Well, that was a lovely break. Now back to work.
If any of you are like me, you like to make wagers on things you're really familiar with, in a chance to win some extra money on the side.
I'm here to help you get an edge in your office Oscar pool this year, or if you don't have one, give you the knowledge to make a bet with your friends and co-workers about who will win what in the upcoming Oscar race. I AM NOT LIABLE FOR YOUR LOSSES IF MY PREDICTIONS ARE WRONG, just throwing that out there.
Now then, on to what everyone wants to see:
BEST PICTURE:
Okay, here's the deal. This year, a lot of people seem to think the Academy Awards have somehow been replaced by the People's Choice Awards. THEY HAVEN'T. Social Network was an excellent movie, I'm not contesting that, but The King's Speech was MADE to win Oscars. It has all the necessary elements.
Bank your money on The King's Speech.
There may be a small, maybe 5%, chance that The Social Network will win, but I doubt it.
There are some wild cards this year though. As outspoken as Hollywood is on issues involving GLBT, a wild card win for The Kids Are All Right is possible. Especially one that's accompanied by a repeal of Prop 8 in California, which if my information is correct, is happening around the same time as the Oscars.
MOST LIKELY: The King's Speech.
WILD CARD: The Social Network, The Kids Are All Right
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
Colin Firth will win this for King George VI, and quite frankly, he deserves to win. James Franco was spectacular as Aron Ralston, Jeff Bridges' Rooster Cogburn was tremendous, and Jesse Eisenberg's portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg will be talked about for as long as Facebook is around. But none of them can beat a movie that was made to win Oscars, especially with someone as tremendous as Colin Firth helming it.
MOST LIKELY: Colin Firth.
WILD CARD: Jeff Bridges.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Dear Christian Bale, here is your Oscar. Please don't suck in Dark Knight Rises.
MOST LIKELY: Christian Bale.
WILD CARD: Not necessary.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
Okay, here's one that a lot of people see as a no-contest, but I disagree. Natalie Portman is 90% likely to win for Black Swan, but here's the kick: The Academy voters are mostly old people who appreciate socially and politically charged movies like The King's Speech more than artistically haunting movies like Black Swan. And Natalie Portman has a fierce contender in this category who's movie was more socially charged than any movie I've ever seen. I'm speaking, of course, about Annette Bening in The Kids Are All Right. She was excellent in the movie, and the Academy, historically, really enjoys Bening's work. So don't be so quick to back the much more artistic and sexual Black Swan, remember, this isn't the People's Choice Awards.
MOST LIKELY: Natalie Portman.
WILD CARD: Annette Bening.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
The hardest major category to predict this year, surprisingly. First of all, anyone who has seen True Grit will agree that Hailee Steinfeld is the LEAD IN THE MOVIE, not a SUPPORTING ACTRESS. That aside, she is less likely to win, due entirely to her age, than say, Amy Adams or Melissa Leo for The Fighter. Personally, I'm backing Steinfeld, but I have gone back and forth between her and Leo for the Oscar.
MOST LIKELY: Hailee Steinfeld OR Melissa Leo
WILD CARD: Whichever one of those two you didn't back.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Sorry other two studios, but hey, at least the only movie Pixar is putting out (so far) in 2011 is a Cars sequel. You can beat that, right? ...right?
MOST LIKELY: Toy Story 3
WILD CARD: Toy Story 3
ART DIRECTION:
Don't let the title confuse you. The most important thing to remember is that James Cameron's Avatar won last year, meaning CGI is still a green-light for an Oscar in this category. That being said, I have odds that Inception walk with this, but it's possible that Harry Potter will take this as well.
MOST LIKELY: Inception
WILD CARD: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 1
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Not to be confused with the above category, but still won by Avatar last year, causing most of the confusion this year. The best thing to do in categories like this (unlike Art Direction) is to look at the names tied to each movie. The one that should stand out to movie aficionados is Wally Pfister, Christopher Nolan's cinematographer, i.e. The Dark Knight, The Prestige (ding ding ding), and Memento.
MOST LIKELY: Wally Pfister for Inception.
WILD CARD: Matthew Libatique for Black Swan.
COSTUME DESIGN:
Bearing in mind that The Young Victoria won last year, I backed The King's Speech. And your wallet told me to tell you that you should too.
MOST LIKELY: The King's Speech.
WILD CARD: True Grit.
DIRECTING:
The Academy is all about David Fincher, and I am too. But to be fair, the Academy is all about the Coen brothers too. Darren Aronofsky is no slouch either. But the one-two K.O. combo of Fincher and Sorkin in The Social Network seals the deal in this category for me.
MOST LIKELY: David Fincher for The Social Network.
WILD CARD: The Coen Brothers for True Grit OR Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
DO NOT EVEN GET ME STARTED ABOUT WHY WAITING FOR SUPERMAN DID NOT GET NOMINATED. I was so angry when I saw that I nearly Falcon Kicked my computer. Regardless, there are two major contenders in this category, Exit Through the Gift Shop and Restrepo. As I said before, the Academy tends to vote most politically and socially rather then artistically, making Restrepo more likely than Exit Through the Gift Shop.
MOST LIKELY: Restrepo.
WILD CARD: Exit Through the Gift Shop.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT:
By far and away my weakest category, as I'm not familiar with all of the films in this category. I chose to go with the one I had heard the most about, Poster Girl.
MOST LIKELY: Poster Girl (?)
WILD CARD: Any.
FILM EDITING:
Another weak category for me, but easier to judge based on the way the Academy tends to vote. Hurt Locker won this last year, making me lean towards The King's Speech for this one. However, I thought that Social Network was expertly edited as well.
MOST LIKELY: The King's Speech.
WILD CARD: The Social Network.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Relatively easy to guess, though I believe that Dogtooth is severely underappreciated.
MOST LIKELY: Biutiful.
WILD CARD: Dogtooth.
MAKEUP:
Enjoy another Oscar, Rick Baker.
MOST LIKELY: Rick Baker for The Wolfman.
WILD CARD: Rick Baker for The Wolfman.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE):
Okay, here's where I have to remind MYSELF that it isn't the People's Choice Awards. I am all about some Hans Zimmer (see Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, 2009), and most avid movie fans are too. However, Pixar's Up won last year, over Hans Zimmer's score in Sherlock Holmes, putting me in an unusual position. Do I go with my instinct and choose Zimmer? Or do I think it over and choose Social Network? Zimmer, don't fail me this year.
MOST LIKELY: Hans Zimmer for Inception.
WILD CARD: Trent Reznor for The Social Network.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG):
It was brought to my attention yesterday or the day before that the man who composed "If I Rise" in 127 Hours also composed the song that won for "Slumdog Millionaire". So yeah, there you go.
MOST LIKELY: "If I Rise" in 127 Hours.
WILD CARD: "Coming Home" in Country Strong.
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED):
Another weak category for me, BUT I do know that Day and Night was by Pixar!
MOST LIKELY: Day and Night.
WILD CARD: Any.
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION):
I haven't seen any of these shorts, but I've researched all of them, and Wish 143 looks like the winner based on traditional Academy votes.
MOST LIKELY: Wish 143.
WILD CARD: Na Wewe.
SOUND EDITING:
I'd like to say Tron:Legacy, but my gut tells me it will get snubbed.
MOST LIKELY: Inception.
WILD CARD: Tron:Legacy.
SOUND MIXING:
Inception had better editing, but Social Network had a better mix.
MOST LIKELY: The Social Network.
WILD CARD: Inception.
VISUAL EFFECTS:
Avatar won Visual Effects last year, validating CGI. Therefore, I choose Inception.
MOST LIKELY: Inception.
WILD CARD: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 1
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY):
*ring ring* *ring ring* Hello, Aaron Sorkin? Hi, it's the Academy. Still coming over for dinner next Thursday? Yes, you're getting the Oscar, don't be ridiculous. Okay, great, see you then.
MOST LIKELY: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network.
WILD CARD: The Coen Brothers for True Grit.
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY):
As much as it pains me, Nolan gets snubbed at the Oscars every year it seems like. So, for the sake of the bet, I have to choose The King's Speech. I'm saving a wild card for The Kids Are All Right for the whole Prop 8 repeal thing as well.
MOST LIKELY: The King's Speech.
WILD CARD: The Kids Are All Right OR Inception.
I hope this helps everyone with their bets, and/or inspires you to go out and make some bets!
See you next time.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Again, I know I took a long break here, but I was busy watching Scott Pilgrim another 5 times (no, I'm not kidding, go see the movie) and doing school work. Incidentally, the only new film I've seen since Scott Pilgrim was Piranha 3D, and chances are you already know if you're going to see that or not, but if for some reason anyone reading this is undecided, leave a comment on my facebook so I know to review it for you.
Category: Action-Adventure Mystery
Premise: ...really? Alright. Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and his steadfast companion Dr. Watson (Jude Law) are thrust into the fold of Lord Blackwood's (Mark Strong) plot to take over England using dark ritual practices.
Zer(o)verview:
First of all, I'd like to give a sincere thank you to Guy Ritchie for being his already excellent directing ability, (see Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) to mainstream films, especially in the "shadows of London" atmosphere that so fits Sherlock Holmes.
But, to the movie. From the first time I saw the preview, I knew I would like this movie. Not just because I love all 3 headliners (Downey Jr., Law, and McAdams) but because Guy Ritchie finally stopped portraying Sherlock as a good guy.
Have any of you read the stories that Sir Doyle wrote? Holmes is mad. He's a lunatic. He has deeply ingrained drug and alcohol problems, and although Ritchie only touches on the drugs briefly, he consistently brings up the alcoholism. Bravo! And Downey Jr. does an excellent job emulating this insanity on-screen.
Speaking of Downey on-screen, his chemistry with co-stars Law and McAdams is exemplary. Jude Law finally delivers the Watson I've wanted since I was young. Not a bumbling idiot that follows Holmes around and never really contributes. A Watson that balances out Holmes' insanity with sound logic and strong physical presence. For God's sake, Watson was a decorated military hero, why was he ever portrayed as a bumbling idiot? While Downey's Holmes is still the bread-winner here, Law's Watson is the example I would show directors who want to make a Sherlock Holmes film in the future.
Rachel McAdams plays Irene Adler, who, unless you are an avid Sir Arthur Conan Doyle reader, you probably have never heard of before since she's only mentioned in like 1 story. Ever. At all. But, I excuse this due to the fact that Guy Ritchie fleshed her out and made her story and the story of Moriarty more interesting (setting up for a sequel, no doubt), and the fact that he cast McAdams as the actress to play her. +1 for Mr. Ritchie. And she does a pretty good job to boot.
Mark Strong is the antagonist of the show, Lord Blackwood, an outcast British lord with ties to "The House of Four" which is essentially an Illuminati-esque organization in England and America. He is believed to have supernatural powers and uses them to exert control over England. To be honest, he was the weakest character out of all the leads, which is unfortunate, since the villain development is crucial to making the story believable and deep. Fortunately, with a director like Ritchie, villains are never the focus of the movie, the atmosphere and plot are.
Ritchie uses the "shadows of London" atmosphere brillantly, and has a compelling music score throughout. The real gems of the movie are still the interactions between Holmes and Watson, and the audience trying to deduce how Blackwood accomplished all the things he did before Holmes reveals all of it. On top of that, it's genuinely funny. The sub-plots, Watson's engagement to Mary, and Holmes and Adler's obvious sexual tension, aren't built up much at all, but again, they don't need to be, that's not the focus of the movie. It doesn't take away from the movie, but it doesn't add much to it either, except the Adler-Moriarty set up for the sequel.
GROUND ZERO: An excellent performance by Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams, combined with an interesting plot, captivating atmosphere and genuinely funny dialogue all guided by the direction of Snatch's Guy Ritchie make this a must-see for all mystery buffs.
5 out of 5.
Category: Action-Adventure Mystery
Premise: ...really? Alright. Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and his steadfast companion Dr. Watson (Jude Law) are thrust into the fold of Lord Blackwood's (Mark Strong) plot to take over England using dark ritual practices.
Zer(o)verview:
First of all, I'd like to give a sincere thank you to Guy Ritchie for being his already excellent directing ability, (see Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) to mainstream films, especially in the "shadows of London" atmosphere that so fits Sherlock Holmes.
But, to the movie. From the first time I saw the preview, I knew I would like this movie. Not just because I love all 3 headliners (Downey Jr., Law, and McAdams) but because Guy Ritchie finally stopped portraying Sherlock as a good guy.
Have any of you read the stories that Sir Doyle wrote? Holmes is mad. He's a lunatic. He has deeply ingrained drug and alcohol problems, and although Ritchie only touches on the drugs briefly, he consistently brings up the alcoholism. Bravo! And Downey Jr. does an excellent job emulating this insanity on-screen.
Speaking of Downey on-screen, his chemistry with co-stars Law and McAdams is exemplary. Jude Law finally delivers the Watson I've wanted since I was young. Not a bumbling idiot that follows Holmes around and never really contributes. A Watson that balances out Holmes' insanity with sound logic and strong physical presence. For God's sake, Watson was a decorated military hero, why was he ever portrayed as a bumbling idiot? While Downey's Holmes is still the bread-winner here, Law's Watson is the example I would show directors who want to make a Sherlock Holmes film in the future.
Rachel McAdams plays Irene Adler, who, unless you are an avid Sir Arthur Conan Doyle reader, you probably have never heard of before since she's only mentioned in like 1 story. Ever. At all. But, I excuse this due to the fact that Guy Ritchie fleshed her out and made her story and the story of Moriarty more interesting (setting up for a sequel, no doubt), and the fact that he cast McAdams as the actress to play her. +1 for Mr. Ritchie. And she does a pretty good job to boot.
Mark Strong is the antagonist of the show, Lord Blackwood, an outcast British lord with ties to "The House of Four" which is essentially an Illuminati-esque organization in England and America. He is believed to have supernatural powers and uses them to exert control over England. To be honest, he was the weakest character out of all the leads, which is unfortunate, since the villain development is crucial to making the story believable and deep. Fortunately, with a director like Ritchie, villains are never the focus of the movie, the atmosphere and plot are.
Ritchie uses the "shadows of London" atmosphere brillantly, and has a compelling music score throughout. The real gems of the movie are still the interactions between Holmes and Watson, and the audience trying to deduce how Blackwood accomplished all the things he did before Holmes reveals all of it. On top of that, it's genuinely funny. The sub-plots, Watson's engagement to Mary, and Holmes and Adler's obvious sexual tension, aren't built up much at all, but again, they don't need to be, that's not the focus of the movie. It doesn't take away from the movie, but it doesn't add much to it either, except the Adler-Moriarty set up for the sequel.
GROUND ZERO: An excellent performance by Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams, combined with an interesting plot, captivating atmosphere and genuinely funny dialogue all guided by the direction of Snatch's Guy Ritchie make this a must-see for all mystery buffs.
5 out of 5.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
So, the short version: Scott Pilgrim is my favorite movie this year. Even if your movie taste isn't exactly like mine, the movie is still very fun and very enjoyable.
The long version incoming in 3, 2, 1...:
Category: Indie Music Action Comedy Drama, if you need a better description, think High Fidelity (the movie) meets No More Heroes (the Wii game).
Premise: Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls in love at first sight with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) but must defeat her seven evil exes in order to secure his place in Ramona's love life.
Zer(o)verview:
So I already said this was my favorite movie this year, and for more reasons then just the style it was filmed. The movie is genuinely funny, the characters are interesting, and the battles are entertaining and fun. It's just a great movie altogether.
Some people may whine about it because they can't look past the geek factor of the filming style to connect with the characters, or they can look past that but don't understand why Scott needs a flaming katana to come out of his chest at one point (Yeah, that happens. Twice.).
Also, Scott isn't the typical "I'm super nice, why would you ever date those jerks instead of a nice guy like me" main character in a romance storyline, he's actually kind of a jerk in the beginning, but it works well. Scott milks his helplessness for female attention after his brutal break-up with superstar Envy Adams (Brie Larson) over a year ago. He sticks to dating high school girls until Ramona comes along, at which point, he doesn't even break up with the high school girl right away, he waits a few days. But I really think that adds dynamic to his character.
On the other side of the spectrum, Ramona Flowers is played pretty perfectly. I can't think of any way that Mary Elizabeth Winstead could've improved her except at 2 points. The fight with Roxy Richter when Ramona helps Scott, and the scene after Scott defeats Gideon Graves. Not the ending, she was excellent in that. I mean the scene right after the fight with Scott, Knives and Ramona while they're still in the Chaos Theatre.
The music track is INCREDIBLE. Music is the most important element of the movie essentially, and it's incorporated fantastically. There isn't a single time that I wish they had used a different song or sound.
As for the exes, I think that the director made the right decisions across the board. I'll do some bullets here to show you.
Matthew Patel-Satya Bhabba. I've never heard of this guy before.
Lucas Lee-Chris Evans. This is the mainstream star the director brings to the movie, except of course for Michael Cera.
Todd Ingram-Brandon Routh. People who watch the show "Chuck" might know him as Daniel Shaw, but he hasn't been in too many movies from what I know.
Roxy Richter-Mae Whitman. Reuniting Michael Cera with his girlfriend from Arrested Development was a smart move on the directors part I think. Mae Whitman played Ann Veal on the show, and also loans her voice to a slew of animated shows, namely Avatar: The Last Airbender, where she plays Katara.
The Katayanagi Brothers-Keita Saitou and Shota Saito. Again, never heard of these guys before.
Gideon Gordon Graves-Jason Schwartzman. Fans of indie movies should rejoice at this name. This is Max Fischer of Rushmore. That's right.
GROUND ZERO: I love this movie. I love this movie so much that I wanted to catch it again since it was showing 5 minutes after the one I went to see got out. But I had more pressing things to do, so I couldn't. This is easily my favorite movie this year, and it's in the running for my favorite movie of all time. It's fun, has a heartwarming story, funny, has interesting characters, and is filmed like No More Heroes. All winners in my book.
5 out of 5.
The long version incoming in 3, 2, 1...:
Category: Indie Music Action Comedy Drama, if you need a better description, think High Fidelity (the movie) meets No More Heroes (the Wii game).
Premise: Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls in love at first sight with Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) but must defeat her seven evil exes in order to secure his place in Ramona's love life.
Zer(o)verview:
So I already said this was my favorite movie this year, and for more reasons then just the style it was filmed. The movie is genuinely funny, the characters are interesting, and the battles are entertaining and fun. It's just a great movie altogether.
Some people may whine about it because they can't look past the geek factor of the filming style to connect with the characters, or they can look past that but don't understand why Scott needs a flaming katana to come out of his chest at one point (Yeah, that happens. Twice.).
Also, Scott isn't the typical "I'm super nice, why would you ever date those jerks instead of a nice guy like me" main character in a romance storyline, he's actually kind of a jerk in the beginning, but it works well. Scott milks his helplessness for female attention after his brutal break-up with superstar Envy Adams (Brie Larson) over a year ago. He sticks to dating high school girls until Ramona comes along, at which point, he doesn't even break up with the high school girl right away, he waits a few days. But I really think that adds dynamic to his character.
On the other side of the spectrum, Ramona Flowers is played pretty perfectly. I can't think of any way that Mary Elizabeth Winstead could've improved her except at 2 points. The fight with Roxy Richter when Ramona helps Scott, and the scene after Scott defeats Gideon Graves. Not the ending, she was excellent in that. I mean the scene right after the fight with Scott, Knives and Ramona while they're still in the Chaos Theatre.
The music track is INCREDIBLE. Music is the most important element of the movie essentially, and it's incorporated fantastically. There isn't a single time that I wish they had used a different song or sound.
As for the exes, I think that the director made the right decisions across the board. I'll do some bullets here to show you.
Matthew Patel-Satya Bhabba. I've never heard of this guy before.
Lucas Lee-Chris Evans. This is the mainstream star the director brings to the movie, except of course for Michael Cera.
Todd Ingram-Brandon Routh. People who watch the show "Chuck" might know him as Daniel Shaw, but he hasn't been in too many movies from what I know.
Roxy Richter-Mae Whitman. Reuniting Michael Cera with his girlfriend from Arrested Development was a smart move on the directors part I think. Mae Whitman played Ann Veal on the show, and also loans her voice to a slew of animated shows, namely Avatar: The Last Airbender, where she plays Katara.
The Katayanagi Brothers-Keita Saitou and Shota Saito. Again, never heard of these guys before.
Gideon Gordon Graves-Jason Schwartzman. Fans of indie movies should rejoice at this name. This is Max Fischer of Rushmore. That's right.
GROUND ZERO: I love this movie. I love this movie so much that I wanted to catch it again since it was showing 5 minutes after the one I went to see got out. But I had more pressing things to do, so I couldn't. This is easily my favorite movie this year, and it's in the running for my favorite movie of all time. It's fun, has a heartwarming story, funny, has interesting characters, and is filmed like No More Heroes. All winners in my book.
5 out of 5.
Friday, August 6, 2010
The Other Guys
After a break from Inception, I've finally been to the movies again to see The Other Guys.
Before any of you ask, no, I did not go see Dinner for Schmucks. I like Paul Rudd and I heard the movie was bad, so I didn't want my image of him to be downgraded.
Category: Comedy (Mainstream)
Premise: After two superstar cops, Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Danson (The Rock), are hailed time and time again by the city of New York, the desk-jockey duo detectives Allen Gamble and Terry Holtz (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) try to step into the limelight by taking on a high-profile case about shady investment banker David Ershon (Steve Coogan)
Zer(o)verview:
First off, let me preface this by saying that comedy is very difficult to review.
I'm sure everyone has heard a joke that ends with "You had to be there". That's what reviewing comedy is like. You can't always read a joke and find it funny. It's the delivery that really counts.
Anyway, to the review.
Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell make surprisingly dynamic leads, with Will Ferrell's ability to deliver ridiculous dialogue with extreme seriousness, and Mark Wahlberg's ability to take everything too seriously. No, really. Do you remember M. Night Shmalyan's "The Happening"? Remember Mark Wahlberg was the main character? Remember the scene in the greenhouse where he tries to make a truce with the plant? Yeah. The seriousness that Mark Wahlberg delivered in that particular scene carries throughout this entire movie, and that makes up for most of the jokes, in my opinion.
The movie starts off extremely strong (there's a particularly funny speech about lions and tuna that almost made me blow Dr. Pepper all over myself) but bottoms out about 20 minutes in and never really picks back up. Sure, there are funny moments here and there, but nothing so hilarious that people will remember it for the rest of the year.
As I said earlier, comedy is really hard to review because it's the delivery of the jokes that counts. Unfortunately for The Other Guys, most of the jokes are predictable, and therefore fall flat before they have a chance to grow (again, in the beginning, this doesn't happen). In fact, the beginning may have set my expectations too high for the movie. The opening had a lot of really funny moments that made me think that the entire movie was going to be hilarious, and aside from a few kind of funny moments here and there, it really wasn't.
If you're looking for the best comedy this year, it won't even come close to the mark. There aren't even any hilarious quotes that I intend to overuse to death, which is extremely unfortunate. But, I'll concede and say that it's worth the going to a $5 matinee or whatever they have where you live to go see it.
GROUND ZERO:
I didn't expect the greatest comedy since Anchorman (and yes, Anchorman is one of the best comedies of all time, I don't care what any of you say) walking into this, but I expected more then I got, especially after an extremely solid exposition to the movie. Like I said, it's worth matinee price, but you wouldn't be losing out on much even if you waited to rent it from Red Box in a few months. Overall, it's funny, but I didn't laugh as much as I hoped.
3 out of 5 (I would give it a 3.5, but I'm not gonna start using decimals and it wasn't good enough to merit a 4, so consider it a 3 1/2 out of 5 if the number of stars it gets is a big deal-breaker for you)
Before any of you ask, no, I did not go see Dinner for Schmucks. I like Paul Rudd and I heard the movie was bad, so I didn't want my image of him to be downgraded.
Category: Comedy (Mainstream)
Premise: After two superstar cops, Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Danson (The Rock), are hailed time and time again by the city of New York, the desk-jockey duo detectives Allen Gamble and Terry Holtz (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) try to step into the limelight by taking on a high-profile case about shady investment banker David Ershon (Steve Coogan)
Zer(o)verview:
First off, let me preface this by saying that comedy is very difficult to review.
I'm sure everyone has heard a joke that ends with "You had to be there". That's what reviewing comedy is like. You can't always read a joke and find it funny. It's the delivery that really counts.
Anyway, to the review.
Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell make surprisingly dynamic leads, with Will Ferrell's ability to deliver ridiculous dialogue with extreme seriousness, and Mark Wahlberg's ability to take everything too seriously. No, really. Do you remember M. Night Shmalyan's "The Happening"? Remember Mark Wahlberg was the main character? Remember the scene in the greenhouse where he tries to make a truce with the plant? Yeah. The seriousness that Mark Wahlberg delivered in that particular scene carries throughout this entire movie, and that makes up for most of the jokes, in my opinion.
The movie starts off extremely strong (there's a particularly funny speech about lions and tuna that almost made me blow Dr. Pepper all over myself) but bottoms out about 20 minutes in and never really picks back up. Sure, there are funny moments here and there, but nothing so hilarious that people will remember it for the rest of the year.
As I said earlier, comedy is really hard to review because it's the delivery of the jokes that counts. Unfortunately for The Other Guys, most of the jokes are predictable, and therefore fall flat before they have a chance to grow (again, in the beginning, this doesn't happen). In fact, the beginning may have set my expectations too high for the movie. The opening had a lot of really funny moments that made me think that the entire movie was going to be hilarious, and aside from a few kind of funny moments here and there, it really wasn't.
If you're looking for the best comedy this year, it won't even come close to the mark. There aren't even any hilarious quotes that I intend to overuse to death, which is extremely unfortunate. But, I'll concede and say that it's worth the going to a $5 matinee or whatever they have where you live to go see it.
GROUND ZERO:
I didn't expect the greatest comedy since Anchorman (and yes, Anchorman is one of the best comedies of all time, I don't care what any of you say) walking into this, but I expected more then I got, especially after an extremely solid exposition to the movie. Like I said, it's worth matinee price, but you wouldn't be losing out on much even if you waited to rent it from Red Box in a few months. Overall, it's funny, but I didn't laugh as much as I hoped.
3 out of 5 (I would give it a 3.5, but I'm not gonna start using decimals and it wasn't good enough to merit a 4, so consider it a 3 1/2 out of 5 if the number of stars it gets is a big deal-breaker for you)
Friday, July 16, 2010
Inception
To take a break from what I hope to be a mostly professional review:
OH MY GOD THIS MOVIE IS AMAZING.
That is all.
Category: Science Fiction Action Drama
Premise: Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are experienced extractors, thieves that enter your mind by entering your psyche through a chemically-induced shared-consciousness dreamstate. After a botched extraction job, Cobb and Arthur are offered a chance to perform an inception, where instead of stealing information during the dreamstate, they must plant an idea into their target. After assembling a talented team, Cobb and his crew face the difficult task of planting an idea into someone's mind and making them believe it is their own.
To be honest, the premise is extremely hard to explain, but you should GO SEE THIS MOVIE.
Zer(o)verview:
Again, this movie is incredible, and exceeds all expectations I had for it (which were extremely high to begin with).
Christopher Nolan, director of the critically-acclaimed Batman: The Dark Knight starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, now gifts the world with Inception, a surreal, gripping action drama set within the subconscious of the characters involved.
Right off the bat, the audio cues and visual effects are breath-taking. You thought James Cameron's Avatar was aesthetically impressive? Wait until you see the dreamscapes that Ellen Page, DiCaprio and Gordon-Levitt create for the characters to traverse.
As I said before, the movie is very difficult to review without giving too much away, and it's absolutely thrilling to watch. I'll do my best to review it without giving any spoilers.
To perform a successful extraction or inception, you need these key things:
An Extractor: Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the most skilled extractor in the world (so he claims, and lives up to his reputation throughout the movie). He was extradited from America after some legal trouble (What kind of trouble is a HEAVY SPOILER), and he's been working freelance with his Point Man.
A Point Man: Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) plays the Point Man, a type of extractor that, during multi-layered dreamstates, specializes in delaying subconscious security and convincing the target that they are not in a dream if they are abruptly kicked out of the lower dream layers. That sounds extremely confusing, but you'll understand when you watch the film. Arthur utilizes paradoxical architecture, improvisational 'kick' and combat tactics, and other methods to deter the target's subconscious security from converging and rooting out the extractors or inceptors.
An Architect: Ariadne (Ellen Page), pronounced Air-e-ad-knee, is the architect, the member of the inception team that constructs the dream world that the dreamers experience. She develops a constantly evolving, changing, labyrinthine environment meant to delay subconscious security and allow the inception team to navigate the subject's mind more efficiently.
A Forger: Eames (Tom Hardy), is the forger, the team member that impersonates a figure that the subject trusts in order to make them more susceptible to coercion. A Forger must memorize mannerisms, diction, and all physical discrepancies.
A Chemist: Yusuf (Dileep Rao) is the chemist, the team member that mixes the sedative that keeps the dreamers in the continuous dream-state even during circumstances that would normally wake people up.
A Subject: Fischer (Cillian Murphy) is the subject, the target for inception.
Some terms you'll want to familiarize yourself with:
Kick- A way to abruptly end the dream-state, usually associated with falling or water.
Totem- A trinket that only you know the precise features of, to know whether you are still in someone else's dream or not.
Now, to the review.
All the characters do a spectacular job in their roles, and everyone performs at or above expectations, which were already very high. I already mentioned the breath-taking CGI and visual effects, along with well-placed, vivid audio cues (since there isn't much of a music track to speak of). As it takes place mainly the dreamscape of the heir of a powerful corporation, I can't really say anything without spoiling it, so I won't. I may have said too much already, to be honest.
GROUND ZERO:
A mesmerizing new film from Christopher Nolan, Inception delivers, and then some, on all levels. I saw it twice in one day. TWICE IN ONE DAY. That should say something. The cast is brillant and compelling, the plot is full of intrigue and never gets boring, the CGI and sound is spectacular, I really have nothing bad to say about it at all.
But please.
Please Christopher Nolan.
DON'T MAKE A SEQUEL. You may get hate mail from people who were confused by your ending, but I thought it was brillant.
DO NOT MAKE A SEQUEL. YOU HAVE A MASTERPIECE, DON'T RUIN IT.
5 out of 5.
OH MY GOD THIS MOVIE IS AMAZING.
That is all.
Category: Science Fiction Action Drama
Premise: Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are experienced extractors, thieves that enter your mind by entering your psyche through a chemically-induced shared-consciousness dreamstate. After a botched extraction job, Cobb and Arthur are offered a chance to perform an inception, where instead of stealing information during the dreamstate, they must plant an idea into their target. After assembling a talented team, Cobb and his crew face the difficult task of planting an idea into someone's mind and making them believe it is their own.
To be honest, the premise is extremely hard to explain, but you should GO SEE THIS MOVIE.
Zer(o)verview:
Again, this movie is incredible, and exceeds all expectations I had for it (which were extremely high to begin with).
Christopher Nolan, director of the critically-acclaimed Batman: The Dark Knight starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, now gifts the world with Inception, a surreal, gripping action drama set within the subconscious of the characters involved.
Right off the bat, the audio cues and visual effects are breath-taking. You thought James Cameron's Avatar was aesthetically impressive? Wait until you see the dreamscapes that Ellen Page, DiCaprio and Gordon-Levitt create for the characters to traverse.
As I said before, the movie is very difficult to review without giving too much away, and it's absolutely thrilling to watch. I'll do my best to review it without giving any spoilers.
To perform a successful extraction or inception, you need these key things:
An Extractor: Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the most skilled extractor in the world (so he claims, and lives up to his reputation throughout the movie). He was extradited from America after some legal trouble (What kind of trouble is a HEAVY SPOILER), and he's been working freelance with his Point Man.
A Point Man: Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) plays the Point Man, a type of extractor that, during multi-layered dreamstates, specializes in delaying subconscious security and convincing the target that they are not in a dream if they are abruptly kicked out of the lower dream layers. That sounds extremely confusing, but you'll understand when you watch the film. Arthur utilizes paradoxical architecture, improvisational 'kick' and combat tactics, and other methods to deter the target's subconscious security from converging and rooting out the extractors or inceptors.
An Architect: Ariadne (Ellen Page), pronounced Air-e-ad-knee, is the architect, the member of the inception team that constructs the dream world that the dreamers experience. She develops a constantly evolving, changing, labyrinthine environment meant to delay subconscious security and allow the inception team to navigate the subject's mind more efficiently.
A Forger: Eames (Tom Hardy), is the forger, the team member that impersonates a figure that the subject trusts in order to make them more susceptible to coercion. A Forger must memorize mannerisms, diction, and all physical discrepancies.
A Chemist: Yusuf (Dileep Rao) is the chemist, the team member that mixes the sedative that keeps the dreamers in the continuous dream-state even during circumstances that would normally wake people up.
A Subject: Fischer (Cillian Murphy) is the subject, the target for inception.
Some terms you'll want to familiarize yourself with:
Kick- A way to abruptly end the dream-state, usually associated with falling or water.
Totem- A trinket that only you know the precise features of, to know whether you are still in someone else's dream or not.
Now, to the review.
All the characters do a spectacular job in their roles, and everyone performs at or above expectations, which were already very high. I already mentioned the breath-taking CGI and visual effects, along with well-placed, vivid audio cues (since there isn't much of a music track to speak of). As it takes place mainly the dreamscape of the heir of a powerful corporation, I can't really say anything without spoiling it, so I won't. I may have said too much already, to be honest.
GROUND ZERO:
A mesmerizing new film from Christopher Nolan, Inception delivers, and then some, on all levels. I saw it twice in one day. TWICE IN ONE DAY. That should say something. The cast is brillant and compelling, the plot is full of intrigue and never gets boring, the CGI and sound is spectacular, I really have nothing bad to say about it at all.
But please.
Please Christopher Nolan.
DON'T MAKE A SEQUEL. You may get hate mail from people who were confused by your ending, but I thought it was brillant.
DO NOT MAKE A SEQUEL. YOU HAVE A MASTERPIECE, DON'T RUIN IT.
5 out of 5.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Predators (2010)
As per my promise to review the movies I see in theatres, I start with Predators, starring Adrien Brody plus several unknown actors since all the action movie stars were busy making the Expendables.
Category: Pulp Action Science Fiction
Premise: A group of elite warriors are dropped into an unknown location and are hunted by members of a merciless alien race known as Predators. That pretty much sums it up.
Zer(o)verview:
Since all the A-List action stars were too busy huffing steroids working on The Expendables to do any other films, the director of Predators was faced with the no doubt difficult task of hiring a group of B-List action stars and unknown actors to play a group of elite, no-holds-barred warriors, chief of which is a man who goes unnamed until the very last scene in the movie (Spoiler Alert: His name is Royce) played by Adrien Brody, who avid movie watchers may know recently for his role as Clive in the 2010 indie film, Splice.
Well, Brody decided to man up and grow a pair after getting pushed around by Elsa all the time, and he's pretty ripped in this movie. To be honest though, it's kind of hard to take Adrien Brody seriously as an action hero after seeing him so recently in a film like Splice. That's not to say he doesn't do a good job. He stays committed to his character, the lone wolf mercenary who quickly adapts and knows his way out of every situation. As much as it sounds like I'm heckling him, I actually enjoyed his portrayal of the character.
Laurence Fishburne is in the movie for all of 10-15 minutes, so don't get too excited about seeing Morpheus kick Predator ass like I was. I was pretty disappointed about that. His character was kind of an unnecessary segway from the introduction to the climax build-up, but it was kind of cool to see Morpheus even crazier then the Matrix made him. Overall, I was pretty disappointed that he didn't get more screen time though.
Other actors include Danny Trejo, who plays "The Mexican (Seriously, I don't think I ever heard his name); Alice Braga (Remember her from I Am Legend? Neither did I until my roommate mentioned it. Shoutout to Matt Fenelon.) stars as "The Girl" (Again, you don't hear her name until the last scene of the movie; SPOILER ALERT: It's Isabelle); and Topher Grace, as in Topher Grace from That 70's Show, stars as "The Doctor", the only one of the elite warrior group that isn't actually a warrior. His character gets more interesting after the short Fishburne segway, but isn't built up as much as it could've been.
In fact, that kinda sums up the whole movie. I enjoyed it as a B-level action movie, but I feel like they could've made it more then a fight-run-repeat, especially with the potential for character backstories. And if you're only gonna throw Fishburne in there for 10 minutes, make the damn thing into a TV show instead of a movie so I can at least see him for 3-4 episodes. FFS.
Actually, yeah! Directors, if you're reading this, this would've been a fantastic TV show. You could've developed characters, made the Predator threat more suspenseful rather then in your face, and done a whole lot more with the "Game Preserve Planet" concept.
Pitch it as the new Lost! Actually, a girl I went to see it with said the initial scene in the movie made her feel like she was watching Lost. (Shoutout to Olga Lembersky for that one.)
Overall, Predators was much better then the sequels to the original, but the original was way better. I was definitely worth the $5 I paid to see it, and it was a pretty good B-level action movie. But again, TV SHOW WOULD'VE MADE BILLIONS IN MY OPINION.
GROUND ZERO: The girls I went to see it with (sans Emma and Dana Needham since I didn't hear their opinions) hated it, but the guys pretty much loved it (especially the Yakuza). Don't bring a date, but then again, I'd hope you know what to expect when you walk into a theatre to see a Predator movie. You're there to see Predators kill people. And they do.
3 out of 5. (TV Show probably would've been 5 out of 5. DO YOU HEAR ME NBC, CBS AND ABC?)
Category: Pulp Action Science Fiction
Premise: A group of elite warriors are dropped into an unknown location and are hunted by members of a merciless alien race known as Predators. That pretty much sums it up.
Zer(o)verview:
Since all the A-List action stars were too busy huffing steroids working on The Expendables to do any other films, the director of Predators was faced with the no doubt difficult task of hiring a group of B-List action stars and unknown actors to play a group of elite, no-holds-barred warriors, chief of which is a man who goes unnamed until the very last scene in the movie (Spoiler Alert: His name is Royce) played by Adrien Brody, who avid movie watchers may know recently for his role as Clive in the 2010 indie film, Splice.
Well, Brody decided to man up and grow a pair after getting pushed around by Elsa all the time, and he's pretty ripped in this movie. To be honest though, it's kind of hard to take Adrien Brody seriously as an action hero after seeing him so recently in a film like Splice. That's not to say he doesn't do a good job. He stays committed to his character, the lone wolf mercenary who quickly adapts and knows his way out of every situation. As much as it sounds like I'm heckling him, I actually enjoyed his portrayal of the character.
Laurence Fishburne is in the movie for all of 10-15 minutes, so don't get too excited about seeing Morpheus kick Predator ass like I was. I was pretty disappointed about that. His character was kind of an unnecessary segway from the introduction to the climax build-up, but it was kind of cool to see Morpheus even crazier then the Matrix made him. Overall, I was pretty disappointed that he didn't get more screen time though.
Other actors include Danny Trejo, who plays "The Mexican (Seriously, I don't think I ever heard his name); Alice Braga (Remember her from I Am Legend? Neither did I until my roommate mentioned it. Shoutout to Matt Fenelon.) stars as "The Girl" (Again, you don't hear her name until the last scene of the movie; SPOILER ALERT: It's Isabelle); and Topher Grace, as in Topher Grace from That 70's Show, stars as "The Doctor", the only one of the elite warrior group that isn't actually a warrior. His character gets more interesting after the short Fishburne segway, but isn't built up as much as it could've been.
In fact, that kinda sums up the whole movie. I enjoyed it as a B-level action movie, but I feel like they could've made it more then a fight-run-repeat, especially with the potential for character backstories. And if you're only gonna throw Fishburne in there for 10 minutes, make the damn thing into a TV show instead of a movie so I can at least see him for 3-4 episodes. FFS.
Actually, yeah! Directors, if you're reading this, this would've been a fantastic TV show. You could've developed characters, made the Predator threat more suspenseful rather then in your face, and done a whole lot more with the "Game Preserve Planet" concept.
Pitch it as the new Lost! Actually, a girl I went to see it with said the initial scene in the movie made her feel like she was watching Lost. (Shoutout to Olga Lembersky for that one.)
Overall, Predators was much better then the sequels to the original, but the original was way better. I was definitely worth the $5 I paid to see it, and it was a pretty good B-level action movie. But again, TV SHOW WOULD'VE MADE BILLIONS IN MY OPINION.
GROUND ZERO: The girls I went to see it with (sans Emma and Dana Needham since I didn't hear their opinions) hated it, but the guys pretty much loved it (especially the Yakuza). Don't bring a date, but then again, I'd hope you know what to expect when you walk into a theatre to see a Predator movie. You're there to see Predators kill people. And they do.
3 out of 5. (TV Show probably would've been 5 out of 5. DO YOU HEAR ME NBC, CBS AND ABC?)
Monday, July 12, 2010
Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind
In keeping with my indie theme so far, I'm going to review the 2004 indie film, Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind, starring Jim Carrey.
Category: Indie Romantic Drama
Premise: Joel Barish (Jim Carrey), an emotionally-withdrawn man, is heartbroken that his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has voluntarily had a micro-lobotomy to erase their relationship from her memory, so he decides to have the same procedure done to him. However, as he watches the memories fade away during the course of the service, he realizes that he still loves her, and tries to stop the erasure before he forgets her entirely.
Zer(o)verview:
This low-budget indie romantic drama has quite a star-studded cast for it's time, and the two leads, as well as the two main supporting actors, perform beyond expectations and above their considerable talent.
After failing to show dramatic talent in Man on the Moon and the Majestic, Jim Carrey delivers a convincing and commanding performance in the lead role of Joel Barish, a relatively-normal guy who stays isolated when it comes to talking about his true feelings, except within the confines of his journal. His quiet personality is jarred when he meets Clementine, a spunky, extroverted free-thinker who Joel becomes captivated with. Kate Winslet portrays Clementine opposite Carrey's Barish, and their on-screen chemistry compliments each other perfectly, even though the character are intended to be polar opposites. But that's part of the charm of the movie, I think; the directors and screenwriters are trying to show that it's not what's right in front of you that should define a relationship, it's the memories and experiences of the two individuals involved.
As for the supporting cast, Elijah Wood, in his first role outside of the Lord of the Rings franchise (to my knowledge; this is 2004 mind you), plays Patrick, one of the erasers working for the doctor that perfected the micro-lobotomy procedure. He becomes enamored with Clementine, and attempts to duplicate the memories she experienced with Joel in an effort to make her fall in love with him. While you're supposed to despise his method of coercing a woman into falling in love with him, you can't help but feel bad for the guy when it never works out, Clementine always feels like something is wrong or gets a sense of deja vu. Kirsten Dunst supports the leads as Mary, another employee of the good doctor's, who functions as a secretary/eraser/gatekeeper (mainly a gatekeeper) who helps and hinders Joel in his journey to stop the memory wipe before it's too late.
Bear in mind that a good chunk of the movie takes place in Joel's house, in his bed, while he's sleeping. The procedure sort-of invades his dreams and makes his memories skip from one place to another, but he can communicate with the people he sees in his dreams (somewhat); watch it, it'll make more sense then me trying to explain it.
Overall, Sunshine is a brilliantly executed, cute, interesting movie that is laden with great talent and charming message.
GROUND ZERO: In my opinion, Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind is the best indie movie of 2004, and it's definitely worth watching, especially if you're a guy looking for an interesting, charming movie to see with a date that won't bore you to death. I mean, I love this movie stand-alone, I don't need a girl as an excuse to watch it; it's that good.
5 out of 5
Category: Indie Romantic Drama
Premise: Joel Barish (Jim Carrey), an emotionally-withdrawn man, is heartbroken that his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has voluntarily had a micro-lobotomy to erase their relationship from her memory, so he decides to have the same procedure done to him. However, as he watches the memories fade away during the course of the service, he realizes that he still loves her, and tries to stop the erasure before he forgets her entirely.
Zer(o)verview:
This low-budget indie romantic drama has quite a star-studded cast for it's time, and the two leads, as well as the two main supporting actors, perform beyond expectations and above their considerable talent.
After failing to show dramatic talent in Man on the Moon and the Majestic, Jim Carrey delivers a convincing and commanding performance in the lead role of Joel Barish, a relatively-normal guy who stays isolated when it comes to talking about his true feelings, except within the confines of his journal. His quiet personality is jarred when he meets Clementine, a spunky, extroverted free-thinker who Joel becomes captivated with. Kate Winslet portrays Clementine opposite Carrey's Barish, and their on-screen chemistry compliments each other perfectly, even though the character are intended to be polar opposites. But that's part of the charm of the movie, I think; the directors and screenwriters are trying to show that it's not what's right in front of you that should define a relationship, it's the memories and experiences of the two individuals involved.
As for the supporting cast, Elijah Wood, in his first role outside of the Lord of the Rings franchise (to my knowledge; this is 2004 mind you), plays Patrick, one of the erasers working for the doctor that perfected the micro-lobotomy procedure. He becomes enamored with Clementine, and attempts to duplicate the memories she experienced with Joel in an effort to make her fall in love with him. While you're supposed to despise his method of coercing a woman into falling in love with him, you can't help but feel bad for the guy when it never works out, Clementine always feels like something is wrong or gets a sense of deja vu. Kirsten Dunst supports the leads as Mary, another employee of the good doctor's, who functions as a secretary/eraser/gatekeeper (mainly a gatekeeper) who helps and hinders Joel in his journey to stop the memory wipe before it's too late.
Bear in mind that a good chunk of the movie takes place in Joel's house, in his bed, while he's sleeping. The procedure sort-of invades his dreams and makes his memories skip from one place to another, but he can communicate with the people he sees in his dreams (somewhat); watch it, it'll make more sense then me trying to explain it.
Overall, Sunshine is a brilliantly executed, cute, interesting movie that is laden with great talent and charming message.
GROUND ZERO: In my opinion, Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind is the best indie movie of 2004, and it's definitely worth watching, especially if you're a guy looking for an interesting, charming movie to see with a date that won't bore you to death. I mean, I love this movie stand-alone, I don't need a girl as an excuse to watch it; it's that good.
5 out of 5
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