I'll start by saying that this movie kicked ass. It was graphic, vulgar, but most importantly well scripted and well acted. Here we have a couple of plot lines that are intertwined and ultimately leading to the same place...the destruction of Hitler and his Nazi regime. First there are the Basterds, led by the fearless Lt. Aldo Raine, played astonishing well by Brad Pitt. He leads his group of Jewish-American soldiers into enemy territory for one reason and one reason only "killin' nazis". This band of soldiers brutally murder and scalp the packs of German soldiers throughout the country with a goal of 100 per person.
The second plot line revolves around Shosanna Dreyfus, a French Jew, whose family was ruthlessly murdered by Col. Hans Landa when she was a teenager. After 4 years she grows out of being a little girl, inherits a movie theater, and plots the assassination of Hitler and his cronies while they are attending a pro-German film at her theater. The two plots converge towards the end of the film in this little theater and here all havoc lets loose for a rather satisfying climax.
Aside from being a Quentin Tarantino movie (and I am a big fan), this movie is success on every level but I would specifically like to point out the acting of Christopher Waltz and his portrayal of Col. Hans Landa. He is remarkable in this film and if there were no other films being released he would be a guarantee victor for the Best Supporting Actor in every award ceremony including the Academy Awards. On top of that, everybody else in the film had stellar acting supported by a wonderful script. If this isn't the best movie of the year I don't know what is. Inglourious Basterds receives a well earned A+.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
District 9
Imagine waking up one to find a massive extra terrestrial spaceship hovering above your city. Kinda freaky right? Well that is the tone set up in District 9. The opening of the movie begins with a series of documentary-like interviews to establish the premise of the movie; alien ship over Johannesburg - South Africa, aliens (aka Prawns) appear to be malnourished, and they are relocated to a government camp on Earth called District 9. Ok that's the beginning. As the movie progresses we begin to see that the Prawns are wearing out there welcome in Johannesburg, as they have been on Earth for 20 years, and are being ushered outside of the city to District 10 by the MNU, Multi-National United. This company, aside from being charged with the relocation, has a hidden agenda and that is to learn how to use the advanced weaponry brought to Earth by these aliens.
The MNU is being led by Wikus Van Der Merwe and during the relocation process he is also charged with inspecting suspicious activity and behavior. During one of his inspections he finds an out of sorts container which sprays him in the face with a dark nasty liquid. After a bit he begins to experience, shall we say, a transformation and its for the worse...he is slowly becoming one of them. This unlocks a world of possibility into the use of all the collected alien weaponry that MNU has been dying to understand. Wikus becomes a valuable and targeted individual and is forced to join the ranks of the Prawns not just for their survival but his own.
This was a rather interesting film that was shot very well and had an extremely unique plot, one that I had never seen before. Since Peter Jackson had his hands in the production you know that the effects will be top notch. After all that something was still missing for me and I can't quite put my finger on it. The story was complete, the acting was pretty good, the special effects were right on, and I really enjoyed how they did the quasi-documentary but something still lacked. And because I didnt quite feel that this movie was completely well-rounded I give Disctrict 9 a B.
The MNU is being led by Wikus Van Der Merwe and during the relocation process he is also charged with inspecting suspicious activity and behavior. During one of his inspections he finds an out of sorts container which sprays him in the face with a dark nasty liquid. After a bit he begins to experience, shall we say, a transformation and its for the worse...he is slowly becoming one of them. This unlocks a world of possibility into the use of all the collected alien weaponry that MNU has been dying to understand. Wikus becomes a valuable and targeted individual and is forced to join the ranks of the Prawns not just for their survival but his own.
This was a rather interesting film that was shot very well and had an extremely unique plot, one that I had never seen before. Since Peter Jackson had his hands in the production you know that the effects will be top notch. After all that something was still missing for me and I can't quite put my finger on it. The story was complete, the acting was pretty good, the special effects were right on, and I really enjoyed how they did the quasi-documentary but something still lacked. And because I didnt quite feel that this movie was completely well-rounded I give Disctrict 9 a B.
50 Dead Men Walking
This relatively unknown movie was a real jem and one of the best movies to come out this year. Think about Leonardo DiCaprio's role in "The Departed" and then give it an Irish twist and that is exactly what 50 Dead Men Walking was about. Here we have Martin McGartland, played astonishing well by Jim Sturgess, born an Irish lad, and living in his early 20's during the 1980's conflict between the Irish Republican Army and British Police. Martin is a street criminal who is receiving more recognition from the IRA by rebelling against the British Police but come to realize that their cruel tactics do not sit well with him. Because of this he decides to become a secret mole for the British Police as he moves his way up the ranks in the IRA. All the while, he increasingly worries for the safety of his family and fears that his covert identity will become known which will inevitably lead to his death and the death of all his loved ones.
This film works on a few different levels; first the acting. Jim Sturgess and Ben Kingsley nail their roles which really adds to the emotion this movie was trying to evoke with the climax of the plot benefiting the most. And second, since this was a true story, it gave me a true, and what felt to be very accurate, portrayal of what happened during that 1980's conflict between opposing forces. I can't say enough how tremendous this movie was so 50 Dead Men Walking rightfully earns a solid A.
This film works on a few different levels; first the acting. Jim Sturgess and Ben Kingsley nail their roles which really adds to the emotion this movie was trying to evoke with the climax of the plot benefiting the most. And second, since this was a true story, it gave me a true, and what felt to be very accurate, portrayal of what happened during that 1980's conflict between opposing forces. I can't say enough how tremendous this movie was so 50 Dead Men Walking rightfully earns a solid A.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Julie & Julia
They say that the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach...well that is absolutely true and after watching this movie it's even more so. I guess the best way to describe Julie & Julia is that it was cute. We have the always amazing Meryl Streep playing the obnoxious real life cook, Julia Child and Amy Adams playing a woman by the name of Julie Powell. Julia Child wrote a book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and Julie Powell cooked every receipt in that book...and there lies the premise of the movie. We got to see how Julia Child's rise to fame as a popular chef and how her book came to fruition and we saw from Julie Powell the rigor of cooking those 524 receipts in 365 days. The 2 stories were going on concurrently, one with each character, and they flipped back and forth for the two hour run time but something was ultimately missing for me.
I don't know if I just didn't get the movie or if I didn't understand the character of Julia Child but I found myself becoming very annoyed with Meryl Streep's portrayal of Julia Child. I know in real life she was a rather eccentric lady but man o man was she annoying. The supporting characters were very lackluster, the ending was extremely anticlimactic, and the movie seemed to go on for days and days and days. I love food so in that respect the movie was great but I don't think I would subject myself to seeing it again and for that reason I would give Julie & Julia a C.
I don't know if I just didn't get the movie or if I didn't understand the character of Julia Child but I found myself becoming very annoyed with Meryl Streep's portrayal of Julia Child. I know in real life she was a rather eccentric lady but man o man was she annoying. The supporting characters were very lackluster, the ending was extremely anticlimactic, and the movie seemed to go on for days and days and days. I love food so in that respect the movie was great but I don't think I would subject myself to seeing it again and for that reason I would give Julie & Julia a C.
GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Hasbro brings their Real American Heroes to the big screen in GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra. I remember back when I was a child; I had the entire lineup on my dresser and put little parachutes on them and threw them out of my bedroom window. If I had this movie on DVD I would do the same thing except without the parachute.
In this story we have a group of special operatives, known as Joes, who, of course, try and take down the villians who are planning to destroy the planet by using a super sophisticated futuristic weapon involving nanotechnology. This weapon is a liquid looking substance that needs to be activated and consist of teeny tiny little nanorobots. These little buggers devour and destroy everything in their path until nothing exists. Believe it or not they are being launched towards a few major cities across the world, one of which is Washington DC so Cobra can take over the planet...could they be anymore original. The Joes get to use their nifty toys and fly jets that move faster than mach 1000 or whatever they say and save the day like the heroes they are.
Bottom line, this movie was stupid. The plot was lame, the acting was worse, and one of the main stars was Marlon Wayans (need I say more?). There was a lot of grandier, explosions, and special effects but at the end of the day this movie was really bad. I could not in good faith recommend this movie unless you are really just looking for some cheesy entertainment and a way to pass the time. Even though it was a crappy movie there was some entertainment value so with that said I would give it a D+.
In this story we have a group of special operatives, known as Joes, who, of course, try and take down the villians who are planning to destroy the planet by using a super sophisticated futuristic weapon involving nanotechnology. This weapon is a liquid looking substance that needs to be activated and consist of teeny tiny little nanorobots. These little buggers devour and destroy everything in their path until nothing exists. Believe it or not they are being launched towards a few major cities across the world, one of which is Washington DC so Cobra can take over the planet...could they be anymore original. The Joes get to use their nifty toys and fly jets that move faster than mach 1000 or whatever they say and save the day like the heroes they are.
Bottom line, this movie was stupid. The plot was lame, the acting was worse, and one of the main stars was Marlon Wayans (need I say more?). There was a lot of grandier, explosions, and special effects but at the end of the day this movie was really bad. I could not in good faith recommend this movie unless you are really just looking for some cheesy entertainment and a way to pass the time. Even though it was a crappy movie there was some entertainment value so with that said I would give it a D+.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
The Hurt Locker
If I had to describe this movie in one word it would be intense. We have an Army bomb squad of 3 men who are in the heart of Iraq during the peak of the conflict defusing some pretty complex bombs. Not only are they taking apart bombs that are designed to kill them but everybody around them are potential terrorists looking to do the same thing. There is only one thing that keeps these guys together and in one piece and that is eachother...and even that become difficult at times.
Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty possess three different and clearly distinct personalities; a gun-ho pro army badass, the everyday soldier and a guy who can't handle the affects of war. All 3 delivered performances that were impecable and, more importantly, memorable. I truly felt as though I was witnessing first hand what happens on the battlefield in an Iraqi city. Not only was this the best film of the year and one of my personal favorites but this movie was a success in every respect; acting, direction, script, plot, etc. It is incredibly hard to put into words how tremendous this film was so I give The Hurt Locker the highest possible A just barely missing an A+.
Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty possess three different and clearly distinct personalities; a gun-ho pro army badass, the everyday soldier and a guy who can't handle the affects of war. All 3 delivered performances that were impecable and, more importantly, memorable. I truly felt as though I was witnessing first hand what happens on the battlefield in an Iraqi city. Not only was this the best film of the year and one of my personal favorites but this movie was a success in every respect; acting, direction, script, plot, etc. It is incredibly hard to put into words how tremendous this film was so I give The Hurt Locker the highest possible A just barely missing an A+.
(500) Days of Summer
Opening Line: "This is not a love story." When I hear those words I immediately think it is going to be just that, a love story, but the ending wasn't what I thought it would be. This is a story of boy meets girl and falls in love but what Tom Hansen doesn't realize is that feelings aren't always reciprocated. He will soon be introduced to Summer Finn and the roller coaster of emotions that commonly follow most relationships for the duration of...you guessed it...500 days.
There were a few aspects of this movie that I absolutely loved. First, the acting. Joesph Gordon-Levitt delivered in every scene he was in and really connected with the audience. When he was depressed my heart ached and when he was happy I couldn't help but smile. I think any person who has been in some form of relationship could relate to him (some more than others). Second, the timeline. We may have opened with day 1 but five minutes into the the movie we may have seen day 488 or day 241. The entire movie bounced around, usually with a change in emotional state each time, but it flowed very well and always kept me guessing. Third, the script. Not only was this film well acted but also well written. It had such a great balance of comedy and drama, there were times I almost died of laughter and there were times when I wanted to weep like a baby.
At the end of the day I was, of course, rooting for Tom and Summer to live happily ever after (you'll have to see it to know if that happens) but found myself pleasantly surprised with how the story ended. If a sequel was made, and I can see that happening, it would be a definate must see. For that reason I give 500 Days of Summer a B+.
There were a few aspects of this movie that I absolutely loved. First, the acting. Joesph Gordon-Levitt delivered in every scene he was in and really connected with the audience. When he was depressed my heart ached and when he was happy I couldn't help but smile. I think any person who has been in some form of relationship could relate to him (some more than others). Second, the timeline. We may have opened with day 1 but five minutes into the the movie we may have seen day 488 or day 241. The entire movie bounced around, usually with a change in emotional state each time, but it flowed very well and always kept me guessing. Third, the script. Not only was this film well acted but also well written. It had such a great balance of comedy and drama, there were times I almost died of laughter and there were times when I wanted to weep like a baby.
At the end of the day I was, of course, rooting for Tom and Summer to live happily ever after (you'll have to see it to know if that happens) but found myself pleasantly surprised with how the story ended. If a sequel was made, and I can see that happening, it would be a definate must see. For that reason I give 500 Days of Summer a B+.
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