Somewhere - A Review

Let me start by saying that Sofia Coppola is a genius. She is the future of film. She has singlehandedly redefined what we watch and I love it. Her gift for storytelling is otherworldly, and her ability to capture it on film is prodigious. Her forth major motion picture is perhaps less ambitious than her previous three, but it is no less heartfelt and enigmatic.

The Poop: Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) is an actor promoting his latest film. He's also a drunken womanizer. Cleo (Elle Fanning) is his daughter who gets left with Johnny when her mother disappears. Never having had a close relationship before, the two get close and bond over the course of time it takes until she's due at camp. When she goes to camp Johnny must reexamine his life.

The Review: The direction is the exciting thing about this film and it doesn't dissapoint! Sofia Coppola has an incredible capacity for making the mundane fascinating. The opening scenes of Johnnie's car doing laps is mesmerizing! She has a talent for making anything interesting. Stephen Dorff is dusted off and starred in this film and he does a good job, although you could credit his performance to the director. It seems he does what he's told. Elle Fanning is Cloe, the daughter. She too is good but you wonder how much is talent and how much is writing and directing. An odd surprise is Chris Pontius (Jackass) as a friend of Johnny. He was effective as the friend of an adult who had to entertain a child. Borderline creepy without being creepy.

If I had a criticism it would be that I didn't hear enough from the characters; but then in real life people rarely speak their minds. I think Sofia captured peoples inability to say what they feel. When's the last time you told your best friend how much you love them? Exactly.

I think Sofia is defining a new way of telling stories. Say less, let the audience use their brain, keep the story clean and tight. It's minimalism reimagined. I like it. Keep it coming, Sofia!

Available for rent on DVD and Blu Ray on April 19th.

The War of the Roses (1989)- A Really Retro Review

I saw this movie for the first time I think when it came out on video in 1989. Surprisingly the DVD didn't hit until 2001! Shocking, considering how good it was. If you aren't familiar with this film I direct your attention to 2005's Mr. and Mrs. Smith., starring Brad and Angelina. If you saw it you know it was about a couple of spies who don't know each other is married to a spy and when they discover they are meant to kill each other they rediscover their love in, what Chief Wiggum of The Simpsons called in their parody of said film, "an elaborately choreographed, high-octane super-fight". We were meant to see the passion of two people who decided to separate played out in the extreme. Brad and Angie's characters wanted to kill each other. No shit. They had guns and bombs up the wazoo. But eventually they decide to come together and realize they never hated each other, they were just doing their jobs. That's the modern way. That's Hollywood. Way back in 1989 Danny DeVito directed a dark comedy called War of the Roses and he pushed every button available for pushing. He took the concept of a married couple in the process of divorce trying to destroy each other to levels that, at the time, made many reviewers uncomfortable. The great Roger Ebert at the time said, "It's to the credit of DeVito and his co-stars they they were willing to go that far, but maybe it shows more courage than wisdom." A very tepid review. I'd love to hear his opinion now in this day of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The thing about this film is not the extremes to which they go, but the emotion behind each and every move made. There's a clear sense that the characters feel something, especially the wife. I wonder why that is. I'll ask Danny DeVito. The Poop: Oliver and Barbara are young lovers who marry and start an ideal life. As Oliver's star rises at his law firm, Barbara wonders how to continue filling their home with pretty things. He is work obsessed, she feels unfulfilled. Eventually and inevitably they must divorce. Neither of the two want to surrender ownership of their home so they attempt to live together, but this turns out to be a bad idea. Like, on the level of asking your bully not to punch you between 2:30 and 3:00 because you have an accordian lesson. It's bad. A war ensues and they torture each other in the most extreme ways they can imagine. The Review: This film is called a dark comedy, but it almost plays like a thriller. It's so dark Wesley Snipes looks white. Ahh stereotypes. Ironically this film looks at a typical white upper-class relationship and shows the hurt and hate that can come in a divorce. The film is based on a novel of the same name and is largely considered a cult hit. Michael Douglas is sympathetically asshole-ish as Oliver, and Kathleen Turner is bitchily brilliant as the regretful wife, Barbara. Danny DeVito directs with an ambitious interest in angles and POV shots. Interesting for an indulgent filmmaker but ultimately not distracting. I liked it, and I hope you'll give it a chance because it's an example of the kind of movie that no big studio would ever make again. You'd have to search for this one nowadays. War of the Roses is a great example of filmaking when it wasn't so politically correct. See it!

Skyline - A DVD Review

I remember seeing these trailers and thinking, "Damn! I wanna see this one!". And before you could say, "War of the genres" the trailers for Battle: Los Angeles started hitting. And that was it. I forgot about Skyline and like a Pavlovian dog distracted I put my money on B:LA. Apparently so did everyone else. Unfortunately Skylines' loss in momentum was followed by (or perhaps B:LA should be thankful for) the critics total dismissal of Skyline as derivative, storyless dreck with only decent sfx.
Well, let me put this as I see it: I saw both films. SkyL was released first, B:LA was second. They are two completely different films. Where SkyL (I'm just tired of typing the entire name every two seconds!) was an 'invasion/what do we do' film, B:LA was a 'How do we solve this with military tactics' film. Two different approaches. I liked them both, but I'm reviewing SkyL here, but I think the comparison is valid given they both hyped at the same time and one overtook the others audience, but I think theres audience enough for both. I also brought it up because of the critics' reactions to each film which I think has a lot to do with the marketing dates and releases. SkyL was brutalised by critics, B:LA was only soundly slapped on the wrist. I think they both have strengths and weaknesses and I'll try telling you about Skylines' now.

The Poop:
Skyline (directed by the Brothers Strause; newbies) sees Jarrod (Eric Balfour; Six Feet Under), and Elaine (Scottie Thompson; Star Trek 2009) as a couple visiting a friend in L.A. After a night of partying they find the city of angels is under attack by an alien force. The aliens trap humans by capturing their gaze in a beautiful white light (like dying?) and then suck them up to their spaceships to harvest their brains. Why? Apparently it's not important. Elaine is pregnant and doesn't want to run for it over the water, but Jarrod does. Should they? Shouldn't they? That doesn't matter either. So you might ask; do they or don't they? Do they run? Do they escape? Do they make it or do they succumb? IT DOESN'T MATTER!!! The thing is we're supposed to just turn off our brains and go along for the ride. In fact, that's the best advice I can give you; just shut off and enjoy. What did they say in the 60's? Tune in, turn on, drop out. And guess what? Sometimes that's enough for an action flick!

The Review:
The story was bare minimum, the acting was just fine, the action was pretty darned good and the special effects were way better then expected! Yes, it was very derivative: I felt heavy shades of the recent War of the Worlds remake during; and yes it was aimless in that it had no real story, but I think it was trying to be visceral and guide by the action, which I think it did just fine.
Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather see an alien invasion movie give me WAY more bang, but if I have to settle and I've seen them all and I want a mindless alien flick then I'd be hard-pressed to find one this good. And hey, if you can't get into it, (and I find it hard to believe you can't just let go for an hour-and-a-half!) then you'd be surprised how fast it flings by. I enjoyed it!

I recommend Skyline for those who want to enjoy a matinee B-movie invasion flick without having to be embarrassed if someone catches you watching.
It's out now on DVD and Blu-ray. (why is the 'r' lower-case?)

Devil -A DVD Review

This movie intrigued me for a few reasons. M Night Shyamalan came up with the story, but didn't write the screenplay. M Night Shyamalan produced it, but didn't direct it. Interesting. But mostly I like a simple concept in a thriller that uses atmosphere and tension over cheap shocks and special effects. Devil may not be the best thriller out there, but it does a nice job of being creepy, atmospheric and fun.

The Poop: Five people enter an elevator, seemingly by chance. I mean, it was by chance wasn't it? Not if you believe that people decide they're own fate by their actions, a message delivered in the beginning of the film by the hero's AA sponsor, the hero being Detective Bowden (Dan Messina), a former alcoholic as a result of the death of his wife and son from a hit-and-run. Bowden is investigating a suicide at the office building of the aforementioned elevator when the occupants of said elevator become stuck between floors. As the elevator power flickers and the lights intermittently go off people begin to die in the darkness. The lights go off, someone dies, the lights come back on, we have another dead body and everyone suspects everyone else. Detective Bowden has the unenviable task of trying to gain access to the elevator while also trying to learn about the passengers, all of whom have questionable pasts. The Devil is on that elevator and we want to know who it is.

The Review: Devil is well written and well acted. The tension is amped up from the opening credits which features a flyover above Philadelphia shown upside-down, a nod to the contrariness of the Devil. It's a clever and effective credit roll. I was immediately sucked into the film looking at the inverted cityscape and the feeling of otherwordlyness it evoked. It might be one of the best films M Night never made. Thanks to the simplicity of the conceit we don't have to worry too much about character development. They're mostly 'types'; The cranky old lady, the young chilly lady, the tough but lovable security guard, the sleazy salesman, and the dark loner. They do their thing effectively and die on cue (most of them...) and they keep things moving while the outside world tries desperately to get them out. Devil made me think of the kind of movie I'd like to write, where you're kept guessing to the end and then you go, "Ah-haa!" I like that. Also the message that we choose our fates as opposed to the randomness of the universe is always fun. If you can make me believe in the Devil, even for an hour and a half then you're doing something right. The climax is possibly the only low point here, but the climax isn't the point, it's all about the journey. We're kept guessing right to the end and the reveal is well done and for me unexpected. Yes it has a twist, but not an annoying Shyamalan twist. I liked Devil. It's a good film. I think you will too. Again, it's not great, but it's good, and this time that's enough.

Devil is currently available on DVD and InDemand. It's worth checking out.

Easy A - A DVD Review

As much as I wanted to see this film I kept letting it get pushed aside. Somehow I managed to not see it. Fate, or something. Then I showed up for work yesterday and I'm confronted by a co-worker, Kevin, who asks me; "Have you seen Easy A yet?". I say no, but I mean to. He says; "I don't wanna ruin anything for you, but,", and then he quotes the movie in his possibly fake english accent, as if he's the character Brandon from the movie (Dan Byrd), "I'm drunk, what's up bitches!" Thats when I knew I had an emotional connection to this film.

And then I watched it. Partly because of Kevin's enthusiasm, partly because he was right about Pirahna, but mostly because I love Emma Stone. I watched the movie for my prodigy Emma (I singled her out of Superbad as a star!).

The Poop:

Easy A is a comedy Directed by Will Gluck about a mousy girl named Olive who excuses herself from a weekend with a friend by lyeing that she has a date with a college boy, with whom she will insinuate she had... sex! Come Monday she's forced to expound on the lie until it grows beyond her control and takes on a life of it's own; namely, Olive is the first girl in the school to lose her virginity and all the students are thrown into turmoil! Now, this is a school in California, but it's also a school in a movie, so, y'know, we move on. Soon she becomes known as the go-to girl if you wanna lose your virginity, which oddly escalates Olives' popularity both as the decider of cool and the deflowerer of virgins.

Olive's popularity for all the wrong reasons grows, as does her awareness that the religious right that has begun targeting her is barking up the wrong tree. What does she care? She's having fun!

The Review:

When I saw her in Superbad I said that Emma Stone was gonna be huge. She has that quality. Let me just say that were it not for her this would not have made a blip on any radar. The movie was good, but only because she was in it. This will not go down in the books as a great teen comedy, which it tried so hard to be be, but it won't. It very smartly referenced many John Hughes movies. That said they were also very obvious, and not particularly imaginative. The script was aided I imagine a lot by Emma Stone's proven ability to improv. She just has a natural gift for funny situations that seems real. I don't know, it felt like improv... am I wrong?

I didn't LOVE this movie but I like it, mostly because I like the star, Emma Stone. She's charming and engaging enough to make anyone like it if they give it a chance. It's a funny movie and it might even surprise you. I'm glad I saw it. I may even see it again.

And Kevin (from work): thats not even the funniest line!

Jackass 3 : A Review

I've always been a fan of the Jackass boys, but only since they started the movies. They are SO funny! I watched part one and two and laughed my ass off! And then they had to make a third one. Dammit. Have I outgrown them? Can I look the other way in favour of award winning films? No. I watched Jackass 3 and loved every minute of it. Lemme break it down...

The Poop:

A bunch of guys do crazy stunts to make each other laugh. Thats it. Thats the Poop.

One thing that impressed me about this outing for the boys was that they seem to embrace the gay audience they cultivate. Aside from all the male nudity and homoeroticism they chose to fly the rainbow flag for the opening credits. They know how gay it all is, and they don't care. I LOVE it!

The stunts somehow seemed to amp up from the previous films and yet still be funny; despite the gross one with the horse... and no, it's not like the last film! There were a few times I wretched, but I expect that from a Jackass movie.

The only thing I would criticise is the use of Dave England. He brings the movies to a screaming halt! He is the embodiment of non-funny disgusting. His diarhea volcano was a deal breaker. Cut him loose, boys. Otherwise, see Jackass 3, cos it rocks!!!