Tag Archives: Entertainment

Funny People (2009)

Posted on January 22, 2010 | 1 comment

It seems like comedy has more to do with putting yourself out there completely than anything else.  If it’s not funny then it’s not funny, likewise for being overly offensive or dated, but if the comedy is non-committal than everything else will fall short anyway.  With his latest direction, Funny People, Judd Apatow exercises this notion possibly to a fault.  The director throws everything he’s got into his third feature film, an exercise made more strenuous by the looming uncertainty of what this film is…Comedy?  Drama?  Both?  Neither?  B-Movie Sex Horror?  No…no, it’s not that.

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You Don’t Mess With the Zohan (2008)

Posted on January 20, 2010 | 2 comments

It’s always seemed that my parent’s generation has a tendency to think of Adam Sandler as a comedy buffoon.  In the early years he made a name as a high-energy goofball and the loudest guy in the room.  Both Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore follow this blueprint with an excess of voices and slapstick and dirty jokes.  His newer films feel pretty much the same, just a little older, a little less energy.  It works for him, and perhaps because it’s something I grew up with I’ve never had a problem with it.  On the other hand, there’s nothing fresh about Adam Sandler’s comedy.  As much as you’re laughing, you’re never remarking on its quality, never aware of any polish.  And while there certainly are notable titles in Sandler’s comedic filmography, You Don’t Mess With the Zohan is definitively NOT one of them.

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Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Posted on January 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

When Reservoir Dogs was first released, it divided critics.  It utilizes a type of intensity that wasn’t yet as commonplace as it might be now.  Violence and profanity and few, if any moments where the viewer can simply catch his breath.  But it isn’t a cut and dry gangster flick, nor is it a simple heist movie, or even the kind of obscene death porn that Eli Roth has made a name shoving at us.  Reservoir Dogs is an examination of men under extreme duress who are no longer afforded the luxury of trust.

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Pineapple Express (2008)

Posted on January 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

Ahhh, the pot movie.  The stoner flick.  Such a well-traversed and easily discounted genre.  The luxury of these features is that the expectations are never very high.  Even for comedy, the writers/producers/directors of a movie about weed are generally held to a pretty light standard.  There’s a built in audience and that audience isn’t always the most discerning.  Nonetheless, Pineapple Express strives to be among those few standouts of the genre.  Up in Smoke, Dazed and Confused, Friday, Harold and Kumar, and Pineapple Express? Sure, why not.

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Up (2009)

Posted on January 14, 2010 | Leave a comment

There are elements of story, structure and general film making concepts that are universally heralded or criticized.  Conflict is good, artificial dialogue is bad.  Character development is good, cliche is bad.  And so it goes.  But there are also enumerable aspects of a film which can’t truly be judged in the same way.  Special effects come to mind as something that can at once be either terribly off-putting or the outstanding piece of the puzzle.  Similarly, an adaptation can fill seats or turn viewers off based solely on it’s faithfulness to the original material.  With Up, this dilemma presents itself in the form of sentimentality.  There’s no lack of emotional resonance here, no shortage of moments that bring a visceral response…that is, if you’re into that sort of thing. Continue reading →

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The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (2009)

Posted on January 10, 2010 | Leave a comment

When Heath Ledger died back in January 2008, talk inevitably shifted to The Dark Knight, Ledger’s “final” performance.  There was already an insane amount of hype surrounding the film and Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker, but suddenly the phrase “posthumous Oscar” was being thrown around.  Ledger’s Joker was magnificent, and the Oscar deserved if only as recognition of all the work he did prior to his death, and had The Dark Knight truly been Heath Ledger’s final onscreen performance it would have been a worthy end to his short career.  Unfortunately it wasn’t.  Ledger was halfway through filming on Parnassus when he died, and so this is now his final performance as an actor.  A baffling, psychedelic Frankenstein of a film that frustrates both with its overreaching and lack of polish.

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Avatar (2009)

Posted on January 5, 2010 | 1 comment

A glance at James Cameron‘s filmography reveals a Director mildly obsessed with doing things on an epic scale.  The only names that come to mind who might epic him out of the top spot would be Bay and Bruckheimer, and those guys don’t generally hold a lot of water with critical minds.  Cameron however seems to ride that line between over the top and elegant.  The distinction most probably lies with Cameron’s credits as a Director and a Writer.  While technology and visual magnificence hold his regard, I don’t believe they do so exclusively.  Particularly with his last few films, James Cameron has shone an eye for story that allows him to do the remarkable things he can do visually while not bombarding his audience with absurd or scoff-worthy moments.  This is not to say that Cameron isn’t melodramatic, but coupling melodrama with compelling characters, complex situations and, again, astonishing visual effects, might just be the perfect recipe for the epic of the new millennium.

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Up in the Air (2009)

Posted on January 4, 2010 | Leave a comment

Inevitably, people will walk out of this movie shaking their heads at the depressing state of affairs in which our main character, Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) finds himself.  Coming out on the other side of perhaps his most important personal discovery he is at once, like so many of the individuals he is brought in to let go, lacking direction and uncertain of his formerly clear future.  At a glance, this seems neglectful to the character; a harsh and irresolute ending for a guy we’ve actually come to like, if only for his smarm.  But this distinction isn’t made lightly and it’s what keeps you both anxious and interested. Continue reading →

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500 Days of Summer (2009)

Posted on July 22, 2009 | 1 comment

I love Zooey Deschanel. I think she’s adorable and it’s a point of contention in my current relationship. I was thusly disappointed by the character she plays in 500 Days of Summer…no, not disappointed, that’s not right. I hated her character and I hated this movie. Here’s the long and short:

This film comes with the preface, “This is not a love story, but a story about love,” which really doesn’t mean anything at all. In love stories and stories about love we follow two people as they make their way through that universal gauntlet. They struggle with some sort of inner or outer dissonance, and hopefully, finally, find their way to one another and stroll into the sunset of love, prepared forever to face all problems as one. Or not. Whatever. 500 Days of Summer utilizes this introduction to avoid the necessity of a happy ending, or at least one you recognize. Which is fine, if it’s executed properly. Continue reading →

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X-Men Origins : Wolverine (2009)

Posted on May 2, 2009 | Leave a comment

X-Men Origins : Wolverine, is FUCKING terrible. (That’s my thesis statement)

I have a big problem with comic books movies when they change the facts. There’s admittedly a gray area where a comic book story is so absurd and dated that everybody is better served by updating it. But in the undertaking of a comic book movie, when stories are being combined and the non-fan boy audience is the one that matters, you do absolutely NOTHING for your product when you alter well-established stories and characters. Continue reading →

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