Urban & Lucas Cinema Comment

Review: The Mechanic

2011-02-09T12:28:00.002-05:00

Urban: Jason Statham takes this film in a contemplative direction in the style of the recent film The American. The result is a film full of action, that nevertheless hits some strong and subtle notes.

Simon West (Con Air) directs this remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film about an elite assassin (Jason Statham) working for a high class cabal as he teaches his trade to an apprentice (Ben Foster) who has a connection to one of his previous victims.

The Mechanic rises above the typical fare, and the typical Jason Statham film, by taking a little extra time to fill out the story and show us the details.

It's that simple.

Without a steady hand to guide it this film could have easily entered the realm of The Transporter, the only difference being the subject matter glossed over before Statham started crushing skulls and the addition of a buddy storyline. Instead, Statham's character, Arthur Bishop, really steps onto the screen and channels some inner Charles Bronson as he deals with one of the most common employment issues when working for an assassin cabal - that they always feel the need to terminate their employees? (Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the Bourne Trilogy, Wanted). This happens in two ways:

First, the buddy story that is depicted on the screen actually plays out. By that, I simply mean to say that it has a trajectory. The last buddy film that I can remember was The Other Guys with Will Ferrell and Marky Mark, but that one simply served as a vehicle for both of those actors to act silly. Here, we get to see a fully developed bond, complete with the weaknesses and areas of mistrust you might expect from a relationship thrown together like this.

Second, the details of the film are really allowed to show through. I guess, this is probably my way of saying that I noticed the details here, and I liked them. The Schubert playing on vinyl, the classic porsche, the house on the bayou - most importantly, the detailed planning of the assassinations - this is not Cranked, or Death Race, but a story about the kind of characters that I want to know about. It's also probably why the film didn't produce at the box office the way Statham's recent films have, despite the fact that this one has plenty of action.

The primary thing that I want to say about this movie is that I really enjoyed it, but that I also had very low standards for what to expect from it. This happened because I couldn't help but compare this film with the last 8 years of Jason Statham films and find a whole lot more in this one than in all of the others. Slate television critic Troy Patterson says that "Statham isn't pretentious enough to try to elevate any movie, but rather that he celebrates the 'B-Movieness' of the roles that he choose", but I happen to agree more with Julia Turner on the same cultural gabfest when she mentions Statham's ability to bring humor to a role that would other wise not seem very funny. I think that in this film, that humor fits in with the rest of the storyline and along with the details and pacing (think of this one as a poor man's The American) combine to create a pleasant film.

Urban: Recommended

Review: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

2010-10-22T19:50:00.004-04:00

Urban: Another Oliver Stone piece about the recent past, the acting is good, the directing misses the mark, and the story is good, but simply too long.

Oliver Stone returns to his seminal character, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), in order to trace the events involved in the recession of 2008. As Gekko emerges from prison he attempts to re-unite with his daughter and rebuild his financial empire in a land where many of the old rules don't apply.

Urban: This is a pretty good film. Whatever else I may say, this is something that you should watch, and should enjoy/think about. The events and themes that tell the story behind the 2008 recession are fully on display in all their tawdry glory.

At the same time, this film really misses the mark by attempting to make the story fuller. While this may seem odd, most Stone films tend to be preachy. In this one, Jake Moore (Shia LaBeouf) is the same character as Bud Fox in the original Wall Street, in the same way that he is also Chris Taylor from Platoon. In Stone's moral universe, everyone has two father figures as options. In this film, Gordon Gekko competes with Bretton James (Josh Brolin) as the right to guide Moore (and by metaphorical extension the American public) out of the recession. Taking time to develop both of these options moves the viewer to highs and lows, but mostly includes lows (just like the economy) because both options are pretty lousy.

Instead of developing the downward spiral to its fullest extent, Stone attempts to build a story of hope (Obama?) into this film. However, from the vantage point of the viewer, this story isn't finished and to many, the hope that may have reached it's epoch when things were still at their darkest during the 2008 presidential election hasn't delivered relief for very many. Stone went too far with this story considering the recent history of this event. Having Gekko reform, return the money to the green power initiative, and letting Moore reunite with his fiance; as well as allowing justice to have it's way with James just wraps things up way too neatly for anyone to feel good about this happy ending.

Artistically, this film has some good moments. The shots that occur organically within the storyline - the busy trading floor, Miss Moore showing a gaudy (empty) mini-mansion, the deathly seriousness of the major banks around the table negotiating for their lives, and Gekko lording over his empire sitting behind his massive desk with hands folded. These shots are well-put together and effectively communicate the mood of the film and please us by meeting our expectations. The film does a decent job of maintaining continuity by showing the peaks and valleys of the market imposed upon the New York City skyline. It also comes close to achieving symmetry by including two different instances of voice-over from LaBouef that do a tremendous job of explaining the larger consequences of entire groups playing out the morality play by our characters.

In another way though, Stone tries to go beyond our expectations by adding a number of stylish shots that all disappoint. Of these overreaches, very few compare to the miss-step in the opening credits when the look at the New York City streets attempts to climb a building and enter a board-room meeting. The CGI is apparent and looks very amateurish. Throughout the film, small attempts to do things like this really mar the finish of what would have been a pretty decent looking movie. The most unforgivable offense though, is extending the movie beyond the final voiceover from LaBeouf. This second instance occurs right after Gekko has turned back to the dark side, betraying his friends and family, and perfectly hits the tone of our nation at the time. Instead, Stone fits poor form onto poor content when he tries to give this sad story a happy ending.

Review: The Social Network

2010-10-14T10:03:00.004-04:00

Urban: The Zeitgeist that everyone remembers, told in a smart way and directed with all of the momentousness that it deserves.

Urban: He's not a bad guy. Even though this film literally has to tell us this, it's still hard to walk away from this movie feeling this way. It's probably because it is largely based upon The Accidental Billionaires, a book told from the perspective of Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook founder who was pushed out of the business by Mark Zukcerberg. Despite this, writer Aaron Sorkin and Director David Fincher do an excellent job of creating the most realized film of recent memory. By this I simply mean to say that the film manages to avoid any reference to any other film/cultural epoch/war story. It doesn't stand for anything but itself, which (and I liked these films): W., The Hurt Locker, Avatar, all were unable to do, as they were somehow all pulled into larger stories within political/social groups.

In order to do so, the film focuses on it's self referential qualities. In many ways, the term "friend", with all of the connotations that it carries within Facebook, is the prism through which any, and especially this, social network must be viewed. The beauty of the term on the website and within this film is that it carries no distinction; between frenemy and best friend or being used as a verb or an adjective.

A friend is a person that you know, that you don't necessarily keep in touch with regularly due to the presiding social strata (Winklevoss Twins). A friend could also be someone you have a crush on, no matter how destructive of an influence that they are (Sean Parker, Christy Lee) A friend, as the movie also shows us, can be a person with whom you have serious disagreements (Eduardo Saverin). Nowhere is this rendered more artfully than in the courtroom deposition sequences, when Saverin and Zuckerberg speak to each other through their lawyers even though they are sitting across the table from one another - their lawyers are functioning as their facebook wall - they are communicating, but not on the level that they are capable of attaining.

Even further, the film's attention to detail with regard to these issues can also be seen in the amount of parallels that the story contains. This is apparent not only in some of the symmetrical life experiences that Saverin and Zuckerberg face, but also within the way that each storyline that is produced is completed within the course of the film. I know that some reviews noted that the crew racing scene in England seemed to be 'extra', but I contend that this scene functioned beautifully to construct the logical completion of the Sean Parker upward arc within the film, while also tying up the plot-line regarding the Winklevi.

As a sort of an aside, the Trent Reznor score really punctuates the film without ever taking away from it. He might have a future in the music business.

When viewed in total, the film was a complete success at telling a momentous story in a beautiful way. For doing so, the film will become a future classic.

Urban: Strongly Recommended

Review: Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D

2010-09-15T21:14:00.002-04:00

Urban: For zombie movies, you're better off with Zombieland. For video game movies, better off with Prince of Persia.

Urban: This is the fourth in the series of Resident Evil films and the first that I have seen from beginning to end since the original. I did see parts of the third film, and thought that it handled the desert wasteland of a zombie apocalypse at least as well as any other zombie/apocalypse film (I think that Book of Eli and Terminator: Salvation both used the same gas station set).

This film does everything that it can to take advantage of the 3D stylings, which don't look bad at all, but which definitely are featured at the expense of the story, which is unintelligible. Having not seen the other films, I felt as lost as I did watching the original. All that I could deduce was that although earth was barren except for zombies and precious few holdouts, a gigantic corporation continued to house thousands of employees and test products underground. Why do they continue to test chemical weapons? There is no one to fight anymore! To add to this mistery, after apparently being injected with a serum that neutralizes the deadly "T virus" Milla Jovovich should lose her ability to be an outstanding zombie killer. Nonetheless, she is able to survive a deadly helicopter crash immediately after. Even though it occurs in the first 15 minutes of the film, this incident is not mentioned again for the rest of the film.

Once you get past these inexcusable story elements, what remains is your basic zombie movie, filmed in 3D, and Ali Larter. It's amazing how far those elements go with viewers these days when they are done well.

Urban: Not recommended.

My Oscars

2010-03-26T14:13:00.001-04:00

Best Picture: Up In The Air

It's been called snarky and is apologetic about the way it is feasting on the zeitgeist. At the same time, maybe even because of these reasons, it causes people to feel. This emotion, which comes from plain profile shots, wide shots of people walking through airport corridors, and secret looks into private lives and affairs (of the heart?). It's much simpler than Avatar and The Hurt Locker, but in doing so, it lacks the flaws that the scope that those films entail.

Best Director: Todd Phillips-The Hangover

This man took simple fare, and turned it into THE COMEDY of the summer, and probably the year. Multiple catchphrases, numerous laugh out loud moments, and even the smallest details, like the song played while waiting for the tiger to fall asleep.

Best Actor: Christopher Waltz-Inglorious Basterds

Simply and darkly amazing.

Best Actress: Kristen Stewart-Adventureland

She's one of the most gorgeous women I have ever seen, and she acts disaffected effortlessly.

Movies I have recently that I didn't like

2010-02-09T14:40:00.002-05:00

Avatar- most generic storyline ever. the line "I know I started as an undercover badguy, but then everything changed" is so overused I wanted to quit watching.

Bottle Shock- no spite, just not great

Book of Eli- garbage of the worst variety, wrapped in a pseudo-intellectual armor

Legion- to be fair, I saw these last two films at a theater in Joint Base Balad in Iraq, so I was still happy to get to go to the movies. Just disappointed in these pieces of garbage.

Recent Films I liked

2010-02-02T14:53:00.001-05:00

Some Films that I have seen recently that I liked

Up In The Air

In The Loop

Frost/Nixon

back

2010-02-01T13:47:00.000-05:00

Took some time off.

New Position, new focus

Time Off

2009-11-01T15:31:00.002-05:00

I have been taking time off, and will continue to take time off from this blog. Expect more content on the 1st of December.

Scarface-Abbreviated

2009-10-16T07:08:00.003-04:00

URBAN: Brian De Palma presents a film with more cultural currency than real scinematic excellence. An important film for understanding the times.

This film is the definition of eneven to me. It contains some of the most intense scenes (despite not having any particularly outstanding shots) while also containing some long stretches of downtime. The scene where Tony meets the first drug dealers that culminates in the chainsaw killing is completely breathtaking. The part where the guy gets thrown out of the chopper is the same way. The end is another example of this. However, the rest is kind of spacey. The scenes of them talking at the beach and the odd stuff with his sister are barely memorable. Unfortunately, this film has become intertwined with the first big GTA game, Vice City.

Very memorable. Better than a lot of people give it credit for. It's just not quite the achievement that the game was.

URBAN: Recommended

Notorious

2009-10-14T15:09:00.002-04:00

URBAN: If you want to know the man, you would be better off watching his VH1 special.

Notorious tells the story of Notorious B.I.G., Chris Wallace from childhood to his untimely death at the age of 25.

URBAN: The thing that was interesting to me about this film really had nothing to with what was caught on camera. The real story was simply: considering that both Biggie Smalls and Tupac have both had VH1 Behind The Music specials based upon their death, that this one made it to the big screen first. Seriously, I don't mean to recreate the East Coast-West Coast, Bad Boy-Death Row feud, but I think that it is pretty much universally accepted that Tupac was the better artist, and certainly possessed a more interesting story.

This film does not compare favorably to the other music biographies that have appeared recently-Ray, Walk The Line, etc. It's not necessarily that the subject matter has anything less to offer, but the method of telling the story here is lacking. Early on, the voice-over narrative does a decent job of explaining Biggie's motivations which allow the viewer to understand the action that he/she sees. Biggie wants to make money, but he also has enough respect for his mother that he wants to keep his extracurricular activity from her. As the film draws on, the motivations often lack explanation, and the viewer gets bogged down in the contradictions that the filmmaker depicts, but have no cause or relation to the major events of the story.

For example, the film depicts a young Chris writing rhymes and dealing drugs, the drugs are explained by the voice-over, but the rhyming,,,, just a throwaway line about how it made him feel better to write rhymes while he was in jail. While I would assume that rhymes would go on to become a big part of his life, the film really doesn't help me out here. Despite the fact that it is a biography, the film basically holds the audience at arms length.

In the second half of the film, this tactic really insults the intelligence of the viewer. This film would have us believe that the feud that laid Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I,G in their graves began over a perceived jumping outside an apartment in Brooklyn. While undoubtedly, this would be a big deal, but it is never understood why, Tupac believed that Biggie was behind this incident. It goes even further after an affront by Tupac to Biggie in front of a music awards show, the voice-over confides, “ We should have gotten together somewhere and sorted this shit out, but it was too late for that.”

Why?

You see, everyone who has watched Tupac's Behind The Music knows that there was more going on than that.

In closing, this film fails because it refuses to deliver the depth of details. The voice-over is confusing, as it would have the viewer believe that this is Biggie telling us his story. But it depicts a lot of bad behavior he never apologizes for, and tells the story of a great lyricist without every getting close to the subject matter that inspired his greatest work—mortality.

URBAN: Not Recommended

Difficulty

2009-10-12T06:37:00.002-04:00

It's harder to write a review of a good film than a bad film.

Power Issues

2009-10-08T10:57:00.001-04:00

The power is working intermittently.

I really am only a step away from regular posts again. Be patient.

The Hangover

2009-10-03T16:06:00.003-04:00

URBAN: I thought it was going to be stupid and sophomoric, but like Zach Galifianakis's character in the film, it's so sincere in doing these things that I couldn't help but like it.

The one and only destination for bachelor parties is put on display in this comedy that is equal parts Dude, Where's My Car, and American Wedding, but easily ten times better than both put together.

URBAN: The Hangover, one of the funniest movies of 2009, grabs the attention of moviegoers for no other reason than its setting. The premise is so simple, yet funny, that it can't help but strike the imagination of viewers. It holds that attention with outrageous details and excellent comedic performance by newcomer Zach Galifianakis.

Besides being one of the funniest movies of the year, for my money, it is also one of the hardest working. By this I mean that it stretches everything it has for maximum effect. Take the cast for example. With the exception of the guy who used to be the nerdy co-worker of Jennifer Garner or Alias (Bradley Cooper), none of three leads have much experience. Of the other two, one is a guy who used to do reporting on the Daily Show (Ed Helms) and the other is relatively unknown (Galifianakis). The mix works though because the star is really the story that unfolds in reverse. That, and it's loaded with impressive cameos that are worked for a lot of great, comedic scenes. Heather Graham, Mike Tyson, the doctor from Knocked Up (Ken Jeong), they all make the most of their chances to shine and also have the added benefit of moving the story along nicely.

One of the most underrated things about this film is the little piano song that Ed Helm's character plays while the guys wait for the tiger to go to sleep. It perfectly fits the surreal feeling of the film.

The main issue that I had with the film is rather silly: they really didn't mine all of the humorous material from that night. At the end of the film, when the men involved look at the pictures on the camera, it is clear that many other shenanigans occurred that would have made great comedy. I know it is a weak argument, but after seeing that reel of film over the credits, I really wanted to see a fight between the dentist and Wayne Newton.

URBAN: Recommended

Flashback Fridays: Tropic Thunder

2009-10-03T02:37:00.005-04:00

URBAN: Consistently very funny throughout.

A comedy dream-team makes this the funniest movie of 2008.

URBAN:
I was worried that this would be another Stiller-esque type of comedy, which, like Will Ferrel's films, all start to look the same after a while. This film does contain the typical amount of Stiller posing, but for the first time, it seems like it makes sense.

The story revolves around a group of prima donna actors taken to Southeast Asia to shoot a film about the Vietnam Conflict. They soon realize that their situation is simultaneously both more fake; The writer of the war memoir is a faker, and also more real; Real drug lords are attempting to kill them.

Along the way all of the actors have a chance to exercise the inner demons that are mainly results of the actors trying to internalize the psyches of the characters they play.

With the exception of Matthew McConaughey, all of the lead actors have their chance to give the audience some laughs. As it turns out, the real star of the film, and the only real hero, is Jay Baruchel. Stepping out of his roles as a nerd/slacker in Apatow comedies, it becomes apparent early on that he is the only functional person in the cast of the original Vietnam story. Tom Cruise, stepping away from the serious stuff, is heavily made-up, attempting to portray a Jewish studio exec. the result is highly entertaining. His dancing, while not exactly what we saw in Risky Business, is one of the highlights.

The film is unbelievably crass and politically incorrect. These facts all work to add to the humor, which is extremely sophomoric. Despite, this, it seems to be a real winner.

I can't tell you that this is a great movie. It doesn't have any deeper meaning, there is no message, it isn't as smart as the Apatow comedies,,,, its just really funny. If you want to laugh, give this film a look

URBAN: recommended

Flashback Fridays: Step Brothers

2009-09-26T01:19:00.003-04:00

URBAN:The laughter falls flat and the story adds nothing to the humor.

Another will Ferrel movie

URBAN:
This film had highs and lows in both laughs and the thought department. As for laughs, it is hard to beat the straightforward hilarity of "Do you want to go do karate in the garage?". There were several lows also where the jokes went completely flat. I thought we got enough of kids swearing at their parents at the dinner table from Ricky Bobby's two boys in Talladega Nights. This film carried on that theme even farther, except that this time both the parents and the children were a lot older.

Most of the film was intended to be a laugher, which, as I described above, was hit and miss. For about 15 minutes near the end, the film turned into an intelligent discussion about what being a grown up really means, pawning off your night vision goggles to pay for car insurance. In the end, this film wasn't that good, it would have been outstanding if it had attempted to lay off on the humor and instead focused on telling a story.

URBAN: Not Recommended

Still Watching Movies

2009-09-24T12:49:00.003-04:00

I've still been watching movies, viewed The Ghost In The Shell and Terminator on my PSP.

After this weekend will move out of the bunker and have a lot more room to write.

Look forward to some good stuff then.

Iraq

2009-09-18T01:13:00.003-04:00

Currently in Iraq. The facilities are pretty good, so hopefully I will be able to add content regularly. Hope everyone is enjoying the reviews.

Flashback Fridays- X-Files: I Want To Believe

2009-09-18T00:57:00.006-04:00

URBAN:As a huge fan of the X-Files television series, I highly anticipated the release of this film and hoped that it would at least attempt to tie up the loose ends of the show's mytharc. Instead of this, was something that I clearly recognized, and in the end will appreciate more.

The film doesn't deal with aliens. It doesn't deal with freaks. What it sacrificed in curb appeal is more than made up for with an outstanding story with tons of characters that the viewer will instantly recognize. The result, is a very engaging story about belief and the consequences thereof.

URBAN:
The primary plot revolves around Mulder and Scully as they try move on with their lives after their FBI careers are over. Scully is a doctor at a Catholic Hospital and Mulder is a,,,, I don't really know. After an FBI agent shows up missing and a former priest/pedophile claims that he has psychic premonitions regarding the event, the FBI calls in a subject matter expert to help them out. The case and the gruesome oddities that accompany it have little to do with the central themes of the story.

The central theme of the story is the issue of belief. As I described in an earlier post about the X-Files, while the show is full of oddities, the central theme has to do with matters inherently important to Pragmatism, experience and how we can know.

This film is no different. Without ever being explicit, the film focuses upon Scully's Catholic Faith. Her story has two focuses. On one hand she has to deal with the treatment of one of her patients, a young boy with an incurable disease. On the other hand, she feels incorrigible about the former priest, betrayed by his acts, and unwilling to accept the validity of his visions.

The result is familiar in one sense. As in the television series, Mulder is the believer, and Scully is the pessimist. In this case the situation shifts on a deeper level. Scully's faith does not allow her to believe that a pedophile who has done so much wrong to her faith can be forgiven and used by God in a meaningful way. Mulder doubts that he and Scully can have a romantic relationship and that the FBI can be trusted after his previous working relationship fades.

X-Files has always forced us to ask ourselves whether or not our experience can be trusted when it violates our inclinations. This film goes even farther in calling into question the experiences that support our inclinations.

Visually, it looked like a Chris Carter effort. I primarily recognized the masterful suspense built with the camera work and the falling effects. Rather than show a dummy fall off a building Carter has always preferred to show a closeup of the victim against a computer generated background. In the dark, no one makes a quick pan look spookier.

The film wasn't perfect. I am certain that many fans wanted a mytharc completion/addition. I don't think that the timing was right for these efforts. I am also aware of many other iconic stories that have tried to do the same thing recently that failed miserably (Star Wars is the first that comes to mind). I was pleased that the film chose to deliver on a philosophical level before it attempts an easy answer and swift and neat completion.

URBAN: Recommended

District 9

2009-09-14T03:29:00.002-04:00

URBAN: District 9 is one of those films that comes along once and a while that has no star power, no stunning effects, but still manages to catch the imagination of viewers.

Directed by Neil Blomkamp and famously, produced by Peter Jackson, this film may be advertised as a contemporary sci-fi discussion of race politics in South Africa, but becomes much more in the time allotted.

URBAN: This film was very much unlike what I was expecting. Shot almost entirely in documentary format, it manages to entertain, disgust, and enlighten at once. It does so by focusing its story, bit-by-bit, until the discomforting end is tightly in focus.

The story begins with the given, an alien race has made contact above the city of Johannesburg in South Africa. The aliens must be cut out of their spaceship, and are given a home in a type of slum within the city. The race that remains is clearly not the leadership of the species. They lack direction, and quickly become a pax upon the city, and the focus of angry villagers who reject their crime and lifestyle. The aliens are officially managed by a large development corporation, but in reality, are run by a human gang-lord who meets out discipline and food with the same iron grip. His true aim, is to control the weaponry that the aliens have brought with them, which can only be fired by alien DNA.

The story is turned upside down, when the aliens are evicted from their home and given another slum, further from the city (to appease the citizens). It is during this sequence that two key events happen. First, one of the multinational corporation workers is infected by alien technology. As a result of this the viewers become aware that large multinational-corporations are not unlike ruthless gang-lords in their quest to control the alien weaponry.

These events continue to build, as Blomkamp does his best attempt at combining Kafka's Metamorphosis and the meta-arch from the X-files.

There were only two issues that I had with this film. The first was that the aliens were virtually indistinguishable. This wasn't so much of an issue once the film had found its focus, but it was impossible to realize that the characters from the junkyard scene were the same ones that were to become important later by sight alone. It seemed like another documentary style focus on a particular.

The second issue was that the battle scene that lasted for the last 20 minutes was a little too over the top for me. The fight scenes take advantage of the character disputes that are built upon at the beginning of the film, but they last too long and focus too much on the characters that the viewer can't necessarily relate to. These scenes are ultimately only redeemed by faux-news footage of the battles that contextualizes the violence in a modern and relevant setting for the audience.

It's a shame that the battle becomes the center-piece though. The compelling story here is that through all of this the viewer is made to feel empathy towards aliens that do not speak English and are often quite disgusting. The tale also incorporates many interesting and moving social motives that are integrated well by playing up the advertising and public service element that documentary and faux-news coverage often entail. By matching this form to the content Neil Blomkamp delivers a winner, and one of the most unlooked-for money-makers of the summer.

URBAN: Recommended

Post Grad

2009-09-09T23:39:00.001-04:00

URBAN: Sentimental and undisciplined. The focus is missing completely.

A timely attempt to make light of the economic situation by focusing on the tale of a young woman who is unable to find a job after graduating from college.

URBAN:
While I can understand the need to address the current economic factors that go into this film, I feel that it would be irresponsible to review it without mentioning that the current state of the economy is only felt in the advertisement for this film.

Alexis Bledel is cute enough, but seems to have a huge problem depicting pain. Even in her obligatory, 'I'm sorry' message, she seems to be inescapably peppy. That really tells the story of this entire film. Michael Keaton overacts terribly. The writing is garbage. And the parts about the family hijinx are totally out of place for a film that is supposed to be about the failures of our society.

Of course, I understand why they added the stuff about the family. The film clocked in at only 84 minutes. Without those scenes, it would have been around 60-70.

The film does try to be something more than just garbage, by pointing out the importance of relationships to help one get through tough times, but the ultimate message that being unable to find employment is something that we can all giggle at is one that I find reprehensible. Not to mention,,, completely unrealistic.

To compare, there was a film in the not-so-recent past that did manage to make us desperately laugh at a pretty desperate financial situation. Fun With Dick and Jane, which premiered after the Enron and Worldbank fiascoes, was able to take a terrible situation and make some comedic hay out of it. It did so by providing an outlet,,, a scapegoat. The viewer could laugh (nervously at least) at the bank robbing antics of the characters, because they were forced into their situation. A clear and unwavering finger was pointed at the individuals who were responsible. This film does nothing of the sort.

There was one reference that I feel obliged to mention. In the one humorous scene, the song being played from the 64 Impala that the guys are driving (pouring one out for the deceased) is the same song featured to much greater effect on Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Amores Perros.

URBAN: Not Recommended

500 Days of Summer

2009-09-08T21:57:00.001-04:00

URBAN: Very Charming and whitty for this type of film. Features the soundtrack too much.

Marc Webb delivers a film that is touching, artistic, and funny by turns. Hard to get out of your mind for many reasons.

URBAN: While I have mentioned in reviews before that I appreciate the Apatow committment to realism,,, in all of its gory detail, it is interesting to note that the characters in those films nearly always complete the relationship, even if they do so in imperfect ways.

This film goes in a different direction, veering away from the realism in its portrayal of relationship, but ultimately, it finds its way there by denying the viewer what he/she has come to expect from romantic comedies.

500 Days of Summer deals with the relationship of the title character (a lovely Zooey Deschanel) and the leading everyman (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The film portrays there relationship, not in linear style, but by jumping back and forth between the days that their relationship contains,,,, all 500 of them.

To break up the act of breaking up the ebb and flow of this relationship, the director puts his best foot forward. The post-coital morning after routine and the references to The Graduate (both verbal and visual) stand out, but the film took a turn for the amazing when it transformed into a 45 second salute to the heroes of cinema. In one sequence, the character, in the pain of breakup, dreams himself into the great films of Godard (in New Wave style) and Bergman (from The 7 Seals). They throw the story into a realm usually not reserved for romantic comedies. To be honest, these films seriously reminded me Woody Allen at his best as a director of romantic comedy. Besides the obvious Annie Hall comparison, I think that there is a direct correlation between this and one of my personal favorites, the underrated Play It Again, Sam which displays an imperfect relationship in a non-linear sequence, that also makes great reference to films of the past, both emotionally, and to provide interpretation for character motive.

Also, did I mention it is only 1 1/2 hours long?

The only real area where there were shortcomings was in the reliance on the soundtrack. I honestly noticed this from the opening credits, which really only serve as an excuse to play some great music. The overflow of great music dominates the film in ways that could have been played out more subtlely without a score. The best example of this is to compare the use of score to the narration that the film contains. The narration in this film adds to the film, to help the viewer understand the action, but never enough that one feels the narration is essential or that the action is less for not having it around constantly. I felt that the scene in day 500 really needed music after hearing it constantly punctuate and color most of the other important parts of the film.

This film is filled with clever allusion and artistry in the way that it portrays the story. The issue with the music is a problem of abundance, rather than scarcity, and should not take away from a film that is probably the best romantic comedy of the year.

URBAN: Recommended

Summer Review- Based on my preview

2009-09-05T08:11:00.001-04:00

Despite my expectations, this actually ended up being a pretty good summer for cinema.

The Good

Public Enemies: What I expected. Could have used some more focus on a unified story, but easily one that holds up. Not a long term success, but easily entertaining. I actually think that Steven Cronenberg would have been awesome on this project.

Funny People: Less than expected

The Bad

Terminator: Salvation: I liked this one more than most of the critics. Not perfect, but it wasn't bad, plus, it easily opens the doors for more in this series.
The Ugly

GI Joe: Terrible. Nevertheless, it was terrible enough that most people enjoyed themselves while attending.

Inglourious Basterds: What can I say? I expected a lot, but not this. Really a strong piece of work.

Aside from those, the blockbusters were a remarkable letdown. Transformers II and Wolverine were the two worst abominations of a summer that included the usual suspects of lackluster romantic comedies and weak horror franchises.

The summer of 2009 was a good one for film because the intrigue that District 9 brought, the show that Star Trek put on, and the art the Inglourious Basterds rudely put on display.

Flashback Friday-Hellboy II: The Golden Army

2009-09-04T23:46:00.005-04:00

URBAN:The result was a film with great stylings but consistently lacked in one area that undermined the entire film.

From visionary director Guillermo Del Toro comes the second istallation of the Hellboy franchise.

URBAN:
Director Guillermo Del Toro's characters lit up the screen. The odd looking characters added a magical element to the proceedings. Aside from the title character, the other creatures are marvelous to behold, each in their own way. I especially liked the Angel of Death. He looked like one of the Seraphim described in Revelations 4. Completely stunning.

The story was character driven and most of the plot details arise from the particular individual psychologies of the characters. The primary issue is at hand is the return of the Elven Prince to reclaim the pieces of the crown, that upon reunion, will render control of the unstoppable Golden Army.

The most spectacular part of the film occurred only two minutes into the film, while the professor tells a young Hellboy a bedtime story. The story of the creation of the Golden Army. The story is Tolkein-like, but the visuals used to tell the story were unique to that section. To tell the story, Del Toro uses animation in an effort that is easily the best part of the film.

There was some stuff that I didn't like.

Despite the name, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The Golden Army actually took up very little screen time. The plot dealt primarily with the characters gaining control of the pieces of the crown in order to control the army. Considering the title, I would have hoped that more time would have spent with this destructive force. It also would have been cool to see some symmetry by having Nuada see the destruction that the army causes and call them off the same way that the original Elven King did.

The young Hellboy in New Mexico looks like a joke.

The most outstanding negative that I took note of was the sets. They looked fake, obviously generated in a studio. The Troll Market and the government domicile where Hellboy lives were the two most egregious examples. In relation to the outstanding characters, I couldn't help but feel that the disparity of these factors lent the film an unevenness.

Also, the film clearly has some level of desire to be an explanation of mythology, yet is clearly more of an action/superhero movie.

I don't know how to summarize my thoughts on the film. I enjoyed it. I wouldn't mind seeing it again down the road. I loved a few small parts, especially the opening bedtime story. Overall, the pacing was slow and the action didn't always serve a purpose. The visuals were good, but the sets were bad. In a day when superhero movies come every other week, this one is unique enough to stand out, but not singularly better than some of the recent performances, namely Ironman and The Dark Knight.

URBAN: Recommended

Kuwait

2009-09-03T12:58:00.002-04:00

Hello all, I am alive and well in Kuwait, awaiting to go with my unit to Iraq.

While here in Kuwait, I am limited to community internet. With this being the case, I haven't been able to find a way to transfer my reviews from my personal computer to the computers that are connected to the internet (DOD bans the use of thumb drives in Kuwait). Rest assured, that I have continued to write. On tap are reviews of the films, District 9 and 500 Days of Summer, as well as my essay about the ethics of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

BTW, if you want to keep up with the news of the deployment, my wife has set up a blog urbans apart.

Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Films from Big 12 States- South Edition

2009-08-31T23:24:00.001-04:00

Continuing the Big 12 Football Theme,,, each school will be listed next to the Top 5 in order to explain the placement of the film. The films are still listed in descending order according to quality.

5. Oklahoma-Oklahoma State: The Outsiders

The Outsiders was filmed in Tulsa, not a terribly long drive from Stillwater. This film was directed by Francis Ford Coppolla and one of the first for the Brat Pack. Coppolla is said to have enacted a great sociological experiment with this film as the actors who portrayed the Socs were given tremendous accomodations and first rate treatment, while those who portrayed the Outsiders were treated contemptuously by the hotel staff and given poor equipment. Coppolla attempted to create a real rivalry between the two groups with the experiment, which worked tremendously.

4. Oklahoma-Oklahoma: The Grapes of Wrath

The ghost of Tom Joad lives on from this adaptation of the Steinbeck novel. While accompanied by the same criticisms as the novel (communist sympathies), Tom Ford and Henry Fonda recreate the Oklahoma dust-bowl during one of the toughest times for our nation.

3. Texas-Texas A&M: Dazed and Confused

It was surprising to me that Texas had so many non-western style films in the list of best films from this state. That is primarily because two of the modern great directors hail from the state and love to return to it to make amazing films. Richard Linklater is actually from the Houston area, and even though he attended Sam Houston State, you can feel a little bit of his animosity for the Texas A&M style characters in O'Bannion. One of my favorite films of all time and a definite on the list of the best from Texas.

2. Texas-Texas Tech: No Country For Old Men

Finally, a western from the state of Texas (kind of). The recent Oscar winner for best film by the Coen Brothers takes place in the wilds of west Texas. In between the Rio Grande, the plains, and the small towns resides the unexpected. If you have ever been to the liquor stores just past the county line outside of Lubbock (dry county) you will know what I mean.

1. Texas-Texas: Rushmore

While Bottle Rocket may be a better vehicle for explaining what modern Texas is all about, director Wes Anderson's (University of Texas graduate) masterpiece, and one of my favorite films of all time happens to contain one of the greatest characters of all time and perhaps the best performance by Bill Murray. In this one he is moodier than Lost In Translation, more devious that Stripes, and more lovable than the end of Ground Hog's Day. A winning combination of hilarity and poignancy that also perfectly matches content and form.

Baylor: No movie until you get to a bowl game!!!! Actually, there is one extremely underrated cinematic gem that does remind me of Baylor, The Apostle. Check it out, it is actually pretty powerful and one of the favorite films of Dr. Blum.

I really wanted to put a high school football film in this list to tie together the football themes and the state of Texas stuff. Alas, Friday Night Lights was average at best.

Leaving

2009-08-28T17:51:00.003-04:00

URBAN:

Tonight I am leaving for Iraq.

I intend to try to see films and continue this blog while I am there. Of course, internet availability, leisure, and availability of new film releases, will all influence the amount of work that I am able to do.

For at least the next few days things will be in limbo. Keep checking back and before long I will have a clear picture of what kind of pace I will be able to keep up.

Flashback Friday- Forgetting Sarah Marshall

2009-08-28T10:55:00.004-04:00

URBAN: Funny, emotionally and literally naked, but still a great romantic comedy in the Apatow tradition.

Judd Apatow produced, this fillm contains all of those characteristics. It also stars Jason Segel in a perfect role for him.

URBAN:
Forgetting Sarah Marshall takes on the shape of the characteristic Apatow film almost immediately. Jason Segel, playing Peter Bretter teases us by shaking his junk just off the camera, but the tease doesn’t last long. Full frontal male nudity is horrifying, but also hilarious considering the situation the audience views. In a very key way, this early scene provides a critical method of interpreting the film. Nicholas Stoller, the director, provides the usual approach from an Apatow produced film. He doesn’t tease us much. Everything that you want to see as a movie-goer you get to see. This same principle is at work on the characters and the storyline as well. The heart of this story is found in examining how the characters and the viewers deal with getting what they want.

For example, the main character, as a viewer, we want to see him succeed and get back together with his ex-girlfriend. He does. We also want to see him make it with his new girl. He does. We want to see his Dracula rock opera. It’s all there. We definitely want to see the hot chick from That 70’s Show naked. We do. The strangest thing of all is that at once we want there to be a happy ending, while at the same time we want the relationships and ending to be realistically flawed, the way we see them in reality. All of this is in the film.

The serio-comic style of these films is reminiscent of Woody Allen. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, like Knocked Up, Superbad, and The 40 Year Old Virgin does not conform to stereotypes. It’s very raunchy, very funny, and very good. Its victories are only temporary and partial. This could have been a horrible serious film, or even worse, a lackluster romantic comedy if this same storyline was handled by anyone else. The blend of serious, comic, fantasy and reality I feel is best described near the end of the film when Segel’s character describes the success of his rock opera by saying, “Someone told me it was comedy and that opened things up.”

Apatow’s blend of serious/comic opens up a lot of life’s mysteries. While the other films mentioned above are marvelous in the way they are able to bring the story to the level of social commentary (especially Knocked Up). This story keeps its focus lower, but still manages a great bit of critical commentary about the current state of television by poking fun at crime dramas like CSI. More importantly he says a lot about relationships. As always, there is quite a bit about male bonding. The primary message about dating relationships is incomplete. As is usually the case when trying to portray abstractions like this, you can’t say it, you have to show it. And this film shows the story very well.

URBAN: Recommended

Readers Respond: 5 Favorite Films with Stephani Francl

2009-08-27T08:27:00.002-04:00

A small-town girl from the mid-west just looking to be entertained by Hollywood, but not at the expense of those things most important in life. She watches few movies more than once, but these five are regulars which reside permanently in her living room. She's Stephani Francl and these are her 5 Favorite Films.

5. Dan in Real Life

I loved this movie the first time I saw it, and I love it more every time I watch it. Dan, played by Steve Carell, is the widowed father of three girls and the movie tracks their annual vacation at a home on the ocean with the extended family. Unlike films that mock the value of the family, this film showcases a father’s commitment to the most important women in his life (his daughters) and his honor toward his deceased wife as he falls in love with a new woman. Fabulous.

4. Sweet Home Alabama

Reese Witherspoon plays the lead, Melanie Smooter, who struggles to find her place in the world. This movie came out at a time when I was struggling internally with what I saw as similar questions – did I fit in a small town in the heartland or did I fit in a city doing something “important.” And ultimately, I had to decide, as does Melanie in the film, what really is important? It was a movie that, for me, came out at just the right time. Plus, who doesn’t secretly dream of being Reese Witherspoon?

3. Shooter

Mark Walberg plays the lead in this flat out revenge movie. If you just want to see some bad guys get blasted, this is the movie for you. It is justice in the vigilante sense, a guy doing what needs to be done - probably what many dream of doing. For me, it’s the movie version of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon that we play sometimes on the Xbox360. After a rough week of work, there’s nothing better than blowing some video game characters to smithereens…or watching Mark Wahlberg do so to some Hollywood thugs.

2. White Christmas

This movie displays the quintessential elements of two things I love: a good romance and Christmas. In the vein of the musicals of it’s time, White Christmas’ music is superb, and the dancing makes modern day dancing reality show “stars” pale by comparison. The story of Bob & Judy and Phil & Betty has been a mainstay in my Christmas celebration for about 18 years now with no end in sight.

1. Beauty and the Beast

Belle was one of the first Barbies I ever got as a little girl, and the magic of her story has remained with me through the years. Though there are other greats (The Little Mermaid, Aladin, The Lion King, The Emperor’s New Groove, and most recently Enchanted), Beauty and the Beast holds a special place in my movie list. The music makes my heart swell and Belle’s ability to see through the rough exterior of a beast to the prince inside makes a young married girl believe that maybe she is a princess.

Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Movies from Big 12 States- North Edition

2009-08-25T17:05:00.001-04:00

With football season right around the corner I thought that it was only fitting to take a look at the films made and set in the Big 12 region. For the first edition we will get one film from each of the five states represented in the Big 12 North Division.

Nebraska: About Schmidt

Jack Nicholson has made several trips to the Cornhusker state, including a close finisher for the top spot on this list, Terms of Endearment. Schmidt gets the call on this one though because of the broad look that it gives the state. In the film, Schmidt takes off on a tour of Nebraska after he retires from his insurance job in Omaha and his wife passes away.

Iowa: Field of Dreams

Some might say that this spot belongs to The Bridges of Madison County, but there is no doubt in my mind that Field of Dreams does the best job of representing the people of Iowa and the possibility of imagination that this state offers on its best days.

Kansas: Capote

Philip Seymour Hoffman took home an Oscar for best actor based on his performance in this re-examination of the forces that motivated, influenced, and inspired Truman Capote to write his bestselling "True Crime" novel. Many of the scenes that depict Kansas were actually shot in Manitoba, Canada, but they still seem to get at the heart of what it feels like during winter here.

Colorado: Dumb and Dumber

No question here. This film portrays the best part of the state in all its glory, showing off the slopes, the plains, and the beautiful mountain resort towns. This one does have some competition though. Die Hard 2 was filmed in the old Denver Airport and City Slickers was filmed in Durango. At the end of the day you have to pick Dumb and Dumber because so many of the really funny and lasting humor from the film deals directly with the local setting.

Missouri: The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford

This one wasn't technically filmed in Missouri, but Alberta, Canada stands in nicely. It was set in Mizzou, around what would today be called the greater Kansas City area. Kansas City, St. Joseph, Kearney, and Platte City all feature prominently in this story of the old west as it began to grow up and reign in the lawlessness that threatened the development of the rule of law in our nation. I just think that this film is beautiful, and the story it tells is so interesting that I couldn't look away.

Missing Review

2009-08-23T11:58:00.002-04:00

There will be no review of Inglourious Basterds.

The film will be detailed in an essay that I am writing titled: The Ethics of Holocaust Art: Basterds, Defiance, and Valkyrie, Three Holocaust Films in Two Years.

Coming Up- August 22, 2009

2009-08-21T14:01:00.002-04:00

This weekend I am looking forward to viewing the film I most looked forward to at the beginning of the summer.

The last Tarantino movie that I saw was Death Proof. This, along with with its double-feature guest, Planet Terror, provided an amazing amount entertainment. Pure Awesomeness.

Inglourious Basterds, also directed by Quentin Tarantino, has been promoted as at least the equal of Death Proof in terms of awesomeness production.

At the same time, there is another new release that seems to look a little bit interesting.

Post Grad may just be trying to take advantage of the recent recession business, but it seems to me to be the kind of story that has been ignored in a lot of ways. There have been multiple stories that tell the coming of age story from the male perspective, but few that tell the story in a seriously funny way from the female perspective.

Readers Respond-Five Favorite Films with Dr. James Brandon

2009-08-20T13:16:00.002-04:00

Continuing with the back to school theme of this week, we have the 5 Favorite Films of a film professor.

He's a professor of theatre and speech at Hillsdale College. Along the way he has taught classes in the subjects of communication, speech, acting, directing, and film. He has directed and acted in multiple plays. He's an intellectual giant in his field, serving as an editorial board member of Ecumenica (formerly the Baylor Journal of Theatre and Performance), the Journal of Religion and Theatre,and associate editor of the Michigan Association of Theatre and Speech Journal. He even took the time to teach me a thing or two while I was in college. He's Dr. James Brandon, and these are his 5 favorite films.

5. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)

Kubrick’s most controversial and uncompromising film is a beautiful and disturbing rendition of Burgess’ novel highlighted with a bravura performance by Malcolm McDowell. Featuring one of the most stylish dystopian societies ever put on film, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE skillfully encourages the viewer to both think like a teenage hooligan and learn what it means to mature in a harsh world. Renowned for its striking visuals and jarring use of familiar music, it is impossible to pick out just one defining moment in the film; but certainly Beethoven’s works and "Singing in the Rain" will never be the same.

4. ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944)

Capra’s boisterous adaptation of the stage play strikes exactly the right tone for dark comedy. Cary Grant gives one of his best performances in this absurdly wonderful and instantly endearing film. The rapid fire dialogue and physical timing of the actors help this film to stand out in what was a great decade for American comedies.

3. FALLING DOWN (1993)

An Expressionistic and perfectly-crafted Greek tragedy set in modern day Los Angeles that follows unemployed weapons engineer Michael Douglas on an angry rampage towards his notion of “home”. Robert Duvall provides a great foil as a police detective serving his last day on the job , and there are also sublime performances by both Barbara Hershey and Rachel Ticotin. Arguably Schumacher’s best film, FALLING DOWN truly provides a cathartic experience the eloquently captures the zeitgeist of the early 1990s.

2. BRAT (BROTHER) (1997)

The signature film for both Aleksey Balabanov and Post-Soviet Russian cinema, BRAT is minutely crafted look into the staggering societal changes endured by the Russian people after the fall of the Soviet Union. Sergei Bodrov Jr.’s epic journey as a returning soldier who becomes a gangster has just the right amount of violence, philosophy, angst and betrayal, all beautifully -filmed in St. Petersburg as it makes the transition into a brave new (capitalist) world.

1. RAN (1985)

Even in a Top 5 list, it is difficult to include only one film by
Kurosawa, but his adaptation of Shakespeare’s KING LEAR into a feudal Japanese context shows the director at his epic best. Heart rending betrayal and political intrigues abound as three sons battle it out for their doddering father’s kingdom. Kurosawa’s exquisitely-staged battles, extensive use of vibrant colors, and careful mix of epic and minimalist moments make this an unforgettable and moving film, and perhaps the best adaptation of Shakespeare in the history of the cinema.

Contrarian Critics

2009-08-18T22:58:00.006-04:00

I don't really think that I am a contrarian critic. Apparently though, it is possible to be one. Whenever I write a review, I do honestly try to achieve the standard I described in the mission statement of this site. You can read it by clicking the 'about' link to the right.

Usually when I do pan a film, I try to point to several concrete examples of things that are just terrible. This summer, there have been several of those.

Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Back to School Movies

2009-08-18T19:32:00.001-04:00

Its about that time.

5. The Karate Kid-

Back to school has everything to do with new. Fitting into a new place with new people one step closer to the real world. Very few movies tap into that feeling like The Karate Kid. Bullies, parents that don't understand, its all there in this one. Unfortunately, this one has too many moments of extreme ridiculousness. My personal favorite comes after the principle character has had his bike stolen and believes that martial arts is his only method of recourse. In this moment of crisis the karate kid shrieks to his mother his deepest wish, "I need to know karate!!!!"

4. The School of Rock-

Maybe it's a stretch, but this one perfectly compliments Karate Kid. Besides the period of change, back to school also has a lot to with challenges and the possibility of becoming a new and exciting person. School of Rock incorporates this theme to its zenith from the perspective of the rock and roll kids in the class and also from Jack Black in his roll as the reformed teacher making good.

3. Lucas-

I will be the first to say that I don't really understand the direction that David Seltzer was going with this one. Lucas, a freshman without many social skills, is hardly lovable. He stalks that poor girl. You just can't forget about him though because he is such a loser. This film only does two things well. First, it does a great job of portraying multiple sides of the same character types. Jeremy Piven and Charlie Sheen are both football players, but they treat Lucas in entirely different ways. This film also provides one of the greatest examples of emotional manipulation. The viewer has just sat in horror while the 100 lb. title character without his helmet is mauled in a high school football game. Immediately after, a slow clap is raised for this same character by Charlie Sheen as Lucas pulls a letter jacket out of his locker. In this way it is a perfect high school movie, depicting the extremes of what a person is willing to give up in order to achieve status among peers.

2. Back To School-

First of all , the comedy is great, these jokes all have a lot of setup, and the payoff is usually worth it. Rodney Dangerfield leads the way in this one with his usual brand of "If your so smart how come you ain't rich?" type of humor, but it is usual college environment seen from the perspective of a guy who, unlike Socrates, is wise because he does know. Two scenes really make this one- the scene with the yelling history teacher, and the stuff with Kurt Vonnegut, "Hey Kurt, can you read lips?". Really an underrated film in the entire scope of 80's comedies and obviously the piece upon which Van Wilder was modeled.

1. Mean Girls-

This one covers all of the same issues as Karate Kid, but instead of karate, screams about needing makeup and boyfriends. All joking aside, Mean Girls engages all of the ingredients for back to school films that are mentioned in the other films on this list. Its funny and topical, while both the students and the teachers play interesting characters. The troubles of fitting in, and the possibilities/challenges are given relatively equal import. Maybe not a classic in the Criterion Collection mold, but nonetheless, it tells a humorous story that people will remember.

Son of Rambow

2009-08-16T15:43:00.007-04:00

URBAN: A touching film full of youthful imagination.

In this British film two boys come together despite their family situations to create a brilliantly unique film.

URBAN: This film is vastly superior to Be Kind Rewind, another 2008 film release with similar content, if for no other reason than it is set in the proper time period.

As much as I can't believe that director Jennings was able to pull these performances out of so many child actors, the basis for this outstanding production is simply the art of imagination.

Will fills his notebooks and his Bible (he belongs to a strict Christian sect, more on that later) with sketches and drawings that illustrate a lively life of the mind. After his captive viewing of the Rambo movie, First Blood, his lively imagination gives birth to an amazing interpretation that he aptly titles- "Son of Rambow"

His content is given form by his bullying and troublemaking best friend Lee. Lee uses his older brother's camera while supplying the direction for the inspiration along with the technical know-how.

You see, Will belongs to an extremely conservative sect of a denomination known as the Plymouth Brethren. He isn't allowed to watch any television, even if it is only a documentary in his 5th grade class. His cohort Lee is from the other side of the tracks. While he may be considered wealthy, his parents have almost no participation in his life. His older brother pays him almost no attention, even though his brother's friends constantly bully the younger Lee.

The tension between these two and their families as they attempt to make this film between classes. The other source of tension comes from the other kids at the prep school that the two go to. French exchange students have arrived and the coolest one of them all sees the possibilities and attempts to become involved in the filming as a star actor.

Will is startstruck. Lee is jealous. It almost all falls apart. What results is one of the most moving portrayals of friendship, family, and creation that I have seen in quite a while. It isn't a perfect film, but its depiction of the creation of imperfect film comes awfully close.

URBAN: Recommended

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

2009-08-15T20:20:00.007-04:00

URBAN: A story with really funny characters. The attempt at making a story kind of gets in the way.

Jeremy Piven heads up a great cast of funny people in a film from the people who brought you Talladega Nights and Step Brothers.

If you want to see a funny and crude comedy in the same vein as Old School, Anchorman, and The Hangover, then this will be a great film for you for two reasons-

A: Most of the jokes from the previews occur in the first 10 minutes (there is plenty of other funny stuff).

B: There are as many strip club visits as there are great cameos.

This is a conventional film in many ways. It places a character with a set of odd quirks in a unique profession. After the audience has observed the character interacting in his profession a crisis in introduced which separates the character from his profession. You can probably guess what happens from there.

Within this conventional storyline the film is able to hit on a number of jokes and well placed references to other works. Ving Rhames character has a great crack when referring to a scene from Total Recall, and Piven as Don Ready can't help but remind me of Ari Gold when he refers to his female co-worker as "Babs". The one time I even noticed the camera work is during the climactic sale and does an excellent job of depicting the isolation that car buyers sometimes refer to as they are drawn into the persuasive powers of a salesman. Of course, I'm definitely setting the bar low. Aside from clever allusion, avoiding obvious goofs is about all you can ask for in a formula film like this.

At the end of the day, if you are looking for laughs, you will get them from this film. It is full of the politically incorrect and perverse, and manages to do so without really having any redeeming characteristics. In that way it is kind of like the "Used Car Blowout" people that it depicts. Whatever you leave with won't be with you for very long, but you feel like you got your money's worth.

URBAN: Recommended, but only for the few reasons listed above.

Readers Respond: Top 5 Films With Alex Harner

2009-08-13T17:46:00.003-04:00

When I asked him about his profile he told me that he wanted it to include the fact that he liked "stories and pictures". He possesses one of the most eclectic minds you could ever find. Right now he shows it off as an architectural graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis. He's Alex Harner and these are his 5 Favorite Films.

5. Raising Arizona

Though it might not be the Coen Brothers’ best movie, it’s my favorite. Like Judd Apatow’s recent hits, Raising Arizona is a comedy that manages to be both funny and heartfelt at the same time. Despite the absurdity of the plot, there’s a genuinely human quality to the characters that keeps everything feeling important. Also, the narration is top notch. I think voice-overs take a lot of flack because they’re easy to do poorly. Raising Arizona shows that, with strong writing, the voiceover only makes a good movie better.

4. Barry Lyndon

Yeah…it’s Kubrick…so yeah…it’s pretty much formally perfect. That said, the art major in me can’t help but love a film wherein every scene looks like an 18th century painting. Also, there’s plenty of dueling and bastardry…if you’re into those kinds of things.

3. The Incredibles

I’m not sure I can sum up the brilliance of The Incredibles with just a few sentences. Blanket statement: it’s everything right about animation. On a more personal level, however, every time I watch The Incredibles, I feel like an eight year old at recess. That’s got to count for something.

2. Seven Samurai

I like to think of Seven Samurai as the great grandfather of action/adventure movies. As Luke already noted, it’s the one that started it all. While I won’t say Kurosawa invented the character archetypes that show up in Seven Samurai, I think he deserves crediting for first realizing them in film. Everyone since has simply followed suit. And when are samurai not awesome?

1. City of God

I’m especially fond of any fiction that can run the full gamut of human emotions. Really, that’s what great fiction does. Rather than making us feel one thing, it makes us feel everything, and in so doing reminds us that being human is actually pretty damn cool. I like to think that each of the films on my list provides a full plate of human experience, but I can’t think of any film that does it better than City of God. Humor, tragedy, horror, redemption…City of God does it all and does it all well. And it looks lovely in the process.

GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra

2009-08-07T22:20:00.007-04:00

URBAN: Completely over the top. Not quality, but somewhat entertaining.

Stephen Sommers directs this loud, wild, and fast paced battle that never ends.

URBAN: Unlike some of the other ridiculous action films of this summer, Transformers-with its soldiers engaged in the war on terror in Iraq and Wolverine-with its references to the Vietnam Conflict, this film makes no attempt to claim it has a connection with the real world. For that, it is almost refreshing, especially since this film is so ridiculously over-the-top.

The characters are the most obvious lack of real world connection. All of the characters are amazingly able to survive the calamities that befall the myriad of stooges on both sides of the conflict. One of them is able to leap over flying vehicles and another can avoid death even after he ejects from an airplane that has escaped the earth's atmosphere.

Weaponry also plays a part in identifying this world from the real one. Here, there is a type of funnel force field weapon that sounds like a weapon fired by the Geonosis characters on Star Wars: Battlefront. As you might expect, there are also multiple jets and tunneling machines that confound the imagination. Most confounding of all, is the underwater base that Cobra uses. Actually, the most confounding thing is the physics that exist during the battle around the sea base. People are afraid of ice sinking and crushing the base. Subs hit by rockets spin off as if they were in space. It really does seem like another planet.

Also, I know that several other reviews have mentioned the sound level being a little extreme. I know this sounds like an old person thing to say, but the sound levels were ridiculously loud. While I would like to think this was some sort of rookie mistake, Per Hallberg and Karen Baker, the credited sound editors, have both won academy awards for work in action/war films before. Hopefully, this isn't a signal of things to come.

The story is bare there,, and the flashbacks intended to explain it are even worse. I was laughing out loud at many of these, especially the ones of young storm shadow, who is the same kid who plays the drug lord on Tropic Thunder.

Most infuriating about this film-the characters aren't American. GI Joe is no longer the Real American Hero, although all of the characters still speak English.

Despite this long list of what is wrong with the film, I would still say it is better than Wolverine: Origins and Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. It manages to do so by completely ignoring reality and focusing on creating a world of superheroes that fight against each other with James Bond technology and change identity with the ease of Mission Impossible face masks. With pure action and awesomeness such as this,,, you know that they would set themselves up well for a sequel.

I guess that if you lower your expectations, this film would be alright. I just imagined that this story would be able to convey so much more.

URBAN: Not Recommended

Coming Up, Friday August 7

2009-08-07T14:52:00.008-04:00

There is actually something of a competition this week.

URBAN:
While I included GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra in the list of films I was looking forward to, I have to say that I have been let down by most of my picks. So far, the big budget action films this summer have all focused on explosions at the expense of even the slightest amount of story.

I fear that GI Joe will be no different.

FRANCL:
I'm not sure I'm really excited for either of these options this week. I fear that GI Joe is going to more closely resemble the recent onslaught of second-rate superhero movies, plus I wasn't a big G.I. Joe fan growing up (I tended towards the Ninja Turtles). When I see the previews, the guy in the camo parachute pants and 90's beret makes it hard for me to want to watch that fashion statement for two hours. However, I am a sucker for hi-tech weaponry, and I don't doubt this would be full of it. This is a movie I'll rent, but don't think I'd want to see in theaters.

URBAN:
With this in mind, Julie and Julia has been holding its own. It looks like something another blogger might be able to watch and enjoy.

FRANCL:
I actually think Julie & Julia is going to be a better movie top-to-bottom, mostly because I expect it'll have a story that a lot of people can relate to. I can't exactly relate to chasing down a corrupt arms dealer (GI Joe: Rise of Cobra), but I think we've all asked ourselves what we're going to do with our lives (Julie & Julia). That said, if I'm going to the theater, I want to see a movie that's going to be enhanced by the big screen, and that's definitely G.I. Joe. Also, if it's able to hit in the same vein as the first Transformers (another Hasbro collaboration) and less The Mummy Returns (also directed by Stephen Sommers), then it definitely has the upside potential.

What it comes down to is that I'm much more excited for the trifecta coming out next weekend: District 9, The Goods, and The Time Traveler's Wife, all of which I think have sleeper potential.

URBAN:
I will agree wholeheartedly with the first two for next week,,,,, but THE TIME TRAVELLER'S WIFE!!!!! No Way!!! When I saw the preview for that, the only thought that entered my mind was CREEPY! You could prominently hear people whispering the word "pedophile" to each other after seeing the opening part where adult Eric Bana tells that little girl that she would fall in love with him... That was just weird.

As for tomorrow, still undecided, so look for the review tomorrow morning.

Flashback Friday-3:10 to Yuma

2009-08-07T10:35:00.004-04:00

Infamous Outlaw Ben Wade and his vicious gang of thieves and murderers have plagued the Southern Railroad. When Wade is captured, Civil War veteran Dan Evans volunteers to deliver him alive to the "3:10 to Yuma," a train that will take the killer to trial. But with Wade's outfit on their trail-and dangers at every turn-the mission soon becomes a violent, impossible journey toward each man's destiny.--------from the back of the DVD case.

URBAN:
While it was really great to see a shoot'em up in the classical western form, several glaring flaws in the plot and character development really took away from what could have been a film that re-introduces the genre as a vehicle for great acting performances, film auteurism, and box office sucess. For the purposes of this review, the original 3:10 To Yuma from 1957 will be ignored in order judge this film.

To begin, the film looks really good. The sets, costumes, and backgrounds of Arizona canyons look absolutely real. I for one, would have played up the scenery with more wide shots of the surrounding nature in order to give more perspective regardingIf the relationships of important parts of the film (Dan Evan's ranch to the town of Bigsby, How the pass through Apache territory would save time, how far from the hotel to the railroad).

The relationship between Wade (Russel Crowe) and Dan Evans (Christian Bale) along with several members of his family is sufficiently interesting to keep one's attention throughout the entirety of the film. The two go round after round examining each other's reasons for making the choices that they have made; Wade for becoming a murderer and stagecoach robber, Evans for accepting $200 to become a part of the posse that takes Wade to the train that will take him to prison. If the film had been made up entirely of this relationship, punctuated with running gun battles, the film would have been much improved. By the way, the gun battles involved are typical western fare, and yet, quite exciting, especially when the stagecoach defends itself with a gatling gun. In this same vein, the film was at its best for only a few seconds. (spoiler warning) These were the moments when Wade shoots members of his own outfit. They are totally unexpected, and the camera focuses on the violence for just a second longer than the viewer expects. These scenes really make the film.

On the other hand, the plot really doesn't do a lot of justice to this kind of story and these kinds of actors. Four flaws, which deal primarily with the plot of the film, really bring this film down. First, I have no idea why the Hollanders burn down Dan Evans's barn. If they wanted him off the land so badly, there were a number of more subtle things that they could have done in order to necessitate his departure. Second, as much as I am for gratuitous sex and violence, some of it within this film takes away from the story. Wade's tryst with Emmy Nelson serves only to provide the filmmakers an excuse for why he was caught. After shooting one of his gang members for "weakness" it doesn't make any sense for him to be caught for an even more blatant discretion. Along the lines of gratuitous violence, Bryan Mcelroy (Peter Fonda) has no real function other than to be hit, shot, kicked, and then thrown over a cliff, without the downshot depicting the dead man at the bottom which we have all come to know and love. You could also throw the entire sections involving the Apache Indians into this category of unnecessary. Finally, at the end of the film, Ben changes his character completely, deciding to board the train, only to communicate that it is no real sacrifice to do so. This change, like the previously mentioned portions, does not have sufficient reason. The filmmakers here do not provide the necessary foreshadowing necessary in order to portray changes of this type. For this reason, the lack of evidence on all fronts, the film fails to become a great film, though it is quite entertaining at times.

URBAN: Recommended

Funny People-Revisited

2009-08-06T11:12:00.006-04:00

URBAN:
You might have noticed that for a couple of months there hasn't been as much back and forth on this site. Here's an attempt to fix that.

Chase Francl has given his Five Favorite Films on this site, and here is a chance to see what he thinks about a recent film. If you want to compare it to my thoughts on the film click here.

FRANCL:
I really didn’t know what to make of this movie. It felt like it couldn’t decide whether to be a comedy, romance, drama, or buddy movie, so it ultimately succeeded at being none of these things. It had no identity.

I caught myself looking at my watch with about 20 minutes to go, not so much out of boredom, but because I just couldn’t figure out where it was headed. It was actually building up to be a good movie about friendship, but then there was the one-hour romantic interlude that was relevant, but somehow didn’t quite fit. To me, this movie fell somewhere between a biography (where you expect some stuff that doesn’t adhere to a true story-telling mold) and a buddy movie.

The movie also wasn’t as funny as I’d expected. It struck me that throughout the film, there wasn’t a single moment that the entire audience burst out with laughter. I certainly enjoyed parts of it, but it wasn’t memorable stuff, and it didn’t have those lines that are going to carry it into posterity. The swearing also became so tiresome that it lost the comedic effect that a well-placed curse can sometimes bring.

I actually liked the cameos, even that of Eminem. Maybe if they had let him direct the movie, they would’ve taken his suggestion and found an ending that really worked.

The movie did have plenty of upside, though. Going in, I honestly thought there was no way Sandler could effectively play the terminal illness card, and instead he played it to perfection. He and Rogen also played off each other well, and Rogen’s character was one of the more endearing I’ve seen this year. It was truly enjoyable watching him evolve from beginning to end.

It’s always interesting to see how characters handle an impending death. Sandler certainly makes you feel the emotion of it, but we were cheated out of the breadth of what it really brings. Sure there’s going to be a long list of “what if’s” and some fear when you know you’re probably going to die, but I don’t think they mined this as deeply as they could have. I wanted to see more of the intrapsychic material.

The supporting characters were marginal at best. Jonah Hill steals the show when he’s on screen, and Eric Bana’s fleeting character is wildly entertaining, albeit a little unbelievable.

In the end, I thought seeing Sandler and Rogen on screen together was enough to barely salvage the movie. It becomes apparent early on that this isn’t going to be your typical comedy, so once you shift your mindset to that, there are some really enjoyable parts. I wouldn’t recommend this movie to the casual moviegoer, but it fills a niche.

FRANCL: Not recommended.

Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Baseball Movies For Kids

2009-08-04T07:39:00.011-04:00

Yes, the boys of summer will continue to grind out their regular season for another 2months, but baseball for kids is probably at the point where the championships are being played. Here's to all of them and the parents that make it happen.

5. Angels in the Outfield-

This film equates escape from a seriously painful issue with miracles. This one is good only if you feel that the pain of others is your single method of catharsis. I can't stand it, but it has been fairly popular and a lot of people seem to think it is good for kids.

4. Bad News Bears (The new version)-

This is Bad Santa with baseball. The first part of this is pretty funny if you are a 20 something and can imagine yourself in your current state being saddled with responsibility that you don't care about. Eventually though, the coach's principles do shine through and teach a good lesson.

3. Rookie of the Year-

You might not believe it, but in this one a young pitcher for the Cubs burns his arm out in the clutch. A prophecy directed toward the future of Kerry Wood. Tom Milanovich as the antagonist really makes this one shine. He's a total ringer for John Kruk.

2. Little Big League-

One of the few baseball movies that actually focuses on baseball strategy. I like that the kid has no amazing ability. He's just smart (and well connected). It's also nice to see a movie where the good guys don't magically win the pennant.

1. The Sandlot-

No surprise here. The characters are great, the scenes are funny and quite memorable. There really is no one comparable to Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez as a hero. He is the Odysseus in this mythical story. Its ones like this that make you wish that kids organized their own games instead of adults.

The Hurt Locker

2009-08-03T18:17:00.008-04:00

Kathryn Bigelow directs this war movie that is short on staged battles but big on suspense. Sergeant First Class (SFC) James (Jeremy Renner) takes over an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad after their previous leader is taken by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). James is a good deal more reckless than his successor and the action stems primarily from this, as well as the ever-present hazards of the terrain.

URBAN:
After all of the rave reviews and best film of the year talk, I was expecting this film to provide the summarizing thesis of the Iraq War - A key to grant an understanding of why, what should have been done, that nevertheless endears the viewer to the servicemen who wage this war.

Instead, the film has much more to do with war in general; seen through the particular details of this war. In doing so, it subtly makes a point that will take some time to tease out, but will ultimately provide some of the most remembered images and tensest/darkest meanings of the war.

This film comes as a welcome breath of fresh air for no other reason than that it maintains internal consistency and coherency. The first screen of the film contains with the phrase "War is a Drug". The words eventually fade out and only that phrase remains. This becomes the central tool for understanding the motivations of the characters and of the film as a whole.

The adrenaline rush is the fix that drives these characters. There are really only three: SFC (E-7) James, Sergeant (SGT, E-5) Sanborn, and Specialist (SPC, E-4) Eldridge. Each participates in the adrenaline rush to a different degree and it becomes apparent that SFC James is far and away the biggest junkie of the group. He feeds off of danger, especially the kind that is found while in his bomb suit, separated from the group, and alone with his life-or-death decisions in defusing explosive ordnance.

It is in these situations that the film looks its best. Crane shots that depict the scale of the setting and the isolation of the character compliment the war as a drug interpretation.

At other levels the interpretation stays consistent as well. SGT Sanborne loves the adrenaline, but worries that his draw to it will hurt his chances at promotion, and at life. SPC Eldridge deals with the other side of the rush. He clearly prefers the safety of prescribed work and taking orders, but in his talk with an Army doctor (mental health) he draws his superior in to the fray by relying on the "you have to go outside the wire to understand me" defense. The Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Doctor, drawn to the thrill and the status it brings, goes out on a mission but doesn't come back.

From my perspective, as someone in the Army, the film may miss in several tactical areas but more than makes up for it by nailing the feel and the mood. First, the most obvious issue is that trucks never travel alone in country. There will always be at least 3 or 4 in a convoy. The second is that the rank of E-7 is very difficult to come by. I know that my platoon sergeant would neither be breaking the rules by drinking downrange or fraternizing with his men. He definitely wouldn't have been the one taking the outrageous risks. At the same time, the strong feelings, the physicality, the empowering of junior soldiers to make difficult decisions, these all seem to ring very true.

Overall, as described above, the film looks great and the form is matched to the content really well. I sometimes felt that the camera panned too quickly and too often in some cases. These scenes generally were accompanied by a fuzziness and blurring of the picture. Eventually I came to understand this blurriness as a sort of visual clue that helps the viewer relate to the confusion present on the battlefield. The only shots I disagreed with was the slow motion shot of the sniper rifle casings hitting the ground. This seemed to directly copy the slow motion casings falling from the helicopter on Black Hawk Down. Not only was it a copy, but it stood out because it was only used that once. It didn't fit the rest of the film's gritty and real-time telling of the story.

This review could go on and on. The few areas of failing really only stand out because the rest of the film is so good. I will end the review by saying that the film is tense throughout and even channels the dark comedy of Catch-22 with a running count of the days left in the deployment and the macabre joke runs full circle when the last scene is viewed. At this point the message of the film becomes overtly simple, just like Snowden's secret.

URBAN: Highly Recommended

Funny People

2009-08-02T17:29:00.008-04:00

Judd Apatow, in his third written and directed feature, extends his range and discovers that death and stand-up comedy are more than enough to carry a film.

URBAN: I wasn't disappointed, but in the end, it didn't deliver the punch and the flush that his other films did.

This film is a bit difficult to review. It was extremely broad. The funniest parts were the stand-up routines and the most artistic parts,,,, well, they just weren't there. Suffice it to say, that in summation, it goes along pleasantly until Marshall Mathers shows up.

By incorporating the stand-up routines as a major storyline, Apatow hamstrings the great strength of his writing- the comedic give and take between his characters. Don't get me wrong, the Jonah Hill one-liners are still there, but they fall flat compared to the dynamic stand-up performance that he gives.

The story is not too long, but it seems so because of the editing. The plot line that tells the story of George (Sandler) and "the one that got away" could have been cut into the rest of the story in a way that didn't make it seem like it was 'added'.

I might be going out on a limb here, but I felt that the other two Apatow films were much more aware of their content and because of this the form was much easier to match. This point is best understood by thinking of two specific images.

1. In The 40 Year Old Virgin, the shot of the room from the floor up after his friends have cleared all of the "nerdy" things from his room

2. Knocked Up, the entire birth scene and the images of Seth Rogen and Heigl together in the car and the crane shot that shows their place on the feeway.

Both of these do a great job of capturing the characters, the mood, and the message that these films carry-and they do so in a way that provides that feel-good moment that so many look for in a film experience.

This film, as much as it is about death, is also about stand-up comedy. This theme, opposed to romanticism and the beauty of life, does not provide that same feeling. The most appropriate shots in this film are the furtive glances that Simmons sends to his lover and the conversation that Simmons and Eminem have at Simmon's "I made it" party. They both speak of futility and unmet expectations-

The same ones that I had for this film.

URBAN: Recommended, but its not the same type of comedy that you would expect from Apatow.

Flashback Friday-Michael Clayton

2009-07-31T10:23:00.005-04:00

From now on there will be a new feature called Flashback Friday. It will include a review, or a short piece on a film from the recent past that didn't get reviewed on this site or possibly even another look at a film that was reviewed here and how the experience of the film has changed.

Michael Clayton-

This one is going to be short. Michael Clayton wants to be The Insider, Thank You For Smoking, and Changing Lanes at the same time. This ultra morality tale about the immorality of lawyers???? it doesn't make for a very interesting movie. Seriously,,,,, I wanted to like it, but it was very boring. George Clooney was the only bright spot. Am I wrong about this? Usually I like these kind of dramas, but this one seemed too disjointed, too reliant on the father son relationships--between Michael Clayton and his son, and also between Clayton and his own father-figure. It seemed contrived and I actually cringed when I heard Clooney repeat the line, "I am Shiva the God of Death"-----melodramatic.

I don't know, I usually don't just completely pan a film because I don't like it just out of respect for all of the work that was put into it, and in this case,,,, the academy nominations and wins at the Oscars. It just seemed too drawn out.

Also, enough with the putting the end at the beginning. Seriously?

Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Adam Sandler Films

2009-07-28T18:25:00.004-04:00

In order to recognize Adam Sandler's participation in this week's Funny People (that I am really looking forward to), we are going to go ahead and name the Top 5 Adam Sandler films.

5. Punch Drunk Love-

Sandler's first attempt at serious acting on a wide scale. Sandler took his time and picked a good script with a great director (Paul Thomas Anderson) to launch his attempt to break the mold of comedies that he was in. It worked out in ways that few would have predicted as Sandler went on to gain a number of awards for his performance. This film is also a wonderful take on the characters that Sandler often plays,,, especially in the top two films on this list.

4. Airheads-

In this film, Sandler plays Pip the pool cleaner, who is also the drummer in The Lone Rangers. While not the best vehicle for Adam Sandler, this is still a great movie that takes advantage of the persona that would eventually comprise the Billy Madison character.

3. Spanglish-

Probably my favorite serious acting performance by Sandler. This film seems to be full of real people and it does a good job of trying to tell a multicultural story in the heart of the region that depends on it the most. One of the few Sandler films that actually deals with pain and you can't help but feel that his performance is the primary influence that really brings it home to the viewer.

2. Happy Gilmore-

What can you say about this one. It is very funny, the characters are memorable, and the action is frantic. There are too many memorable parts in this one to count. I can't believe that so many good actors were able to find ways to be funny in a relatively simple film.

1. Billy Madison-

To be completely honest, there are parts in the first half of this film that I find so annoying that I almost can't stand it. There are other parts that are simply comedic genius. The line after his teacher tells the story of the puppy and the exchange between Madison and the bus driver (Chris Farley) are some of the funniest things that I have ever seen. This film is completely lowbrow, but it is also the film that gained Sandler his first following and will probably stay relevant and funny for quite some time.

The Ugly Truth

2009-07-26T10:46:00.006-04:00

Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl star in this ultra-formulaic romantic comedy about a seemingly mismatched pair that realize they are perfect for each other after an hour and half on screen.

URBAN: The funniest part of this film was the preview for the upcoming film Old Dogs.

The basic story of the film is that Gerard Butler plays a misogynistic exterior with a secret heart of gold who tells the ugly truth about what both sexes really want. Katherine Heigl plays a blond version of Charlotte from Sex And The City. They both work for a morning television show that attempts to deviate from a Good Morning America with a more edgy format.

Of course, the two don't hit if off so well, but after Butler helps her to get a date with the man of her dreams, Heigl becomes much more open to life's possibilities and possibility that her idealistic view of the world may be incorrect. Butler effects a similar change on the staff of the show, revitalizing a marriage with his open and frank discussion of sex and gender roles.

Of course, before long Heigl and Butler have fallen for each other. The only obstacle to their relationship is the blossoming one that he helped create for his coworker. This crisis is narrowly averted as Heigl realizes that she has become a different person, per Butler's advice, in order to win the heart of the dashing gentleman. It is hard for the viewer to realize this though. Other than the hair extensions, the change really doesn't come through.

The film has a fundamental fallacy that I just couldn't overlook. The ugly truth that Butler constantly refers to in the film is that relationships just aren't worth it. Love is an unrealistic goal that should be replaced by lust. In the end though, this bit of advice is ignored and replaced by the true love he feels for Heigl. I never really believed him anyway.

As you can probably see, the film isn't believable. The most fake scene of all is an attempt to evoke the famous orgasm scene from When Harry Met Sally. Clearly, the director attempts to mute the performance. It was surprising to me that this was the scene in a rated-R comedy that the director chose to pull punches. I guess that the ugly truth in this case was just too much to handle.

URBAN: Not Recommended

Summer Of The Limited Release

2009-07-25T11:20:00.006-04:00

Last Year, there were only a few limited release films that I was unable to see because of my geography. Mongol, a 2007 film made the rounds last summer, and I eventually was able to view it in Cleveland while on vacation. Son Of Rambow was another that I was looking forward to, but it never came to a theater in my region.

This summer is even more of the same, with In The Loop, The Hurt Locker, and 500 Days of Summer, all as limited release pictures.

It begs the question: Why have all of the best reviewed films this summer not been given a wide release?

The answer of course, is economics. Film studios license certain films for a run specific geographic areas. They do this because in most cases, these films were made for less money and the studios don't want to spend a lot of money to distribute a film that may only have earning potential in major markets. In some cases, after a film has made enough to cover the cost of its production, it is then given a wide release. This is usually only done when studio executives believe that the film has garnered enough attention to earn a major profit. The best example of this, is probably last year's Slumdog Millionaire.

Luckily, 500 Days of Summer will be in Kansas City next week. The Hurt Locker just got here after nearly a month in an even smaller list of select cities. Hopefully, the rest of the great films this summer will be given a wider release at some point or make enough money to be given the full treatment in every theater in America.

Observe And Report

2009-07-23T18:02:00.003-04:00

I watched and wrote this review a few months ago, but didn't exactly know how or what, to think and write about it. The themes of the film are so convoluted, that any review is likewise unorganized.

This movie isn’t very funny. It is more than a little frightening though. The basic premise is simple. Seth Rogen is Ronny, a security guard (chief of mall security) who takes his job way too seriously. He lusts after a girl who works at the department store makeup counter (Anna Faris). The mall is plagued by a streaker.

I will be the first to admit that I didn’t really ‘get’ this movie, if there is a giant joke looming in the background. I have this sneaking suspicion though, that there isn’t a joke at all. Even if there was, the plot is flimsy, the characters aren’t endearing, and the only real drama comes from a perceived conflict in Ronny’s mind between himself and the real cops. The thing is, Ronny is literally crazy. About halfway through the film the viewer realizes that Ronny has stopped taking the medication for his bi-polar syndrome. The rest of the zaniness that would normally pass for laughs loses its punch. I hardly even want to touch on the issue of date-rape, which is trampled over and (just) barely avoided in this film.

I guess the real reason that I could not understand this movie is the disparate images and themes that the film refers to.

What do Red, Hot, American Summer, Jerry Maguire, Fight Club, and Dazed And Confused have in common? Thematically, nothing. What they do have in common is that all of these films have scenes that are replicated in detail by Director Jody Hill during Observe and Report. The first of these scenes takes place near the end of the film when Ronny first faces the fact that most of the issues are really in his mind. As a result, we see him and another mall security guard going on a drug fueled rampage, ending with Ronny watching as his friend injects heroin into his arm in a bathroom stall (RHAM). Near the end, Hill attempts to conjure three different images from three very different films the final scene of impending doom set to the Trixies’ “Where’s My Mind” (Fight Club), the line “fuck you, fuck you, fuck every one of you” (spoken by O’Bannion in Dazed And Confused), and the raise your hand in triumph even though you are confronted by a large group of people who want you to leave (Jerry Maguire).

See what I mean, these film references, like the rest of the film, doesn't have any coherency.

The only thing this film does have going for it is excellent fight choreography. Unlike many recent superhero films (The Watchmen immediately comes to mind), the fight scenes in this film pull no punches. Ronny fights off a large group of policemen with a maglight and the viewer gets to see it all. No jerky cameras that look away and definitely no too short cuts that confuse. Every swing is catalogued and even looks a little bit messy, like one would expect a real brawl to look like.

Urban: Not Recommended

Listless Tuesdays: 5 Most Quotable Films

2009-07-21T14:42:00.005-04:00

Listless Tuesdays-Top 5 Most Quotable Films

One of the things that I noticed making this list, was that there were several films that came because of great quotations, although when I tried, I realized I couldn’t really remember that many of them because they were too long. Fight Club was specifically one of these films, full of great lines, but too long to remember. American Psycho definitely fits into this description as well.

5. Snatch-

When you have an amateur boxing promoter with an eye for the obvious, a gangster with a penchant for dictionary definitions, and a gypsy boxer with an almost unintelligible accent, you have Snatch. Guy Ritchie does his best to copy Quentin Tarantino and this is his best attempt. The storylines are intertwined, a la Pulp Fiction, and all of the characters have tons of attitude. Memorable and very funny.
“How long for those sausages, Turkish?”
“Two minutes”
“It was two minutes, five minutes ago!”

4. Pulp Fiction-

Every line that Jules has in this film is quotable. His conversations with Vincet are among the greatest of all time. I can never get over how incensed that Jules is when he asks for his wallet and Ringo doesn’t know which one to grab. “It’s the one that says Bad Motherfucker!”
Personally, the best quotations in this film are supplied by the Wolf.
“That’s about 30 minutes away. I’ll be there in 10”

3. Blue Velvet-

While this film doesn’t have the volume of quotables found in Snatch or Pulp Fiction, it more than makes up for it with forcefulness. Nearly all the quotable lines in the film are supplied by the legendary Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper). This film is completely bizarre and the quotations are amazing.
“You know what a love letter from me is????? It’s a bullet from a fucking gun”
It also has the greatest quotation having to do with beer.
“Heineken!!!!!! Fuck that shit!!!!! Pabst Blue Ribbon!!!!!”

2. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy-

This film is amazing because it takes a world and parlance that is completely foreign to us and it never lets down. Burgundy’s cronies all have great lines but it is the legend himself that makes this great.
“My apartment is full of leather-bound books. It smells of rich mahogany.”

1. The Big Lebowski-

The dude, Walter, Donny, the Big Lebowski, Brent, Bunny, the Nihilists, Jackie Treehorn, Jesus, all of the cops, the limo driver, the taxi driver, the brother seamus, and even Maude. Every single person has a hilarious line in this film.
“Fucking Nazi’s”
“Were they Nazi’s?
“Come on, Donny, they were threatening castration. Are we going to split hairs here?”
“No, they were Nihilists, they said they believed in nothing.”
“Nihilists, well fuck me. Say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, at least its an ethos.”

I had to end it there, because the very next line, “And a, keeping a, amphibious rodent…. that aint legal either” just leads into another great quotation.

Summer Blockbuster Update

2009-07-19T12:13:00.005-04:00

Most Disappointing film of the summer thus far?

URBAN: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

I agree that it is sometimes nice to watch a movie that is less engaging, but this film goes entirely in the opposite direction. I just hope that one of the adventure movies this summer comes close to the success achieved in Ironman/Dark Knight last summer. I'm afraid that GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra is going to be a joke.

Best Film of the summer thus far?

Star Trek

Star Trek was good. The story, characters and action were interesting and fun, but it was too dependent on time travel and its paradoxes while avoiding serious themes that are required for a film to make a lasting impression.

In an odd way, I believe that it is going to be the films that aren't blockbusters. The Hangover impressed and 500 Days of Summer has been reviewed really well and I am really looking forward to Funny People. I don't quite know what to make of the upcoming District 9, which is produced by Peter Jackson. The advertising so far has caused ambivalence. On one hand, it looks Verhoevenish and counter-culture. On the other hand, the aliens seem really corny. Who knows?

Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Golf Movies

2009-07-17T18:01:00.009-04:00

In a tribute to the British Open and summer, this week's list is going to be released a little bit later than a Tuesday. It was interesting in compiling this list to note how many were comedies.

5. Caddyshack II-

What can I say? There aren't that many golf movies.

4. The Legend of Bagger Vance-

Directed by Robert Redford it is a unique film that perfectly demonstrates "The Thing and the Other Thing" school of storytelling. It was based on a book by Steven Pressfield, best known for his atrocious novel Gates of Fire. One of the really great things about this film is actually the soundtrack which is filled with some really great entries from early 1930's jazz.

3. Caddyshack-

This one really doesn't need an explanation. Harold Ramis hits this one out of the park in one of the funniest and dirtiest movies of the period. The Baby Ruth in the pool, the playing through scene, and Bill Murray's attempts to catch the moles are all hilarious.

2. Happy Gilmore-

A lot of people will look at the rise in popularity that golf achieved at the end of the 90's and give all of the credit to Tiger Woods. While this is surely true, I think that both golf and Tiger benefited from the popularity of this Adam Sandler vehicle. This film also started the trend of sports comedies that feature a prominent actor in an individual sport (as opposed to a team), which has been taken to the limit by Will Ferrell. Adam Sandler went on a nice little run of funny movies that were named after the lead character.

1. Tin Cup-

One of the finest Kevin Costner films. You have to love the "going for it" mentality. I don't know why, but to me,the combination of the comeback story and the fact that Costner really nails his roles in sports movies makes this highly inspirational fare.

The 400 Blows

2009-07-14T12:34:00.003-04:00

Urban:
Truffaut's The 400 Blows is a cinematic experience. The story revolves around the tale of Antoine Doinel and his life as an adolescent in the city of Paris during the 1950's. The story owes a lot to Salinger as Antoine faces difficulty with discipline at home and at school.

Truffaut is said to be one of the originators of French "New Wave" Cinema, along with Jean Luc-Godard. These two are also credited with ownership of the "auteur" theory of film criticism. With these things in mind, The 400 Blows is obviously a film that focuses more on the telling of the story, than the story itself.

By this comment, I mean to say that the story, while brilliantly rendered, functions primarily as a vehicle for the filmmaker to demonstrate his ability to render beautiful shot compositions that are also technically sound, organically place allusions, and also to stretch the limits of cinema style from the period.

The film is shot beautifully. The film's credits roll along with a rolling shot of the city of Paris. Throughout the film, Truffaut attempts to display beautiful subjects, from Antoine's mother, to the brilliant architecture of Paris, in their natural poses. As a native of these things would be used to viewing them. To do so, instead of simply profiling these subjects, he portrays them at work, in the natural hustle and bustle of everyday life. Usually these shots are long tracking shots from a crane, following an individual or small group as they progress through the streets toward a destination, stopping to interact or accomplish tasks along the way.

The film is also full of allusions. Truffaut, in interviews from the period mentions his love affair with all types of cinema, and watching this film is also an object lesson. The most striking allusion that I picked up was the nearly constant framing of the city's neon lights, framing most, but not all of the letters in the picture, and then panning back slightly to include most,,, but still not all of the neon sign. The same practice is done in Citizen Kane, most notably on the sign above the lounge where Susan Alexander is interviewed. The scenes within the apartment all bear a strong resemblance to Hollywood versions of stage plays. A Streetcar Named Desire is obviously a strong influence here. On top of these "classic" film references, Truffaut pushes his allusions even further, into areas not usually referenced in serious film. Many of the scenes, especially those in the classroom, refer as far back as the silent film era with the slapstick jokes and pranks of children. These jokes, the less than covert passing of notes and grabbing of another's objects, do not require words. In fact, these jokes are never told with words within the film. They are just there, as slight gags, allusions to a past that is clearly present. The most notable and best example of this technique is done as the gym teacher leads the children on a run through the streets. As he moves from street to street a few children bleed off to cut class at every turn. By the time he realizes what is happening, only a few children remain.

As much as this film is built upon the tradition of past filmmakers, the film is quite significantly an example of French New Wave cinema. To begin, the last two scenes of the film radically depart from the linear storytelling of most of the film. Antoine's running is filmed from a moving platform that is moving at the same pace. The shot lasts 1:18 and it does an excellent job of depicting the long life of running that Antoine faces. The other ending scene that is a dramatic departure from cinema of the period is the ending. Instead of the "Hollywood" ending, complete with loving embrace and smile, Antoine looks from the surf with a look of complete realization of his past/position/future. The film ends there.

The 400 Blows is a film that was initially considered controversial because of the subject matter. The film openly discusses adultery, abortion, and abusive authority/child reform. Even more, it does not shy away from relating the possible ramifications of these subjects upon children. Today, however, the film has become notable because of the way that this story was told. By fully participating in the past and then pushing the boundaries recently explored Truffaut was able to participate in his vision of film auteur, rendering cinematic beauty along the way.

Bruno

2009-07-11T20:23:00.007-04:00

Sacha Baron Cohen returns to play the second of his personalities, Bruno- a gay, Austrian, fashionista who leaves for America in an attempt to achieve fame after a career-ending mistake forced him off of his Australian television show.

URBAN: A tour of the United States with another Sacha Baron Cohen creation.

If you liked Borat, then you will like this one as well. The humor is the same. Many of the jokes are of the same nature. The humor is a little less biting, but the big operatic ending to this story is even farther over the top.

At its worst, Borat was simply funny in a completely offensive way. At its best, it played this amazing joke on American consciousness, forcing us to question if we are who we say we are. On a stranger note, viewers had to contend with an unquestionable glee regarding the discomfort of those on the screen. This film goes even further, punking with a glee, and this time the target is not only the anonymous, but is able to get a number of big time celebrities as well.

Cohen's jokes do not only focus on gay jokes,,, although visual humor of the sort is definitely the staple. Questions of fame, parenthood, marriage, and migrant furniture create situations that bring back the biting humor and social satire that typifies Borat/Bruno/Ali G at his best.

For the finale (its not exactly the end of the movie, but it should be), Bruno seems to have mastered his homosexuality. As an effort to communicate this he hosts a UFC fight night, complete with octagon cage, barbed wire, and screaming redneck fans. The result is completely over the top and is the single moment in the film which will polarize viewers. It is able to do sot to, because many people who go to this film will see themselves as the characters on the screen.

Public Enemies

2009-07-11T18:20:00.005-04:00

Michael Mann directs this gangster-era throwback with his trademarked style. He also makes good use of his star power which is supplied in great volume by Johnny Depp and Christian Bale.

URBAN: Public Enemies was on my list as one of the films that I was most looking forward to this summer and I have to say that this is one that didn't disappoint-however-it doesn't overwhelm either.

In all of his films-Michael Mann, most well known for his work on the Miami Vice television series, has created a distinct cinematic signature. Lots of shots of guys riding in boats with the wind blowing through their hair. Lots of quick shots of dark interiors, serious people giving each other serious, but telling looks. And lots and lots of scenes shot at night that combine both of the above against neon lights. This style made Collateral a really cool and underrated film. This same combination taken to the extreme made a really cool looking but unintelligible story on the film version of Miami Vice. This same style really doesn't translate well to the 1930's.

For one thing, most of the action takes place in the bleakest parts of Indiana or in the wilds of Wisconsin. Not exactly the cool neon/noir places that take advantage of Mann's style. Prohibition Chicago is the focal point of the film, but the only scenes that really play up the glitz are the final scenes near the movie theater.

Johnny Depp has a lot of charisma, playing John Dillinger pretty straight. It was an odd choice, for an actor who has become famous for putting outrageous spins on the characters that he plays. He makes it work by focusing on the parts of Dillinger that appeal to the audience (moviegoers and bank goers alike). He does so by playing all the time as Dillinger supposedly was in public-image conscious and highly professional. Christian Bale comes across as a convincing lawman who not only wants to succeed, but also to do so in the right way. In other reviews, I have read that some were impressed by Billy Crudup's sendup of Jay Edgar Hoover, and his radio ready voice from the era. I felt that it was forced and seemed out of place considering that most of his speeches were with only one listener or while talking on the phone.

In my summer preview I mentioned that I loved films like this, where the ending is never in doubt, because it allows the filmmaker and the viewer to focus on the telling of the story, rather than the story itself. This film, in its second half, does an impressive job of tightening the moral framework. From here, Dillinger is not only the smooth criminal, but also clearly devoted to his girlfriend and keeping his promises. At the same time, it is apparent that his attention and devotion primarily cause pain in the lives of those with whom he associates. This apparent contradiction comes alive for the viewer as well when the FBI declares its "war on crime". Clearly, the public (and moviegoers) would like to end crime, but what lengths would we be willing to go to eradicate it? In the film, the attention and increased devotion of law enforcement eventually completes its goal of catching the public enemies. This same attention and devotion lead to many accidental deaths and interrogation techniques that are difficult to accept. It forces one to ask the question of whether or not the achievement of the goal is worth it.

Director Mann has created an interesting and entertaining film that is built from a solid foundation of epic characters and great actors. His film takes on serious ethical concerns as well as asking questions regarding the nature of fame in this country. He does all of this while maintaining his very individual signature. Unfortunately, the film does not do an excellent job of combining these two elements. Ultimately, I think that the film does a great job of telling the story and grabbing the attention of viewers, but fails in that its style would be best fitted in a different time,,, or at least a different place during that time. The quick moving camera, suffused with multiple shots and quite a bit of hand-held work would be much better fitted to flashy documentary or a crime/heist film with an ensemble cast. The style and substance do not match. The result is that the viewer is left wanting more. It feels like something is missing. This style of filming is made for individuals walking through dark clubs, members of a team getting ready to make the move they have been planning the whole movie, fight off a last attack. None of these things happen. Instead, these characters face down the effects of their actions and the hero of the film.... he dies ignominiously, not in a hail of gunfire breaking out of prison, but by being shot in the head as he leaves the cinema.

URBAN: Recommended

Readers Respond: 5 Favorite Films with Matt Balach

2009-07-01T18:11:00.001-04:00

Readers Respond-5 Favorite Films with Matt Balach

You may know him from the TV show, "Fixing Cars With Matt Balach". He's an executive officer in the United States Army and a beast in the weightroom. It's Matt Balach and these are his 5 favorite films.

5. Star Wars IV: A New Hope

This film started the franchise. It's fun, easily the most fun movie in this series. Not over ethically indulgent as some of the others, very light hearted, and none of the scenes seem forced upon you.

4. Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan

This is a real step for the Star Trek series as it is the first film where one of the major characters dies. Ricardo Montalban is a great enemy that is actually a little bit frightening. The subplot about Will Shatner getting old is extremely interesting and Kirstie Alley is hot! I also just love it when Chekov says "Wessels"

3. The Godfather

"I'm a very powerful man". Need I say more? The montage scene here is probably the greatest I have ever seen. Quotes, I love the quotes in this movie. When Santucchi drives out to kill Paulie, "Leave the gun. Take the Cannoli."

2. Tombstone

"You'll have to excuse me if I don't shake hands". Very topical considering the swine flu epidemic. It's better than Wyatt Earp, another film about the gunslinger. It's a great mix of violence with a thoughtful story. Oh yeah, Dana Delany is hot!

1. Pulp Fiction

Do I have to say anything about this one? Most quotable movie ever, especially the apartment scene. Quentin Tarantino is my favorite director and it revived the career of John Travolta.

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

2009-06-26T23:17:00.008-04:00

Michael Bay directs the second installment of the Transformers series. The Decepticons are back to revive their leader and their designs on the entire planet. Of course, Optimus Prime will do everything he can to save Sam Witwicky and the rest of the human race.

URBAN: I almost left after the first 45 minutes. After that, there is a rebound, but it still contains at least 2 big blunders.

This film contains essentially the same overall framework as the first Transformers film.

1. It begins with a flashback to a prior earth visit by the Decepticons
2. Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) acts nervous around girls
3. Robots Enter
4. Robots and military destroy several large set pieces
5. Optimus Prime gives a motivational voice over

The main differences are that this one is much longer and that the focus changes from the human characters to the transformers/technology.

To be completely honest, I almost left the theater after the first 45 minutes. It is seriously that bad. Maybe it's the Terminator 3 style girlfriend, maybe its the tired "I'm nervous around girls" bit that LaBeouf does, but my money is that the biggest problem with this movie is Michael Bay's ridiculous need to appease the younger crowd as evidenced by his taste in humor. This film has some funny lines that complement the action quite well. For the most part, John Turturro handles the funny role quite well, but Bay has unfortunately also seen it fit to include to wisecracking robots who are clearly racist stereotypes. It is not their accents that are necessarily negative, (a la Jar Jar Binks) but rather the gold teeth and illiteracy.

These are only the major issues that occur within the first 45 minutes (out of 150). There are two issues which occur near the end of the film that were simply laughable. The first is the Heaven's gate vision which occurs as Sam (LaBeouf) lies dead in the sand. Sam's vision is of the robot ancestors. They tell him how to use the Matrix of Leadership (MOS). Yes, the secret to saving our planet is the Matrix of Leadership (I know it is from the comic book, but it is the dorkiest name ever). This is the second laughable issue that this film raises at the end of the film, where it should be reaching its peak.

To be fair, there were some parts of the film that were worthy of recognition. The film did a good job of presenting its mythology. The mention of this mythology is one of the only things that holds the weak plot together, and is probably the only thing would draw me to another sequel in this series. This film also did a much better job that the first entry in portraying the robot vs. robot violence. In the first film it was often quite difficult to identify the robots as they battled (the quick cuts didn't help). This shortcoming is corrected by depicting all of the Autobots in bright colors and all of the Decepticons in gray. The only time that I had trouble differentiating between the two groups of robots was during the battle between the US military as they attempted to defend the village against the Decepticons.

The first film worked because it was able to portray interesting characters and make the viewer care about their story. In this film, it seems that director Bay has attempted to switch this strategy around. Here, the human characters; Sam, girlfriend, roomate, family and the military characters are not featured as prominently as the robots and military technology (well, maybe the girlfriend was). What I mean by this is to say that the most compelling parts of this film all had to do with the robot characters. The fight scene where Optimus Prime defends Sam against 3 Decepticons and eventually sacrifices himself is the only part that draws any true emotion. Likewise, the United States military, which seemed woefully underpowered against the Decepticons in the first film, has upgraded their firepower in order to provide a reliable option.

In closing, this film, like the first looks good on the screen. It has great effects with fights between robots and dips into an interesting mythology. Even with several things going for it, the film just fails miserably on several key points,,,,, points that really aren't necessary for this film to succeed. In reality, I believe that the best use of this film is to explain the need for our full-fledged support of General Motors.

Think about it...

The world is being threatened (the recession) by a small parasitic group looking for energy (greedy Wall-Street executives). If we lend our support to the Autobots (General Motors) through the NEST agreement (Bailout) they will continue to protect us (from losing our automobile manufacturing jobs) and give us the Camaro (Consumer Society).

On a serious note, this film does seem to have a very clear and positive message on behalf of interventionist politics. It is too bad that this feature was not explored more prominently.

URBAN: Not Recommended

Coming Up, Friday June 26

2009-06-24T21:58:00.003-04:00

URBAN:
As you probably expected, this week it has got to be Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. This film hasn't been reviewed well, but it is still the biggest show in town, having already taken in $16 million at the box office.

The first edition in this franchise did a good job of making viewers take interest in the human characters, focusing on their story as a part of the larger robot mythology. Of course, director Michael Bay will be serving up plenty of explosions and effects that will be interesting. I just hope that the robot fight scenes come off a better this time around.

Terminator Salvation

2009-06-24T17:38:00.004-04:00

McG directs Christian Bale as John Connor in the fourth installment of the Terminator series.

URBAN: Extremely Kinetic, way better than T:3

URBAN:
This was one of the films that I was looking forward to this summer. Once again I am dissapointed, but only slightly this time. The film keeps the viewers interest with great action and pacing, but ultimately is a failure in the way it fails to add to the Terminator legend.

I don't know why this film got such terrible reviews. It probably had something to do with the dark themes and often frightening sequences involving dehumanizing mechanical forces (which visually recall the holocaust). While I thought the film had several shortcomings, these issues are largely personal and deal primarily with the lack of meta-arch information. One area that the film really hit on the head was the action. The opening sequence, especially the helicopter crash, all look outstanding and set the dark tone extremely well. Despite the focus on John Connor, the character of Marcus Wright is actually the most interesting and the one who drives most of the plot. With regard to the action, he provides important balance to the fight scenes, which would have been overwhelmingly just shots of Christian Bale getting a beat down.

More importantly, the character of Marcus Wright drives the plot forward and provides the only window through which the viewer can approach the key philosophical questions that the Terminator series brings to the table. His ability to fully reason and participate in human community-while also having a fully mechanized endo-skeleton, provide an interesting answer to the primary component of humanity.

The film fails to answer any of the questions regarding artificial intelligence or tell the history of the first battles between man and machine that provide the setting for all of the Terminator films. The unwillingness to share on these issues nearly forces this film into the same category as the completely derivative T:3. Despite the new, post-apocalyptic environment in which this film is set, it is only the new characters and the intense action which keep it out of this zone.

Alas, great action is reproduced and improved upon every summer. Five years from now the effects used in this film will begin to feel outdated (Check out The Matrix now and tell me the cg doesn't stand out). McG goes for the pure adrenaline rush and largely succeeds. Success of this kind doesn't directly correlate to any type of long lasting status. We will probably forget about it by the end of the summer.

URBAN: Recommended

Sony PSP Delivers on the smallest screen

2009-06-10T15:44:00.013-04:00

Urban: I'm back from the desert.

While this is not explicitly about movies, it does touch on a number of points along the distribution element of the film business. Portable formats are a viable format which will only continue to grow as the platform expands.

While sitting in a tent in the middle of the Mojave Desert I had the pleasure of watching Ridley Scott's Alien on the most recent edition of the Sony PSP. I was pleasantly surprised. The screen was wider than those offered by both Apple's iPod and Microsoft's Zune. The sound was an initial dissapointment, not containing the necessary volume to please a viewer of feature films containing copious amounts of conversation. This problem was overcome with a pair of headphones, which yielded surprisingly good sound across all levels.

The width of the screen approximated a viewing experience that at very least recalled a movie screen. Different lighting conditions are handled well by the PSP with an option that can change the amount of lighting behind the screen.

Currently, only the biggest movie releases are able to see the light of day in the UMD format that the PSP employs. Certain classics have been given the greenlight as well, but these focus on on only the biggest hits of the 80's and 90's and today (kind of like a radio station). True diversity and depth of film viewing is not offered by this platform and it is rumored that, despite their press, may be attempting to move away from the platform in the next generation of PSP.

This issue is minimized by the ability to play computer media files. The primary issue here has to do with memory. Watching a ripped DVD normally calls for 7-8 gb of memory, which must be purchased as a memory card when using the PSP.

2009-05-29T11:50:00.001-04:00

Due to a planned absence Lieutenant Urban will be unable to provide reviews. Expect us to be back with even better content and design in June.

Reader's Respond 5 Favorite Films with Chase Francl

2009-05-14T15:04:00.001-04:00

Reader's Respond- Top 5 Films

The quintessential Average Joe with a penchant for psychology, he possesses the unique skill to blame your mother for all of your problems. Chase Francl is a Hillsdale grad who’s headed to Washington, D.C. this fall to watch the world implode from the epicenter. But until then, these are his five favorite films.

5. Lions for Lambs

—An intriguing and surprisingly balanced look at the psychology and reality of war from contrasting perspectives. Breaking the mold of an explicitly left-leaning Hollywood, the movie explores the personal, political, and strategic difficulties simultaneously from differing perspectives, tempering theory with reality through the convergence of alternating plotlines. Also implicit is the tacit recognition of the goal of education as enabling students to think for themselves, rather than an indoctrination of professorial ideals.

4. Lord of the Rings Triology

—Coming from a die-hard Tolkein fan, this movie had me at “I amar prestart sen…” Despite its at-times significant divergence from the source text, Lord of the Rings is Hollywood-Blockbuster-Masterpiece at its best. Replete with characters, histories, and cinema-friendly battle scenes, the story itself redefines the fantasy/epic genre while the movie manages keep pace. A classic in every sense of the word.

3. Dumb & Dumber

—No explanation here is needed—Hands down the pound-for-pound funniest movie of the last two decades. Relying on the comedic brilliance of Jim Carrey in his prime, this film predates the sophomoric humor that defines much modern comedy and allows Carrey’s immense talent to take center stage. While the emergence of Will Farrell may now challenge Dumb & Dumber’s place among the all-time most quotable movies, this is the one comedy that dominated the genre throughout the 90’s and will forever remain one of the best.

2. Crash

—A movie that left me speechless for 20 minutes as the credits rolled and went to black, it’s a highly acclaimed film that more than lives up to its award show dominance. Examining the shades of grey that permeate racism and bigotry with more class than is expected of Lion’s Gate films, the movie steadily builds to an unexpected-yet-foreshadowed crescendo that feels neither contrived nor twisted. The interweaving of characters and plot lines is second to none, and the all-star cast allow their singular talents to be subjected to the overarching theme, culminating in the most thought-provoking movie I’ve seen to date.

1. The Matrix Trilogy

—Another film that makes you think twice next time you experience déjà vu, The Matrix wisely leverages Keanu Reeves’ innate cluelessness to their advantage as the awestruck-computer-geek-turned-savior of the not-so-free world. While the second movie does little except serve to bridge the vastly superior cinematic bookends, it reminds viewers that this is truly a sci-fi film in all its glory. Replete everything a movie-goer could ask for—a superior soundtrack, CGI well ahead of its time, cinematography that raised the bar, an underlying philosophy that is spookily plausible, and the redemptive theme that rings true to each of us—the Matrix Trilogy single-handedly made sci-fi fashionable again and tops my list of top 5 movies.

Star Trek

2009-05-08T22:52:00.004-04:00

Urban: A great Sci-Fi that will please the general moviegoer as well as the trekkie
Lucas: Good homage to a great franchise, and a great action movie on its own

URBAN:
J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek will be well received by the general public. It contains a fairly straightforward story line and several of the characters have charisma. The film also contains several allusions, both visual and thematic, which refer to several of the past films in this franchise. These themes work to place the film firmly within the culture of Science Fiction, and also within the fold of the summer blockbuster.

While nothing in this story is overwhelmingly good, it really doesn’t have any weaknesses either. From the very beginning, the film doesn’t aspire to the greatest of heights. Opening with the back-story of related familial characters isn’t grand, groundbreaking, or garish. It simply is a formal way of opening a tale of epic leadership. The next time we see Kirk he is driving a stolen 60’s Corvette off a cliff in Iowa (I guess in the future the Des Moines Fault Line becomes worse than the San Andreas). Then he is in a bar fight. We don’t expect anything less. After all, his dad was heroic.

LUCAS:
The opening is well-done, but it tries to draw too much of an emotional response from too little character development. It's a product of having too little time to work with; the film is two and a half hours already. That aside, the effects are spectacular. The camera work in space take a cue from Battlestar Galactica and give a scale to the ships that wasn't really done in any previous Trek. They wanted to open with grand spectacle, and they certainly achieved it.

URBAN:
I guess that what I am trying to say here is that the plot is formulaic. Not bad, but formulaic. The primary thing that saves the film from veering into the tired, is that the hero, Captain Kirk, gets his butt kicked in every fight that he gets into. I think that this is a welcome sight for most, used to seeing fights like last week’s Wolverine, and this spring’s The Watchmen, where the heroes are obligated to dispatch scores of cronies in at least one 30 second fight scene, usually in a hallway or in front of a gate. In this film, on only one occasion is a character that resorts to successful violence rewarded for his/her actions. Instead, this film stays close to its source material and also appears to be innovative by forcing its main characters to achieve victory by intuition, intelligence, and investigation.

LUCAS:
Yes, when it finally comes down to the meat of the movie's conflict, the true Star Trek spirit really shines. The Enterprise wins the day because Kirk thinks one step ahead of his enemy, and does something so ballsy it shouldn't work, but it does. Vintage Star Trek. The comic relief moments throughout the film are mostly well done, though certain things, such as Scotty's little friend, or Scotty getting transported into water tube, seemed pointless.

One of the most important aspects of the Star Trek universe, for Gene Roddenberry, was the lack of interpersonal conflict between members of Star Fleet. When Deep Space 9 introduced a major, recurring race who were not enemies, but who were not part of Star Fleet, it was a radical departure. Suddenly, there were principal characters arguing with each other and yelling at each other. Here, the film-makers delve into this idea farther. Is Star Fleet really as perfect as the Original Series and the Next Generation made it seem? Or are there cracks and flaws, like there were in DS9? Spock and Kirk are at odds for most of the film. It is Kirk's reckless nature, explained by having been raised without a father, that sets off this conflict. When he does start a fight, everyone, even Bones, his closest friend, stand against him, and for the perfect order of Star Fleet. Kirk turns out to be right, but he has to work within the confines of a Star Fleet regulation to actually prove it, and act on it. So, perfection... with a twist.

URBAN:
The film also wins with fans of the franchise by staying close to other Star Trek themes both thematically and visually. First, the characters, while none appear to be outright copies, all have a certain likeness to the characters of the same name in the original. The cast has a good chemistry (with the possible exception of Zoe Saldana as Nyota Uhura) and do a great job of playing into their roles,,,, and the humor which naturally accompanies these types. I was especially interested to see some striking visual similarities. The scenes where Nero lets the bug loose on Captain Pike was eerily similar to the scene in Wrath of Khan where Khan lets the bugs loose on Chekov and Terrell. There was also a scene where Spock and his lover stop the elevator to talk which compared favorably with another scene from that film where Captain Kirk and another Vulcan stop the elevator.

LUCAS:
The casting choices are mostly dead on. Much ink was spilled over how little Chris Pine studied Shatner's Kirk, and it was the right choice. An impersonation can't bring a character to life... for proof, look at one of the few weak choices, Anton Yelchin playing Chekov. Maybe it's a weakness of the original character, that so much of his identity came from his accent, but Yelchin's Chekov comes off as forced. Karl Urban's McCoy is dead on, and probably the best (or at least, my favorite) re-invented character. Zachary Quinto... well, he really was born to play the role.

The film's situational references to its cinematic ancestors are tastefully done. They come think and fast, but are not obtrusive, and are supported in the context of the movie. The red-shirt dying, the Ceti eel-like creature, and the elevator stop (which I didn't catch on my own, nice one Jay) are all scenes that will make fans smile and nod.

URBAN:
The final comparison with other films from the series that I found compelling was the issue of time travel and other bodies. Just like in Generations, where Captain Kirk appears to be living out a passive existence on an acreage, the parts of this film where Spock is living on the frigid planet fit well thematically. Instead of only having him appear to Kirk, which would have been odd, the viewer is allowed to see that the OS (original Spock) is alive and well as a type of advisor, kind of like Ben Kenobi after his battle with Darth Vader.

LUCAS:
Time travel is done again and again, but it is an issue you have to deal with at the very outset, both as a viewer and as a movie-maker. The viewer has to understand and accept that time travel is being used. If you can't give the movie that much, there is no point in even seeing it. The movie-maker has to introduce the time travel early and clearly, or it runs the risk of becoming a deus ex machina. Fortunately, the opening scene makes it quite clear that time travel is a central part of the movie. They weave it into the story very well, and use it to set up the alternate time line, and a re-boot of the entire franchise. As a viewer, if you can swallow this, the movie works very well.

URBAN:
Even though my discussions of the film seem to reference many of the other things in the series, this film really could stand alone. Eric Bana makes a good nemesis, even if the reason for his evil plot seems a bit stretched. The action is intriguing and the story not only catches your attention to explain its conclusion, but it also serves as a good introduction to the characters, or to provide compelling back-story for those who are already fans.

Urban: Recommended
Lucas: Recommended

Coming Up- Friday, May 8th

2009-05-07T13:06:00.003-04:00

Another week, another summer blockbuster. Star Trek is the movie to see this week, regardless of how tired the series may be. Next Day Air has The Wire connection that Obsessed did, but this week there is real competition.

Lucas:
J.J. Abrams made his fortune with Lost, now it's time to see if his magic can work on the big screen, and with an established franchise. To be honest, I'm worried. Wolverine's awfulness this weekend has reminded me just how easily a movie can go wrong when it tries to insert a new story into the continuity of an existing universe. Besides the fact that Star Trek has been done again and again and again, there's the additional danger of using CGI as a crutch. We've come a long way from the cheap plastic models of the original series, but replacing those models can't replace storytelling... there needs to be a compelling, plausible plot to back up whatever the effects department dreams up.

Further, that story must somehow fit into the existing mythology. For example, we know that Kirk cheats on the Kobayashi Maru test, the test that is supposed to be unwinnable. Star Fleet uses the test to see what candidates will do under extreme pressure, but Kirk thinks there is no such thing as a situation that is unwinnable. Part of the mystique of James T. Kirk is that he defeated this test... but that mystique was aided by the fact that we didn't know how he did it. Will J.J. Abrams's vision live up to what we have imagined? And finally, there's the time travel bit. From what I've been able to glean from articles and trailers, Kirk saves the universe in this film. Now, is that really necessary? Why couldn't the film just be about one man's struggle through the training process of Star Fleet, with a wink and a nod toward the audience who knows that he will become one of the most celebrated officers in the fleet? Instead of showing a simple story in extraordinary surroundings, they've decided to make an extraordinary story in extraordinary surroundings. It's possible, but not plausible.

Add all of this up, and it comes down to this: I'm worried.

Urban:

Okay, I have to weigh in on this one,,,,, but from a completely different point of view. I know very little about Star Trek, other than having seen The Voyage Home and The Final Frontier when I was younger. I guess my principle way of assessing why I want to see this film is that as someone who doesn't know very much about the multiple series', the prequel is the best way to introduce the characters. It is also a genius way to incorporate new life and some hip-ness into a franchise that seemed to be losing steam. Also, the advertising Paramount has commissioned looks really good.

I agree in principle with the themes that Mr. Lucas addressed. Storytelling is often cut at the expense of thrills and explosions during the summer blockbuster season. However, from the opinion of the outsider, this series has never been based on special effects, but rather by grinding out a story (one of the main reasons that I never watched it, though I was intrigued by the philosophical/sociological themes is that I thought it was exceedingly dull) that is based on some great characters. I don't expect that to change.

Readers Respond-Five Favorite Films with Carly Urban

2009-05-06T12:20:00.006-04:00

Reader’s Respond, 5 Favorite Films with Carly Urban

She works as an accountant at Varney and Associates in Manhattan, she criticizes a lot of the things I do,,, but she’s the wife, and sometimes that gives her the right. She’s my wife, Carly, and these are her 5 Favorite Films.

5) Death Proof

This was the second film of the Grindhouse Double Feature. I loved this film because it actually makes you feel good to watch it, if you are a girl anyway. The film is so satisfying because it is packed with feminist empowerment, the women in the film may appear to be victims but end up taking control. It has everything; there is a bad guy, a chase scene, death, revenge, and in the end will have you on your feet ready to kick the crap out of some scumbag. A must see.

4) The Little Mermaid

I realize this has no real cinematic status; nevertheless it makes my top five. This was a very influential film for me as a child and inspired many pool and bathtub reenactments. I can relate to Ariel’s youthful rebellion against her father and her wonderful discovery of Love. Not to mention she looks great in a sea shell bikini and so do I.

3) Singin’ in the Rain

I know it is a musical, and it may have some ridiculous use of Technicolor toward the end, but I can’t help putting it on this list. The part I love best is Gene Kelly tap dancing with an umbrella crooning “Singing in the rain” while getting buckets of water poured on him. That’s just my favorite part, but to be fair this movie had some very talented actors as well as innovative film style. Just watch the scene of Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor) singing “Make them Laugh” and you’ll see what I mean.

2) Old School

Is there anything not to like about this film? It’s an Animal House for generation Y. I love the comedy here because it really isn’t that absurd, in fact it is quite candid. It is a great film about college social life, as well as what happens when you realize you have outgrown it.

1) Annie Hall

I love this film and give it my highest rating because it is fantastically witty yet honest and real about relationships. The interacting neuroticism of Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) is essential in this film and makes it a great to watch over and over. Alvy’s relationship with Annie is imperfect and I guess that is what I like best. This film is smart yet sad and is a great inspiration for personal introspection.

Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Sci Fi Works That Should Be Movies -- Lucas

2009-05-05T16:04:00.004-04:00

5. World War Z

I've always been fascinated with the idea of a zombie apocalypse. Modern life, turned completely on its head. I've talked with friends about what we'd do if it ever happened, but Max Brooks actually thought it out enough to make a book about it. The result is a book that is entertaining... but also touching in parts, thought provoking in others, and in the end gives hope that humanity can survive whatever is thrown at it... by nature, or by ourselves. If and when this is turned into a movie, they should keep the "oral history" style of it, and film it like a documentary, with after-the-fact confessionals. The book works because it never takes itself seriously and never slips a wink to the reader... the movie needs to do the same to work.

4. Starcraft

There's nothing horribly original in the Starcraft universe... There's an technologically advanced alien race, there's an insect-like hive mind race, humans are tapping into their psychic potential, and everyone is at war with everyone else. But the franchise takes all of these tropes, and meshes them into one coherent world. There are individual heroes, and there are grand, galaxy-sweeping conflicts. As a video game, Starcraft II has the potential to tell a story interactively in a way that a movie couldn't, but a Starcraft movie could also tell a story in a way that a game can't... As good as Blizzard's cut-scenes are, they can't compare to a real movie studio's CGI and models. Put a restraining order on Uwe Boll, and turn the Starcraft into a movie.

3. Ender's Game

The real difficulty with Ender's Game is that it requires children to act. Orson Scott Card claims in his introduction to this classic sci-fi novel that he feels like the same person he did when he was a six-year-old, but I have a feeling that he may be the exception rather than the rule... Few children really have the maturity that Ender and his compatriats possess. But that aside, the main conceit of the book, the battle room, is perfectly suited for film, especially today's CGI-rich film-making. If there's any time to do zero-gravity battle scenes, it's now.

2. Neuromancer

William Gibson didn't invent cyberpunk with Neuromancer, but he gave the genre some of its most enduring imagery. The huge, dirty, sprawling metropolises, the Matrix, which directly inspired the film of the same name, and an artificial intelligence trying to break the bonds imposed by its creators. A dystopian future, anti-heros, shadowy, behind-the-scenes corporations controlling everything... it's the perfect film-noir for the digital age.

1. Half-Life

Another video game franchise. And is it any wonder? What better exemplifies science fiction cum reality than video games? The first-person shooters we play today would have seemed like something from a writer's imagination even twenty years ago. Half-Life is another near-future dystopia. Only here, inter-dimensional beings (broght here by scientists meddling with forces they did not understand) have taken over Earth. A nerdy every-man hero leads a rag-tag team of resistance fighters against the aliens, and their human allies. It makes for a great game, and it would make for an amazing movie. If there is any doubt, take a look at this low budget fan video:

Spend some money on that, get a decent script, and you have a great film on your hands.

Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 Sci-Fi Works That Should Be Movies

2009-05-05T14:19:00.005-04:00

Top 5 Sci-Fi works that I would like to see as a film.

Urban:

5. Akira

-Obviously, this one has been done before,,,,, as a classic anime film in 1988. However, that doesn’t change the fact that this would make an awesome live action film. The motorcycle fight scenes would be awesome and I would love to see the clash of western military-industrial complex against the sustainability theories of Eastern philosophy spelled out a little more clearly.

4. Snowcrash

-Wow, probably the hardest to film of any in this list. Neal Stephenson's digital world of the metaverse would be easy enough, same with the hyper-capitalistic world of couriers and burbclaves, but this story is extremely broad and its depth relies upon explanations of Chomskyan undestandings of language acquisition along with George Herbert’s Mead’s socialization of the self. To be completely honest, I only want to see this if it is done right,,,, and it would be really hard to do right.

3. Lost in the Cosmos

-Walker Percy’s last self-help book is more than a self-help book. The section, "A Space Odyssey II", tells the story of Marcus Aurelius Schuyler on his trip through space as he attempts to carry on humanity. When he gets back to earth, he is surprised to find out that not everyone has perished in nuclear calamity. A cross section of the human demographic still survives, and it is up to him to unite them. While this sounds a bit like Battlefield Earth, it is a lot deeper and definitely funnier.

2. Ender’s Game

-Orson Scott Card presents a great tale here, on par with Starship Troopers as far as source material for a film. The story would organize very well, by beginning with his training and then focusing on his war, the story could be shortened enough to include the interesting story lines about his siblings. One of those great books that would be a sure sell at the box office and could be extremely entertaining. The story is good enough to tell itself, even without the greatest writer/director team working on it.

1. Star Wars Legacy

-All of the interesting features of the original with even darker characters. Star Wars Legacy is a Darkhorse comic series tells the story of Cade Skywalker. 125 years after the events of episode VI, Cade has abandoned the order of the Jedi, but he still carries the Force as strongly as his ancestor Luke Skywalker. Unfortunately, Cade is also a drug user and has decided to take up a career as a smuggler (a la Han Solo) in order to support his habit. It’s a great story with characters that have a lot of different perspectives. It is like The Empire Strikes Back in every episode.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2009-05-01T22:59:00.006-04:00

Urban: A superhero movie in the same mold as Spiderman 3.
Lucas: Poor writing, poor directing, poor CGI.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is director Gavin Hood's first major effort. It stars Hugh Jackman, playing Wolverine for the 4th time, focusing on the origin of his character, and his central role in the X-Men franchise.

URBAN:
I will start this off by saying this movie wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. The film compares well with Spiderman 3 as a comic book film that aimed to please a younger audience. There were plenty of little jokes throughout the film, and there were scenes that were obviously attempts to move the audience, but they fell flat because the attention to detail wasn’t there. The lack of darkness and depth really affected the film, causing it to seem like something intended for much younger audience, rather than the overwhelming majority of the audience, which were adults.

LUCAS:
I should have lowered my hopes. This movie was a vehicle for the studio to cash in on a popular franchise. The story and writing were disjointed, the directing was mediocre, and, perhaps most unforgivably, the CGI was awful. While certain components were strong, they were assembled into something completely lackluster.

URBAN:
The most disappointing thing was there was plenty of source material that could have been used here. Instead, it seemed as though the production team set out to create a new story that is only loosely based on the original. The result, is a real mash of stories, characters, and themes that doesn’t fit anything very well. For me, the entire project was off course. For readers of the comic book, Wolverine really isn’t the leader, or fact-finding investigator that he is painted as in this film. Wolverine is the enforcer, and the guy who is always looking to break up the game plan with an individual mad dash that either blows the entire plan, or works because of his audacity. Neither characterization is to be found in this picture. At various times, the story alludes to the mutant/racism issue that is the focus of the first three X-Men films. Major Stryker alludes to his work as an attempt at a pre-emptive strike against the mutants, which is an interesting idea that has obvious political parallels to our current times. But aside from this one line, we never are allowed to ponder the ramifications/meaning of this move as another big fight immediately proceeds this line.

LUCAS:
Yes, there was no strong direction for this. No purpose. Who is the bad guy? Stryker? Sabretooth? Deadpool? There was a mish-mash of fan-favorite characters who had been missing in the first three movies, but they couldn't come up with a strong, unused bad guy. But even with re-hashes of Sabretooth and Stryker, they couldn't settle on one. Ryan Reynolds was excellent as Deadpool for the two minutes of screen time he has at the beginning, but they he disappears for the entire movie, only to show up for another two minutes at the end... with his best characteristic, his mouth, sewn shut. Choosing any one of the threads the movie hinted at in the beginning, sticking with it, and developing it would have yielded a much more satisfying story.

URBAN:
I guess I don’t understand why they begin the story in 1845. Unfortunately, the most artistic part of the film is the opening credits, which portray Wolverine and Sabretooth (brothers) as they fight side by side in the Civil War, WWI, WWII, and Vietnam. This is unfortunate, because no explanation is given as to why these two decide to fight in American Wars (they are Canadian) and gives no clue as to why one of the brothers begins to go a little too far with the bloodshed after his 130th year. Overall, the lack of explanations is probably the biggest cause of frustration with this film. It is never explained why Major Stryker decides to inject Wolverine with Adamantium, or why after he is injected, that he suddenly decides to erase his memory, or why Wolverine is in a murderous rage after the adamantium is injected, or why his brother can’t be injected with Adamantium, why Patrick Stewart suddenly show up……. The list of what is unexplained goes on and on. On a final note, the timeline is very uncertain. Wolverine fights in Vietnam,,,, then 6 years later is a lumberjack in Canada, but the medical facilities where he in injected with Adamantium look very much modern day. The three mile island accident took place in 1979, which I guess, is built in to the storyline, the shots of Patrick Stewart in heavy makeup, with the superimposed helicopter are so grainy that they look as though they were filmed with a camera from that era.

The action scenes looked good, the fighting wasn’t extremely martial arts, and it was filmed with an eye for impact. I just couldn’t help but notice that no one ever had any blood on their blades. In fact, the total lack of gore (considering that Wolverine has blades coming out of his hands) was a little bit mystifying.

LUCAS:
I was extremely disappointed by the CGI. I remember seeing, just a couple weeks ago, that there was a leaked copy of the film on the internet... but the special effects weren't done, there were still green screens and wires. I thought it must have been an older copy of the film, but after seeing the finished copy, I'm guessing they were rushing to meet the release date. Certain scenes were obvious green-screens (explosions, especially). The claws in the bathroom scene looked like they were from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. If there's one thing you need to get right in a mindless summer action movie, it's the special effects, and this film couldn't even get that right.

URBAN:
There are just so many things that could have been done better. It is too bad that this didn’t find its way into the hands of a more accomplished director/production team. Considering the extremely harsh reviews that this has been taking, its obvious that the bar has been raised for superhero movies.

Oh yeah,,, the ending. Not cool. Pulling the amnesia card is the lamest trick in the book.

LUCAS:
Yes, I think the ending was a symptom of a flaw that permeated the whole production. By showing events that happened before the previous movies, but still remaining continuous with them, the movie was painted into a corner from the very start. But even with that problem, they could have done a better job than what ended up on film.

Urban: Not Recommended, but watch it because everyone else will.
Lucas: Not Recommended.

Reader's Respond, Top 5 Films With Luke Walker

2009-05-01T10:26:00.004-04:00

Reader’s Respond

He’s a stylish man and one of those that will lead our economy out of the wasteland. A Hillsdale Grad currently residing in Des Moines, Iowa. You can read his thoughts at Faded. He’s Luke Walker and these are his 5 favorite films.

5. The Seventh Seal

-Not only for what it meant to many filmmakers, but this film in college really made me think about what I was reading at the time (No Exit, Camus, etc).

4. Reservoir Dogs

-All the detail, down to the Apple Smokes, the right amount of violence, and a million other things. I love Pulp Fiction, but this is the only QT on my shelf.

3. The Seven Samurai

-The one that started them all.

2. Taxi Driver/Deerhunter (too close to call)

-Not even sure where to start. Just epic. Epic epic epic. Either one of these could be my favorite. I'm leaning towards The Deerhunter as my favorite movie of all time, because it was able, in a way, to tell the story of the war my father went through. Whenever I would ask him about it, he would either be lost in a sea of memory, or would just change the subject. Not to mention, the ending scenes are the most emotionally and visually intense scene I can think of. Playing with your life to try and save a friend. Pretty amazing.

1. V For Vendetta

-I feel like The Matrix is equally important to me, but never has a film so captured me or lifted a story from it's source text so well. After seeing The Watchmen, I could only appreciate V more for not what it was able to accomplish, but what it was able to avoid doing: being cheesy, or showing hours of blue ghost-cock.

My list is based on what I see is important in the overall timeline of film history from my perspective. Yes, there are many major films I have left out. But in modern film, I see the impact of these films in the shots, acting, and content of more recent movies. I don't see men wearing fedoras and pretending to be Bogart. I see dark, gritty films where we question who our heroes are, and what the truth is underneath. The Deerhunter is about very imperfect people. But they are still heroes, at least to me. There would be no V for Vendetta if there was no Spider Man, but V was the first film that made us ask about who our superheroes really are. QT (Quentin Tarantino) may just steal and reuse material, and that is a fair criticism, but at least he is honest about it. Many, many filmmakers just take without any reference or care.

Coming Up Friday, May 1

2009-04-29T19:44:00.005-04:00

URBAN:
When you look at the offerings at your local theater you will realize that none of the other studios expect to make any money by competing with X-Men Origins: Wolverine. With that being said, I have to admit that I already have low expectations for this film. The advertising thus far would lead one to believe that this film is the equivalent of last year's The Incredible Hulk, in the amount of money spent on effects, budget for actors, and (most importantly) writing and directing.

It does look like it is going to attempt to place Wolverine in some historical context. If it can pull this off as a plausible explanation of the origin of the character this film might possibly overcome the obvious reliance on special effects in place of the story. In this case, the film might be able to rise to the level of Ironman, rather than The Incredible Hulk.

Wolverine was always my favorite X-Men character when I was a kid. I just hope that it isn't ruined by opportunists trying to make a quick buck copying the proven success of recent superhero films, and especially the Batman franchise with it's focus on the explanation of a character's gritty origins.

LUCAS:
I'm still holding out hope. I had a lot of reservations when they announced the first X-Men, for many of these same reasons... they're childhood icons, screen representations and actors won't be able to live up, etc. But they managed to put together a fairly good movie, and the actors met their roles reasonably well.

So, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one. They don't have Brian Singer involved, which was part of what made the first two movies work, but they also don't have Brett Ratner, which is part of what made the third movie fail. I don't know what to expect with Gavin Hood, as I haven't seen either of the films he's directed previously, but I'm staying optimistic. But perhaps the wish is the father of the thought.

Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 School's Out Movies -- Lucas

2009-04-28T21:57:00.002-04:00

Getting out of school is one of those few experiences shared across nearly all social divisions of American culture. Everyone knows that feeling of elation that comes with not being held down, with having the world open to you. Here are five movies I think best capture that spirit.

5. Adventureland

Yes, yes, it's still in theaters, but it is a perfect school's out movie... The characters are finally on their own in the world, and they realize that in some ways it sucks, but in a lot of ways they have freedom they lacked in school. Greater responsibility, but greater power, if you will.

4. Superbad

Superbad has a tried-and-true theme: nerds try to get laid before college. The standard trajectory is here: the boys have some comic mishaps, they find the right girls, they realize it's not all about the sex, then they get the girls. I could have put American Pie at the beginning of the paragraph and no one would have noticed. But Superbad does it funnier, dirtier, and sweeter.

3. Almost Famous

This one might be a stretch to call it a school's out movie, but William's journey with Stillwater is the ultimate tale of getting out of school and into the real world. He misses his own highschool graduation to be on tour with a rock band, writing an article for Rolling Stone. Along the way, he learns that the world isn't quite the place he thought it was, but the friendships he develops win out, and he gets his article.

2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Like Jay says, it's not exactly a "school's out for summer" movie like the rest, but it might as well be. The repeated scenes of Ben Stein's monotonous econ class make the fun capers Ferris pulls off seem even more exuberant, and the lesson of the movie, enjoy life and youth while you still have it, is the perfect lesson for a getting out of school movie.

1. American Graffiti

George Lucas used to be an indie director. For people like me, who grew up with Star Wars a movie my parents went to see when they were in highschool, that's hard to wrap my head around. Even more amazing to people of my generation... he used to be a good director. The plot has all the classic elements of a end-of-highschool movie, but they are all done well, and the actors, nearly all of whom went on to become famous, nail their parts. Harrison Ford, especially. A classic movie about how to deal with life out of school.

Listless Tuesdays: Top 5 School's Out Movies: Urban

2009-04-28T20:30:00.001-04:00

It’s about that time. May is here and another year of school is about to be in the books. With that in mind, here are my Top 5 School’s Out movies.

5. Say Anything

This one begins with the music. It ends with one of the most poignant and often copied scenes in film history (most directly in Night at the Roxbury). One of those films that defined relationships and what was cool in the greatest decade for teen films, the 80’s.

4. Can’t Hardly Wait

Jennifer Love Hewitt headlines this film that carries a barely there storyline with an ensemble cast. The point isn’t whether or not the guy and the girl end up together. The point, is the end of the year party. Here, unlike during school, all elements of high school society are combined and allowed to enact their love, hate, revenge, scoring fantasies. This one also contains a great soundtrack headlined by GNR’s “Paradise City”.

3. Superbad

Easily, the film with the best one liners in this list. This film is laugh out loud funny the entire way through, but also tells a great story about the meaning of moving on.

2. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

While technically, this isn’t a last day of school film, it might as well be. The themes, setting, and feeling are all the same. This film portrays the cleverness of the Western World in all of its glory. Ferris, triumphs against every adult in the film, not because of his strength or will, but because of his quick thinking and the willingness of others to go the extra mile to help him, based on the confidence that he has earned from his peers.

1. Dazed and Confused

Linklater’s classic is certainly rooted in a time and place, but it hasn’t stopped this film from receiving more attention as time passes. The characters are impossibly cool. The cars are even cooler. I don’t have room here to go on about the music. Suffice it to say that the feeling of school being over pervades every frame. That presence makes this film not only the best on this list, but among the greats in my book.

One thing that I noticed from making this list, is that in many of these films the last day of school is important not because of the future that is unlocked, but rather because of the impending “no later than” date that they provide. They also happen to have great soundtracks.

Obsessed

2009-04-25T14:28:00.006-04:00

URBAN: A feature that some will love, some, being those that like Beyonce Knowles. Everyone else will be very frustrated because this film never answers the "why".
LUCAS: The first half is interesting, the rest is mostly garbage.

Obsessed features The Wire's Idris Elba as Derek, a high-powered executive, with a near-perfect marriage to Sharon (Beyoncé Knowles), a young son, and a beautiful new house. His storybook life is interrupted with the arrival of a new office assistant, Lisa (Ali Larter). Lisa becomes obsessed with Derek, and in a series of escalating incidents, tries to live out her fantasy of being with him.

URBAN:
I can't really describe what I feel as a disappointment, because I didn't expect much. On some level though, I did want there to be a backstory that explained why Ali Larter was so aggressive.

LUCAS:
I agree, Ali Larter's character had no explanation whatsoever, and while that doesn't make or break a movie, in this case it broke it. The film set itself up as a psychological thriller. The first half builds up tension nicely, you wonder what Lisa's angle is, and you cringe as Derek just manages to extricate himself from sticky situations. Then it turns out she has no angle, she's just nuts. It could have been so much more. It was like the screenwriters watched Disclosure and wanted to re-make it, but forgot to give the crazy girl a motivation.

Really the two halves of the film could have worked if they had each been separated and expanded into separate movies. The first half, a psychological cat-and-mouse game, the last half, a pure horror movie.

URBAN:
More important that the story and the total lack of artistic expression here was the cultural phenomenon that we stumbled upon. Without even looking for it we scheduled ourselves to see the most popular movie of the weekend (I'm calling it now). The Soloist should have been called "Reek of Desperation, Seeking Oscar". Fighting a remake of Step up to the Streets with fists. What Obsessed had that those didn't was simply Beyonce.

People, especially particular demographics will turn out in droves to see Beyonce Knowles in a film. While it wasn't especially marketed as a vehicle for her, by the end, this film is all about Beyonce, showcasing her fierceness in a long fight scene against the homewrecking Larter. I was surprised at how violent this scene was. It was too bad that this theme, and playing up on these race relations wasn't more of the subject of the film.

LUCAS:
Yes, they missed out on a chance to make intelligent and insightful commentary on race relations, but instead shied entirely away from the issue. The one moment I thought they were going to make a go for it was when Derek's co-worker is warning him to watch out for Lisa... but they just breezed on by.

URBAN:
Overall, I had to say that one of the primary reasons that I didn't care for this film was the anti-feminist story over-arching throughout the film. It is really unfair that one of the women is solely to blame, and that the other one is made to look foolish for continuing to support her male counterpart. This squaring-off of the females is an easy play and doesn't rely on any subtlety.

LUCAS:
Ah yes, another opportunity for subtext that the film missed entirely. Instead of commenting on the different ways social contact can be perceived by different people, they make one perception (Derek's) absolutely right, and the other perception (Lisa's) absolutely wrong. It seemed at the beginning that they may play with the idea that Derek was leading Lisa on, but instead they turn Lisa into a parody of a jilted lover and play it for all it's worth. Ham-handed and boring.

LUCAS: Not recommended.
URBAN: Not Recommended.

Readers Respond -- Top 5 Films -- Michael David

2009-04-23T12:00:00.003-04:00

"Readers Respond" will be an on-going, occasional feature where you, the reader, can write and comment on a top-5 list of your own.
He’s a guy’s guy and he doesn’t want to talk about his feelings. No matter how good you think you did something, he can always outdo you. He’s Michael David, winner of the 2008 Everett Oratory Contest, and all-around bad-ass. These are his five favorite films.

5. Boondock Saints

Willem Dafoe's character is awesome. I greatly enjoy the general theme of a vigilante acting in the name of virtue. The cinematography that involves first showing Dafoe trying to figure out what happened at a crime scene, and then showing the scene actually happening works really well.

4. The Big Lebowski

This film is funny on multiple levels. It also draws a lot of parallels into itself from the current events of the time.

3. Old School

I saw this movie in theaters with my brother and other Sigma Chi members on my first trip to Hillsdale College, and none of us could stop laughing for the entire time. That is one of my favorite memories, and this movie played a big part in it. Also, each character is hilarious in a different way.

2. The Matrix

This film is a real mind blower of a movie. When you combine the story with awesome fight scenes, music, and plot, it doesn’t get a lot better. Also, I love Keanu Reeves.

1. Anchorman

I have seen this movie at least 10 times and the jokes only get better with age. Plus, I really love Will Ferrell.

Coming Up Friday, April 24...

2009-04-22T00:00:00.002-04:00

URBAN:

So, for this week, once again we have three choices.

A. The Soloist: Star power, and a tale of the untiring strength of the human heart.....I'm thinking this looks very much like a cross between The Pursuit of Happyness and Rainman.

B. Fighting: The equivalent of last week's Crank 2, an action film for guys that need GRATUITOUS AMOUNTS OF ENERGY!!!!!!

C. Obsessed: Stringer Bell. Seriously, even though this doesn't look that great, I loved Stringer Bell in The Wire. That's enough for me.

I guess the best bet for a film that we could recommend would be The Soloist, but I kind of want to see Obsessed because I would get to see Stringer Bell.

LUCAS:
To be honest, I'm leaning toward Obsessed as well. I like Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx both, but the trailer for The Soloist didn't really do it for me. And, as much as the roles look they will give both leads the chance to show off their acting chops, I'm not in the mood for an overcoming-all-obstacles movie this week. I'd rather see sexy people be nasty to each other. And it's Stringer Bell.

CONCLUSION:
Obsessed.

Top 5 Films I'm Looking Forward To This Summer -- Lucas

2009-04-21T00:15:00.013-04:00

This list does have some overlap with Jay's, but I tried to highlight a few other titles that I'm planning to see. The Honorable Mentions at the end may have made the list if Jay hadn't already brought them to your attention.

5. Funny People

I feel like I'm in Apatow overload. But there's no denying that when the man himself is in the director's chair, with material he wrote, he makes a great movie. Throughout the trailer, I tried to tell myself, "this is too much, it's just another one," but I laughed at the jokes, and I wanted to see more. Good trailer or good movie? We'll see.

4. The Brothers Bloom

This film makes it on my list solely on the strength of writer/director Rian Johnson's previous film, Brick. I've been looking forward to something new out of Johnson ever since I saw it last year. That said, the premise of the movie looks strong on its own: Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo as con men, swindling millionaires. There's something wonderfully thrilling about watching con men in movies. The best parts of Matchstick Men were the opening scenes with Nicholas Cage working his magic on clueless citizens. Here's hoping Johnson can live up.

3. Star Trek

People have called me a Trekkie before... I don't think I do the moniker justice, since I've never seen more than a few episodes of The Original Series, and I can't give a disertation on warp drive technolgy. But I do look forward to new Star Trek movies with childlike glee, so I have to put this on the list. I'm worried, however, by the trailers that say "this is not your father's Star Trek." Hopefully this is just a marketing phrase to bring in younger viewers, and not an indication that the core ideals of the Star Trek universe have been gutted in favor of flashy graphics and carefully choreographed fight scenes.

2. Year One

This is another film that got my attention solely because of the writer/director. Harold Ramis has had a huge impact on my life through his comedy. Ghostbusters, Caddyshack, Groundhog Day... All are treasured childhood memories. But Ramis isn't the only thing! Jack Black and Michael Cera play the protagonist cavemen. And Judd Apatow produces. That's a lot of funny. Finally, Olivia Wilde as a caveman princess. All the pieces are there, let's hope the final product lives up to its pedigree.

1. Public Enemies

The trailer for Public Enemies that has been showing in theaters opens with a shot of the backs of three men in full suits, walking arm's length apart up a wide flight of stairs into a bank. The instant I saw that shot for the first time, I turned to my fellow movie-goers and said, "That film is going to be cool." Director Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) knows how to put together an action movie, and a movie based on the life of John Dillinger is bound to be action-packed. With Mann at the helm, Johnnie Depp and Christian Bale starring, and a subject who still, for better or worse, inspires the imaginations of many Americans, this is bound to be a great ride.

Honorable Mention: Inglorious Basterds, G.I. Joe, Wolverine

Top 5 Films I'm Looking Forward To This Summer -- Urban

2009-04-21T00:00:00.009-04:00

Top 5 Movies that I am looking forward to seeing this summer.

5. Public Enemies

This film traces the life of John Dillinger on his bank robbing sprees before and after having escaped from prison. I guess that I look forward to this film for two reasons; First, my leftist side loves movies that glorify the Robin Hood type of character. Second, I love films like this where the end is not in doubt, and the telling of the story becomes the focus rather than the story itself. The gangster epic always makes a splash with fans. I just hope that this one doesn’t get lost among all of the other films with bigger budgets and crazier special effects.

4. Funny People

Judd Apatow has been on a great run as of late. Unfortunately, many of the people that were boosted to fame in his projects have been making and acting in films that look eerily similar the originals, but lack the same amount of depth and treatment. Thanks to a great in-theater marketing campaign by the Universal Pictures, I firmly believe that this film will be the next to make you laugh riotously while also achieving a great amount of feeling.

3. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

This film will be a great intersection of my life as a child and my current situation. When I was a kid my favorite way to spend time was playing with G. I. Joe action figures. Today I am in the Army. I had this idea that G.I. Joe would be a perfect vehicle to tell a story that was very relevant to the current terrorist situation to our country. After all, what else is Cobra but a multinational terrorist organization headed by a psycho with intentions on the world (Al Qaeda).

That being said, from seeing the previews I think that this film has the best chance of striking out.

2. Terminator Salvation

I’m a sucker for post-apocalyptic films. This, looks to be one of the best in a long time. While I am not the biggest fan of the Terminator series, I have always wondered why John Conner was so special, what exactly does he do that would warrant that he be sought out and destroyed before he reaches puberty. I guess we will find out.

1. Inglourious Basterds

Jewish fantasy #1

Notably left off the list: Transformers, Wolverine

State of Play

2009-04-17T23:13:00.012-04:00

Urban: Thrilling at times with lots of Twists and Turns, maybe one too many.
Lucas: A slowly-growing story of an investigation, that mutates too suddenly.

In State of Play, director Kevin Macdonald, goes behind the scenes of modern day Washington D.C., detailing the combination of government, big business, and press in order to tell a tale where the lies and twists are plentiful. Russell Crowe (Cal McAffrey), Ben Affleck (Rep. Stephen Collins), and Rachel McAdams (Della Frye) provide the star power, portraying the old school press, the government, and the new school of blogging press, respectively. When a link is found between two seemingly unrelated murders, the great machines of D.C. go into gear working with and against each other.

URBAN:
One of the marks of a great piece of art is that it can stand up to criticism from a variety of angles. This film can be taken apart on many levels. While the conflicts between government accountability, the press, and privatized security companies that thrive off of government contracts take center stage, the film could also be read as a variety of critiques on sub-conflicts that our society currently deals with. The issues that the press deals with; withholding the names of sources, catering to media corporations instead of local leadership, the fight for resources between newspaper reporters and new style bloggers, biting that hand that feeds you with government stories and sources, getting too close to the source, misplacing the role of story when a police case is still open, and most relevant- the decline of news in print form, are all felt quite strongly in this film.

LUCAS:
As mentioned above, the film sent a strong message about the importance of the journalistic process. Crowe is a white knight battling against all those who would turn journalism into a purely money-gaining enterprise, nicely paralleling Affleck's fight to keep national defense in the hands of the government rather than a for-profit company. The theme of corrupted ideals is prevalent, which may be why the filmmakers opted for the ending they did.

URBAN:
While the characters are good, the intrigue of the story is really what drives this film. Despite this, it is hard to give too many details because of the nature of the many twists of the plot. The action is limited to only three short scenes. The rest of the film consists of conversations between the characters and shots of people driving too and from meetings. While it seems like this may get dreary, the combination of Crowe and McAdams actually is quite interesting and works to develop many of the themes found within the film. Affleck plays himself as always. In this one he’s a toolish Congresman from Pennsylvania who finds himself in a perilous position when his lover (even though he is married) is murdered and he realizes that his position on a powerful committee has been compromised.

LUCAS:
The movie was about the chase, digging deeper and deeper into a story until the truth starts to take slow shape. One clue means a dozen new angles to check out, all but one of which lead nowhere. But that one new clue starts the process all over again. Finally, after many phone calls, much wheeling and dealing, and even some shooting and low-level extortion, it seems as though Crowe and McAdams have a handle on what really happened. Then, the movie decides to turn into an Agatha Christie novel, and a subtle clue turns the whole story on its head.

Crowe turned in a typically fine performace, playing the petulant child for his editor, the gruff mentor for McAdams, and the grown-apart old lover for Penn, all within a single character. Some of the minor characters, such as Jason Bateman's sleazeball PR guy, and the two reporters assigned to help Crowe with his investigation brought welcomed comic relief to a movie that was in danger of being over-dramaticized.

URBAN:
Artistically, the only real theme that rose to the surface was the repeated shots of helicopters flying above the city. We never get ‘feed’ from these choppers, we just see them flying. So, we never know whether they are surveillance by the government, a news team reporting, or even, some combination of the two. Nevertheless, director Macdonald does maintain a certain amount of art in the consistency with which he portrays his characters. One of the best shots in this vein occurs during the first meeting between Congressman Collins (Affleck) and his wife. Affleck is easily recognizable in a back hallway, but he is maintained in the shadows during the entire meeting with his wife. In fact, Affleck is filmed in the shadows, or briefly emerging from the shadows in nearly every scene in which he makes an appearance. Of course this is foreshadowing, but it also seems organic within the context of the film.

LUCAS:
This film had a love affair with the city of Washington. As far as I could tell, all of the exterior shots were done on location, and as an area resident, it did a lot to enhance the movie's credibility. They didn't concentrate on the monuments that everyone and his high-school tour group has seen again and again, but rather on the monuments for the locals, such as Ben's Chili Bowl, the Americana Hotel, and even the Metro system. Kudos to the filmmakers for keeping the film authentic in that regard, and showing off some of what D.C. has to offer for non-tourists.

URBAN:
I feel that I must say this, even though it may ruin the film for some. The ending is garbage. It would have been much better and more satisfying (for the viewer) to end the film about 15 minutes earlier, before the big twist kicks in. To add to this, the images being shown over the credits really bring home the point about the importance of the newspaper and reporter as a democratic necessity. It just seems kind of out of place considering that this was a theme that arose, but certainly not the central issue of the film.

LUCAS:
The last 15 minutes felt like a deus ex machina set up to allow Crowe to take his stand on the side of journalism rather than friendship. That's a fine ending, and it makes sense for Crowe's character, but it wasn't supported by the rest of the plot. Even Affleck's character says that he thought Crowe's initial theory on the murder was correct. Drop the last 15 minutes, and you lose Crowe's life choice, but gain a coherent movie.

Urban: Recommended, mainly because of the other weak offerings at the cinema this weekend.
Lucas: Recommended, for D.C. residents, and those don't mind non sequitur endings.

Adventureland

2009-04-15T10:57:00.011-04:00

CARL: Smart, emotionally honest, and funny.
JAY: Smart, serious, funny (but not as funny as you would be led to think by watching the previews, basically, a marketing problem)

Adventureland is written and directed by Greg Motolla, who got his street cred directing Superbad. The film follows James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) during the summer of 1987, when a change in financial situations forces him to forego his post-grad tour of Europe to work at a local amusement park. The film's main focus is on Brennan as he develops a romance with Emily Lewin (Kristen Stewart). Complicating things are a ditzy but 80s-sexy co-worker called "Lisa P" (Margarita Levieva) who has eyes for Brennan, and Emily's on again/off again affair with a married ride repairman, the cool-as-hell Connell (Ryan Reynolds).

CARL:
Adventureland feels autobiographical, and apparently Greg Mottola did work at Adventureland amusement park. This contributes to the feel of authenticity surrounding the work-a-day life of carnies. A fellow movie-goer, who had worked many summers at an amusement park, said it was like having flashbacks. The authenticity doesn't end there, either. The film's relationships stand out.

Brennan and Emily have a romance that actually develops, as he sheds his shyness and insecurity, and she opens up to a relationship that is emotional as well as physical. One of my favorite relationships, however, is the friendship between Brennan and Connell. They both throw each other under the bus, Connell by convincing Brennan into going out with Lisa P, and Brennan by spilling the beans on Connell's affair with Em. As Brennan says goodbye to Connell at the end, they both know that there was no malice, and each was living his life the best way he knew how: Connell by being a womanizer, and Brennan by being an optimist.

JAY:
Personally, I loved the way relationships were portrayed here. Rarely do viewers get to see the strong feelings of early adulthood without the compulsory look down from the perspective of adulthood scorn. In fact, the parents barely register in this film, and when they do we see them for who they are, people living with the results of the decisions they made when they were in there early 20’s. It isn't ideal, but it is a reality for most people.

I agree with your perspective on Connell, Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder) provides a bad-guy performance with subtlety that I didn’t think he was capable of. I would say that both of them left as friends, even though both portrayed the other in a very negative way.

For me though, the picture was made by its artistic impressions more than simply dialogue. Watch the 4th of July scene, right after Brennan says that he celebrates Bastille Day. The shot perfectly breaks up the ridiculous prose with concrete, sparkle and fade Americana. It is the metaphorical hole being shot in his dream of spending a summer in Europe, but also demonstrating that these new plans have a benefit of their own.

I also was impressed by the scene which occurs when Brennan confronts Lisa P. about spreading the gossip of Em and Van Wilder. All of the impressions he projected upon her because of her beauty all go out the window once Amadeus comes in over the loudspeakers and she starts dancing.

All in all, the ending was weak and the first 10-15 minutes really didn't catch me at all, but by the end I was enamored with this film, probably the best I have seen this year so far. It had great music, funny jokes (satin lives) great characterization, and the story was told extremely well. My only serious gripe was that the soundtrack (which was amazing) wasn't featured more prominently.

CARL:
Ahh, the soundtrack. I had been listening to The Velvet Underground, as well as some of Lou Reed's solo work, the same day, just before I saw the film. So, to hear "Pale Blue Eyes" featured so prominently felt like my mind was playing tricks on me. The music drew distinct lines in the movie. Brennan and Em listen to the Cure, Lou Reed, and other emotionally honest and intelligently written music, while at work they suffer through an endless barrage of pop songs, worst of all Falco. Connell recognizes Brennan's superior musical tastes, wants to be in the "cool crowd", but in the end Brennan gets his one instant of superiority over Connell, when he corrects Connell's mis-naming of a Lou Reed song, whom Connel claims to have jammed with.

I don't think the soundtrack was too minimized, but I've been arguing for a while that movies should get away from the Garden State ethos of making the whole movie one gigantic music video.

The beginning was weak, I agree. There was nothing to make you feel sympathetic about this idiot kid who can't get laid because he's too neurotic, and the ex-girlfriend never had any screen-time and never made an emotional impact.

But as for the ending, other than cutting off the 30-second scene inside Em's apartment, it was the best way they could have ended it. Doing a Good Will Hunting ending, with Brennan finally having the stones to go see the girl, would not have told the full story, because both sides of this relationship are messed up. To have closure, you need both of them in the same place, both deciding to be together.

JAY:
I agree that the ending was storyboarded well. By that I mean that all of the characters were in the right places at the right times. The failure that I saw was including the foreplay and portraying the certainty of the near future in the dialogue. Certainly, the dialogue remained consistent with the characterization, but I'm not sure that the situation did.

Besides the beginning and the very end this is a strong film.

CARL: Recommended.
JAY: Recommended.

Listless Tuedays -- Top 5 TV Shows That Should Have Ended With Movies -- Urban

2009-04-14T21:28:00.015-04:00

When coming up with this list I was looking for television shows that didn’t get to and the way that they should have, along with stories that people would be interested in watching for two more hours.

5. Deadwood
There were talks that this series should be turned into a movie on HBO. Since HBO was its home, it wouldn’t take too much to drum up a movie. The last two years have had a great run of a variety of types of westerns. The characters are already timeless. Deadwood would go fit right in with those in exploring contemporary themes through the classic genre. This would be some great content to be shaped by a big picture director.

4. Band of Brothers
I know that this is technically a miniseries, but the show ended on a bit of a down note despite the Allied victory. There were several winding down episodes and the last two didn’t contain any combat action. Despite the slowdown and what the seeming jubilation at the prospects of victory of the Germans, cracks were beginning to show. The men of Easy Company had been away from home for a long time. Their nerves and confidence were never more at odds with one another. I would love a movie that would follow the stories of all the characters from the show. It would include action, following those who stayed in the military through the war in Korea and on. It would also include pathos; the stories of those who left the military, and how they dealt with/succeeded because of their experiences in the war.

3. Alias
Jennifer Garner has made the transition into a movie star. Why not let her return to the TV role that made her marketable? This show, from ABC was a great vehicle for her, showing off her vast array of kicks and wigs. It is quite unfortunate that her recent mode has more to do with motherhood when her fame is based on sex and karate.

2. Coach
This will show you my tastes, but Coach is a show that lasted a while, but always contained a unifying focus. Craig T. Nelson managed to keep the same staff locked in around him and to get the girl in the end. He won a national championship in college football, but never got that shot at the Super Bowl Ring. Sports movies have been green lighted from a lot less.

1. Arrested Development
The show’s finale did a good job of tying up a lot of loose ends, but you know that the story could never be finished with that group of characters. I could see Michael trying to work for another company and being succesful, but he will always have to carry his big brother, his sister, her husband, and the rest of the Bluth crew. It would also be great to watch George Michael go to college. In a great twist of fate he could become popular as a by-accident dealer of his Uncle Oscar's famous "afternoon delight".

Bio -- Jay Urban

2009-04-14T09:00:00.003-04:00

Jay Urban is an officer in the United States Army (1LT). He is stationed at Fort Riley and lives in Manhattan, Kansas. He holds a BA from Hillsdale College in Michigan and is working towards a Master’s Degree from Central Michigan University. He wants people to think of him as a second Woody Allen, but his inner life is undoubtedly more transgressive, kind of Philip Roth, but less poetic. Read about him and philosophical Pragmatism at www.appliedpragmatism.blogspot.com.

Bio -- Carl Lucas

2009-04-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Carl Lucas is a student currently living in Washington, DC. He has a BA from Hillsdale College, and expects a JD in May 2010. He is caught up in the idea that life can be important and meaningful if he can turn it into a narrative, but has a sneaking suspicion that it may take a bit more. He enjoys puns, good beer, and good movies.

About

2009-04-13T22:31:00.002-04:00

The mission of Cinema Comment is to critically review film from every level, at the highest level that we are capable of attaining. The best criticism is done holistically, taking into account theory, politics, and economics that shape the work. It is our goal, as critics, to point out the art that succeeds and describe why it does so. Likewise, it is also our job to do the same with what fails. Finally, criticism is not only an act of taking apart. The act, in its sum, should posit something.

Cinema Comment will bring you a review of a new feature-length on Friday (or Saturday morning), and secondary content, including top-5 lists, retrospectives, and reviews of non-feature-length films on Tuesdays.