. Other nominees that were expected are Avatar, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, and Up in the Air. All of these are deserving, as is the pleasant surprise, District 9.
I think I was one of the few people that didn't expect Up to get a nomination. It's a great and truly moving film, and I'm glad to see an animated film make the Best Picture race, but I would have preferred what I believe to be the best animated movie of 2009, Fantastic Mr. Fox. The other big surprise is the omission of Invictus (which I unfortunately missed in theaters), and the inclusion of The Blind Side, a film I don't think belongs in a Best Picture race. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the movie, and Sandra Bullock gives a great performance. Nonetheless, I think it rode into the nomination solely because of the growing Sandra Bullock bandwagon.
Rather than Up or Blind Side, I would have preferred others movie that were more deserving to get into the race. I think some good picks would have been: Star Trek, (500) Days of Summer, Moon, or Fantastic Mr. Fox.
I promise the rest of the categories won't be quite as long. So here we go:
Best Actor -
1. Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
2. George Clooney for Up in the Air
3. Colin Firth for A Single Man
4. Morgan Freeman for Invictus
5. Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker
My reaction: No big surprises in this category. Bridges, Clooney, and Firth were all guaranteed to get nominations. There was some talk that Freeman could end up getting snubbed at the last minute, but I still expected him to make it as well. I had a feeling Jeremy Renner would score a nomination, and am very pleased that the Academy agreed. The only name I feel is missing is Sam Rockwell for his tour-de-force performance in the criminally overlooked Moon. I'm not sure whose slot Rockwell would have otherwise taken, but I can't help feeling that he should be on there.
Best Actress -
1. Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side
2. Helen Mirren for The Last Station
3. Carey Mulligan for An Education
4. Gabourey Sidibe for Precious
5. Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia
My reaction: There is instantly one name missing: Melanie Laurent, for her role in Ingourious Basterds as Shoshanna, a young Jewish woman seeking revenge against the Nazis after the death of her family. She could fit into either Lead or Supporting Actress, but was somehow overlooked in both. In my opinion, it will go down as the biggest snub of the year. Props to the Austin Film Critics Association for being the only group to recognize her as Best Actress. Also missing is Emily Blunt for her wonderful performance in The Young Victoria. I would happily have seen her get a nom over Helen Mirren if Laurent could not, but am once again disappointed.
Of the nominees, Bullock, Mulligan, Sidibe, and Streep all deserve to be on the list, especially Mulligan and (from all the buzz I've heard) Sidibe. I've heard some critics say that this is a weak year for lead female performances. I would disagree, and suggest that the problem is actually that most of the best nominees are being overlooked in favor of weaker ones. Case in point is Helen Mirren's nomination. I haven't seen the film and I've got nothing against her, and I even thought she was good in State of Play last April. But I've heard she gives a rather average performance in what Rope of Silicon's Brad Brevet called "a made-for-TV film masquerading as a theatrical feature."
Best Supporting Actor -
1. Matt Damon for Invictus
2. Woody Harrelson for The Messenger
3. Christopher Plummer for The Last Station
4. Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones
5. Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds
My reaction: Not much of a reaction to this category, as I've only seen Waltz's performance and all of these noms were expected anyway. Christoph Waltz has got this category in the bag. It would have been nice to see Tucci recognized for his hilarious performance in Julie & Julia rather than a creepy role like The Lovely Bones. Also, it would have been cool to see Alfred Molina get a nom for An Education, but it's not something I'm too worried about.
Best Supporting Actor -
1. Penelope Cruz for Nine
2. Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air
3. Maggie Gyllenhaal for Crazy Heart
4. Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air
5. Mo'Nique for Precious
My reaction: Once again, Melanie Laurent should have been here. As for those nominated, Mo'Nique, Kendrick, and Farmiga all were expected to get nominations. While Gyllenhaal is the big surprise of the category, I would have to say that she belongs much more than Penelope Cruz. She was honestly one of the weakest parts of the promising, but ultimately disappointing Nine. The slot should have gone to Cruz's co-star, Marion Cotillard, for one of two possible performances: Nine or Public Enemies. I would even have rather seen Nicole Kidman nominated for Nine instead of Cruz. It's also a little surprising that both Julianne Moore (A Single Man) and Samantha Morton (The Messenger) were snubbed, since both had been picking up awards season steam, and were expected to score nominations.
Best Director -
1. Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
2. James Cameron for Avatar
3. Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
4. Jason Reitman for Up in the Air
5. Quentin Tarentino for Inglourious Basterds
My reaction: It would have been cool to see Neill Blomkamp score a nomination for District 9, but I wasn't putting too much stock in that happening. The only semi-surprise was Lee Daniels getting a nom over the expected Clint Eastwood (Invictus). My only reaction is that either Bigelow or Tarentino better win or I'll have a conniption.
Other various reactions -
Best Screenplay: I am very pleased with good crop of Best Screenplay nods, including Inglourious Basterds, The Hurt Locker, District 9, An Education, In the Loop, and Up in the Air.
Sci-fi: I'm also very excited that Star Trek scored four nominations, even if I was hoping for a nod for Best Picture or Director. Also, I'm happy that District 9 got nominated for Best Visual Effects instead of the disaster that was Transformers 2. While the effects in Transformers 2 were arguably one of the few good things about that movie, I would rather see a more quality film get the honor.
Best Original Song: I'm also pleased that the two best songs of the year, "The Weary Kind" (Crazy Heart) and "Take It All" (Nine), were nominated.
Best Animated: Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up, Coraline are all deserving. I missed Princess and the Frog in theaters. But what the hell is The Secret of Kells, and how did it beat Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for the fifth slot.
Go 'Kavi' for best Best Short Film, Live Action!
And a final thought...Didn't Il Divo (Best Makeup) get released in 2008?
Most Disappointing Movies of 2009
I haven't posted a note or blog in awhile, so I thought I'd return as we are entering the heart of movie awards season.
Withing the next few weeks, I'm going to post my Top 10 Movies of 2009, my Top Performers of 2009, and Most Anticipated of 2010 (those movies that haven't already been released in theaters). I thought I'd preface those with the films that, in my opinion, were the most disappointing of this last year. This isn't to say that all of these movies are completely terrible (though some certainly are), and I even like a couple of them. Rather, these are the movies that I expected to be much better than they turned out to be.
5. Extract - I still kind of liked this one, as it still had moments of brilliance. Jason Bateman and Mila Kunis were great as the leads, and there were fantastic supporting turns by Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons, and Clifton Collins Jr. I must say, though, that Kristen Wiig was sadly underused. Somehow the film just didn't seem to come together, and the jokes and tone of the film were confusingly choppy. I don't think it was bad direction. While I'm not a fan of Mike Judge's TV work (King of the Hill), his movie credits (Office Space and Idiocracy) are impeccable. I will certainly have to rewatch this one, if only in the hope that I'll find something better in it another time around
4. Year One - I don't have much to say about this one, as it was just so tragically horrible. When I first heard of this one in the summer of 2008, I thought, "Wow, this one could be pretty funny." With Jack Black and Michael Cera in the lead roles and Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day, Caddyshack) directing, this one should have been so good. After a surprisingly funny opening, the movie took a drastic turn for the worse. Even a slew of supporting roles and cameos by the likes of David Cross, Vinnie Jones, Olivia Wilde, Bill Hader, and Paul Rudd couldn't save this mess. And Oliver Platt's character was way too creepy.
3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - With the same writers who, just earlier this year, gave us the incredible Star Trek reboot, and loving the original Transformers movie from 2007 (which they also wrote), I could not have expected such an utter failure. I'm even a fan of most of Michael Bay's movies (The Rock, Bad Boys 1&2, The Island), while most people just scoff. How so many cool action scenes (i.e. Optimus Prime taking on three Decepticons in the forest), ended up surround by so many terrible jokes, lines, plot devices, and characters, I have no idea. If Michael Bay wants me to keep me interested, he'd better make Transformers 3 a masterpiece.
2. Where the Wild Things Are - Did I think this was a terrible movie? No. Did I think it was lacking something? Absolutely. As a big fan of the book as a kid, and knowing Spike Jonze's talent (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation), I was really looking forward to this one. This is a tricky one to explain. I understand the difficulty of adapting such a short children's book into a feature-length film, and I was fine with the thin storyline and slightly dark tone. There was just something about it though, and it seemed more dull and depressing than thoughtful and dark. That said, the set design and visuals are beautiful, and I'll be revisiting this one on DVD to give it another go.
1. The Invention of Lying - I was a huge fan of Ricky Gervais' underseen comedy from 2008, Ghost Town. With such an impressive comedy ensemble in addition to Gervais, including Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe, and Tina Fey, combined with a thought-provoking premise, I expected this one to be a sure-fire hit. What I got was a mess of misfiring jokes, a choppy story, mostly boring performances outside of Gervais, and an unsatisfying ending. The best parts of the movie were the brief cameos by Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Edward Norton. I'm not sure I want to risk suffering through this one again to see if its better the second time.
Honorable mention: Fanboys - I remembered this one after I had made my list. I don't know what it was about this movie, but it just didn't work. After waiting so long to see it, and being a huge Star Wars fan, it was so terribly disappointing. With a few funny jokes, it just couldn't pull its act together. I don't blame the performers or director, but rather their studio The Weinstein Company, who have been notorious for destroying their own movies. The only exception was Inglourious Basterds, because no one messes with the Q.
Withing the next few weeks, I'm going to post my Top 10 Movies of 2009, my Top Performers of 2009, and Most Anticipated of 2010 (those movies that haven't already been released in theaters). I thought I'd preface those with the films that, in my opinion, were the most disappointing of this last year. This isn't to say that all of these movies are completely terrible (though some certainly are), and I even like a couple of them. Rather, these are the movies that I expected to be much better than they turned out to be.
5. Extract - I still kind of liked this one, as it still had moments of brilliance. Jason Bateman and Mila Kunis were great as the leads, and there were fantastic supporting turns by Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons, and Clifton Collins Jr. I must say, though, that Kristen Wiig was sadly underused. Somehow the film just didn't seem to come together, and the jokes and tone of the film were confusingly choppy. I don't think it was bad direction. While I'm not a fan of Mike Judge's TV work (King of the Hill), his movie credits (Office Space and Idiocracy) are impeccable. I will certainly have to rewatch this one, if only in the hope that I'll find something better in it another time around
4. Year One - I don't have much to say about this one, as it was just so tragically horrible. When I first heard of this one in the summer of 2008, I thought, "Wow, this one could be pretty funny." With Jack Black and Michael Cera in the lead roles and Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day, Caddyshack) directing, this one should have been so good. After a surprisingly funny opening, the movie took a drastic turn for the worse. Even a slew of supporting roles and cameos by the likes of David Cross, Vinnie Jones, Olivia Wilde, Bill Hader, and Paul Rudd couldn't save this mess. And Oliver Platt's character was way too creepy.
3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - With the same writers who, just earlier this year, gave us the incredible Star Trek reboot, and loving the original Transformers movie from 2007 (which they also wrote), I could not have expected such an utter failure. I'm even a fan of most of Michael Bay's movies (The Rock, Bad Boys 1&2, The Island), while most people just scoff. How so many cool action scenes (i.e. Optimus Prime taking on three Decepticons in the forest), ended up surround by so many terrible jokes, lines, plot devices, and characters, I have no idea. If Michael Bay wants me to keep me interested, he'd better make Transformers 3 a masterpiece.
2. Where the Wild Things Are - Did I think this was a terrible movie? No. Did I think it was lacking something? Absolutely. As a big fan of the book as a kid, and knowing Spike Jonze's talent (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation), I was really looking forward to this one. This is a tricky one to explain. I understand the difficulty of adapting such a short children's book into a feature-length film, and I was fine with the thin storyline and slightly dark tone. There was just something about it though, and it seemed more dull and depressing than thoughtful and dark. That said, the set design and visuals are beautiful, and I'll be revisiting this one on DVD to give it another go.
1. The Invention of Lying - I was a huge fan of Ricky Gervais' underseen comedy from 2008, Ghost Town. With such an impressive comedy ensemble in addition to Gervais, including Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe, and Tina Fey, combined with a thought-provoking premise, I expected this one to be a sure-fire hit. What I got was a mess of misfiring jokes, a choppy story, mostly boring performances outside of Gervais, and an unsatisfying ending. The best parts of the movie were the brief cameos by Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Edward Norton. I'm not sure I want to risk suffering through this one again to see if its better the second time.
Honorable mention: Fanboys - I remembered this one after I had made my list. I don't know what it was about this movie, but it just didn't work. After waiting so long to see it, and being a huge Star Wars fan, it was so terribly disappointing. With a few funny jokes, it just couldn't pull its act together. I don't blame the performers or director, but rather their studio The Weinstein Company, who have been notorious for destroying their own movies. The only exception was Inglourious Basterds, because no one messes with the Q.
Wow! I feel like an idiot....
Alright, so last year I was so gung ho about getting a movie blog started. That obviously has not happened. After a couple of starts and stops, it has been nine months since I posted anything on this blog. I went ahead and deleted my two posts from last May cause they were pretty pointless. I decided to leave the three blogs from February 2009, because I'm too lazy to go back and look at them. It is very possible that doing this blog will be totally pointless, as we now know that movie blogs are a dime a dozen. Maybe no one will ever read these posts, but I'm gonna do it anyway.
Last time around, I tried to do a daily news post, an extensive review for every movie I watched, etc, etc. This time around I'm gonna take a laid back approach to the blog. With school, work, and all the crap life will throw, that'll be all the work on the blog I'll be able to do. I'll comment on a movie or TV news story when its something I feel led to comment on, I'll try to review the movie I see in theaters, and I may even occasionally do DVD reviews for movie that I Netflix. I'll definitely be doing an Oscar preview on either March 5th or 6th, before the 2010 ceremonies on the evening of March 7th.
Last time around, I tried to do a daily news post, an extensive review for every movie I watched, etc, etc. This time around I'm gonna take a laid back approach to the blog. With school, work, and all the crap life will throw, that'll be all the work on the blog I'll be able to do. I'll comment on a movie or TV news story when its something I feel led to comment on, I'll try to review the movie I see in theaters, and I may even occasionally do DVD reviews for movie that I Netflix. I'll definitely be doing an Oscar preview on either March 5th or 6th, before the 2010 ceremonies on the evening of March 7th.
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