Movie Reviews, Opinions, and Theories

Starring: Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui
Director: Dennis Dugan
Grade: C

You can always count on Adam Sandler to bring about laughter in original roles. This time around, Sandler plays an Israeli counter terrorist, Zohan. His arch nemesis is the Phantom (John Turturro). After Zohan is fed up with the constant war and violence, he seeks out his dream to be a hair stylist. He meets a few new friends in America in Dalia (Emmanuelle Chriqui, Michael (Nick Swardson), and Oori (Ido Mosseri). Michael gives Zohan a home in New York after Zohan defends him in a little scuffle. There Zohan meets Gail, Michael’s mother. Zohan later meets Oori, an electronic store owner who is a huge admirer of Zohan from the old country. Finally, Dalia is the owner of a beauty salon who gives Zohan a chance a achieving his dream of “making people silky smooth”. Those of you that are Adam Sandler fans would already assume that he brought his old pal Rob Schneider along as well.

For the most part, the film was outrageous. Every now and again, Sandler will bring a film of this magnitude silliness. Zohan is this acrobatic foreigner that cannot feel pain. Sounds dumb right? However if this film was written by anyone other that Adam Sandler, the film would have failed. Again and again Sandler has brought a comedy with a ridiculous premise, and still delivered a film that you will want to watch again.

There were a few jokes in the film that were repeated at nausea such as their obsession with hummus and Zohan’s oversized crotch. The film pokes fun at the Middle Eastern stereotypes as well as the American view of all Middle Eastern people being terrorists. During the film, you hear phrases such as “go back it iraq” when the person that this is directed to is not ever from Iraq in the first place. Although most of the jokes are about Palestinians and Israelis, director Dennis Dugan and Adam Sandler are directing their message towards Americans. This just like “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” when the audience was given a message to view gays as normal people. In this film, we see how ridiculous we are when we stereotype. There are many countries in the Middle East that are very different from one another.

I believe that Dugan and Sandler were successful in this film. It was another day for those two. Remember they brought us Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express) also helped write the script. One real critcism over the movie was it’s repetitive nature. Some of the jokes just became obnoxious as the film went on. What was funny at the beginning or even the middle of the film, was not longer funny as time went bye. Adam Sandler of course was great, even though his accent was not believable. John Turturro in my opinion was probably the best actor of the film. He has so much versatility in his acting ability that he can play just about every role. Will this film win an Academy Award? The answer is no. This however is not their intention, they want to bring films that we are going to have fun watching. Having said that, I would not place at the top of the Sandler list with Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy. It’s Sandler though, so regardless of where it stands amongst the others, it was still hillarious. This is already on my list of DVDs to one day own.

 

Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Halle Berry, and David Duchovny
Director: Susanne Bier
Grade: C-

Susanne Bier takes us into the world of a heroin addict in Jerry (Benicio Del Toro). His life was a mess until his best friend Brian (David Duchovny) is murdered. Jerry is just crushed by the fact that his oldest friend is now dead. Brian’s wife Audrey (Halle Berry) then invites Jerry to come live with her and her two kids. This is the next step in Jerry’s life, he gets a chance to get back on his feet and quit heroin. Jerry begins to somewhat play the father role of Brian and Audrey’s children, Harper and Dory.

Throughout the film, director Susanne Bier strategically shows flashbacks of Brian’s remaining days. Brian is a loving husband and father. What we see in the flashbacks are two main things: dispute over Jerry’s state of affairs (Brian seems to be the only one that sees Jerry as a human being; he never stopped being his friend during his stint with heroin), and Brian as a husband and father. Although Brian is this great guy, nobody in the film seemed to grieve over this guy. He is a great guy (he was murdered while breaking up a domestic dispute for crying out loud!). I had a hard time believing that he was missed, with the exception of one scene. For the most part, life carried on. I feel that Bier attempted to make this part of the film emotional, but just failed in doing so. The loss of an important character such as Brian is what makes the story. The film is about re-building. Brian plays an integral part of this film because his death results in Jerry coming to come and live with Audrey and the kids. Destruction is supposed to be a form of creation. Brian dies, Jerry is born again. What was strange during the film was the sexual tension between Jerry and Audrey that never seems to develop into anything. Could it be that both of them are in a vulnerable position and they need comfort from each-other? Who knows.

Lets talk about some of the good stuff about the film. First off, the cinematography was great. The acting from Benicio Del Toro and the young Alexis Llewellyn (Harper) was great as well. Del Toro plays an excellent heroin addict. This is one of the few strengths of the film. While the other main characters are moderately developed, Jerry’s character is far more important than the rest; which i don’t believe was the director’s intention. Jerry’s relapsing part of the film was very realistic and similar to what you would learn in a book about heroin withdrawal.

The screenplay on the other hand could use work. Now having said that, I did enjoy this film because i believe anyone that is down has the capacity to turn his or her life around with a lot of effort. Everything was in place for this film to be great, Susanne Bier just needed to follow it up a bit.

Mulder and Scully are back with the second X Files movie, The X Files: I Want to Believe. Watching the trailer for the film was the highlight of my night after the torture if sitting through “The Happening”. In fact, the whole theater went nuts when the trailer came on. Director Chris Carter of course is bringing back David Duchovny (Mulder) and Gillian Anderson (Scully) for the X Files encore. After nine seasons and one film in 1998, the X Files are back. The rumor is, this film should bring closure to the final season of the show. The studio has not released an official synopsis of the film, it seems as they are keeping the plot as a surprise. The film is set to be released on July 24, 2008. So patience, we will not have to wait much longer.

 

Everyone is so excited about the upcoming film, The Dark Knight. This going to be one of those films which require getting to the theater over an hour ahead of time just to get tickets. In 2005 when Batman Begins was released, we finally got relief from the the prior Batman film, Batman and Robin. I think it’s safe to say that George Clooney is not the right actor to play Batman. Batman Begins was amazing. It was just as good, if not better than Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns. Lets not forget that Christian Bale is a great actor and knocked this role out of the park. Now The Dark Knight is roughly a month away. The wait is almost over. The question I pose is, does anyone even know who Christopher Nolan is? He is the director of the latest Batman films and is one of my favorite up and coming directors. He brought us great films such as Memento, The Prestige and of course the Batman films. It’s sad that everyone is so hyped about Batman that no one is really taking the time to figure out who is actually making the film what it is.

When I think about Christopher Nolan I think of one word, Memento. Memento was easily an instant classic. It was a story unlike anything we have ever seen. A totally original piece that has gone unfortunately unknown. His next film was Insomnia which was a bust as far as the box office is concerned. The film received good reviews, but still the fans have no idea who Nolan is. I can bet that those who did watch Insomnia watched it for Al Pacino, Robin Williams, or both. Now all of a sudden Batman Begins comes out and Christopher’s film is a huge success. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Batman Begins; I happen to be a pretty big Batman fan myself. The film was a huge success. Why was it a success? Was it great filmmaking? Or was it Batman? Nolan’s next film was The Prestige starring Batman himself, Christian Bale. Another good film under the direction of Christopher Nolan that is going unrecognized.

So the next film is The Dark Knight, one of the most anticipated films of the year. Everyone is going to rave about how great and action packed the film was, but I will guarantee that no one mention the name Christopher Nolan when the film is over. That is a shame because he is a wonderful filmmaker. It seems that super hero movies are an instant success. You don’t have to think, you just watch the movie and enjoy yourself. Yes you should enjoy yourself while watching a movie, but you can also walk out of a film perplexed with a mission of putting the pieces of the film together. That is what Nolan allowed us to do in Memento and The Prestige. Are we not surprised that these films were not blockbusters? I’m not, in fact I called it. I’m sad to say that it is going to take another film with a vigilante dressed up as a bat to give Nolan the success he deserves. I will be there on opening day to watch The Dark Knight. However, although I do love Batman, Christian Bale, and the late Heath Ledger, I will be there to support Christopher Nolan over everything else.

Tomorrow is Tuesday, so we get to go out and choose a movie to watch. Colin Farrell, Ralph Feinnes, and Brenden Gleeson star in the dark comedy, In Bruges. Ray (Farrell) has just committed the biggest mistake of his life. He and his gay fellow assassin Ken (Gleeson) are then sent out to Bruges by their boss, Harry Waters (Feinnes). After Ray commits this mistake, Harry orders Ken to murder his friend. While in Bruges, Ray and Ken meet a variety of characters. Later during this vacation in Bruges, Ray and Ken have a little encounter with Harry.

Very few have heard of this film, partly because it was released in independent theaters. This was a interesting film in many respects. First of all, we get to see the history and beauty of this very old city. I can’t recall a film that takes place in Bruges! Farrell, Gleeson, and Feinnes are hilarious in the film. The characters are all charming in their own way. Even Ray, who again makes an awful mistake that haunts him during the entire film. This is director Martin McDonagh’s first full length film. I think his debut was a success from a filmmaking point of view. He wrote a film that was funny, exciting, and somewhat original. I would compare this film to one of my favorites, Snatch. I am looking forward to seeing this movie again tomorrow, as well as what McDonagh presents to us in the future.

 

Noah Baumback’s The Squid and the Whale is a film that very few have heard of. The film stars Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney. The story is about a marriage that “hits the rocks”. Bernard (Daniels) and Joan (Linney) have two sons, Frank (Owen Kline) and Walt (Jesse Eisenberg). Frank is a high school student who is searching for his identity. He idolizes women and claims to be this great musician. Walt is a “mamma’s boy” that can’t stop touching himself. Bernard is tennis fanatic and professor of literature that continues to bask in the glory of his past work. Joan and Bernard decide to break up due to Joan’s promiscuity. Meanwhile, Joan is beginning to become quite the writer; this causes jealousy between the married couple.

This film is one of the best comedies that was released in 2005. Noah Baumbach is a great upcoming director with a style similar to Wes Anderson (Life Aquatic, Darjeeling Limited, Bottle Rocket, Royal Tenenbaums). The very dry humor blends very well with this family. Baumbach really takes the time to develop each character, which allows us to attach to them. We go deep into their world and we get to understand where each character is coming from and where they are going. We also get to understand their train of thought. The acting, to add to the great writing was perfect. I have not heard of Owen Kline and Jesse Eisenberg prior to this film which is probably why I was able to believe their character. They couldn’t play their roles and better. Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney were spectacular to say the least. This is a great film if you don’t have to watch an outrageous comedy in order to laugh. This film is hilarious, not to mention a good film overall.

 

Finally, the English version of the trailer for David Fincher’s newest film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has been released. We know David Fincher from his films, Seven, Fight Club, Panic Room, and Zodiac. For the exception of Panic Room, all of those films prove that Fincher is a great director. For this film, he brings back his old friend from Seven and Fight Club, Brad Pitt as well as the great Cate Blanchett.

Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) was born around the time of the first World War. What differs Benjamin Button from the others is that he ages backwards. He born the size of a baby, but is actually an old man. As the years go bye, he begins to get younger. Later in his life, he falls in love with a girl named Daisy (Cate Blanchett). While she is actually young, Button just looks young.

This film is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book of the same name. With the direction of David Fincher, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett should knock this film out of the park. This promises to be one of the great films of the year, the only problem is that it will be released around Christmas of this year. If you are like me, you will be extremely impatient the entire wait. But this is a wait well worth it.

 
In the spirit of the second largest soccer tournament in the world Euro 2008, it’s only right that I recommend Green Street Hooligans for the weekend. Matt (Elijah Wood) has just been kicked out of Harvard University for allegedly possessing drugs in his dorm room. After he is unable to get a hold of his father, he decides to visit his sister Shannon (Claire Forlani) in London, England. He later meets her brother in law Pete (Charlie Hunnam), who opens Matt’s eyes to the world of English football (soccer). Pete belongs to what is called a firm for West Ham United. Every team in Europe has a firm, which battles with an opposing firm. The largest battle of all is West Ham United vs. Milwall.

This film is one of a kind. We have the privilege of witnessing pride for one’s community. No matter how bad a team is, it’s fans still support them. This is different from here in the U.S. in that when our teams are losing, we call the losers and so on (this of course is not true of all teams, teams such as the Red Sox continue to have fan support regardless of results). If you are looking for a film that is unlike any other, this is the film for you. This is an eye opener for what is going on in sports in other countries.

After wasting last Friday watching The Happening, I am looking to watch a comedy tomorrow to cheer me up. Tomorrow, comedic legend Mike Myers starring in The Love Guru, will go face to face against upcoming comedic star, Steve Carell in Get Smart. Mike Myers became a household name after films like Wayne’s World and the Austin Powers trilogy. On the other hand, today’s most popular comedic film star is arguably, Steve Carell. He has recently become popular for his lighthearted nature in films such as The 40 Year Old Virgin and Dan in Real Life. It will be interesting to see who will be at the top of the box office come the end of the weekend; Myers or Carell. I have always loved to watch Mike Myers, but I think that I am going to choose Get Smart tomorrow night. I believe that both of the films will be funny in their own right, however Steve Carell has just not let me down yet.

Trailer for The Love Guru

 

Trailer for Get Smart

 

What Film Will Be At The Top Of The Box Office
( surveys)

Mary Harron’s American Psycho takes a look at the lives of the young, good looking, and successful population of Wall Street. The film vividly captures the mindset of a man that is so preoccupied with his external appearance, that he overlooks what is happening to himself from a mental standpoint. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) has everything; a beautiful home, a successful career, and Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon) who is a beautiful young woman that Bateman’s friends constantly speak of. His rival is Paul Allen (Jared Leto). Allen is a hotshot at the firm and is constantly rubbing his success in the face of Patrick Bateman. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t even call him by his correct name. After Patrick murders Paul Allen, Detective Donald Kimball comes snooping around. Throughout the investigation, Bateman goes on a killing spree. During which, none of his “friends” sense anything that may be wrong with Patrick.

First of all, Bateman is a brilliant last name (a possible homage to Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho). Throughout the film there is a constant referral to the maintenance of vanity. Bateman constantly works out and has a morning skin routine. The benefit is to maintain this image of success and good looks. There is also constant competition between Bateman and his so called “friends”. The comparison of business cards through the movie is hilarious. The expectations of Patrick’s life seems to be taking a tole on his mental health. He is turned on by the idea of murdering people, especially Paul Allen. With each victim, Bateman introduces his victim to a particular musical artist. After playing the song and evaluating the artist’s prior work, he strikes. Music seems to be a fetish that makes murdering his victims that much more exciting. Patrick can no longer tell what is real and fantasy. The idea of murdering innocent people has started to consume him. It is as though butchering people is the way that he copes with the stresses of his life. Director Mary Harron does a great job is showing us enough about his normal days, that we can assume why Bateman is such a psychopath. With the constant competition between colleagues and the constant stress to look perfect, you expect him to lose it. The actors in the film were also amazing. They truly personified the stereotype of the snobbish, arrogant business type. You as the audience begin to despise these characters. Although we are the innocent audience that would never harm a fly, you may understand why Bateman wants to kill these people. But is Patrick Bateman actually a killer? You can only answer this if you watch this very underrated thriller.