Review: Up in the Air

I’ve been waiting almost the full calendar year for exactly this moment. I’ve sat and enjoyed movie after movie, some great, some forgettable after a week or two. 2009 never had it’s shining moment in cinema; it never had that one film that sticks with you like glue, that you’ll look back on in a year or two and say, “Now that was a classic.” No, this year didn’t have any reason to remember until now, and Up in the Air. The massive hype behind this drama was gaining such momentum that I was actually fearful it wouldn’t live up to expectations – I desperately wanted it to be beyond great. It lived up to the hype, it deserves Best Picture, and it’s a modern-day work of art.

The firm grasp this film has on a wide range of human emotions and life changing moments is beyond oustanding. (Paramount Pictures/aceshowbiz.com)

Up in the Air is the story of a man who’s essential goal is to never settle, to never marry, and to live at peace with the fact that his home is forever on the move. George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a man whose job is to bring people at ease with the fact that they’re being fired. Perhaps one more reason this movie will resonate so well with audiences is the economic crisis and job market we live in right now. The desperation and humiliation and anger of the employees, and the stern yet hopeful understanding of the person doing the firing. But beyond the job description is the backdrop for who Bingham is as a person truly: alone, and a creator of ever-expanding isolation from loved ones and people in general. The journey we see through his eyes, his love interest, his trainee, and his family is extraordinary and is something that anyone can relate to in one way or another.

Coming to terms with any difficult decision or lifestyle change is the underlying theme of the movie. Whether that’s the loss of a job, the loss of human contact, creating a new life, or finding love – these are all monumental pieces to the characters and who we are in general as people. I’ll get to how Clooney played his role, but it should be mentioned first the things we’re witnessing while watching this story unfold. A man who has traveled almost 10,000,000 miles in the air is going to be grounded by his company by technology. His life is thrown into chaos because what he knows, and what is comfortable, is slipping away. His sense of home which was hotel rooms and airports could be vanishing. It’s tremendous to watch his reaction.

But as Clooney takes his trainee, played by Anna Kendrick, on the road with him, there are moments that go without any needed words or interpretation to understand. The human elements of love and lust, hope and despair, and dreams and reality are all brought to the forefront. Through their journeys, we slowly but surely unwrap this package in Clooney’s character that has a piece inside wanting that human contact. Though we may see what happens coming, it doesn’t stop you from feeling any less any emotionally connected, perhaps more so.

Farmiga is fantastic but Clooney is Oscar winner material in this beautiful, humbling, and heartbreaking picture. (Paramount Pictures/aceshowbiz.com)

There is no question that Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick deserve their Golden Globe nominations as they were both outstanding. The range of emotions that each portrayed in a touch under two hours is a remarkable feat. We as an audience can sit back and watch a complex, yet somewhat simple human story, come to fruition bit by bit. It’s pieces are brilliantly placed together by Jason Rietman and his cast in a beautiful, and heartbreaking fashion. The true star however, is Golden Globe nominee George Clooney. Some have said that he’s playing this suave, funny, too-much-like-himself character. I would dare you to find a better acting job in 2009 – you won’t. He’s never too funny and never to intensely serious or over the top as to ruin the personality. It’s all there, it’s all so delicate and worn on his sleeve. His stern exterior is broken down and we learn the inner workings of his character. Like in the wedding scene, or the Chicago scene. In every scene however, he is at the top of his game without question. Body language alone, he was tremendous, but the job he did in this difficult role should land him a trophy come March.

When you look back on it, Up in the Air isn’t a remarkably complex story. These are real people doing real jobs and displaying a wide range of real emotion. But the way it’s placed and told and put together is something that can’t be explained – it’s just one of those things that is. It’s one of those things that makes this movie the best film of the year, and one that won’t soon be forgotten. Jason Reitman is establishing himself as one of the best directors in Hollywood, while Farmiga and Kendrick are creating names for themselves. Clooney, well, he just continues to get better. There is no doubt in my mind that every person who will see this movie will come away feeling emotionally connected and twisted around by its’ events. That’s real cinema. That’s terrific.

UP IN THE AIR: (out of 4)

Review: Brothers

It’s not often you walk out of a movie theater with your stomach twisted, feeling helpless and utterly distraught, as though you just witnessed a horror unfold in front of you. But this is no horror movie, no gore filled, mindless bloody action film. What makes it so much worse is that what you just watched, in this case it’s the movie Brothers, is 100 percent authentic real life material. It’s what we hear about. It’s what we read about. And it’s what we silently cry and mourn over when the small glimpse of the effects of the Iraq/Afghan war are shown to us.

What Brothers achieved is no small feat. Every article that’s been written in the past five years about high suicide rates in the military…every article about spousal abuse and family disturbances rising…every article about how this war is literally destroying our young soldiers both inside and out, all that is shown through one family. To effectively hammer home how war can completely tear apart lives, a movie must have the ability to shake you to the core of what it’s really like. This small town, completely natural looking film did just that. I’m not saying that this film is on par with Saving Private Ryan which is an all-time classic, but if we’re measuring how well a film affects me emotionally on how horrifying the effects of war are, then consider them even.

This plot feels all too real given what we see every day, and the family dyanmic is brilliantly portrayed. (Lionsgate Films/aceshowbiz.com)

Brothers picked up so much steam after Tobey Maguire’s return from his capture overseas. It’s safe to say that the intensity picked up ten-fold when the subject of post traumatic stress disorder was shown through this soldier. But to rewind and look at the dynamics that make the movie so brilliant is to truly look at every little detail that is later revisited. First, the family has two sons: Jake Gyllenhaal’s fresh-out-of-prison character and Maguire’s proud solider character. They’re polar opposites, and the differences cut through the entire family immensely. The father, a Vietnam veteran, is brutal and cold to Gyllenhaal’s character, wishing and almost demanding he was more like his other son. Firing right back, Jake’s character – Tommy, accuses his father of being a drunk and planting the Marine “bullshit” into his brother’s head. Finally, Portman’s character, Mrs. Cahill, isn’t Tommy’s biggest fan. Phew. Ok, so with that said, the movie has you cringing and near tears from the pure dynamics of the family. Hell, Maguire hadn’t even left for war yet. Then, it happened.

When I reference “it”, I mean a particular scene in Afghanistan that will forever change Sam, Maguire’s character, for the rest of his life. It’s a scene that is brutally hard to watch, one which is so disgusting and so off-putting because it could so very well be going on in Afghanistan right now to one of our soldiers. We don’t know what really happens that makes these brave men and women completely self destruct once returning home, perhaps we never will. This scene is brutal, but honest in this way, and sets up one of the more ferocious hours of any movie I’ve seen.

While Sam is gone, the family dynamic begins to change, and in more ways that one. Tommy begins to better himself as a person, beautifully blending in as a “temporary father figure” for the two little girls the Cahills have. He helps fix the kitchen, gains respect from his father, and eventually makes amends for what he did that landed him in prison – his explanation for that may be one of that best scenes in the movie. The girls begin to love him, and he loves them in return. All this is going on while they think Sam is dead. Then, the call.

I don’t want to give it all away for what happens, but to say Sam is different would be a terrible understatement. His post traumatic symptoms are so glaring and yet so subtle at times. Maguire is magnificent playing this same man we saw in “act one” of the movie, but is 180 degrees different now. His deterioration is fast and it manifests over his paranoia that his own brother is sleeping with his wife. Perhaps the most heart wrenching scenes are those with his daughters, particularly his oldest daughter – Isabelle. Now, this young actress is 10 years old, but her performance was beyond tremendous. The pure fear of her “new” father, her thought that she is never thought of in the same light as her sister (another reason she bonded so much with Uncle Tommy), and ultimately wishing that her dad had died. A horrifying scene that grips you and shocks you at the same time.

The climax of the film is one of the most intense and heart breaking sequences in recent movie memory. Oscar nominations should be given to Maguire and Gyllenhaal, and maybe more. (Lionsgate Films/aceshowbiz.com)

The climax is so utterly brutal and nerve-wracking because it’s been building itself up brilliantly for so long. The signs of Maguire’s disorder pushing him off the edge were all there. When he finally goes off the edge, all I can say is … please, someone, nominate this man for an Oscar. I’ve never seen a more powerful five minutes executed more tremendously by all the actors involved. And again I revisit why – it feels like a news story we could read about tomorrow.

The ending is tragic even though Sam is home, and has been for some time. But that’s the point. War is never over, especially the war we fight today. So many soldiers are coming home in one piece, but destroyed completely mentally. Their lives, and the lives of their families are changed forever.

I feel as though I rushed through this review and for that I apologize, but for such an emotion packed movie, I can’t do it justice with words. It really is something to marvel at. There are three things that make it special with the first being the plot and how relevant and accurate it is to what we as an audience feel in today’s world. Second, the small facial expressions and moments that might be missed with one viewing add so much depth: the drowning story, the kisses on the back, waiting outside the bank, and so on. How about Jake Gyllenhaal’s reaction after he was told his brother was dead? You can’t act any better, you just can’t. It was so brutal to watch, and I hate to revisit that word again, but it was all so natural and real. You felt the anger, hatred, and depression set in as he did too. As mentioned the daughters, especially Isabelle, were terrific. But this brings me to the third and final reason why it was a powerhouse movie – the acting. You can’t have a movie like this with bad acting, or even mediocre acting. I don’t feel biased or over emotional when I say that Oscar nominations should absolutely be given to Jim Sheridan (director), Tobey Maguire – who played the role of his life, and Jake Gyllenhaal – who also knocked this role out of the park. The whole ensemble was just terrific and each part was as important as the next.

This movie isn’t for the weary: it’s heavy, and it truly affects you emotionally. After viewing it feels like a punch in the gut and that you just lived it. It was brilliantly made, told, and acted. I didn’t do it justice in this review, but perhaps that gives you more reason to go see it. Because I’m out of words, except for one last thing – this is the best movie of the year to this point.

BROTHERS: (out of 4)

As We Wind Down 2009: My Big 5

The end of the year draws ever so near and with the turn of the calender comes a brand new slate of movies.

2009 hasn’t quite lived up to past year’s expectations, but there have been some really, really good movies. Some surprises, some stinkers, as usual. But with oh, 47 days left in the year, here at the 5 films, in order, I’m most looking forward to:

1. The Lovely Bones – why? Peter Jackson. Simply incredible book. Amazing young actress. Great cast. Riveting story.

2. Brothers – why? Two fantastic lead actors. Heart-wrenching storyline. Incredible trailer. Great director.

3. Up In the Air – why? Clooney in a perfect role. Director who hasn’t let down yet. Massive positive hype. Trailer.

4. Avatar – why? Decade in the making. Special effects like nothing before. Have to trust Cameron.

5. The Fantastic Mr. Fox – Amazing early reviews. Creative director with a creative cast. Looks inventive and hilarious.

 

I can honestly say I’m more excited for these 5 films than any other 5 films this entire year. Bring it on!

Review: 2012

You know, a long time ago, Roland Emmerich directed good movies. A long time ago, I predicted 2012 to be just outside the top-10 list for the entire year of movies. But like the Mayans who predicted the end of the world ever so wrongly (at least I hope), those predictions and thoughts seem like jokes now. And for this movie “based” on that end of the world plot line, it’s not really the end of the world that’s disappointing, but rather the final nail in the coffin for Roland Emmerich. His previous efforts seem like ones from a previous life; as 2012 is a loud, repetitive, boring movie. It hardly got anything right.

Just for the sake of comparison, I want to talk a little about what Emmerich did in the past, his track record, per say. In the very start of his career, he headed Stargate and Universal Soldier – two movies that didn’t make much noise but weren’t received or reviewed as too awful either. Then came his breakout performance in Independence Day – the first ever “summer blockbuster” and a launching pad for Will Smith. ID4 is one of the more fun movies you’ll see. He followed that with Godzilla, which I thought was pretty fun as well, The Patriot, and The Day After Tomorrow: another fun ride. But nothing was comparing to Independence Day at this point, and my hope was dwindling. Last year came 10,000 B.C. which I believe received a 9 on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 100). If that was what put Emmerich on the ropes after a short lived career as a good director, 2012 surely knocked him out. Hope for his career is gone.

 

Oh, Roland Emmerich...why even try with a plot or story? It turned out oh so awful. (Columbia Pictures/aceshowbiz.com)

 

One thing I don’t quite understand about this over-sized, overdone, ridiculous movie is the running time. It’s over two and a half hours long and feels a lot longer. When you really think about the movie itself though, and granted that creates a slight headache, it could have been cut down to two hours easily. But it was stretched out to full capacity, or full boredom, to include every stupid cliche and every awful attempt at a story. Let’s face it: it’s about the world ending. It’s about special effects. Show me that stuff, not John Cusack moping over his divorced wife’s feelings.

I mentioned cliches and quotes that are so, so bad they make you laugh or just shake your head wondering how a movie executive allowed that after the table read. Imagine every bad cliché you’ve heard, every one-liner that’s used far too much – they’re all stuffed into 2012. If that didn’t start to drag down the movie already, there’s other things that just leave you baffled. Woody Harrelson’s character was unbelievably stupid and unnecessary. The governor on television, with that awesome Austrian accent, was beyond bad. The movie was littered with little things here and there that would have been better if they weren’t used at all.

But you can’t just drop the story or the plot, unfortunately. I really wish they had, and just left Emmerich to focus on special effects alone. The idea itself isn’t that bad: people have been intrigued by the Mayan end of the world thing for years, and it’s a nice thought for a film. But that one aspect got turned and twisted into something that doesn’t resemble the end of the world, as much as it does a bad soap opera episode mixed in with a lousy episode of the West Wing. You, as an audience member, feel no emotional attachment to any of these characters, making the “tender” scenes quite useless and often hilarious unintentionally.

 

The calling card for 2012 were the special effects, and after a while, they got quite boring as well. (Columbia Pictures/aceshowbiz.com)

 

The last thing to be noted should be the special effects because after all, that’s what the movie is essentially about. There is no doubt that parts of this film looked pretty darn cool. The detail in the massive destruction scenes was fun to watch as well. But truth be told, after a few hits on the Earth, it actually got kind of tiring and repetitive. Large amount of water + ancient or historic structure = fun to watch. Not so much. The formula got used up quickly, and like the movie itself, I just kind of grew tired of all the action sequences.

Like Roland Emmerich’s career, this movie tumbled downward at remarkable speed. With a back story that was as cheesy as it was uninspiring, it left nothing for an audience to feel or care about. Cliches, bad acting, and other miscues made you laugh when you weren’t supposed to. But after two and half hours of well, boredom, I was glad 2012 came to an end. I can only wonder what way Emmerich will make the world end next time. It can’t be much worse than this.

 

2012: (out of 4)

Review: Where the Wild Things Are

I typed a few words trying to begin this review. Then I deleted them because they didn’t feel right. I tried again, and failed. Yet again, the same thing. What I soon realized is that I’ve never, or very rarely, had this much trouble starting a movie review. Well, what does that say about the movie at hand? In this case, I still don’t know how to exactly describe it. Where the Wild Things Are isn’t my favorite movie of all-time. It’s not my automatic bid for picture of the year. But it’s captured my thoughts and emotions thoroughly and completely – both while viewing it, and now the day after.

What I find myself doing is thinking about it over and over, drawing different feelings out of what I saw.

One of the simplest reasons I can give to people on why I rank movies higher than others is this: how appealing is the movie to view again…and again…and again in the future. For Wild Things, I already want to see it in theaters for a second time. But to reiterate, is this the most complex and beautiful movie ever? No. But perhaps it feels like it because every single element worked beyond my wildest expectations. It was beautiful. It was heart-wrenching. It was heartwarming. It was thoughtful. It looked simply phenomenal. I can’t seem to say enough about it, even if I can’t quite grasp every little piece that was put into the running time.

Maurice Sendak's extremely short children's book, a cult classic, is not for the young, but rather the hearts and minds of adults. (Warner Bros/aceshowbiz.com)

Now that I’ve explained that much, let me tell you a bit about the movie itself; this is a movie review after all. So rarely do movies come close to being as great as the books they’re based off of. The book in the limelight here is a children’s book, a short one at that. Many of the pages are purely illustrations. Maurice Sendak’s book however, has reached cult status, and has been revered as a classic for a number of generations. Somehow, in the few words he chose, he conveyed messages far deeper than anything meant for a small child. Somehow, he got across to the heart of adults. The book is beautiful, but if the movie’s screenplay doesn’t get nominated for an Oscar, that’s an outrage. Taking a 3-minute-to-read book and turning it into a 94-minute motion picture is a feat that few can conquer. But quickly, to let  you understand what kind of book and subject matter the movie deals with, I want to look back on an interview with Sendak that HBO recently did (the interview was actually conducted by Spike Jonze, director of the film).

Maurice Sendak is a sad man – there are no two ways around it. He lives purely for his artwork and his words, nothing more it seemed. His expression was that of hopelessness as he discussed that the only time he feels worthwhile and generally good, is when he’s drawing or writing. But then he said something like this: when he dies, what’s the point? what did it all matter? It’s just over anyway. He is an artist, and like so many of his fellow craftsmen, he is a sad soul. You could see it on his face and hear it on his voice. Then, out of nowhere and out of context it seemed, he said that he could never escape writing about childhood. Because that was living, in its fullest. That’s what he remembered.

The lack of CGI or fancy animation, combined with amazing settings and camerawork, made it a marvel just to look at. (Warner Bros/aceshowbiz.com)

So, now, finally to the movie. What must first be acknowledged is the way Jonze went about putting the movie together. First, many of the shots were captured via hand held camera, to give it a real sensation. It looked incredible, and the camerawork was fantastic. The creatures though, the wild things, were what gave the movie the human feeling. Weird sentence right? Rather than using CGI or 3-D animation or some other crazy Hollywood trick, it was just large costumes, with performers inside them. The voices were “human”, their feelings were ours. We shared in everything they did and felt, despite the appearance. These days, Hollywood spits out animated features with voice work done by actors that sounds completely awful, or just bland at best. But in Wild Things, I heard Carol (James Gandolfini) yearn for love.

The connections between Max’s (the main character) world and his imagination of the wild things world draw parallels to us, our lives, and the simplest of human emotion. Why do people ignore you? What does it feel like to be rejected? Why don’t the ones who say they love you, truly act like they love you? What, really, is a true family? These are not questions to be addressed in a movie for children. It’s a dark journey we take with Max and his friends. Perhaps this is why so many parents are refusing to go to this film.

Between Max's world and his imagination, lie the emotional questions and offerings we face in our own lives. (Warner Bros/aceshowbiz.com)

Through Max, and his reflection in each of the wild things, you gradually feel a lot of emotion rushing around. Sitting there, you can’t help but well up. To put it simply, it’s heartbreaking, and beautiful, all in the same scene. It will get to you, because not only do we feel for the characters, but we feel, and think of ourselves. To create such a parallel is amazing, and so much good can be said about the job Spike Jonze and his writers did on this movie.

This has to be the end of my review. I feel like I rambled on for far too long and maybe went off on a tangent or two. I think it’s because I still can’t fully understand all of Where the Wild Things Are quite yet. But what I’m starting to realize more and more is this: it’s a truly beautiful movie, from start to finish. I know I provided you with little to go on in terms of the movie itself in this review, but it’s tough to capture in words. It’s not my favorite movie of the year, or of all-time. Maybe if I understand it more, I’ll have to make an editors note and change this review. I’m going to give it 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Four-star movies are instant classics that live on forever for me. For now, this is not in that category. But maybe someday it will be.

(By the way, as I finished, I honestly forgot – Jonze somehow created immense amounts of humor throughout the film. It was laugh out loud stuff, but cleverly done, not forced at all.)

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE: (out of 4)

Review: The Invention of Lying

*Shakes head over and over* What happened, Ricky? Did you actually watch the finished product? Don’t you realize how incredibly clever and funny an individual you are? I feel almost ashamed that The Invention of Lying was so awful. I’ve been talking up this movie for months in advance and much more in the past few weeks, trying to get people to see it. I wanted people who didn’t know who Ricky Gervais was to see his comic genius. Well, perhaps for the first time, Gervais let me down…in a big, big way. This film was close to unwatchable. It was boring, it was a one-tricky pony, it was a broken record, and it surely wasn’t clever. Ricky, you’ve made me laugh so hard on so many occasions. So I’m going to let this slide eventually, but I have to ask again: What happened???

Two great comedians that produced just about zero laughs the entire time. What a waste of talent. (Warner Bros/aceshowbiz.com)

First let me set the stage for The Invention of Lying. It sounded like a pretty funny premise: nobody can tell lies except Gervais. Solid, I can go with it. Then there’s his past work. Ghost Town, which was as hilarious as it was touching, a truly completely lovable movie. It was one of the hidden gems of 2008. There’s his stand-up material too, which is a reason alone to get HBO, but I’m sure you can rent it by now. There’s also Extras; a hilarious show that was also on HBO about movie extras. Oh yeah, he created The Office too. Credentials good enough? I thought so. And get this cast – Gervais, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K. (!!), Jeffrey Tambor, Tina Fey, and John Hodgman. That’s enough funny people for five movies. Add in great talent like Jennifer Garner and Rob Lowe and well, shouldn’t you have a masterpiece? But, like so, so much junk being pumped out of Hollywood these days, the trend of lumping too many A-list stars in one movie failed miserably.

So, why did it fail? For one, the actors that I just mentioned, Gervais included, could do nothing with this paltry script. The lines seemed so forced, often choppy and awkward, and it flowed terribly. The plot details turned out to be just weird and bizarre, not in a good way. We as an audience were presented with a joke in the first few minutes from one of those A-list actors, I can’t remember who – or I don’t want to. Then they tried the joke again with someone else. And again. And again. And over again until I couldn’t remember what the point was, and it was so dry and pathetic, it was hard to stomach. I honestly couldn’t believe I was watching something so painful that was written, directed, and starred in by a great comic mind.

I know, I was equally as shocked that the movie was THAT bad. (Warner Bros/aceshowbiz.com)

Another thing about The Invention of Lying that added injury to insult was the romance that was tied in between Garner, Lowe, and Gervais. It wasn’t believable, it added nothing, and quite honestly, it was cheesy. Yikes. The last thing I’ll lash out on this film about is what some people are calling “clever”. Now, yes, it is true that it tries to poke fun at religion. Trust me, I get that. But hasn’t that been done before? In far funnier settings? I understand what was happening in those scenes, but like every other ploy and joke in the far too long 1:40 running time (felt like an eternity), it was dry and like a broken record.

This was a bad movie. There’s just no getting around that. I find it strange that two of the absolute worst movies this year, and in a while, have been from two great comedians in Gervais (Invention of Lying) and Seth Rogen (Observe and Report). I guess you can’t always bat .1000, can’t always slam dunk every venture. I’m not giving up on the brilliance of Gervais, he’s too funny to do so. But I’d like to forget about this movie all together.

THE INVENTION OF LYING: (out of 4)

Review: Paranormal Activity

For a movie that cost an estimated $12,000 – $15,000 to make, Paranormal Activity it certainly is bringing in far more than anyone could have expected, at the box office and in crowd support. You see, this isn’t your typical horror or thriller movie – for two reasons. The first reason is that it’s shot like a documentary, a mockumentary if you will. It’s drawn a lot of comparisons to the Blair Witch Project which caught the country by storm some years back. The second reason is what I just stated: catching the country by storm. This movie started out in less than 15 locations, mostly college towns. To get it playing in your area, you had to “demand” it online. Demand, well, it was high, and still is. Packed houses across the land have been scared silly over this movie, calling it ‘the scariest movie in years’. Well, it was certainly entertaining at times, but after my creepy viewing, I wasn’t completely won over. I slept quite well, thank you.

You have to give it credit for the original feel and it certainly had its moments, but in the end, 'Paranormal Activity' turned out to be just "OK". (DreamWorks Pictures/SlashFilm.com)

What Paranormal Activity did very well was build on itself, scene after scene. After the initial set-up and understanding of who these two characters are and so forth, something kinda weird happens. You smile a bit in your chair, waiting for the loud noise to thunder through the auditorium. But nothing happens, and the story does an admirable job of moving forward and not pulling any cheap tricks. Then something else happens at night, the trend beings to emerge. You know something’s coming but you don’t know what – it was harder to guess, and more creative it turns out, than your average thriller movie. Each and every time it became night, you tensed up, gritted your teeth, and waited with immense anticipation. Most of the time, the movie delivered pretty well. It played off some fears people have of “what goes bump in the night”, but I do disagree with the notion some people are putting out there that this movies captures everything we are afraid of – not so much. Nevertheless, it was pretty eye-opening at times, and kept you waiting. It didn’t let down until…

The end. Oh the hard to wrap your head around ending, the one you wish that they hadn’t used. An ending and conclusion, if you want to call it that, that drops this movie from good to just alright. Now, I understand how hard it is to make movies. Actually, I’ll probably never understand how hard that trade really is, and especially to make one that really catches fire and is successful. But in my heart of hearts, I know that there had to be something better to cap this one off. I can’t say much, as to potentially ruin the ending, but it was certainly disappointing. The anticipation was whisked out of the theater and most of the audience calmed down, and it ultimately became just another thriller, instead of that special kind of movie that comes around once every blue moon. It’s a shame that such a fresh feel to a movie, packaged so nicely with sincere acting and great build-up, dwindled when it ran its’ course.

Paranormal Activity is likely to be “demanded!” by the masses as it gains more and more hype, and good for the director who made this on chump change by Hollywood standards. But as exciting as it was, as fun as the anticipation was for most of it, it turned out to be nothing really special. It had its’ moments, but didn’t quite live up to the hype. I’m not disappointed at all, but it would have been pretty neat if the notion that I’d have nightmares for weeks was true. Thanks to a shaky plot twist, or whatever you want to call the last 25 minutes or so, that remains untrue.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: (out of 4)

Review: Zombieland

There have been a lot of good movies this year, a number of them that will stay with me in a very positive way for years to come. But as I looked through the list of movies I’d seen this calendar year, no one film stood out the way Zombieland does. No single film I’ve seen has the sheer creativity and originality that this hilariously bloody movie does. It’s not an Oscar winner, nor is it something I’m writing in Sharpie for the DVD release date. However, when much of what Hollywood churns out is predictable junk, a movie like this truly shines. It’s funny, it has damn good action, great acting, it’s fun and it certainly thinks outside the box. What more can you ask for?

'Zombieland' hits it out of the park in terms of humor, but make no mistake, the action is damn good as well. (Columbia Pictures/aceshowbiz.com)

The whole new trend of vampires and zombies and those kinds of things is starting to get a little bit old. The new Twilight movie coming out? – no thanks. I passed on the first one, I can pass on this. But in Zombieland, things aren’t the same. For one, there’s a set of rules. We’re introduced by one of the leads – Jesse Eisenberg – to the rules of this Zombie ridden Earth right from the start, and from minute one of this relatively short film, you can tell it’s quite different. The laughs start in those rules, during the opening credits, and don’t let up until all is said and done. But what so many other movies really fail at is tying everything together – acting, story, humor, romance, etc. As I write this, I realize more and more how much it succeeded in every aspect.

You would have to think that despite a miserable screenplay for any movie, if there is great acting, it can be halfway decent. Well, the screenplay and story were fantastic, so that is of no worry. The acting on the other hand is also fantastic. Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg are casted perfectly and play off each other with ease, creating many memorable moments. I honestly couldn’t tell you 10 movies Harrelson has been in, hell, the last one I can remember is his cameo in Anger Management as a cross-dressing prostitute/security guard. But damn, did he knock this role out of the park. He’s wild, he’s funny, and the brief cut-aways of him in the past are so damn golden. Speaking of cameos…

Stone, Harrelson, Eisenberg, and Breslin create four likeable and hilarious characters in this bizarrely entertaining movie. (Columbia Pictures/aceshowbiz.com)

Zombieland has one of the better placed and executed cameos maybe…ever. The person nails the role, and the brief five minutes or so on screen is really priceless and somehow doesn’t let the movie as a whole skip a beat. Some other things that help the movie carry along seamlessly are Emma Stone, and also the subtle moments of romance and the subtle moments of hilarity. Emma Stone, aka – the chick from Superbad, is really a dynamic young actress. She was funny, sweet, and convincing. Not to mention extremely attractive, but that’s for a different article. She, with Jesse Eisenberg, allows Zombieland to escape being one-dimensional, and let just the right amount of romance in. It lightens the mood that much more, and you’re already “rooting” for these characters, as this aspect allows you to enjoy their presence even more. The subtle humor I mentioned…well, I realized that I can’t talk about it without giving away hilarious moments. I can’t do that, so you’ll have to take my word that they nailed it.

So, as it would seem, I have nothing really bad at all to say about this movie. Perhaps that’s why it cracked my top 10 of 2009 for the time being. I can ask nothing more out a movie than what Zombieland gave me tonight.

ZOMBIELAND: (out of 4)

Review: The Informant!

Wow, what a rush. That was a breath a fresh air. Oh, no, I’m not talking about the movie, I’m talking about walking out of theater when it was finally over. The Informant! isn’t a good comedy at all…and that’s what it was advertised as. The Informant! isn’t an interesting story to watch…and that’s what the book, and true story are. It’s mashed together, it left out critical details and pieces of the storyline which leave you scratching your head, and it’s immensely boring. I wanted so badly to give this movie a chance as I had been looking forward to it, and I stayed with it, through all of its running time…only to be ultimately letdown.

This one had a lot going for it: a crafty director, a great producer on board in Clooney, and a very talented actor in the lead role. Let’s start out with the acting: there was nothing wrong with it. This is the one aspect of The Informant! that wasn’t bad at all. Matt Damon, who put on 30 pounds of fat for the role, did what he could with the script (we’ll get to that later). He was a good liar, a convincing one, and blended into his role. He’s one of those special actors where you really see the character, not the actor. The supporting actors all fell in line too, playing their roles to the best of their extent. Each one did their job. This is where I stop praising the movie because it was a misled, mishandled, and quite boring.

Matt Damon plus 30 lbs. couldn't save this movie from dragging on far too long in a poorly put together script. (Warner Bros/aceshowbiz.com)

Acting aside, the script left a lot to be desired. The movie should have looked and felt “faster” and “craftier” than it was. I don’t know why Soderbergh didn’t take more elements from Oceans 11 other than the music. It was dull and it certainly needed a jolt every couple of minutes, which it sadly never got. Going back to what the script was…it dragged. Oh did it drag. It was all over the place. It sometimes didn’t even make sense. For instance, if you do see it, try and figure out why Mrs. Whitacre didn’t question one thing her husband did. I’m sure the book goes into great detail, but the movie didn’t spend one second on her character. It’s errors like this that turned a boring movie into a boring movie that didn’t even add up.

I hate to really trash something like I have in this review, but this was a huge letdown. The story seemed like such a lively one, but was tossed around on Hollywood desks a few too many times, and came out dry. The actors did what they could to save it, but couldn’t do a thing. And man…it was boring!

THE INFORMANT!: (out of 4)

Trailer Update

On the calendar/anticipating page there are a hell of a lot of new trailers posted, including the following:

The Informant!, Capitalism: A Love Story, Whip It, Zombieland, Where the Wild Things Are, Saw VI, A Christmas Carol, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and much…much more.

The movies I’m most excited to see between now and December 4th are: The Boys are Back, The Invention of Lying, Law Abiding Citizen, The Road, and Brothers.

Enjoy!