May 2009 Review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Last year, the summer blockbuster season started off with a bang, as Iron Man opened to critical acclaim and lots and lots of moolah. This year, the one thing that remains is, well, the moolah. Last weekend, Wolverine took in $85 million and faces competition from this week’s Star Trek. Does it live up to the hype?

Well, no. Sure, it isn’t the worst film I’ve seen this year (and mind you, there were a lot of bad movies this year), but it’s not exactly the best way to start off the summer.

In an opening sequence that doesn’t do a whole heck of a lot to explain the title character’s odd tendency to sprout claws out of his hands, a 10-year-old Logan discovers his powers after his father is murdered by the father of another mutant, Victor Creed. He soon learns after killing Creed’s father that, whoops, he and Victor are brothers! The two go into hiding and later become war companions, braving their way through the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Vietnam War, and at least one shooting squad. Oh, yeah, did I mention they’re practically immortal and stop aging around the time they resemble Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber?

After the latter escapade, Logan/Wolverine (Jackman) and Creed/Sabretooth (Schreiber) are given an offer to join an elite top-secret superhero group (déjà vu!) by ruthless commander William Stryker (Danny Huston), whose main goals are hazy at best. Translation: This guy is eeeevil!

Anyway, in a number of cool action sequences, we meet the rest of the gang: among others, teleporting John Wraith (Will i Am), Freddie “The Blob” Dukes (Kevin Durand), able to withstand bullets and the like, and master swordsman Wade “Deadpool” Wilson (Ryan Reynolds). After discovering Stryker’s nefarious intentions (i.e.: killing an entire village of people because they won’t tell him where a certain priceless artifact is; nice guy, right?), Logan leaves the group and, for no particular reason, moves to Canada where he becomes a lumberjack and befriends a pretty schoolteacher.

Six years later, the group has disbanded completely. Logan is still in Canada, content with his life, his girlfriend, and his job. And it’s at that moment we know something bad is gonna go down. I won’t go into detail; instead, I’ll give you a few key points: Victor. Stryker. Evil plan. Lots of fighting. You get the idea.

Granted, there’s action a-plenty, but Wolverine is marred by a number of factors:

1.) A paper-thin plot that feels like a mish-mash of X2: X-Men United, The Six Million Dollar Man (“we have the technology!”) and just about every other superhero origin story.

2.) Bad attempts at comic relief. Ex: As a naked Logan (don’t ask) runs into a barn to find shelter, an elderly woman nearby exclaims, “There’s a naked man in our barn!” Thanks, Sherlock.

3.) Unintentionally funny shots, set-ups, etc. Just a few examples: Logan screaming not once, not twice, but three times into the overhead camera (it’s especially hilarious when the 10-year-old screams at the beginning); Schreiber running on all fours like a cat; Wolverine walking away casually as a helicopter explodes behind him; pretty much the entire 107 minutes of the film.

While the film is good fun and Jackman does a nice job in the title role, it’s also rather silly and unmemorable. Here’s hoping Star Trek will lift Hollywood out of the creative mediocrity it’s been going through this year.

Rating: 5.5/10

Update: Star Trek was indeed a breather from the countless number of duds this year, although (I thought) not to the extent that others were pushing it. In other words, it’s a lot of fun, but it’s no Iron Man.

October 2008 Review of Ghost Town

Ghost Town is, unfortunately, a recipe for box-office disaster. First off, it’s a romantic comedy. The leading man is Ricky Gervais, star of the original Office and Extras. The plot is familiar and a little drab. If that weren’t enough, it seems like the ads tried to make the film look as unfunny as possible (unless it was an attempt not to spoil the best parts of the movie, in which case I say… bravo!).

Needless to say, Ghost Town is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long time. After weeks and weeks of action-fueled blockbusters, it’s refreshing to see a comedy that hits all the right notes.

Gervais plays-ha, that rhymes!-a cranky Manhattan dentist named Bertram Pincus. A routine surgery turns out to have a not-so-routine effect on Pincus; after somehow dying for several minutes, he can now see dead people himself. To make it even worse, they won’t leave him alone.

Greg Kinnear plays one such ghost, a manipulative, tuxedo-wearing jerk who won’t leave Bertram unless he stops Kinnear’s ex-wife (Leoni) from marrying someone else. In order to do so, Bertram attempts to woo her and soon discovers he still has a sense of humor as well as some charm.

As does Ghost Town. The warmth and humor of the film are enough to lift the story up from its own deathbed. Gervais’s ad-libs are dryly hysterical and Leoni delivers a winning performance. The movie also features SNL member Kristin Wiig, who steals the show as an oddly enthusiastic doctor, and Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi.

Sure, the film is a bit long even at 100 minutes and it does tend to meander at times, but if you’re looking for a good laugh, I recommend it full-heartedly.

Rating: 8.5/10

The Taking of Pelham 123 Review

Note: I haven’t written a review in about a month, so please bear with me.

Based on the 1974 film of the same name (which itself was based on the novel), The Taking of Pelham 123 is a gritty, violent, and all-around nail-biting thriller. It’s not a great one; one minute, it’s empty and contrived, the next, it’s enthralling and absorbing. However, stars Denzel Washington and John Travolta are convincing and intriguing enough to keep us interested throughout the full 105 minutes.

Not wasting any time on background or set-up, the opening scene, accompanied by Tony Scott’s trademark fast-paced direction, introduces us to Walter Garber (Washington), an ambitious, hard-working NYC subway dispatcher, and “Ryder,” the tattooed head honcho of a hijacking team played by Travolta. What seems like an ordinary day quickly turns catastrophic as Ryder gets onto Pelham 123 and proceeds to hold the nineteen passengers on board hostage.

At times cynical and aggressive (not to mention profane), Ryder contacts Garber and demands $10 million (or approximately $526,000 for each passenger) in cash in a deal made with the mayor (James Gandolfini). The deadline, despite Garber’s insistence on “Thursday,” is one hour; each minute afterwards results in another dead passenger. Just to prove he’s not full of BS, Ryder kills the motorman after the head of the hostage negotiation team (John Turturro) refuses to let him speak further with Walter.

As the film progresses, we learn more about both Garber, whose job is at stake after taking a bribe to help his family, and Ryder, who may be more than just a random “terrorist.” It’s times like these, though, that the suspense takes a breather. Do we really need to know why Ryder is what he is? Is it truly necessary to keep pushing the fact that Garber is just an ordinary guy (i.e.: promising his wife a half-gallon of milk by the end of the day)?

It also doesn’t help that certain plot points are a little too coincidental to really feel plausible. One of the passengers, for example, happens to have a laptop with a camera that can stream the action taking place onto a local news channel. Elsewhere, a woman and her son sit across from an African-American man whose air force ring turns out to be the same as her late husband’s.

Despite said contrivances, Pelham 123, with the help of terrific performances from Washington and Travolta and speedy direction from Scott, keeps us glued to the screen. We know fully well who’ll win out in the end, yet we can’t help but grip our seats in anticipation. We know Ryder is a fictional character, but Travolta portrays him with enough aggression that we end up being quite terrified of him.

All in all, the plot is a mixed bag, but as an edge-of-your-seat thriller, Pelham 123 easily prevails.

Rating: 7.5/10

May 2008 Review of Iron Man

In case you didn’t read the heading, I wrote this about a year ago.

Now, here’s the thrill-ride everyone’s been talking about these past few weeks. None other than that Marvel superhero comic book too-many-adjectives-to-describe-the-darn-thing adaptation Iron Man (cue the Black Sabbath guitar riff! Or AC/DC’s “Back in Black.” Whichever one you prefer.). However, the question still looms. Does Iron Man live up to expectations?

As the film begins, we meet Tony Stark (played with wit and diligence by Robert Downey, Jr.), a rich industrialist who took over his father’s company at the age of 21, ousting Obadiah Stane (a somewhat miscast Jeff Bridges; he’s not very convincing as a “nice” guy), his father’s right-hand man. Stark is basically a present-day Howard Hughes; drinking, gambling, and womanizing are daily elements of his life. He does, however, have a softer side to him. Stark respects his assistant, the aptly named “Pepper Potts” (Gwyneth Paltrow) and usually spends time working with mechanics. All right, it doesn’t exactly show his “soft side,” but it proves he’s neither lazy nor uncaring. In simpler words, you gotta love this guy!

In the film’s opening act, Stark is brought to Afghanistan where he presents the company’s newest missile and chats with old pal Jim “Rhody” Rhodes (Terrence Howard), who, in turn, is unhappy with his recent attitude. Afterwards, Stark continues his trip on the “fun-vee” (the one that’s not occupied by Rhody) and soon finds himself in the middle of a terrorist attack. Eventually, he is captured by a group of such terrorists and forced to build a new missile to add to the group’s collection of Stark Industries weapons. Full of remorse and guilt, however, Tony chooses instead to build himself an iron suit as a means of escape.

After Tony makes this grand escape (albeit with a few sacrifices along the way), he makes a fateful decision (not to be revealed here, as I’ve given too much away already) regarding Stark Industries and tinkers with the idea of an indestructible suit. In a few hilarious sequences, Stark tests the different elements of the suit with mostly disastrous results. His relationship with Pepper is also brought to mind and toyed with.

Iron Man is far from an excellent film (never mind the overlong first act or the overlong last act; I still can’t get over Jeff Bridges’s bizarre and distracting Daddy Warbucks look), but it does what few comic book films have been able to do. It actually spends time developing these characters, and as a result, we can relate to and sympathize with them. All right, so the special effects aren’t exactly groundbreaking, but, hey, they don’t need to be! Iron Man isn’t about Iron Man; it’s about a man’s decision to use his skills for a better cause. Add some snappy dialogue and impressive supporting characters, and you’ve got yourself one tasty treat.

Rating: 8.5/10

May 2008 Review of Forgetting Sarah Marshall

A new comedy produced by Judd “king of comedy” Apatow and written by How I Met Your Mother star Jason Segel, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, not surprisingly, delivers the laughs. If you’ll recall, Apatow has been associated with just about every successful comedy that’s been released in the last four or five years (Knocked Up, Superbad, Anchorman, Talladega Nights, etc.) and Sarah Marshall is no exception. Right from the start, Apatow and Segel hit us with an endless amount of gags and one-liners, most of which are not suitable for printing.

Jason Segel, in addition to his screenwriting credit, plays Peter Bretter, a lazy, hapless goof with that rarity of rarities: a celebrity girlfriend (Sarah Marshall, played by Kristen Bell). As the film opens, Peter learns that Sarah is visiting him and decides to give her a “special” greeting. A few minutes later, he is standing in his apartment sans clothing and, subsequently, a girlfriend. Miserable and lonely, Peter turns to a pediatrician (who, judging from his advice, isn’t that concerned about his patients) and his brother, played by a hilariously sarcastic Bill Hader. Hader, in turn, tells him to take a vacation and put his mind at rest.

Within minutes, Peter is off to Hawaii and arrives at a resort island where he meets Rachel (the fantastic Mila Kunis), a kind hotel clerk with an edge. As he arranges for a room, Peter soon realizes he’s not alone. Sarah is there… and so is her new boyfriend, Aldous Snow (played by scene-stealing British comedian Russell Brand). For a good amount of the film, Peter, whilst trying to avoid Sarah, gets to know the other hotel workers at the resort, some of whom are played by Apatow regulars. Jonah Hill, the ranting, raving showstopper in Superbad, is seen here as an Aldous Snow-obsessed waiter, even going so far as to give Snow his own demo (Snow chooses instead to “carry on living my life”) and viciously mock his accent.

Although there are some great moments in this first half, I found the film to be quite lacking in plot development. This wasn’t a movie; rather, it was a bunch of hysterical SNL skits. Luckily, the film gets its act together and drives Peter to discover who he should actually be with. The film also takes a nice turn when we realize how well Peter and Aldous get along (i.e.: a dinner scene in which they both mock a horror film similar to the critically-reviled One Missed Call).

All in all, Forgetting Sarah Marshall appears to be a mixed bag, but Jason Segel manages to direct most of our attention to the comedy rather than the scattershot story. Despite a weak (and obvious) ending, the film succeeds at what it sets out to be: a sweet, rude, romantic comedy.

Rating: 8/10

First post!

Just a note to those reading this… Yes, I know the blog is pretty simplistic and lacking in panache. But, hey, that’s the way I like it. Got a problem with that? Huh? Well, do ya, punk?

December 2008 Review of Twilight

Again, this is a reprint of an older review. And, yes, this is a (marginally) positive review of Twilight. And, yes, I am male.

Don’t worry. It’s not as bad as you think. Calm down. It’s not as good as you think.

Confused? At the moment, I’m addressing those who are at polar opposite sides of the Twilight spectrum. Namely, those who think everyone involved is the equivalent of the Anti-Christ as well as those who waited five days in a sleeping bag for its premiere. But I digress.

Twilight is decent, but it’s mediocre. It’s clichéd, but it’s not clichéd. It’s original, but it’s not original. Still confused? Well, that’s the movie in a nutshell for ya.

As the film begins, we meet Bella (Kristen Stewart), a Phoenix teen who moves in with her father in Forks, WA, after her mother joins her new baseball boyfriend in Jacksonville, FL.

How do we know all this? She tells us so through narration that, frankly, feels completely unnecessary. Case in point: a scene in which a scorned Bella sits by her car and watches the Cullen family (more about them in a second) leave their vehicle, waiting for Edward to appear. She narrates, “I plan to confront him and demand what his problem is. But he’s not there.”

Gee, thanks for the tip!

Anyhoo, Bella, in a move unseen in any other teen movie, is accepted by the other students at her new school and feels right at home. That is, until she’s introduced to the Cullens, a strange, pale family of seven. The only loner in the group is Edward (Robert Pattinson, last seen as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), a teen who, as Bella soon learns, can’t quite control his inner feelings and desires.

 After meeting in Bio Lab, the two soon become infatuated with one another, despite the fact that Edward won’t explain his strange tendency to stare at her non-stop as well as his ability to stop a car in mid-crash. Well, one thing leads to another, Bella discovers his secret, I stare at my watch, the film’s not even halfway through, when is this madness going to end, etc., etc., etc.

Strangely enough, Twilight actually begins to pick up once Bella learns of Edward’s true nature. I grew fond of both the Cullens and the visual nature of the film, which is accented by stunning shots of forests and subtle, silent sequences that require little more than Hardwicke’s unique style of direction and a bit of great acting from the cast.

Three scenes in particular stood out for me. No. 1: A simple set-up in which Edward and Bella are, of all things, playing a grand piano. Here, Hardwicke establishes the “less is more” technique, which I could have used a lot more in this movie, frankly. It says more about their relationship than any other scene in the movie.           

No. 2: Bella talks with her father about Edward while he puts together a shotgun. Again, less is much, much more.

No. 3: The baseball scene. Yes, it’s strange, but I’ll admit it looks pretty cool!

However, this is not to say that I did not find fault with the movie. In addition to the aforementioned complaints, er, criticisms, there are quite a few bizarre and unintentionally funny bits, including a simple glare between Edward and Quileute tribe chief Billy Black that almost had me chuckling.

In addition, some of the plot points don’t make much sense, but I’m sure most of the questions I have are answered in the book which I, uh, never read. Oh, and the violence at the end is a tad brutal, even for this movie.

All in all, I can’t exactly recommend Twilight to everyone, but the film should please its fanbase and I’m certain Hardwicke and co. achieved what they set out to do.

Also, I don’t plan on protesting against the sequel, so that’s a good sign.

Rating: 6/10

Update: On second thought, I’m getting pretty sick of the New Moon hype. Maybe protesting is a good option.

March 2008 Review of Once

This is a reprint of an older review. Just warning ya.

Chances are you’ve never heard of this independent Irish film, unless, of course, you’re really into film or you were one of the few people that watched the 2008 Academy Awards (I’m guilty on both charges). Once, which recently (and deservedly) won the Oscar for Best Original Song, is the simple story of two amateur musicians and their desire to make it big. Professional musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova give true-to-life performances as the Guy and the Girl (their names are never mentioned). Hansard plays a vacuum-cleaner repairman and guitar player who catches the eye of a Czech woman wandering the streets of Dublin. The woman coincidentally has a broken vacuum-cleaner, which Hansard offers to fix. As they near his shop, the two decide to stop by a music store wherein Irglova demonstrates her ability to play the piano and learns a new song courtesy of Hansard (the Oscar-winning “Falling Slowly”).

Over the next few days, the two friends get to know each other a little more; Irglova’s character, for example, lives with her five-year-old daughter and a mother/nanny who prefers to speak in Czech. Hansard, on the other hand, has lost his girlfriend to another man and dreams of going to London and becoming a professional musician. As the story unfolds, the two collaborate on a demo recording that could be a possible start to Hansard’s career. One of the film’s most captivating scenes involves the duo, accompanied by a group of street players, recording the powerful and all-around breathtaking number, “When Your Mind’s Made Up.”

I am almost saddened not to give this film a perfect 10. In fact, it took me a couple of viewings to determine what exactly it was that prevented me from doing so. The only drawback I could find is that the movie does tend to slow down whenever it isn’t focused on either of the main characters (case in point: a musical get-together that feels almost unnecessary). The story is carried out by the spellbinding music and the two main actors/musicians, who say their lines naturally and without any sort of exaggeration that you might find in, say, a big-budget American blockbuster.

 To some, this premise may seem dull and tedious, but, then again, we Americans are so used to plot-hole-riddled, action-fueled junk that this isn’t much of a surprise. Even so, I’m urging you to give this movie a chance. It’s not the best movie of 2007, but it’s a sweet and enduring film with a terrific soundtrack.

Rating: 9.5/10

March 2008 Review of Across the Universe

(WARNING! OLD REVIEW AHEAD!)

Across the Universe depicts the tales and tribulations of six friends as they grow and mature in the ‘60s. The catch? The characters, whenever they get the chance, spontaneously begin to croon a popular Beatles tune. The actual problem? There’s about five million of them in this film. So, when British boy Jude (His name is Jude! Jude! Do you get it?!!) helps out an American pal, “With a Little Help from my Friends” begins to play. Needless to say, this formula wears out its welcome pretty quickly.

As the film starts, we meet Jude in jolly old England. Wishing to meet his long-lost father, he takes a little trip to America, where a storm is a-brewin’. Upon realizing that his father is not an actual college professor (rather, a janitor), Jude decides to stick around for a while and accidentally runs into typical ‘60s bohemian Max Carrigan. After doing him a favor, Max welcomes Jude into the world of rebellion and… um… drug-induced fantasies. We are also introduced to Max’s sister, Lucy, who becomes smitten with Jude almost immediately. Prudence, Jojo, and Sadie (the owner of the apartment that the six characters occupy) round out the rest of the main cast.

Now, I will admit that, although the movie is a bit odd, I was hooked… for about forty-five minutes (one highlight is the cover of “I’ve Just Seen a Face” set at a bowling alley). Overkill soon creeps in as Max is drawn into the army, does the tango with a wax-faced (literally!) general, and carries the Statue of Liberty whilst singing “She’s so Heavy”. And that’s not even the strangest number in the movie! We also get Bono singing “I am the Walrus” for no apparent reason and Eddie Izzard (playing “Mr. Kite”) dancing with giant blue puppets.

Anyway, the last forty-five minutes (the film runs two hours and fifteen minutes too long) then take us back to the main characters about five years later. Jude’s relationship with Lucy is on the brink, Max is still in the army, Sadie and Jojo aren’t doing too well, and Prudence basically disappears (Seriously! She leaves about halfway through and doesn’t show up until the last five minutes!). The story at this point focuses on Lucy and Jude as the latter is accused of lazing off and drawing doodles while the “world is at war.” After that, there’s another nifty musical number (“Happiness is a Warm Gun,” featuring Salma Hayek as five different nurses and… wait for it… a dancing priest!), a few more plot details are given to us, and the film simply ends without much explanation.

                Across the Universe almost feels like three different movies mashed together as one. The first is a captivating story about a boy looking for his father and discovering America in the ‘60s, the second is basically a bunch of music videos that don’t amount to anything, and the third is a dull and uninteresting tale about six friends at the end of the decade.

                Not surprisingly, the actual film itself turns into a bit of a train wreck as director Julie Taymor (who also helmed the vastly superior Lion King Broadway show) can’t seem to decide in which direction she should be going. Unless you’re one heck of a Beatles fan or you like watching insane images flash across the screen (think Moulin Rouge meets Cirque du Soleil meets Hair), I’d advise you to skip this intriguing, but ultimately disappointing film.

Rating: 5/10

A Brief note…

The first few posts will actually be of past reviews, so I apologize if some of them aren’t as well-written as others (hey, we all have to start somewhere, right?).