watching movies one cup at a time

This film was directed by Danny Boyle who has had an already excellent run of films including Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and Shallow Grave. Slumdog Millionaire is a bit of a departure for Boyle in that it is entirely based in India with an all Indian cast, while his other films have largely been centered around the UK. It is an interesting change of pace that does in fact pay off brilliantly. This is a cleverly done film with a solid story and believable characters.

The story is centered around an Indian man named Jamal who is accused of cheating on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, since he is a poor “slumdog” who should never have known so many of the correct answers given his class. Through the course of his interrogation, his history unfolds to reveal the hard road he’s had to get to this point, along with his conflicted older brother and Lathika, the girl from his childhood he feels eternally connected to. It is revealed how every step has left an unforgettable memory that fate has somehow chosen to use in the show to get him closer toward his ultimate goal of being reunited with Lathika.

Dev Patel as the lead character of Jamal delivers a perfect performance as the both sympathetic underdog and confident hero. And the structured storytelling that reveals just the right flashbacks at just the right time weaves a captivating story that never feels over-complicated or forced. Though there are scenes of extreme poverty and cruelty, the film never loses it’s heart or it’s hope. It’s uplifting even in the face of utter hopelessness. And the end left me very satisfied with a perfect coda.

One of the best films of 2008, definitely see this one.

This is my favorite zombie film, which may seem odd considering it’s not really a horror film like all the other zombie genre. However, this film packs a punch without sacrificing brilliant characters, quality dialogue, and a very clever story. It even manages to pull in some scares and gore. It’s got everything and delivers.

Simon Pegg does a great job as the everyman/schlub Shaun who winds up rising to the task after the zombie apocalypse. His buddy, Ed, and a great ensemble cast all pull their weight here as rich and quirky group thrown together and trying to survive. ANd even in the face of terror, there are very genuine laughs here. Not forced or gimmicky, just clever humor.

Bottom Line: A must see.

I remember seeing the first Matrix trailer during the Super Bowl that year. It was pretty minimal. Basically all it consisted of was the line “What Is The Matrix?” accompanied by the now infamous shot of Keanu Reeves bending backwards, dodging bullets in impossible slow motion. But the cultural reaction was immediate. “Did you see that? What the hell IS the Matrix?” The buzz was started.

Honestly I wasn’t too impressed by the commercial. It definitely looked like a cool movie and I did think I’d go see it, but I figured it was just another “virtual reality” movie. Towards the end of the ’90s, there was a big wave of movies taking advantage of the internet boom and people’s fascination with anything that had the word “cyber” in it. Mixed in with that were “end-of-the-millennium” fears tied into the whole Y2K virus thing (remember that? Pure nonsense). And some general mistrust of technology going too far into our private lives as some folks claimed the internet would take us over like a computer virus. So there were these lame psuedo-sci fi-cyber movies like Johnnie Mnemonic (also starring Reeves) that were getting spit out that never lived up to expectations. And along comes the Matrix with terrible actor Keanu again and I wasn’t setting the bar too high for this one.
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This is the third dazzling film from Australian director, Baz Luhrman. He has a very unique directing style which people either love or hate. It is not generic, it’s not fast food, and it’s not easy-to-ignore. His films are bright, colorful, fast, detailed and full of life. I love them, even tho he has only managed to make three in 15 years. Romeo + Juliet was brilliant and Strictly Ballroom was a great debut already showing a lot of style that would flourish in his next films. Baz’s blended vision of pop culture mixed with old world tradition produces an amazing experience that is very rare in movies these days. It takes you on a wild ride you don’t want to get off.

Nicole Kidman plays the oscar-nominated lead role of the fated Satine. She does an excellent job and easily carries the demanding musical numbers in stride. Ewan McGregor also shows his musical chops and is equally skilled at giving his character the right combination of passion and naivety. The set pieces are simply astounding. I want to live in that Elephant structure. Wave after wave of bright color fills the screen. It is breathtaking. You really feel transported into Baz’s dream world.

Nicole Kidman’s character dies of consumption or pneumonia or something by the end of the movie. And I don’t like plot devices like illness kind of tossed in there to make it tragic. I’m not saying everything has to be a happy ending. But the whole “I’m dying, my love” is a little uninspired. Especially compared to the Romeo + Juliet double-suicide. Now THAT’S tragedy!

This movie is not for everyone but I appreciate the fast pace and sensual overload. It’s rare to find a film that pushes the edges of visual saturation to such satisfying ends.

James Cameron set out to make a groundbreaking film that not only raised the bar for 3D filmmaking, but also married the technological breakthroughs to a rich and detailed world inhabited by characters and creatures that drove a great story. So often story and character development get sacrificed in the name awe-inspiring special effects. But Cameron has spent such a great amount of time filling in the details of this new world that I believed in the reality he created and could easily connect with the characters it spawned. This is a world that doesn’t exist but watching it I believed every moment. And the 3D effects were nothing short of brilliant. Pandora felt alive and amazing.

The film is set about 150 years in the future where a company has set up a mining operation on an alien planet named Pandora to get a rich element that will feed an energy-starved earth. The problem for the company is that Pandora has a rich and complex ecosystem that includes an indigenous population called the Na’vi. These people live in harmony with their environment as each plant and animal is connected and sustained by the balance maintained by Pandora. The human scientists discover that each tree is in fact literally connected to every other tree and that the planet functions like a living organism. The company disregards this in the name of obtaining their precious minerals and proceeds to destroy anything and everything getting in it’s way. Special avatars are created with organically grown Na’vi bodies that are operated through a mental connection to a human. Essentially the human “drives” the avatar like a possessed puppet, each avatar specifically grown for a specific human. Initially the avatars are used to try and bring about the cooperation of the Na’vi and put them at ease with the company. But due to the nature of the relationship between the Na’vi and Pandora, there is little the humans can offer besides being an intrusion and invasion. Read the rest of this entry »

Truly an American classic. The story of Romeo and Juliet has been told a million different ways in a million different movies. There could be a whole section on Netflix just of star-crossed lovers from rival families/countries/races/sports teams – you name it. This movie takes Romeo and Juliet into New York City in the ’50s, and the two feuding families are replaced by brawling street gangs. The Montagues become the Anglo Jets, led by Riff, and the Capulets become the Puerto Rican Sharks, led by Bernardo. At a dance, Tony, former leader of the Jets and Riff’s best friend, and Maria, Bernardo’s little sister, see each other across the room and it’s love at first sight. With opposition from both sides, they meet secretly and their love grows deeper. However, the gangs are plotting one last rumble, a fight that will finally end the battle for control of the streets. And of course the story then reaches it’s tragic conclusion. Read the rest of this entry »

What can I say that hasn’t already been said in the flurry of excitement over this movie? The rave reviews are pouring in as this film rockets past all box office records. Does it really live up to all the crazy hype surrounding it? Yes, it absolutely does.

I expected this film to be good. The trailers were all very promising and even early on Heath Ledger’s Joker promised to be a fascinating character. But even my high expectations were far exceeded. Quite simply this movie has shattered the mold of superhero films and taken the genre to a level no one ever expected a comic book movie to go. It is a crowning moment and has raised the bar to a height I doubt many will be able to grasp.

What sets it apart? The characters. They are interesting, they have depth, they are flawed, they are real. There are no super-powers here, just people trying to deal with a broken down system that is poised on the brink of oblivion. It’s a world unhinged from a sense of right and wrong, spiraling down into chaos and anarchy. Batman and his allies see a better possibility, a hope for a better future, and fight to save the city like a levy holding back a rising sea. But even the so-called heroes can fall and succumb to the madness of a world without justice. But it is not a world of absolutes and the internal conflict each character has speaks to the very real human condition. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s not really clear to me why everyone is going crazy about this movie. Sure it’s a good movie. But it wasn’t THAT great. Not great enough to be freaking out about it like people are.

In general I like the Coen brothers’ movies. I thought Fargo was really good and so was Hudsucker Proxy and Barton Fink. This movie is a lot different tho. It doesn’t feature quite the same exaggerated characters as in some of their other movies. This film actually reminds me the most of their first film, Blood Simple. It’s got a lot of the same tension and “true crime” violence.

I don’t really get why Josh Brolin’s character goes back to the crime scene to give the dying man some water. The guy was just about dead anyway. Going back 6 hours later won’t help him. Seems like a dumb thing to do. And of course the result is he gets found out and eventually killed for it. And why didn’t he just go to New York or some place really far away. I don’t understand why he is going to hotels one town over and thinking that’s a good idea. Where was he headed? What was his plan? And how in the hell does Javier Bardem just happen to be driving past his hotel?

About Javier Bardem, his Anton Chigurh character stole the show. Everyone remembers this character. He is so slyly evil and bizarre, you can’t help but be transfixed by him. All the actors do an exceptional job. Tommy Lee Jones is great as the understated Sheriff that is actually at the center of the movie. And Josh Brolin is the perfect roughneck Texan.

Overall it’s a good movie, just not as insanely fantastic as everyone says. And there were a few more dots that I would like to see connected.

This is a rather enjoyable and well done holiday movie, ranking up there with Elf as one of the better contemporary holiday comedy flicks. Vince Vaughn of course just basically plays himself but it works fine for this role as the deadbeat, black sheep brother of Santa Claus. And Paul Giamatti is right-on-the-mark in his portrayal of Santa as an overstressed guy who just wants everyone to be happy and get along.

The movie tries to humanize Santa by giving him a “normal” family that everyone can relate too as well as the everyday problems people face. But instead of falling completely into cliche and mediocre jokes like Tim Allen’s “The Santa Clause” movies, “Fred Claus” keeps it fresh due to the quick wit of Vaughn and Giamatti. Vince Vaughn is the black sheep but he’s never one-dimensional to the point where you can no longer root for him to win. And Giamatti never reduces Santa to a one-note “Ho Ho Ho” moron.

Add to that a message about how there aren’t really naughty kids in the world, just misunderstood & misguided children, and you’ve got a nice, funny holiday movie.

This was actually better than I expected. Shia Lebouf left a bad taste in my mouth after Indiana Jones this summer. But when he’s in something more his speed, he does pretty good. This is directed by the same guy as Disturbia, another unexpectedly good Lebouf movie.

In this movie a rogue government intelligence computer starts it’s own coup attempt using a vast amount of resources to manipulate people into doing it’s bidding. It’s very fast-paced and the action is very believeable. Essentially it’s a chase movie and it is pretty fun to watch. The supporting cast all does an excellent job of keeping things from bring too flat. And it’s nice to see Michael Chiklis get to play an intelligent good-guy character for a change.

Nothing earth-shaking here, but it’s enjoyable.