The Holiday (+)

Chick Flick Alert: Yes, I watch these. So sue me. I enjoyed The Holiday...mostly. It was an odd little film, with many subplots that I found extraneous and one subplot that I thought could have been a movie all by itself. Why does Jack Black have a girlfriend? Boring and redundant. I don't care about him and his girlfriend whom we never really meet. I care about him forming a relationship with Kate Winslet. As for Cameron Diaz, she does okay in her role, but Jude Law is the one that makes that relationship interesting. Both of these stories are okay, but nothing we haven't seen before. And what was up with all the self-indulgent movie stuff? Wow.

The best part of the movie for me was seeing the relationship between Eli Wallach and Kate Winslet. That was sweet.

Anyway a good movie to watch on a rainy afternoon.

Pros: Eli Wallach, Cute
Cons: Nothing special, No real resolution

Clash of the Titans (+)

Clash of the Titans is a type of film that doesn't get made that often anymore. A giant mythological, epic that isn't horrible (I'm looking at you, Troy.)

I really enjoy watching old films and appreciating them for what they were. This movie was a spectacle. It had great animation and neat special effects. Watch the Medusa scene and tell me that isn't cool. It also has some wonderful overacting from some of the titans of cinema.

The story resembles some of Greek mythology in that all the names are fairly correct, but beyond that there are some vast departures. That however, is the nature of the movies, so I forgive it.

The best thing I can say about this film is that I wish I could see more of it in Hollywood today.

Pros: Animation, Epic, Actors
Cons: Mixed Myths, Acting

Meet the Robinsons (+)

Meet the Robinsons was the first movie I've ever seen in Disney 3D, and that part of it was amazing. And it was also tiring. Having my eyes forced to focus on certain things wore them out after awhile. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the visual feast of the movie. It was quite colorful and inventive in its scenery and character design.

As for the story. This is where we see the differences between Pixar and Disney. This story is predictable and weird at the same time. All the plot twists are visible to anyone over the age of 10, so it should stop trying to be so clever. This material was covered better by the Back to the Future trilogy. The humor was forced and mostly sight gags (nowhere near Dreamworks Animation levels, thank God.)

Anyway, its good for kids. I would have loved this movie as an 8 year old. That is why I am giving this movie a positive rating.

Pros: 3D, Visual style
Cons: Humor, story

I Return

After a month long sabbatical I return.

Stranger Than Fiction (+)

Stranger Than Fiction is a really good movie. It's witty. It's smart. It's insightful. It's cute. I liked it, a lot. Having said that, there are things that people won't like.

It moves a little slowly. The jokes are subtle. This is not a laugh-a-minute movie like some other Will Ferrel movies. This movie is careful with its humor and doesn't let it encroach on its plot. At times the film delves into the dramatic, which isn't its strongest suit.

Despite all that. I love this movie. I like Will Ferrel and I love Maggie Gyllenhaal. Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman are brilliant as well.

The movie balances on the issue of fate. What is fated? What can be changed and what can't? Should things be changed? Sometimes these are explored adequately, other times they are left dangling most likely to let the viewer decide for themselves. Some people will like that, others will not.

It's a good movie. I recommend it.

Pros: Witty, Interesting, Maggie
Cons: Long?

Borat (+)

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan was funny, but...it wasn't that funny. It is by no means the funniest film of the year. I think it got way over-hyped.

On one hand you have a man exposing people's ignorance and own bigotry by presenting them with an aloof outsider. The bits in the movie where Borat was interacting with real people was hilarious. It is amazing to see what people will say or do. The scripted bits were on the other hand a bit forced and often focused on gross out or shock humor. I think the film would have been better had it not relied on these moments so heavily, but it does.

I still cannot believe this got nominated for best screenplay. I mean come on. It's a series of bizarre vignettes strung together. That's part of its charm, but it's certainly not Oscar worthy. That's a slap in the face of every writer out there.

Anyway I enjoyed the film. It was amusing, enlightening and really, really stupid all at the same time. Will I revisit? No. This comedy is best viewed once.

Pros: Really funny bits with real people
Cons: The other stuff, plot?

Amateur Hour by Beabo

Saw III (-)

Ugh, there is going to be another one? At this point I feel like I've already put enough time into this series that I need to see the end. But I don't really know why.

Jigsaw is a cool villain. I like his whole, "the victims punish themselves thing" and "enjoy life or I will make you." Unfortunately he is trapped in a bad movie series with spastic directors. These are directors that like to run around in circles with the camera while cranking up the speed. They also zoom in on blood and guts in what has been affectionately called "torture porn." These directors suck and make the films more laughable and irritating then shocking and scary.

Saw III is a continued horrible addition to a series I don't know why I continue to watch.

Also, I don't remember anything with teeth. So why was it featured so heavily in the marketing?

Pros: Intriguing premise
Cons: Everything else

Save the Last Dance 2 (-)

Save the Last Dance 2 had "the illest moves" I have ever seen. In fact it made me go "coco-Nuts!" Those quotes are just some of the awesome examples of the great dialogue this movie has. The addition of non-actors was a welcome change. I enjoyed the plot contrivance that allowed the ballet blonde to get a new hip-hop, black boyfriend. Then I was really upset at the uber-realistic fight that occurred when she found out that his mother was the white ballet teacher. I hope I didn't ruin that totally rad twist. It was so Shamaylaman, Shamaladong? Whatev. I just totally heart this movie. The best part was the dance scenes. They were great because they were moves that I could do at home, which will allow me to do cardio to this movie everyday. I think they let the non-actors do their own non-dancing. It was really cool. I just love this movie. Yummers. Til next time at the review blog thingy.

Pros: None
Cons: It was like totally rad.

Volver (+)

The best way to describe Volver is that it is like a Spanish version of Desperate Housewives. I say this not in terms of quality (which Desperate Housewives lost after Season 1) but in terms of content. Volver features women in dark soap opera-like comedy. Each women is dealing with death in some fashion. Some are visited by someone they long thought dead, some are dealing with an unexpected death, some are dying themselves and trying to find answers to questions from long ago. It's not the kind of material you think you would find yourself laughing at, but you do laugh.

The characters are just so charming and endearing. The film really just wins you over with smiles and jokes. By the time the plot twists start rolling around, you care about the characters and their reactions. It's a good little film about death that makes you laugh.

Pros: Charming characters, Funny situations, Twists and Turns
Cons: Too Soap Opera-like?

The Science of Sleep (+)

The Science of Sleep is not for everyone. I'm not even sure it's for me. I loved the quirkiness of its visual style. In fact, its visual style is the reason that it is getting a positive rating. I loved the way this movie looked. I loved the interplay of dreams and reality. It's so refreshing to see a film do special effects this way instead of just some sort of lame CGI land with bright flowers and crystal buildings. The visual effects in the film and the inventiveness of the dreamscape are the two main reasons to see this film.

The story is where I have problems. Characters are introduced and not resolved. Plot points are dropped. Things are forgotten. There are characters who act bizarrely, and expectedly so, but then they act out of character as strange as that may seem. I felt it was a little sloppy. I think partly I'm unfairly criticizing this film, because as neat as it is, it doesn't hold a candle to Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind.

Overall its a film worth seeing, seeing being the operative word, but doesn't leave the impression that it's predecessor did.

Pros: Visual Style, Inventive Dreamscape
Cons: Overall story, Distractingly quirky characters