Movie Reviews, Opinions, and Theories

With The Dark Knight coming out in two days, we need to get caught up on the prior, modern Batman films.  I have ranked the five films from worst to best. 

5. Batman and Robin: George Clooney as Batman… enough said. This is by far the worst of the batman features.  Batman looked way to futuristic.  This is not the traditional Batman that we are used to.  George Clooney just doesn’t do it for me.

4. Batman Forever: Val Kilmer wasn’t bad. With Jim Carrey as The Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones as Two Face, this film was too goofy.  Joel Schumacher just does not capture the comic book on film.  The film is too lighthearted and is obviously targeted for the entire family.  

3. Batman Returns:  This film was scary as hell.  I remember watching this movie as a kid and being scared to death when the Penguin’s parents threw his carriage in the river with him in it.  Tim Burton captured the darkness of Gotham City.

2. Batman Begins: Christopher Nolan’s first Batman film was almost perfect.  Christian Bale is the best Batman, hands down.  The film shows how Bruce Wayne became the Dark Knight. Due to the fact that this film takes place so early in Batman’s vigilante career, it lacked a legitimate villain.  I am hoping that Nolan’s The Dark Knight can top the #1 Batman film.  

1. Batman: Jack Nicholson basically solidified Tim Burton’s first Batman film at the top of the list.  The Joker is arguably the best comic book villain of all time.  This film can be endangered for the top spot if The Dark Knight lives up to the hype.  It’s going to be Jack Nicholson vs. Heath Ledger  

Director: Anton Corbijn
Starring: Sam Riley, Samantha Morton
Grade: B-

Anton Corbijn’s film Control shows us the brief life of Joy Division’s lead singer, Ian Curtis. Joy Division was a punk band which formed in the late 70s. The film takes us from the band’s beginnings in Manchester, England to living the life of known rock stars. Curtis is portrayed as dark and independent person that has a constant conflict with himself. After being diagnosed with Epilepsy, his life becomes more complicated. Curtis marries Deborah and they both have a child at a young age. Although Curtis is a father, he never really seemed to love his baby girl. He later begins to drift apart from his family. While on tour Ian meets Annik, who becomes his mistress. After confusion between his two relationships and the music his band is making, Ian Curtis commits suicide at age 23.

Director Anton Corbijn showed us the pain that Ian was feeling. He loved two women, he was a terrible father, and his band was going places that he didn’t want to go. Ian had not intention on going on tours to the U.S., he did not want to be a rock star. As the film progressed, we saw the pain in his mannerisms and his voice while he was onstage. His inner sadness caused him to take his own life. The black and white color of the film complemented the mood of the film perfectly. A color film would not have done this film justice.

From a story standpoint, it was tough to follow the timeline of the film. Corbijn never really gave us a chance to be introduced to Ian Curtis. Due to the lack of a story line, Ian Curtis’ demise at the end of the film was not that shocking. This film did not reach it’s maximum potential.

These are my favorite movies of 2008. This list may be drastically different from many others’. This list is not stating that these films are the best (from an award winning perspective), it is stating the films that I have enjoyed the most. Films should be about enjoyment, we don’t always have to be caught up in the Oscar buzz. These films in particular have left an impression on me so much that I constantly quote lines from them. All five of them are completely different from one another, therefore they have their own uniqueness that makes these films great in their own way.

5. Be Kind Rewind: An homage to all of the great directors of the past that made films without computers. Be Kind Rewind in not afraid to look at some modern filmmakers as “sell outs”. Michele Gondry pokes fun at the large video chains, most noticeably Blockbuster for an overstocked collection and misinformed employees. Those who are fans of Gondry’s past films such as Eternal Sunshine and The Science of Sleep would already know his desire to make films as they should be. Jack Black was amazing in this film as well.

4. In Bruges: Martin McDonagh brings out Colin Farrell out for his second film. Films about a person’s conscience eating them alive has been done before, but I can’t recall one which involves a hitman. Colin Farrell was great in this film. The movie was interesting due to the fairy tale setting of Bruges. This city in Belgium exhibits such beauty, yet the characters are so dark. Acts of cold blood are a common theme in the film. The film has a story book setting, but does not have the cliche’ story book ending.

3. Funny Games: This is one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen. Michael Haneke has no sympathy for any character in his film. The actors in the film were nothing short of amazing. They perfectly captured the horror of the film. This film teases you in so many ways. The innocent victims in the film are so warm for one another, yet the boys in white find humor in tearing them apart. You hope for the family’s survival, but Haneke does not let you hope for long. You will begin to doubt that there is any good remaining in this world.

2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall: Simply the funniest film since Superbad. Forgetting Sarah Marshall topples The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up with little effort. I initially doubted Jason Segel as a front man. After seeing very little of him in Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, and Knocked Up, I thought he was funny but overshadowed. I was wrong. This film is funny on so many levels and has become one of my favorite comedies. The film is smart. Many find the film funny because they have experienced episodes in their own lives that may be similar in the movie. It has gratuitous sexual innuendos, yet I would not call this a typical “guy movie”.

1. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days: Great direction, unbelievable acting. This was not only my favorite films of the year, I believe it was the best. So honest and daring Cristian Mungiu was for making this film. The topic of back alley abortions is highly controversial. I believe he captured every emotion of a person that would be experiencing at a time like this. The film however goes deep beyond the abortion. The lives of the characters are highly complex and emotional. The characters are so well developed and greatly executed. Brilliant film!

We are little past the halfway mark this year. I am looking forward for all of the great films to come this year, especially during the winter. We’ll just have to see if any films can top my five favorites.

Starring: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Andre 3000
Director: Kent Alterman
Grade: D

Will Ferrell over the years has been at the top of the class as far comedies go. Films such as Old School, Zoolander, Anchor Man, Talladega Nights, and Stranger Than Fiction were hilarious. Lets not forget about the whole ten minutes in Wedding Crashers when Ferrell was hollering for meat loaf. But with films such as Kicking and Screaming and now Semi Pro, one may think that Will Farrell is not really cut out carry a film on his own.

In Semi Pro, Ferrell is again playing a clueless person with high authority. He is playing the same guy in every movie, just this time it takes place in the 70s. Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, the owner, coach, and starting power forward for the Flint Tropics. Co-starring is Woody Harrelson, who plays a more serious, jerk of a veteran basketball player in Monix. Monix joins the team in exchange for a washing machine and begins to use his NBA experience to guide the team to fourth place. Andre 3000 plays Coffee Black, the only really skilled player on the team. Coffee Black also has the potential to not only help the team get to fourth place, but also make it to the NBA.

The only part of the film that I will really remember, is the song “Love Me Sexy” written by Jackie Moon. Other wise this film was a snore. A duo such as Harrelson and Ferrell seemed great on paper, but it turned out that Woody’s character was not funny at all. It’s an oxymoron to see Woody Harrelson in a comedy and not be funny himself. A partnership with Will seemed to be one to die for. I am a huge fan of Will Ferrell and I will continue to be, but I just get so disappointed when his films have to try so hard to be funny. In reality, Will Ferrell does not have to try that hard to be funny. His demeanor alone is funny as hell, but when he has to go and fight a bear like on Semi Pro, he has gone to far. This film had to resort to being silly to get a cheap laugh. All this film really needed was a few “one liners” and the film would have been that much more funny. In just about every Will Ferrell movie or even cameos, you will hear people recite the lines from the film.

Even though Semi Pro was a bust, i am not worried what so ever. I am confident that Will Ferrell will come back strong with Step Brothers. John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell are a good combination. We saw that in Talladega Nights. I’m hoping that I can finish the film satisfied to get some laughter out. I guess one crappy movie here and there is not all that bad however, we expect so much more from Will Ferrell.

Starring: Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu
Director: Cristian Mungiu
Grade: A

Cristian Mungiu’s film stars Anamaria Marinca and Laura Vasiliu. The film takes place in the 1980s in Romania. Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) helps her friend Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) get an illegal abortion. They hire Domnu’ Bebe to abort Gibita’s child. Meanwhile, Otilia is supposed to meet her boyfriend’s family. The balancing act between her boyfriend and Gabita will create stress and frustration for Otilia.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days has to be one of the most honest films that I have seen in some time. Not since I first saw Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream, have I seem such honesty in any one subject in a film. Abortion is a very touchy subject to many people. Many young adults find themselves in a bind when they find out that they have a baby on the way. Having a child at a young age can suddenly change the course of one’s life. Cristian Mungiu chooses to educate the audience on “backyard abortions”. Otilia and Gabita are undergoing in an illegal procedure which can result in jail time if they are caught. This film applies to young adults today. Many people find themselves doing whatever it takes to abort a child for various reasons. Gabita is a college student, therefore she may be affraid that she would have to drop out of school or she may be affraid to shame her parents. .

This film has so much depth to the two main characters. Otilia is the caretaker of the film. She spends the first chunk of the film making arrangements for Gabita’s abortion. She spends the entire film trying to satisfy her boyfriend, Adi and Gabita. While Gabita is nowhere to be found, Otilia is making up for Gabita’s lack of initiative. Gabita is almost incapable of doing anything for herself. She has a couple chores in the film, book a hotel room and meet Mr. Bebe face to face. The result of the chores was that there is not record of Gabita making hotel reservations nor did she meet Mr. Bebe. Bebe is furious that she finds Otilia at the meeting place. Mr. Bebe is a problem himself. He is unhappy with the lack of money from Otilia and Gabita. They must make up for this by having sex with the “clinician”. This is yet another task for Otilia as a result of her friend Gabita. Due to the fact Gabita is oblivious to the whole situation, whey find themselves in situation that can get them “pinched”. Gabita expects to just show up and get it done. She takes no initiative herself. When the procedure is complete, Otilia along with the audience is mortified, sad, and irate that Gabita can be so nonchalant after her child is murdered by abortion. After the exhaustion of the abortion, Otilia must still go to her boyfriend’s house.

Otilia’s boyfriend Adi insists that she come to dinner for his mother’s birthday. Regardless of the fact that Otilia tells him that she can’t, he gives her a guilt trip. Although she is annoyed, Otilia leaves in a cheerful mood. This very harmless meeting makes the audience feel as if the dinner party will be very pleasant, however it is far from it. The dinner scene is very uncomfortable for Otilia. The family sits at an extremely small table overflowing with food and guests. Here, Otila’s family is reffered to as “plain folks” by Adi’s family and family friends consisting of doctors and chemists. There is gloating during the scene that seems to be directed towards Otilia’s direction. Although Otilia looks like she is going to explode any minute, Adi is a constant nuisance by his possessiveness of Otilia. This dinner scene was well done. There is constant chatter about nothing, yet these people are supposed to be well educated. At the table, you hear voices of the conversation but cannot see the persons; giving us an idea of how crammed the kitchen is. As the audience, you can’t help but begin to feel very uncomfortable for her.

This was a great film. It is smart, annoying, sad, and at some points scary. Director Cristian Mungiu will take you through the entire spectrum of human emotion during the film. The acting was unbelievable. The film stars two unknown actresses that completely know their performances out of the park. Anamaria Marica however was a head above the rest. She was amazing the entire movie.

Although it takes place in the 80s in another country, many Americans will find the film relevant to the youth of today. This film is frightening, yet educational. There are many risks in a “backyard abortion”. Hopefully young adults will get the message of the film. This film however is not only about abortion. It is also about one person’s ability to deal with the things in life that are stressful to her. She must deal with college, money (which is constantly spoken about, mostly in regards to repayment after borrowing), her boyfriend, and her naive friend. While watching this film, you can’t help but recall emotions in your own life that exhibited in the film.

Otilia and Gabita choose not to discuss this event ever again. This was a very traumatic experience for each of the girls. This took a greater toll on Otilia however. Although Gabita physically participated in the procedure, she was not experiencing it emotionally. Her only emotion shown during the entire film was desperation. Otilia was the one who was sad after the abortion. How ironic it was that the person who made all of the arrangements to abort her friend’s baby, was the one who was sad when it was completed. The goal of this stress was to abort the child. Gabita wanted to get on with the rest of her life. Even when the abortion is complete, you will not feel relief. You will be overcome with grief for the loss of life.

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.

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.

 

 
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.

Since it is Tuesday, we have an excuse to go out and rent or purchase a new movie! I recommend that you go check our Michel Gondry’s new film Be Kind Rewind. For those that don’t know Michel Gondry, he is the director of The Science of Sleep and my favorite Gondry film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Gondry is indeed a film maker that sparks the imagination. In Be Kind Rewind, Gondry pays an homage to films of the past. Back in the day, there was no such thing as CGI. Directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Wells had to rely on different creative ways to take us to where the film supposedly takes place. Now a days, all you have to do is use a computer and you are there. This hardly is creative, it basically is technological genius that can be credited to people that created the program, not the filmmaker. This is a protest against that. The film stars rapper Mos Def, Jack Black, and Danny Glover.

Jerry (Black) and Mike (Mos Def) work at Elroy’s (Glover) movie rental store, Be Kind Rewind. While Be Kind Rewind is endangered of going out of business, Elroy is forced to venture out and learn how the large rental stores are striving. Meanwhile, Jerry and Mike are forced to re-make the entire store’s collection due to Jerry’s accidental episode of erasing all of the movies. The remake of films such as Ghostbusters, Rush Hour 2, and 2001: A Space Odyssey are a huge success.

This is a great homage to classic filmmaking. The films duo of Mos Def and Jack Black are hilarious. I recommend this film to anyone that likes Gondry’s prior films or if you are looking for a film that goes outside the box. This was a great film that you will want to watch again and again.