Just One This Week

That one movie this week is Bottle Shock - the story of the famous 1976 Paris Wine Tasting, where California wines triumphed over the renowned French. I don't drink wine. I don't like wine. And I think it's that separation from the topic that prohibited me from 100% enjoying this film. In the beginning of the film (which seemed to drag a bit) there were a lot of passionate speeches about the importance of wine and the cultivation of grapes. Because I don't care about this topic, I couldn't really connect with the characters or care about what they did. I will say however that my enjoyment of this film was really saved by the last 40 minutes or so. The story thankfully speeds up and it made me eventually care about the characters and what they were doing. The film also offers some genuinely funny moments.

Two Different Films

The usual two this week. First up is the new Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I loved this film. I really thought it was one of the most enjoyable films of the summer. The cast here is really top notch. Rebecca Hall was great as Vicky and provided a nice contrast to Scarlett Johansson's more adventurous Cristina. Javier Bardem was effortlessly charming in his attempts to woo both women. And Penelope Cruz. Penelope Cruz was fantastic. In my opinion, she's not in the film enough. I loved her in this role and I also loved her chemistry with Bardem. It must have been a blast for this real life couple to play opposite each other here and it really shows through on screen. Like any Allen film this one really lives on its dialogue. And it's great; sometimes poignant and touching and often funny. The narration was also terribly fun. It had a very Royal Tenenbaumian quality. Allen shows that sometimes less really is more.

The other film this week was Mirrors. Don't laugh, it actually didn't completely suck. The premise is kinda goofy and I enjoyed the film a lot more once it got into the mystery of why the mirrors were doing their evil work. But it had a couple of redeeming parts. The Amy Smart death scene for one was brutally awesome.

Oh and I forgot to mention that I saw Tropic Thunder again. Even more hilarious the second time! Get some!

Four This Week

Busy week, so let's do some quick reviews. I was out of town this weekend, but fortunately for me, this week's two big releases came out on Wednesday.

I've been looking forward to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 for a long while now. I was surprised by how good the first film was and I really enjoyed it. The sequel doesn't disappoint. I really liked how they were able to include so much in this installment. The films for the most part have stayed very true to the books on which they're based and that makes the films even better and stronger. It was great to see the next chapter for Carmen, Tibby, Bridget and Lena.

I may be in the minority on this one, but I felt that Pineapple Express was kind of a disappointment. Personally, watching people get high isn't funny to me. Maybe I'm a square or maybe I'm just not in junior high anymore. Regardless, I thought it was one of the weaker Apatowian films. The film is really saved by James Franco. His portrayal of Saul was really sweet and vulnerable and funny. Seth Rogen's Dale on the other hand just seemed to be another spazzy verbose Rogen character.

Man on Wire is a documentary I saw this week. If you haven't heard of it, it's about a tightrope walker, Philippe Petit, who successfully walks across a tightrope between the tops of the Twin Towers in New York in 1974. This film was also pretty enjoyable. It's a really unique story and it's a pretty charming tale.




Oh and I also saw Mamma Mia! again. Still so much fun the second time!

Tomb of the Brideshead Vote

Busy weekend this weekend with three movies, so let's get started. First up is the Kevin Costner political dramedy Swing Vote. Swing Vote isn't bad. But it's not overwhelmingly good either. It's just kinda there. It has some good laughs and a great cast, but it didn't really move or charm me. Costner seemed like he was playing a stereotypical Matthew McConaughey who constantly rubbed and scratched his right arm. What's that about? Did anyone else notice this? I also found it odd seeing Stanley Tucci playing second fiddle to Kelsey Grammer. Those roles might have been better if they were reversed. I enjoyed the Dennis Hopper/Nathan Lane relationship a lot more and newcomer Madeline Carroll as Costner's daughter was a real bright spot in the film. The film ended as I expected and that was fine, but the final speech was too preachy and tried too hard to relay its message.

Another film that had a message to convey, but did it in a more subtle and entertaining way is Brideshead Revisited. Taking place in early 20th century England, Brideshead Revisited provides a commentary on topics that are still prevalent today - homosexuality, love, religious pressures. Matthew Goode (yum!) stars as a young college student who becomes involved with the very upper class Flyte family and finds himself in a semi love triangle with fellow college student Sebastian and his sister Julia. Emma Thompson is also strong here as the matriarch of the Flyte family. I have not read the book on which this film is based nor have I seen the popular mini-series, so I can't compare the film to either of those. But I enjoyed the film on its own, although I did feel it was too long and dragged a bit in a few scenes. As I left the theater I heard an older gentleman describe the film as "terribly British." Terribly British is never bad.

The final film this weekend is the third Mummy film, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. This movie is pretty good if you don't listen to any of the dialogue. Listen in the beginning to understand the whole folklore of what's going on, but then you're good to tune in to only the action sequences which are actually pretty fun and have some nice CGI work - the yetis are particularly enjoyable.