THE BOX 1.5****
I went into this movie with low expectations and thus was not surprised when I was underwhelmed. The story is poorly written and the film is misdirected or, I should say, missed-being-directed. The movie is like a race horse that starts off strong but by the middle of the race is lagging behind and finally collapses way before the finish line.
Set in Richmond, Virginia in 1976 ( why 1976 I have no idea ) the story involves a couple ( James Marsden and Cameron Diaz) who have a stranger with a severely deformed face ( Frank Langella) mysteriously show up at their home and offer them a tantalizing but awful proposition. He places before them is a box. Inside this box is a button. If they push this button, two things will occur. One, somewhere, someone they don’t know will instantly die. And two, the young couple will receive $1 million in cash..even tax free.. The couple, who currently find themselves in debt, partly because of an extravagant lifestyle, has 24 hours to decide and agonize they do as to whether or not they should push the button and get the money. However, once this initial conundrum is introduced, the story goes from slightly mysterious, to weird, to way-out-there, to what-in-the-heck is going on. I was left confused and frustrated with the ending…and there is no “feel-good” to it.
I enjoy Cameron Diaz but had a big problem with her attempt at a southern accent…for someone who was living in Richmond, it was too heavy and exaggerated and became a distraction. James Marsden is likable but not believable as a potential astronaut. Frank Langella on the other hand, was very creepy and frightening, and more or less ended up carrying much of the movie.
The movie gets bogged down in so much technical and mysterious exposition that you stop caring. And, much of the time Diaz and Marsden look zonked-out by their weighty dilemmas. What a shame that the pacing couldn’t keep up with some good Sci-Fi ideas…as a result, instead of sweeping you along, The Box just sits there like something unclaimed at lost and found. Damaged goods.
Clark
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS 2.0****
George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey…a strong cast. So you wonder could this be another “Ocean’s Eleven” or “Three Kings”. Well the answer is a resounding “NO….not even close. Since there’s a lot of desert scenery, it could be called “Sahorrorible Nein”…maybe not that bad but it does involve a lot of wandering around in a desolate script with more mirages than oasis.
So why does it miss the mark..…primarily because of a poor script, ineffective direction and a concept that just doesn’t cut it as a comedy/spoof or a docudrama. At times it veers close to being funny... and then veers off and comes close to satirizing American military tactics... and then veers off in another direction. Too much veering.
The film is based on the book by Jon Ronson who investigated the extraordinary activities of a "psychic unit" within the US army during current Iraq war. Styling themselves as Warrior Monks and Jedi Warriors no nutty scheme was too far-fetched to try out, from killing goats with an intense stare to mesmerizing the enemy with "sparkly eyes"….and even “running through walls”. In the film, McGregor is reporter named Bob Wilton who's hanging around in a Kuwaiti bar trying to get into Iraq to cover the war. There, he meets the charismatic, self-styled former "Jedi Warrior" Lyn Cassady (Clooney) who claims once to have been involved in the top-secret army unit. When Clooney sets off for Iraq on a supposedly hush-hush mission, McGregor tags and gets taken for a ride in every sense.
The story is presented through a series of flashbacks which tell of the origins of the paranormal unit, led by a ponytailed, chilled-out Bridges whose character is disenchanted by the atrocities he experienced in the Vietnam War. So he tries to find a kinder, gentler way of killing people by physic powers. After a reasonably short but robust start, the story quickly crumbles into a series of fragmented skits, patched together by a voice-over narration, generally a sign of last-minute emergency surgery in a movie.
It would have been a whole lot funnier if the goat had won out in the stare down contest.
Clark
George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey…a strong cast. So you wonder could this be another “Ocean’s Eleven” or “Three Kings”. Well the answer is a resounding “NO….not even close. Since there’s a lot of desert scenery, it could be called “Sahorrorible Nein”…maybe not that bad but it does involve a lot of wandering around in a desolate script with more mirages than oasis.
So why does it miss the mark..…primarily because of a poor script, ineffective direction and a concept that just doesn’t cut it as a comedy/spoof or a docudrama. At times it veers close to being funny... and then veers off and comes close to satirizing American military tactics... and then veers off in another direction. Too much veering.
The film is based on the book by Jon Ronson who investigated the extraordinary activities of a "psychic unit" within the US army during current Iraq war. Styling themselves as Warrior Monks and Jedi Warriors no nutty scheme was too far-fetched to try out, from killing goats with an intense stare to mesmerizing the enemy with "sparkly eyes"….and even “running through walls”. In the film, McGregor is reporter named Bob Wilton who's hanging around in a Kuwaiti bar trying to get into Iraq to cover the war. There, he meets the charismatic, self-styled former "Jedi Warrior" Lyn Cassady (Clooney) who claims once to have been involved in the top-secret army unit. When Clooney sets off for Iraq on a supposedly hush-hush mission, McGregor tags and gets taken for a ride in every sense.
The story is presented through a series of flashbacks which tell of the origins of the paranormal unit, led by a ponytailed, chilled-out Bridges whose character is disenchanted by the atrocities he experienced in the Vietnam War. So he tries to find a kinder, gentler way of killing people by physic powers. After a reasonably short but robust start, the story quickly crumbles into a series of fragmented skits, patched together by a voice-over narration, generally a sign of last-minute emergency surgery in a movie.
It would have been a whole lot funnier if the goat had won out in the stare down contest.
Clark
Monday, November 2, 2009
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3.0 *** generally; 3.5*** for Scary Movie Genre What better time to see a scary movie than on Halloween at midnight. What better way to watch a scary movie than with a theatre full of people who are really ready to be scared. What better movie to make it all happen than, as it turns out, “Paranormal Activity”. AND what a scary, good time it was.
Done with a super-low budget, it pretends to be a true story and is shot entirely inside a modern house in sunny Southern California. Something is bothering a couple. At night, it moves things, stomps up and down hallways, opens and closes doors. Writer/Director Oren Peli understands horror. He knows exactly what effects/tricks can scare the you-know-what out of you…and it’s primarily done through the suddenness of it – not just because the event is scary. The psychology of fright says we can deal with what we can see. It’s what we can’t or don’t see that is frightening. The movie subtly hammers you senseless.
A young couple named Micah and Katie come to believe she is being haunted. In fact, Katie thinks she's been haunted most of her life and Micah is just now being introduced to this scary, troubled side of Katie's life. So, from the beginning, the Director wisely eliminates one element of haunted house movies that usually frustrates the viewer. Most ghost story movies never answer the question – if the house is so haunted, why not just leave the house? In “Paranormal Activity”, it's not the house, it's the girl who’s haunted, and leaving will get them nowhere. So, Katie is haunted by “something.” To prove it and try to figure out what it is and what it wants, Micah sets up a camera which is left on while they try to sleep in their bedroom. The entire film is seen from the perspective of this camera, giving the viewer the impression that they're watching some horrific surveillance video from hell.
I enjoyed the pace as it slowly builds the tension throughout the film and then breaks it with the next even scarier encounter, thus ratcheting up the suspense and terror. I haven't experienced a night at the movies like this in quite a while…it gave me chills and goosebumps, and made the hair on the back of my neck stand-up. Others in the theatre were screaming, laughing, crying and gasping, and there was one guy in the back who every 10 minutes or so cried out for a cigarette.
“Paranormal Activity” is a phenomenal achievement…it’s a really scary movie.
Clark
NOTES: it was filmed in one week for $15,000 and grossed $9.1 million in its first week in the US, breaking the record of highest-grossing weekend ever for a movie playing at less than 200 theaters ( It has grossed as of Nov.1, $84.6 Million dollars !!!!). The director filmed the whole movie in his own home. He got the idea for the movie from a personal experience. Late at night he was sleeping and a box of detergent fell off the shelf. The box was pushed too far back for it to just tilt and fall. AND, guess what….there will be a sequel.
Done with a super-low budget, it pretends to be a true story and is shot entirely inside a modern house in sunny Southern California. Something is bothering a couple. At night, it moves things, stomps up and down hallways, opens and closes doors. Writer/Director Oren Peli understands horror. He knows exactly what effects/tricks can scare the you-know-what out of you…and it’s primarily done through the suddenness of it – not just because the event is scary. The psychology of fright says we can deal with what we can see. It’s what we can’t or don’t see that is frightening. The movie subtly hammers you senseless.
A young couple named Micah and Katie come to believe she is being haunted. In fact, Katie thinks she's been haunted most of her life and Micah is just now being introduced to this scary, troubled side of Katie's life. So, from the beginning, the Director wisely eliminates one element of haunted house movies that usually frustrates the viewer. Most ghost story movies never answer the question – if the house is so haunted, why not just leave the house? In “Paranormal Activity”, it's not the house, it's the girl who’s haunted, and leaving will get them nowhere. So, Katie is haunted by “something.” To prove it and try to figure out what it is and what it wants, Micah sets up a camera which is left on while they try to sleep in their bedroom. The entire film is seen from the perspective of this camera, giving the viewer the impression that they're watching some horrific surveillance video from hell.
I enjoyed the pace as it slowly builds the tension throughout the film and then breaks it with the next even scarier encounter, thus ratcheting up the suspense and terror. I haven't experienced a night at the movies like this in quite a while…it gave me chills and goosebumps, and made the hair on the back of my neck stand-up. Others in the theatre were screaming, laughing, crying and gasping, and there was one guy in the back who every 10 minutes or so cried out for a cigarette.
“Paranormal Activity” is a phenomenal achievement…it’s a really scary movie.
Clark
NOTES: it was filmed in one week for $15,000 and grossed $9.1 million in its first week in the US, breaking the record of highest-grossing weekend ever for a movie playing at less than 200 theaters ( It has grossed as of Nov.1, $84.6 Million dollars !!!!). The director filmed the whole movie in his own home. He got the idea for the movie from a personal experience. Late at night he was sleeping and a box of detergent fell off the shelf. The box was pushed too far back for it to just tilt and fall. AND, guess what….there will be a sequel.
Monday, October 26, 2009
HUMPDAY 2.5*** Generally; 3.0*** for a realistic Indie film.
No, this is not a movie about the slangy workday reference to Wednesday as being the “over-the-hump” day for the workweek.
No, this is, instead, a movie about two straight guys who decide to make a porno film where they are the ones having intercourse with each other.
Do I have your attention now !!!
Two college friends, Andrew and Ben, get together years after college. Ben has settled down and is happily married to Anna. Andrew is single and somewhat wild. During a drunken night with other revelers goading them on, Andrew and Ben brazenly agree that they'll make an “art” film of themselves “doing it” for entry in the Seattle “Humpfest” film festival. The next day after they’ve sobered up, each hopes the other will back out of the idea, and they warily circle each other in the days that follow right up until the planned “event” still looking for a way out. Ben, in particular, smarts against Andrew's condescending attitude about the “white-picket-fence” life in which Ben and Anna live. Andrew, on the other hand, resents Ben’s implication that Andrew is nothing but a rolling tumbleweed, a life without a purpose. How do things work out? Do they go through with it. What about Anna, the wife. Well, I'm not going to tell you.
This film is surprisingly perceptive about male relationships/friendships, and what makes this even more surprising is that it comes from female screenwriter/director Lynn Shelton.
Most people will feel uncomfortable watching this movie (I surely did), but, as it turns out, that is the whole point. We are uncomfortable because the characters are very uncomfortable. And It's hard to watch people struggle with difficult situations like this, but it is how they work it out that makes it all worthwhile.
Obviously, this movie is not intended for the easily offended. Or, in fact, for most audiences. But, it is a rare experience…. an Indie reality movie that is both interesting and a whole lot weird. "Humpday" is rated R and features strong sexual language and frank sex talk, simulated sex (both straight and gay) with some nudity, and other derogatory language.
This is fairly strong stuff and not for the weak at heart or for high brows.
Clark
No, this is not a movie about the slangy workday reference to Wednesday as being the “over-the-hump” day for the workweek.
No, this is, instead, a movie about two straight guys who decide to make a porno film where they are the ones having intercourse with each other.
Do I have your attention now !!!
Two college friends, Andrew and Ben, get together years after college. Ben has settled down and is happily married to Anna. Andrew is single and somewhat wild. During a drunken night with other revelers goading them on, Andrew and Ben brazenly agree that they'll make an “art” film of themselves “doing it” for entry in the Seattle “Humpfest” film festival. The next day after they’ve sobered up, each hopes the other will back out of the idea, and they warily circle each other in the days that follow right up until the planned “event” still looking for a way out. Ben, in particular, smarts against Andrew's condescending attitude about the “white-picket-fence” life in which Ben and Anna live. Andrew, on the other hand, resents Ben’s implication that Andrew is nothing but a rolling tumbleweed, a life without a purpose. How do things work out? Do they go through with it. What about Anna, the wife. Well, I'm not going to tell you.
This film is surprisingly perceptive about male relationships/friendships, and what makes this even more surprising is that it comes from female screenwriter/director Lynn Shelton.
Most people will feel uncomfortable watching this movie (I surely did), but, as it turns out, that is the whole point. We are uncomfortable because the characters are very uncomfortable. And It's hard to watch people struggle with difficult situations like this, but it is how they work it out that makes it all worthwhile.
Obviously, this movie is not intended for the easily offended. Or, in fact, for most audiences. But, it is a rare experience…. an Indie reality movie that is both interesting and a whole lot weird. "Humpday" is rated R and features strong sexual language and frank sex talk, simulated sex (both straight and gay) with some nudity, and other derogatory language.
This is fairly strong stuff and not for the weak at heart or for high brows.
Clark
Sunday, October 18, 2009
SURROGATES 2.0*** This is one of those movies with a very interesting concept…what if humans could purchase your own idealized life-like, version of a robot..i.e. a ‘surrogate” through which you could live and experience life vicariously. In simplest term, "surrogates" are physical robots that do not have robot minds , they are run by actual human beings ("operators") via a remote control technology. The operators sit in a dental-type chair and wear mental caps to control their surrogates. The idea is to allow the operators to enjoy and experience all the sights, sounds and sensations without being placed in physical risk . In this story 98% of humans have surrogates and they are so common they are sold in stores, such as Wal-Mart or Target, as any other consumer item (clothes, for example) and they come in a wide range of quality from the crudest model that look like mannequins to some that look just like real human beings. Some owners have just one model that are visual replicas of themselves. while others (the rich, obviously) may have a dozen surrogates all of different shapes and sizes as they have cars. It’s a world populated with beautiful, gorgeous surrogates who look just like humans…I would have loved to have been the Casting Director for this film. An interesting, even fascinating concept. But, as is often the case, the concept gets lost in a far too complicated, convoluted story. Too bad…”it coulda been a contender”.
Bruce Willis stars as both the older human FBI Agent and his younger, glamorized surrogate. He and his female partner are investigating the murder ( the first murder in many years) of two people whose deaths occurred simultaneously with the destruction of their surrogate bodies which is NOT supposed to happen. This leads to a plot involving a mysterious new weapon and a mad genius intent on mass murder. Meanwhile Willis' character re-discovers what it means to be human when his surrogate is destroyed and he’s not allowed to get a replacement. The likely suspects are in a special segregated enclave within the city where humans who are anti-surrogates live and it is off-limits for surrogates.
While this one one is an interesting movie, it is not really worth the today’s cost of a movie theatre ticket, but it might be worth the cost of a rental IF you like soft SCI-FI and Bruce Willis.
Clark
Bruce Willis stars as both the older human FBI Agent and his younger, glamorized surrogate. He and his female partner are investigating the murder ( the first murder in many years) of two people whose deaths occurred simultaneously with the destruction of their surrogate bodies which is NOT supposed to happen. This leads to a plot involving a mysterious new weapon and a mad genius intent on mass murder. Meanwhile Willis' character re-discovers what it means to be human when his surrogate is destroyed and he’s not allowed to get a replacement. The likely suspects are in a special segregated enclave within the city where humans who are anti-surrogates live and it is off-limits for surrogates.
While this one one is an interesting movie, it is not really worth the today’s cost of a movie theatre ticket, but it might be worth the cost of a rental IF you like soft SCI-FI and Bruce Willis.
Clark
Sunday, October 11, 2009
WHIP IT 3.5****
You could call this “Juno” on roller skates. The same terrific Ellen Page stars here as a 17 yr. old small town, going-no-where teenager who happens upon ladies roller derby in the Big town of Austin. On a lark, she tries out for one of the teams and finds out that she’s good at it and that it is good for her. The movie also reminds me of “The Wrestler” from the standpoint of presenting a fascinating look at one of those out-in-right-field sports and especially its focus on the roller girls…the “derbettes”…and their camaraderie, their less-than-dainty-uniforms and tactics, their wild makeup and hairdos, AND their preoccupation with coming up with gruesome names such as “Mayhem”, “Smashly”, “Bloody”, and the one Page adopts for herself.. “Ruthless”. It is only semi-serious and half-way realistic… but it is all-the-way funny and heartfelt.
“Whip-It” is produced and directed by none-other than Drew Barrymore who also plays a supporting role as the team toughie and wild one, “Smashly’. It was wise of her to not try to overshadow Page and an excellent supporting cast. Barrymore hits a homeroom on all counts and does an amazing job for her rookie turn as a director.
I enjoyed this movie from start to finish …the characters are fascinating, realistic and endearing…the story is well written… unique in some ways but familiar in others (written in fact, by a real roller “derbette”).Hats off and a “well done” to Drew Barrymore for enthusing the excellent ensemble cast and to Ellen Page for taking on a very physical role and pulling it off in a very believable way.
If you have been looking for something different, something unique, but at the same time a “feel good” movie, this is it.
Clark
You could call this “Juno” on roller skates. The same terrific Ellen Page stars here as a 17 yr. old small town, going-no-where teenager who happens upon ladies roller derby in the Big town of Austin. On a lark, she tries out for one of the teams and finds out that she’s good at it and that it is good for her. The movie also reminds me of “The Wrestler” from the standpoint of presenting a fascinating look at one of those out-in-right-field sports and especially its focus on the roller girls…the “derbettes”…and their camaraderie, their less-than-dainty-uniforms and tactics, their wild makeup and hairdos, AND their preoccupation with coming up with gruesome names such as “Mayhem”, “Smashly”, “Bloody”, and the one Page adopts for herself.. “Ruthless”. It is only semi-serious and half-way realistic… but it is all-the-way funny and heartfelt.
“Whip-It” is produced and directed by none-other than Drew Barrymore who also plays a supporting role as the team toughie and wild one, “Smashly’. It was wise of her to not try to overshadow Page and an excellent supporting cast. Barrymore hits a homeroom on all counts and does an amazing job for her rookie turn as a director.
I enjoyed this movie from start to finish …the characters are fascinating, realistic and endearing…the story is well written… unique in some ways but familiar in others (written in fact, by a real roller “derbette”).Hats off and a “well done” to Drew Barrymore for enthusing the excellent ensemble cast and to Ellen Page for taking on a very physical role and pulling it off in a very believable way.
If you have been looking for something different, something unique, but at the same time a “feel good” movie, this is it.
Clark
Saturday, October 10, 2009
ZOMBIELAND 3.5*** overall/ 4.0**** for its genre
Zombieland is a gleefully twisted mockumentary about a world full of you-know-whats, wherein only five living people remain in the entire world. It’s gory and disgusting, but most of all, it’s terrific fun, with just the right mix of violence and off-kilter comedy.
It has one of the most unique and hilarious openings in memory. There is nothing subtle about it. You are dropped right into Zombieland as Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) begins listing the rules to survival. Of course each rule gives you a hysterical example of why the rule is in place. Columbus is funny enough with his phobias and geek lifestyle that proves to be what keeps him alive but it isn't until he meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), that things really kick into gear. Harrelson was been born for this role. He has more one liners than any character in recent memory. Things get even more interesting when Columbus and Tallahassee come upon sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) {NOTE: Each of the characters is called by the name of the city they’re from. The girls are an important part of the chemistry of Zombieland and they hold their own by outwitting the guys a couple of times and killing their share of zombies.
The biggest moment of the film has to be the mystery cameo. I'm glad I didn't know who it was and I won't spoil it for anyone else. I will say that it was brilliantly written into the script. PERFECT!
As you would expect, there’s lots of blood splattering, plenty of gore, frequent of cursing, but not so much with the “f-word”, and even some nudity. But not too much for a zombie/horror movie especially where the emphasis is on the comedy and the parody. If anything, Zombieland is a movie that dares you to take it seriously, just so it can pull the rug out from under you and we can all laugh This one is so good it deserves to take its place amongst the best of the genre, such as 'Shaun of the Dead'
.
Everyone rates movies differently but I rate a movie on how much I enjoyed the film and with that being said, Zombieland, for its genre, gets 4 out of 4*** ……. an overall rating a 3.5****.
Clark
Zombieland is a gleefully twisted mockumentary about a world full of you-know-whats, wherein only five living people remain in the entire world. It’s gory and disgusting, but most of all, it’s terrific fun, with just the right mix of violence and off-kilter comedy.
It has one of the most unique and hilarious openings in memory. There is nothing subtle about it. You are dropped right into Zombieland as Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) begins listing the rules to survival. Of course each rule gives you a hysterical example of why the rule is in place. Columbus is funny enough with his phobias and geek lifestyle that proves to be what keeps him alive but it isn't until he meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), that things really kick into gear. Harrelson was been born for this role. He has more one liners than any character in recent memory. Things get even more interesting when Columbus and Tallahassee come upon sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) {NOTE: Each of the characters is called by the name of the city they’re from. The girls are an important part of the chemistry of Zombieland and they hold their own by outwitting the guys a couple of times and killing their share of zombies.
The biggest moment of the film has to be the mystery cameo. I'm glad I didn't know who it was and I won't spoil it for anyone else. I will say that it was brilliantly written into the script. PERFECT!
As you would expect, there’s lots of blood splattering, plenty of gore, frequent of cursing, but not so much with the “f-word”, and even some nudity. But not too much for a zombie/horror movie especially where the emphasis is on the comedy and the parody. If anything, Zombieland is a movie that dares you to take it seriously, just so it can pull the rug out from under you and we can all laugh This one is so good it deserves to take its place amongst the best of the genre, such as 'Shaun of the Dead'
.
Everyone rates movies differently but I rate a movie on how much I enjoyed the film and with that being said, Zombieland, for its genre, gets 4 out of 4*** ……. an overall rating a 3.5****.
Clark
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