watching movies one cup at a time

This movie was very under the radar. It’s a small independent film released toward the end of the year and it just came out on DVD. I didn’t have high expectations but was pleasantly surprised at how good it turned out to be. I really liked this movie a lot and recommend you give it a chance next time you’re at the video store.

The film stars Ryan Reynolds as the central character. And the story is broken up into 3 distinct sections, with the same actors playing a different role in each story. The 3 stories are connected in a very original and interesting way. It’s not some virtual reality mumbo-jumbo or anything computer related like I thought it might be. Instead it’s a very personal and moving story that poses some big ideas about God and the universe. This story is as high-concept as Southland Tales (probably moreso) but it doesn’t get so self-absorbed in esoteric weirdness like Southland Tales did. The Nines keeps things down-to-earth while at the same time illuminating ideas as big as existence itself.

Ryan Reynolds does a great job in this. I often overlook him because of complete garbage like Van Wilder and Blade 3. But I gotta hand it to him, he nailed it in this one. If an actor can get an intelligent script, they can really shine and show the world they can do more than flex their ab muscles and make boob-jokes. As I have said before, I judge an actor by the quality of their range. This film gave the actors the great opportunity to stretch out into 3 completely different characters. And Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy, and Hope Davis all do a phenomenal job of transforming themselves within each section.

I won’t spoil the ending on this one because I really think you should rent it. The writer and director John August pulled off a great film definitely worth checking out.

Much nas been said about Mickey Rourke’s role in this movie and his subsequent award noms and wins. And truly he does a briliant job in this movie. I believed every minute of it and it was far from over-the-top. He really put his heart and soul into this flawed character and it paid off in a rich and multi-dimensional portrayal of a man with nothing left to lose.

This wasn’t Rocky where the loveable loser goes against all odds to be the big hero. There is no glory left for Rourke’s character Randy The Ram. He is beaten, broken, and left with nothing. What meaning he can barely scrape together is empty and hollow, leaving a lonely man who just has to keep moving or completely disappear forever. He holds on to wrestling as his one lifeline to any kind of self-esteem. And when his body just can’t take any more of the weekly beatings, he keeps doing it anyway because he realizes he has absolutely nothing else to give his life any value at all. He may as well wrestle until it kills him because he literally has nothing else to live for.

While the performance were great, I gotta say the one thing I didn’t like was just the non-stop bummer this movie was. The whole subplot about Randy trying to reconcile with his grown daughter was heartbreaking. And I know it was right for the movie, but it just ends on a very hopeless note. You leave the movie feeling like you got “body-slammed.” That’s not a bad thing, but it’s not really the uplifting charge I prefer to movies I see these days. We all have enough in real life to bum us out, I don’t really need something else helping.

Overall, brilliant performances and worth seeing. But be in stable emotional state or you might lose it.

I like George Clooney. I think he does a great job. However I don’t think this was much of a stretch for him. This role just feels like he’s out there doing his “George Clooney-thing.” And not much else. Not that there is anything wrong with that but I don’t think it deserves an Oscar nomination. He could do this part in his sleep. Good thing for us though the part is very compelling and enjoyable. His character, a hired-gun sent to fire large groups of staff from corporations, is never 2-dimensional or flat. In fact I think most people would welcome the chance to get fired by him. And his whole pseudo-zen philosophy of not holding on to attachments is interesting not only because it clearly gives him the emotional distance he needs to survive, but also because it comes crashing down so easily and quickly when his genuine loneliness is let out of it’s cage. And of course he suffers the consequences of letting his guard down but at the same time allows connections he didn’t realize he desperately needed.

The other thread through this movie is the economic downturn and the very real unemployment situation that exists in this country. I’m sure few of us know anyone who has not been affected in some way by layoffs and downsizing. The director used real people who had been laid-off for some of the exit interview footage and it really helped bring home what’s going on in people’s lives.

Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick are great as well in this movie. Vera’s character is interesting and ultimately heartbreaking as a person trying to live both sides of George Clooney’s no-attachment philosophy. And I enjoyed Anna Kendrick as the big-idea go-getter who finds out the world is more complex than numbers and scripts. He inner tension is never cliche or exaggerated to extremes.

Bottom Line: Great movie, go see it.

I feel like this movie got kind of brushed off. It was delayed for quite awhile before it came out and so by the time it hit theaters at the end of 2008 it was kind of an afterthought. And it didn’t help that Tom Cruise has been riding a negative publicity wave surrounding his controversial Scientology religion and tabloid fare. But despite how people may feel about Tom Cruise and Scientology, he consistently delivers a great performance in all of his movies and it would be a mistake to dismiss a quality movie like this just because of the actor’s personal life.

Directed by the extremely talented Bryan Singer, Valkyrie delivers a compelling story about a part of history we never hear about in the United States. We never hear about the German citizens who chose to rebel against Hitler in the face of tremendous pressure and risk during WWII. A friend of mine who had lived in Germany said that some felt that Germans didn’t need a “Hollywood” movie about their past. But the truth is millions more will hear about this from this movie than a small independent or a documentary. And despite being a so-called “Hollywood” movie, this film has a stellar ensemble cast doing top-notch work. And no one does a better job than Tom Cruise.

The story follows Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg who becomes involved in a plan to take down Hitler and launch a political coup to topple the Third Reich before they lead Germany and the rest of Europe into further destruction and chaos. Many join the cause in the face of oppressive and mandatory loyalty that is enforced through constant threats and coercion. It’s dangerous and risky but we all know the outcome. No spoiler alert necessary. But I never knew about this before and I think it’s important to know that not all German’s citizens, even members of Hitler’s “inner circle,” went along with Hitler.

It’s a quality movie definitely worth watching.

As thrillers go, this was really good. It never got boring and the structure of the film was fast-paced and effective. In the film, an assassination attempt is made on the President of the U.S. while he’s in Spain for a summit meeting. The assassination attempt is followed by a bombing in the plaza where everything is happening. What makes this film interesting though is we get to see the incident from the perspective of 5 different people who were a part of it, and then one big climatic view that ties everything and everyone together. As each person’s view is told, we find out more and more about what happened and who’s responsible. It was very impressive how they kept the different views fresh and only revealed things little by little. And the action level was kept on high throughout the whole movie, kind of like a Bourne flick.

Bottom Line: Lots of car chases, guns, bombs, what’s not to like?

I feel like I’ve grown up with the Watchmen. I read the entire series in high school and immediately loved it. I enjoyed the rich characters, the harsh realities, the bleak outlook, and the compelling artwork. I loved how Dave Gibbons panels mirrored eachother as they moved into the next scene. And I loved how Alan Moore’s many tangled storylines all came together in the end to a satisfying, albeit horrific ending.

There has been talk of a Watchmen movie ever since the first Batman film made boatloads of cash. I was among those who thought it would be near impossible to condense such a rich and detailed story into 2 hours. So when it became clear that finally, after 20+ years, someone was actually going to make a go of it, I did get excited. And everything leading up to the release pointed to good things. The trailer was great, the costumes looked legit, it was all coming together.

So now that I’ve seen the actual movie, did it deliver? For the most part, yes, it did deliver an exceptional movie that is above and beyond just about anything else out there. But it is not without it’s flaws and I think this strikes at the heart of the contradictions between the comic book crowd and the movie-going public. Read the rest of this entry »

I hate Meg Ryan. I really do. I hate the cutesy-poo BS she does in all her movies. It makes me wanna puke. Ah… I feel better now that I got that out. I have to admit though, When Harry Met Sally is probably her best movie. And I give most of the credit for that to Billy Crystal. This is probably his best movie too. The story is good, the directing is good, it’s got everything going for it.

This movie is up there in the rom-com (romantic comedy) hall of fame. Meg Ryan was on a role in the 80s and 90s with her romantic comedies. She was like their patron saint, blowing weepy girly dust all over the movie landscape. I ain’t mad at her, movies have to appeal to many different audiences. And women LOVE rom-coms. L-O-V-E them. I know this first-hand because honestly I would be completely ignorant to the Meg Ryan canon if not for my wife. But you know, I’m not all “Aliens! Smash! Explosions! Guns! Zombies!” (though I gotta admit I do love all that). I can appreciate a good “chick flick”. And this one is definitely one of the best. It was written by Nora Ephron, who is also a rom-com goddess. She wrote the other two Meg Ryan romantic comedies people love, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. You have to hand it to her, she writes a good chick flick.

The interesting plot device of moving through such a long period of time during the two main characters relationship is very well done and is an excellent way to establish the connection between these two. It really shows the audience in an effective way how they progressed from not even liking eachother when they met to being friends, then best friends, then the inevitable romantic relationship. It feels very honest. And their frank and honest discussions about relationships comes off as genuine and not forced or simply there to move the plot along.

Bottom Line: I am definitely recommending this. Just don’t invite me over when you watch it, okay?