Should Have Known Better

Against my better judgment I saw Knowing. It's not that I hated (all of) it. In fact there were two things I quite enjoyed. I liked the premise. The whole mystery with the numbers and the why and how is interesting. I also really liked the visual effects. The plane crash and subway disaster were especially realistic and awesome. So that's what I liked. Shoot at a fish in a barrel and you're bound to hit something I did not like. The filmmakers took themselves way too seriously and seemed to be under the impression that they were making the most important film of all time. They were not. And does anyone else hear an alarm and see flashing red lights when a new Nic Cage film opens? No? Just me? The Rock, Con Air - awesomeness. Come back, Nic. His choices lately make me question whether or not we should take back his Oscar. His acting, and the acting in general in this film, is just bad. Laughably so in a couple of scenes. You've been warned.

No Day But Today

Busy weekend, so just a couple quick reviews. Saw Duplicity today. My biggest problem with this picture was the studio's marketing department. I felt a little misled. I was expecting a quirky, comedic caper and that's definitely not what I got. If you want to check out Duplicity for the clever laughs, I suggest you steer clear because there were very few. If, however, you want to check out Duplicity for the great story, fun plot twists and the chemistry between Owen and Roberts, I suggest you do so.

I had a good time watching I Love You, Man. It made me laugh quite a bit and it was unexpectedly sweet. I loved the concept here and I thought it was executed really well. And how about Paul Rudd? Could he be any cuter?






A real treat this weekend. I was fortunate enough to see a performance of Rent at my local theatre. I've seen Rent onstage a couple of times before, but this performance was special because it featured Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal who originated the roles of Mark and Roger on Broadway. How anyone can not like this show, I'll never understand. I love it more each time I see it and it was amazing to see Rapp and Pascal live.

Taken To The Cleaners

A week ago I was fortunate enough to go to an advance screening of Sunshine Cleaning. This was a film I was really looking forward to. I don't want to say I was disappointed with it, but I was just a little frazzled by it. There is far too much going on here. The film could have done away with a few of the side stories and still have been satisfying; or it could have added another twenty minutes or so and actually explored all of the side stories a little further. I think the latter is what I would have preferred. These characters are immensely likable and I would have delighted in the opportunity to spend more time with them. The best part of the film is the sister relationship between Amy Adams and Emily Blunt. Watching these two ladies together was hilarious and so much fun. I gotta tip my hat to Blunt especially. She was terrific.

I finally decided to see what all of the hoopla surrounding Taken was about. This film was released overseas over a year ago. Stuff like that makes me a little skeptical, but after its surprising haul at the box office my curiosity finally got the better of me. Taken isn't that deep of a story, but it's a pretty good thriller. If this had been another one of those Jason Statham shoot 'em ups I would have just rolled my eyes. Liam Neeson definitely raises the stakes and makes the film better than it should be.

Watchmen

Who watches the Watchmen? It's the slogan movie studios have been asking for months now. "Who will watch Watchmen?" is a play on words to which the oh so clever media has attached itself. Well, to answer their question - me. I watched Watchmen. Although in a manner of full disclosure it should be noted that my motivation for seeing this picture centered around Patrick Wilson and Matthew Goode, not the story or lure of another comic adaptation. Not having read the graphic novel upon which the film is based, I also can offer no comparison in that sense. What I can offer is an opinion solely based on the movie itself - it was a pretty good flick. I really liked how the filmmakers were able to include so much information and so many plot details into the film. I was weary when I learned of the nearly three hour running time, but it didn't seem that long at all - there was so much going on, you never had a chance to get bored. As a whole and overall I thought the movie was enjoyable, but there were several elements that seemed a bit shakey. A major misstep I thought was the casting - specifically Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Malin Akerman - who were both beyond irritating. Some of the effects and make up were disappointingly weak also. And lastly I have to say that the random "big pop song" scenes were really out of place and not needed.

Good Films In Limited Release

In my Oscar excitement last week I neglected to include my thoughts on the Oscar nominated French film, The Class. Done in an almost documentary style, The Class takes us through a school year in the lives of the teachers and students at an inner city high school in France. Contrary to so many American films on this subject, I really liked how this film focused on the teachers, rather than the students. It was really interesting to see the teachers' points of view and witness how they interacted and dealt with their students. I also liked how every single scene of the movie took place at the school. Never once did we leave campus. I think that really enhanced the story. It allowed the audience to focus on the inner workings of the school and not be distracted by the personal lives of the characters.

Michelle Williams gives a heart breaking performance in the super low budget independent film Wendy and Lucy. Poor, down on her luck and living in her car, Wendy is on her way to Alaska to start a new chapter in her life. With her on this journey is her best friend and dog Lucy. Wendy is arrested for shoplifting dog food and when she is released from jail, she returns to where she left Lucy only to find that Lucy is no longer there. The rest of the film follows Wendy in her search for Lucy. This is a great example of simplistic and natural film making. There are no frills, very few characters and very little dialogue. And even in this simplicity there is something emotionally gratifying in its presentation.