Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins
Director: Debra Granik (Cloverfield)
Quick Thoughts: The American remake of Sweden’s Let The Right One In isn’t quite as chilling as the original, nor is it as loyal to its source material. I thought casting Chloe Moretz as Eli/Abby was a genius move after seeing how awesome she was in Kick-Ass, but the talented actress doesn’t do much with her role here, basically playing the part of Abby on auto-pilot. Let Me In does retain some of the story’s creepiness and has some frighteningly good moments. It’s weird that the names of the main characters have been changed. You develop an attachment to these characters through the novel and the previous film, so the name changing is kind of jarring. These characters aren’t exactly iconic, but it’d be like changing Lisbeth Salander’s name for the U.S. version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo… you just don’t do it. Overall, Let Me In is a decent vampire thriller but leaves something to be desired if you’re a fan of the source material.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: If I had to pick a version to own, the Swedish film was superior.
Sequel Potential: None.
Oscar Potential: None.
Nudity: None.
Grade: 5/10 (Worth Watching)
Recommendation: As a stand alone film, Let Me In is pretty enjoyable, but it doesn’t really hold up to the Swedish version, so watch that if you’re considering seeing this movie.
Posts Tagged ‘movie reviews’
Let Me In (2010)
March 6, 2011Megamind (2010)
March 3, 2011
Starring: Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, Brad Pitt
Director: Tom McGrath (Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa)
Quick Thoughts: Megamind is another solid family film in a pretty good year for animated movies that was somewhat overlooked because of how vastly superior Toy Story 3 was compared to everything else. Megamind features a stellar voice cast with Will Ferrell and Jonah Hill particularly killing it. The story essentially asks the question: what would happen if Lex Luthor defeated Superman? And this film is basically an animated version of that story. Megamind is a bald supervillain with genius-level intelligence, Metro Man has all the same powers as Clark Kent, and the alliteratively named Roxanne Richie is the story’s Lois Lane. Megamind isn’t exploring the deep, human thematic issues like Toy Story 3 does, but it’s still a funny and enjoyable kid’s movie that manages to tug just a little bit at your emotions.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Probably a must own for families. I’d watch it again but no rush…
Sequel Potential: Seems likely.
Oscar Potential: How long before 5 films are nominated for the Best Animated Feature category? This film got passed up, but it was pretty good.
Nudity: N/A
Grade: 6.5/10 (Recommended)
Recommendation: A solid family film that adults should enjoy and kids will love.
The Girl Who Played With Fire & The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2010?)
March 3, 2011
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Paolo Roberto
Director: Daniel Alfredson (“John Adams” mini-series)
Quick Thoughts: These films are relatively solid adaptations of Stieg Larrson’s wildly popular Millennium trilogy of novels, with the second film being noticeably more faithful and entertaining than the first. The filmmakers definitely took more liberties in the first film: changing significant plot points and missing the mark on the Blomkvist character. Though the mystery aspect of the first book/movie keeps it moving at a fast pace, I think the second novel/film is the superior work. While the first film focuses on the secrets of the Vanger family, the second part dives into the history of Lisbeth Salander, clearly the most interesting character in the series. Our heroine is played expertly by Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, chain-smoking while contemplating her next move and displaying enough dark side to make us believe she’s capable of murder. Overall, these are enjoyable movies and Rapace is perfect for the role of Salander, but I can’t help but think that with David Fincher at the helm there’s a lot of room for improvement in the Hollywood versions.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Probably worth a couple viewings.
Sequel Potential: A third Swedish movie is out and the American versions are on the way.
Oscar Potential: Rapace was good enough that she had some outside buzz for Best Actress in 2010.
Nudity: Rapace is constantly naked. Rooney Mara, will you be true to the character and follow in her footsteps?
Grade: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: 6/10 (Recommended); The Girl Who Played With Fire: 7/10 (Must See)
Recommendation: Fans of the novels shouldn’t be too upset, but expect some disappointment in the first movie, especially if you’ve recently read the books. These are Swedish films and I’d recommend watching them in their original language with English subtitles, but if you don’t do foreign films you might as well wait for the American versions that start coming out in late 2012.
The King’s Speech (2010)
February 23, 2011
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter
Director: Robert Schwentke (“John Adams” mini-series)
Quick Thoughts: The King’s Speech opens with Colin Firth’s character, the future King George VI, preparing to address an audience of thousands over a megaphone. There’s sweat on his brow, his eyes are watering, and he’s visibly shaken. You know this isn’t going to end well. It’s actually painful watching him stammer helplessly, unable to even complete a sentence, embarrassing himself in front of his legions. Part of you wants to laugh, but most of you is horrified. Can you imagine being a man of enormous power, required to be the voice of your people, when speaking publicly is your absolute worst nightmare? I’ve actually heard criticism of The King’s Speech claiming that the story isn’t particularly strong or interesting, but I personally find the King’s predicament absolutely fascinating. If this story was about a regular Joe with a speech impediment the dilemma wouldn’t be nearly as dire nor the impact as strong, but this is royalty we’re talking about here and his problem is severe. Though The King’s Speech is clearly a dramatic film, it had numerous hilarious moments. I was laughing out loud through numerous scenes, including this exchange:
Lionel Logue: I believe sucking smoke into your lungs will kill you.
King George: My physicians say it relaxes the throat.
Logue: They’re idiots.
King George: They’ve all been knighted.
Logue: Makes it official then.
And the script is filled with funny moments like that. Obviously, Colin Firth’s performance is phenomenal here. Successfully pulling off the stammering dialogue is impressive enough, but he does it while exuding the body language of someone that is completely void of self-confidence. Amazing. Anything short of a Best Actor statue is CRIMINAL. Nothing comes close. The entire acting ensemble is solid, from Helena Bonham Carter in an oddly subdued role (sedatives?) as George’s hopeful and supportive wife, to the excellent Geoffrey Rush as his speech therapist, all the way down to Timothy Spall in a small, but great role playing a smug Winston Churchill. The King’s Speech has more Oscar nominations than any 2010 film and deserves all of them. The Social Network is favored to win Best Picture and even though I love that movie, I know I wouldn’t bet my money against The King’s Speech. An excellent movie with a triumphant story and great acting, and easily one of the best films of the year.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Character dramas don’t tend to have a ton of replay value, but the script is funny enough and Firth’s performance is so good that repeat viewings are a must. I know I’ll be buying it.
Sequel Potential: N/A
Oscar Potential: 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay and acting noms for Firth, Carter and Rush.
Nudity: None
Grade: 8/10 (Excellent)
Recommendation: Obviously, this is must see cinema.
Red (2010)
February 22, 2011
Starring: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren
Director: Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler’s Wife)
Quick Thoughts: It’s fitting that I watched Red immediately after seeing Salt because it illustrates my point about understanding what the filmmakers are trying to accomplish and how well they achieved their goal. The films are somewhat similar in that they are both clearly over-the-top action movies, but are completely different in tone. Red takes a rather comedic approach giving its characters playful banter and the impression that everyone involved is simply having fun, while Salt is equally ridiculous but takes itself way too seriously. One movie succeeds where the other fails and it all comes down to tone… and it’s the tone of Red that makes it work, despite an overly ambitious script. The plot here isn’t as important as watching the characters interact with each other, old comrades reuniting in humorous fashion after retiring from their respective trades. No one’s winning any Oscars here but it’s kind of fun to see a serious actress like Helen Mirren ham it up a little bit. Speaking of hamming it up, the always great John Malkovich is at his quirky best here, providing many comedic moments throughout the film. Red‘s script may be convoluted at times and the film certainly has it’s eye-rolling worthy moments, it’s ultimately a relatively funny action flick that was quite enjoyable.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: It’s probably worth seeing a second time because the plot can lose you in some spots. There were some moments where I was like “ok, who is this? and why are we talking to them now?”
Sequel Potential: Red turned a modest profit at the box office and it’s the kind of movie I can see inexplicably getting a sequel.
Oscar Potential: No nominations.
Nudity: None
Grade: 6/10 (Recommended)
Recommendation: Expect a cheesy, but funny action movie and you won’t be disappointed.
The Green Hornet (2011)
February 21, 2011
Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson
Director: Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Be Kind Please Rewind, Human Nature)
Quick Thoughts: When Seth Rogen was starring in “Undeclared” a decade ago, I didn’t really envision him becoming an A-list movie star and I certainly didn’t expect him to star in a superhero film. Boy how times have changed. It’s still hard to accept Rogen as a superhero, but The Green Hornet isn’t really one of the most beloved comic book icons. Surprisingly enough, Rogen makes it work, both as a writer and an actor. Rogen penned the script with good pal Evan Goldberg (Superbad, Pineapple Express) and turn The Green Hornet’s story into something worth watching. Rogen plays Britt Reid, the spoiled, unambitious son of a billionaire newspaper mogul. He spends his days sleeping in until the afternoon, waking up with girls he doesn’t recognize and slouching around after another night of hard partying. His world is shaken up when his father dies suddenly and he finds himself at the head of the family business. Reid ends up befriending one of his father’s employees, Kato, a young man with an amazing skill set that includes martial arts mastery and ridiculous engineering abilities. Inspired by Kato’s prowess, Reid takes up the identity of The Green Hornet and together they set out to take on the city’s underworld.
The Green Hornet is a perfect mesh of comedy and action. Kudos to the production team for turning a film about a C-List superhero and it something that’s consistently funny, fast-paced, and entertaining. In a lot of ways, The Green Hornet asks the question: What if Kick-Ass had Bruce Wayne’s resources and a Tony Stark/Bruce Lee hybrid for a sidekick? Rogen is perfectly cast as Britt Reid, playing our inexperienced hero with naivety and a sense of wonder about what he’s doing. Wanting so desperately for a rush in his life that he’s willing to ignore just how easily he could be killed. Jay Chou makes for a good sidekick and does solid work throughout the film, putting his martial arts skills on display. He does Bruce Lee’s former roll justice. Christoph Waltz, who won an Oscar for his role in Inglorious Basterds last year, doesn’t have quite as much to work with this time around, but manages to give a cold-blooded killer a believable sense of humor. James Franco has an awesome cameo at the beginning of the movie that is straight up hilarious. The special effects in this movie are a little cheesy at times, but don’t take away too much from the film. I enjoyed The Green Hornet. It’s not The Dark Knight, but it’s much better than I ever thought it would be and is at least better than any of the superhero movies that came out last year.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Might actually improve with multiple viewings. Comedies tend to do that.
Sequel Potential: I’m down.
Oscar Potential: January movies don’t tend to get much Oscar buzz.
Nudity: None
Grade: 6/10 (Recommended)
Recommendation: A surprisingly solid and funny action flick about a superhero no one really cares about.
Salt (2010)
February 21, 2011
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber
Director: Phillip Noyce (The Bone Collector, Patriot Games, Clear And Present Danger)
Quick Thoughts: Straight up ridiculous. I had low expectations for Salt and was suprised during the first 45 minutes or so when it looked like it was going to be a decent spy-thriller action flick… and then the script starts to go crazy, with each twist and turn more insulting to the audience than the last. I’m still having problems digesting the implications of the last line of the movie. I feel like someone stole the rug out from underneath me and then hit me over the head with it. It makes me want to throw the DVD into the lake behind my house instead of returning it to Red Box to save the next person from being subjected to its nonsene. It’s a given that Angelina Jolie is a great actress when it comes to action flicks and she does a good job here, kicking all sorts of ass, but honestly, I can’t get past the script. It’s so stupid. The movie can’t seem to decide if Evelyn Salt is its hero or antagonist. I’m guessing we’re supposed to feel strongly a certain way (hero), but I can think of several scenes in the movie that make me think otherwise. I don’t want to spoil any of the “surprises,” so I won’t bitch too specifically about what pissed me off and I’ll just close by saying: this movie sucks.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: I feel like an idiot for even watching it once.
Sequel Potential: It would be some sort of screenwriting feat for someone to come up with another Salt story that could get the green light.
Oscar Potential: Believe it or not, this movie has an Oscar nomination: Sound Mixing
Nudity: The moronic twists in this movie reminded me of Wild Things. You know why Wild Things is a cult classic? Because of Denise Richards’ breasts and bi-curious female characters. Angelina Jolie in her underwear can’t save this movie.
Grade: 2/10 (Horrible)
Recommendation: Salt isn’t quite as bad as I’m making it out to be, but when I’m rating movies, I often think of what the filmmakers were trying to accomplish and whether or not they succeeded. I feel like the writer of Salt probably thinks he wrote a clever and smart thriller, but in reality, there’s nothing witty about the script. It just twists and turns out of the blue with no rhyme or reason and makes no sense whatsoever. Just when you think it can’t get any dumber, it somehow manages to do just that. Not the worst movie I’ve seen this year, but certainly the most insulting to my intelligence. Don’t watch this piece of shit.
Winter’s Bone (2010)
February 17, 2011
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes
Director: Debra Granik (Down To The Bone)
Quick Thoughts: Meet Jennifer Lawrence. The 20 year old actress gives one of the best performances of the year in Winter’s Bone. How often does a young and relatively unknown actor or actress completely carry movie on their backs? Not often, but that’s the case here. Lawrence plays Ree Doddy, a 17 year old country girl that finds herself struggling to get by while caring for her two younger siblings because their mother is incompetent and mute and their father has disappeared. The law comes looking for Ree’s dad and gives notice that if he doesn’t appear for a court date, they are going to have to give up their property, which sends Ree on a hunt for her father and into the dark and twisted roots of their family tree. It’s a haunting film. We’re talking about a world where its commonplace to offer your 17 year old niece a joint as a sympathetic gesture because you’re husband just got done physically threatening her and there’s nothing wrong with teaching your 12 year old brother and six year old sister how to shoot a hunting rifle because they just might have to provide for themselves in the near future. It’s a grim tale and Ree really has no one to turn to because her family, immediate and extended, are all involved in cooking up crank. And don’t fuck with grandpa cause he will have your ass beat if you start asking questions. Or maybe kill you. Oddly enough, she finds an ally in her Uncle Teardrop, played by John Hawkes in an Oscar-nominated performance. At first, Teapot is painted as your typical drug-addled, abusive hick, but Hawkes turns the character into something deeper and sinister. Speaking of Oscar nominations, Lawrence got a well deserved nomination and even though Natalie Portman is heavily favored to win the statuette, Jennifer Lawrence is a serious darkhorse candidate. At any rate, her performance is better than Annette Bening in The Kids Are Alright or Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit. Winter’s Bone is at times heartbreaking, intense, and gripping. A true sleeper in 2010 and one you shouldn’t miss.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: More of a one time film than something you keep on repeat.
Sequel Potential: None.
Oscar Potential: Four nominations: Best Actress for Jennifer Lawrence, Best Supporting Actor for John Hawkes, Best Picture, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Nudity: None.
Grade: 8/10 (Excellent)
Recommendation: Winter’s Bone has been overlooked by the masses, but it’s one of the better 2010 films I’ve seen. A solid thriller with some standout performances.
Robin Hood (2010)
February 14, 2011
Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt
Director: Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Alien, Blade Runner)
Quick Thoughts: Who is Robin Hood? I grew up thinking he was a fox, but then he was Dances With Wolves and now he’s Maximus? No, seriously, he’s Maximus in this movie. Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood can probably be best described as a cross between Braveheart and Gladiator though not as good as either of those films. I didn’t realize this was an origin film until it ended and that answered a lot of the questions I was having. Why is Robin Hood riding around on a horse with a sword in plain view instead of sneaking around with a bow and arrow? I thought King John was his mortal enemy? What does a French enemy have to do with any of this? By the end of the film, it all made sense to me and that raised my appreciation of what I thought was already an enjoyable film. While it doesn’t pack the emotional punch of Gladiator, there’s definitely a feel good, underdog rising to power story here. There’s not much to be said of Crowe’s performance; there’s nothing he’s doing here we didn’t see him do in Gladiator already. Cate Blanchett is good as always as Maid Marion and the rest of Robin’s Merry gang is solidly represented. I really expected this movie to suck, so I was pleasantly surprised to find myself liking it. I don’t know if Ridley Scott has made the definitive Robin Hood movie, but I wouldn’t mind seeing his continued take on the legend.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: I’d probably watch it again, but I’m not going to rush out to buy it.
Sequel Potential: I don’t think there is a plan for a sequel, but there’s obviously a lot more story to tell. I wouldn’t mind seeing it.
Oscar Potential: No nominations for anything outside of the Teen Choice Awards.
Nudity: None.
Grade: 6/10 (Recommended)
Recommendation: No one was really talking about this after it was released, so I was expecting a disaster. I liked it though and I have no problem recommending it as a solid adventure telling the origin story of a legend.
The Other Guys (2010)
February 7, 2011
Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Samuel L. Jackson, The Rock
Director: Adam McKay (Step Brothers, Talladega Nights, Anchorman)
Quick Thoughts: I’m not really on Team Will Ferrell anymore. It’s been a while since his movies have been consistently good. Step Brothers was solid, but he’s been putting out duds pretty regularly for a few years now. The Others Guys isn’t that bad though, but I owe most of my enjoyment to Mark Walhberg’s character, who actually had me laughing more often than Ferrell. There are lots of running gags used throughout the film–like Michael Keaton’s character spouting various TLC or Ferrell’s unexplainable ability to pull extremely hot women–but most of them are barely chuckle-worthy. The best scene in the film is when Samuel Jackson’s and The Rock’s cameo comes to a close. The Other Guys isn’t a total failure, but there’s not much of a plot to speak of and it’s not funny enough to make up for that.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: Ehhh… Ferrell movies have a tendency to grow on me, but I haven’t been giving many of his films a second chance lately.
Sequel Potential: I don’t think so…. maybe.
Oscar Potential: None.
Nudity: None.
Grade: 4/10 (Netflix It)
Recommendation: If you’re still on the Will Ferrell bandwagon, this should still be right up your alley, but if you’re like me, and his schtick has gotten kind of old, I can’t imagine this movie will change your mind. Still, there’s worse ways to waste your time.
The Bat Cave 