Death and Music

Because I've seen the first three films, I thought it only appropriate that I see The Final Destination. Unfortunately, I thought this was the worst of the Final Destination films. Like The Goods, this movie seems to be comprised of spare footage that was just laying around a studio somewhere. The script is - wait, I take that back - there was no script. In movies like this the script seems to be an after thought. The death scenes were pretty neat, but the sheer unbelievability of all the events and the poor, never realistic special effects more than bugged.

Taking Woodstock is based on the true story of how the locale for Woodstock came to be. It centers on the Teichberg family and how their family owned motel becomes the epicenter of a hippie invasion. There are a lot of things to like about Taking Woodstock. I liked the story, the characters, the humor. It's a great little gem of a movie. My only complaint is the wall it hit about 4/5 of the way through. Elliot's acid trip totally tripped up the movie's momentum and made the rest of the film drag. But aside from that one nuisance, I really liked Taking Woodstock.

Mad Men

Randomly and because of a lack of creativity, I decided to check out The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard this weekend. I obviously was not expecting a lot, but alas I was still disappointed. Jeremy Piven (generally delightful, excruciatingly irritating here) plays Don Ready, the man with the golden touch when it comes to selling used cars. A floundering Temecula car dealership hires the services of Ready and his team to ensure big sales during their 4th of July event. What follows is one lame joke and plot contrivence after another. Some jokes land, but most fall flat. The Goods seems like the kind of movie that was quickly thrown together by a bunch of guys who found their own jokes to be so funny they didn't realize they were the only ones laughing.

I'm torn on Tarantino. I love how his movies are always a big event. They're big and bold and grand. I like that. I'm not a big fan of Pulp Fiction, but I absolutely love Death Proof. Go figure. I think I fall right in the middle with Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino sure does like his dialogue and there was a lot of it in Basterds. Sometimes it worked beautifully, sometimes I got impatient waiting for the characters to get to the point. I think that general opinion sort of applies to the whole movie for me. There were parts of the movie that were clicking along and were great fun and had a lot of laughs, but there were also a couple of scenes that I just wished would end.

Time and Space

I saw The Time Traveler's Wife twice this weekend. The second time I really liked it. When I watched it the first time I was too busy comparing it to the book. The book was better - but isn't that always the case? During my second viewing I was able to see the movie on its own merits. Although I think a little more character development would have been ideal, I was completely engaged with Clare and Henry's endruing love story. It is a very sad and heartbreaking story, but ultimately leaves you hopeful with a smile. And has McAdams ever looked more beautiful?

I'm not a big sci-fi nut, but if I was, I think I would have enjoyed District 9 even more. As it is, I was thoroughly entertained. I really liked the documentary style in which the story was told. It immediately sucks you into the picture and keeps you interested until the very end. District 9 was a nice surprise and something totally different to see at the movie theater.

It's official: I'm in love with Summer. I have to mention how much more I loved 500 Days of Summer after seeing it for the second time. If you haven't seen this little gem, I'd advise you to check it out very soon.

August Rush

Busy, busy week. Just some quick reviews.

Saw an advance screening of Adam. Great picture. I really liked it. Improbable romance between an NY teacher and a man with Asperger's syndrome. Sweet, funny, emotionally satisfying. All good.






G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra was pretty good. You won't learn anything while watching, but it had some fun action. Too bad our hero Duke (Channing Tatum) is dreadfully dull.






The documentary about the existence of love, Paper Heart, had just that. It's a delightful film, if a little safe. The romance between star Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera was adorable.






Julie & Julia was a great time. I liked this one a lot too. Laughs, heart and I think Ephron really wove the two stories together well. Streep gives a jubilantly glowing performance of Julia Child - no doubt on her way to her 394th Oscar nomination.




A friend of mine mentioned how much the previews for A Perfect Getaway terrified her, so naturally I had to see this picture in order to tease her relentlessly. Unfortunately, I guess the joke's on me. This movie isn't even worth reviewing.




Oh and I knocked out viewing number three of The Proposal. Check it out!

Relatively Amusing People

In Funny People, Adam Sandler plays George Simmons, a stand up comedian and actor who's forced to take stock of his life once he learns he has a terminal disease, only to find out soon after that he's in remission. Unfortunately, this is the weakest of the three Judd Apatow directed films. For me, it didn't have the great mixture of heart and laughs that make the other Apatow films so great. Funny People had its moments, but they were too few and far between. In addition to being (almost an hour?) too long, the film doesn't cover any new ground. How many times can the same group of actors have the same conversations about love and sex? It gets tiring - especially for Seth Rogen; although I will say that he was by far less annoying in this picture. I also thought that Eric Bana was wasted in his small role. He's a great comedian (no, seriously - YouTube it) and I wish they had given him something funny to do.