Posted on 12 April 2009
A classic case of misrepresentation, We Own the Night is advertised as an all out brother vs. brother crime war. It’s the furthest thing from it. What you do get is a deeply woven family crime drama, with Joaquin Phoenix taking the show as his own.
Mark Wahlberg stars as Joseph Grusinsky, a NYPD detective assigned [...]
Posted on 10 April 2009
The vampire movie has been done to death, so unless you’re willing to rewrite a new history (Underworld) or take a different approach (the intolerable Bloodrayne), why bother? 30 Days of Night is far too cliché-ridden and doesn’t offer the audience enough backstory to fill in the blanks. While the action is fun, the overwhelming [...]
Posted on 09 April 2009
Enchanted’s story turns into a movie that as a whole is a wildly fun, imaginative, colorful romp. Amy Adams shines as a would be cartoon princess tossed into the real world without a clue as to how things work. Her campy send up performance is simply perfect, and the heart of Enchanted.
The opening scenes are [...]
Posted on 08 April 2009
Yes Man could have been a fun concept for a number of Hollywood comedians. Jack Black was considered for the lead as well, although Steve Carell could have been a nice fit too. That shouldn’t discredit Jim Carrey’s work as Carl Allen, a former outcast brought into the limelight by saying “yes” to everything.
Director Peyton [...]
Posted on 05 April 2009
It’s amazing how lenient the MPAA can be. Take Zack and Miri Make a Porno for instance. Dangerously close to a NC-17, the film contains everything a porno could short of actual sex acts.
Starring Seth Rogen (Zack) and Elizabeth Banks (Miri), this crude romantic comedy has the pair struggling for money and deciding that porn [...]
Posted on 01 April 2009
Written by first-time screenwriter Grant Nieporte and directed by Pursuit of Happyness director Gabriele Muccino, Seven Pounds is an involving piece of drama that doesn’t hold up logically. Will Smith is superb as Ben Thomas, giving a performance worthy of his previous work, but his talent isn’t enough to carry the film.
It’s exceedingly difficult to [...]
Posted on 31 March 2009
An admittedly blatant rip-off of Halloween, Friday the 13th is an undeniable classic of the genre for a number of reasons. It set a standard of teenagers out in the woods, slowly being picked off by a killer of unknown origin. Despite what feel like genre conventions today, the original film is still a fun [...]
Posted on 30 March 2009
Gattaca is the rare futuristic sci-fi movie that doesn’t over do it with flashy effects, locales, or flying cars. Instead, it’s a dramatic, thrilling ride that develops itself wonderfully through complex characters in a world that seems utterly plausible. Gattaca is fantastic sci-fi.
Ethan Hawke is a “God Baby,” a child born of a natural birth. [...]
Posted on 28 March 2009
Ridley Scott yet again takes Russell Crowe under his wing, directing him in Body of Lies. This time, it’s another trip for Hollywood to the Middle East and the war on terror. While a hot news item, it’s becoming tiresome as a film base, overused and hardly entertaining anymore. Body of Lies is a victim [...]