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Movie Week: 1/10/09 to 1/16/09 By: Gavin Mooney First, sorry to one and all for the long gap in movie updates. My time has been most recently devoted elsewhere. But in that time I have seen quite a bit of all there is to be had out there. I still have much to see and regret that this review is not only incomplete, but not entirely up to date. Hopefully, it’s out just in time for that rare itch you get to go to the movies and wonder “Should I even waste my valuable time and money?” I hope to have some more reviews out soon after this one but I felt I have put off these reviews to long. But to make up for it I have some preview suggestions! My preview suggestions are basically based on the only the previews I’ve seen of the movies coming out this Friday which one’s I would say yea or nay to. My Bloody Valentine - Nay! I ain’t a horror fan and the only way I could think to make a horror film worse is to put it in 3-D. Notorious - Nay! That rapper movie. See, I sound interested already. You like the music, see the movie; otherwise follow me to the next theatre. Defiance - Yea! SEE THIS MOVIE! Hotel for Dogs - I actually haven’t seen any previews for this movie but… what do you think? Nay Paul Blart: Mall Cop - Yea! Oh yeah, definitely see this. Definitely. It’s gonna be hilarious.
Gran Torino - New and possibly last (I doubt it) movie out starring Clint Eastwood. This movie is about a racist war veteran who lives in the house he and his recently deceased wife lived their entire life together. The neighborhood is now a run down ghetto and his new neighbors are foreigners and he is forced to deal with his prejudices. This movie was great. I mean it was really good. All save for maybe one gave great performances. Clint Eastwood was awesome. Everyone should go see this movie. You’re gonna have to sooner or later because it’s gonna win some awards and you’re gonna wanna know what all the hubbub is about. See it today, tomorrow, with a girl, by yourself, I don’t care see it.
The Spirit - New Frank Miller film out based on the graphic novel by Will Eisner. Now when I saw the preview I thought “I like ‘300,’ I like ‘Sin City,’ I like this movie type…” but I also thought this movie had bad written all over it. I fought my better judgment and rushed out to see this. Boy! Did I get fucked. “Spirit” was at best alright kinda in my kindest words. Samuel L. Jackson was about the most awesome redeemable factor of the movie. I love to watch that man play bad ass parts. I wished we had see like 10 times more Mace Windu in the new “Star Wars” films! But all that aside this movie was kinda boring. It had a few ups and downs but unless you were a huge fan of the graphic novel and if it follows the graphic novel accurately I saw no real draw for this movie. Rent it when it comes out on DVD or watch it on HBO but don’t rush to see this.
Valkyrie - The Tom Cruise Nazi movie out in theatres now. Now as appealing as that sounds the movie was even better. It had been awhile but after seeing Tom Cruise in “Tropic Thunder” and now this movie I am reminded that as crazy as a man he may seem, he can act. The movie is based on the last attempted assignation of Adolf Hitler. Spoiler Alert! They get him this time. Tom Cruise was accompanied by a large cast of exceptional actors who all gave fantastic performances. This movie was great to watch I enjoyed it very much. This movie would be great for all and I would recommend you go out to see while it’s still in the theatres.
Frost/Nixon - Movie in theatres about the Frost interviews with Nixon three years after his resignation. I thought this movie was going to be good from the moment I saw the preview and I was not let down. “Frost/Nixon” was superbly done by all involved. All the actors gave great performances especially Frank Langella who even though he doesn’t look like Nixon gave an excellent performance as him. By the end of the movie you could almost feel what it must have been like for Nixon after all he had put himself and more importantly the nation through. With a running time of two hours this movie doesn’t really drag at all. I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone but if you like movies on political scandals or at least a half ass investigation into one this might be a movie you want to check out.
Sean Penn - I’m not gonna lie, I am not a huge Sean Penn fan but this movie was great. Sean Penn as well as all involved gave great performances in this movie. This movie is about the rise of the first openly gay politician in San Francisco, Harvey Milk. The movie tracts his life from before he ever considered holding public office to the tragic end of Milk’s career. The film was not only entertaining but also very informative. Also it brings to light the many issues that were of much discussion and debate at the time that are still the heat of much debate till this day. Not to get off track but that’s kinda retarded I think. Nothing is more a clear indicator that our government is failing us more and more every day than an issue that can’t be solved in three decades. But I digress. Again “Milk” is not for everyone and do not let the subject matter scare you away either, but it was a really good movie and those of you who are into these sudo-historical/political movies will be really entertained by it.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - First things first, this movie is LONG. Three hours to be exact but it feels longer than that. Don’t let that discourage you though because the story is GREAT! That’s about all though. This movie is about a man who ages backwards through his life and the life he had. That alone was enough to spark my interest in this movie. I like so many others were curious about this movie and the story it might tell. The movie was in fact very enjoyable and entertaining but like I said earlier it felt long. One thing I attribute this to is how epic a story this movie is. Now I say epic, but I don’t quite mean it. I don’t mean epic as this story should be told over and over again for all to hear but more like epic in that the movie takes a lot out of you. You get invested in the story and the characters and by the time the credits run you feel drained like you’ve just aged. I had planned to watch two movies the day I saw this but after this movie not only could I not see another movie after it but no movie would do. As for the actors and their craft in this movie, there isn’t much to say. I’m sure they had something to do with the “epic” feeling I spoke of earlier but personally I felt their performances were lacking (the leads that is, Pitt and Blanchett). If this movie gets Oscar nods for anything other than screenplay I’ll be surprised. This movie is pretty heavy but if the story sounds fascinating to you, you should definitely check it out. Not for everyone, but for those it does appeal to you should see it once in theatres before we’re all forced to watch it on cable and HBO.
Yes Man - One word, Hilarious. What more can we expect from such a consistently funny actor as Jim Carrey. This movie is about a guy who is very negative and decides to change by saying yes to every opportunity that comes his way. Yeah we all saw the preview and know what the story is about and if you haven’t seen this movie yet you need to. It’s a must. Now if you were thinking Carrey is getting old and isn’t as funny and “Fun with Dick and Jane” fucking sucked! (it did don’t try denying it), then I can see you and I were on the same page before this movie came out. But have no fear Jim Carrey shows us in this film he can still be as hilarious as we found him in all of our favorite movies. Another delight in this film was Zooey Deschanel who as always gives an excellent performance with her girl next door look and smile. Also she was a part of few groovy jams in this movie including one during the closing credits. I love this actress and hope to see her in bigger and better roles in the future. Well I’m about done jerking this movie off so if you haven’t gotten the point yet, GO SEE THIS MOVIE! It’s hilarious, it’s fun, you’ll have a good time, and you won’t be wasting your money. Go see it.
The Day the Earth Stood Still - I don’t care what any of you say Keanu Reeves is the man. If you have a part where you need someone to be blank and expressionless and appear as though not only do they have no acting talent but are actually just like this then he’s your man. This movie is remake about an alien who comes to earth to warn the people of its impending destruction. This movie was really good. At least I thought so. Critics haven’t been not to kind to it but I enjoyed it and was captivated by it. I thought the story was cool, interesting and thought provoking. I am a huge sci-fi nut but I’ve see awful sci-fi (“Babylon AD” I’m looking at you). This movie was so entertaining and interesting that I want to go back and watch the original movie. I haven’t but I want to. This movie shouldn’t be in theatres for to much longer but if you like sci-fi or just kinda clever stories you just might want to check this one out before it’s gone. I can’t promise much but I can tell you that I thought it was good which means there is something there. See it while you can or rent it, it will be worth it.
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