"Hey Rob, Seen Anything Good Lately?"

"The Informant!" (2009)

2009-09-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

In “The Informant!” Matt Damon plays Mark Whitacre a biochemist who works for a company called AMD.While there, he learns that the company is involved in an illegal activity known as price-fixing in which he has been involved as part of his job.At this point, he begins working with the FBI.From here, events just build up to a startling revelation.

What I really enjoyed about this film was that director Steven Soderbergh uses Damon’s voice over narration to give a voice to Mark Whitacre’s thoughts at that particular moment.For example, Whitacre thinks to himself while looking at some old decrepit shack that this would be a good place for a strip mall.It’s just so random, but then again aren’t our thoughts like that anyway? Soderbergh also uses the narration to tell the story, but the use of the narration in this way is just so wonderful. It adds a sense of realism to the story and some of it is hilarious.

Another aspect of this film that I think deserves mention is the score by Marvin Hamlisch, a name I haven’t heard in years. It’s reminiscent of a film out of the 1960s. The intertitles that indicate locations and the passage of time are in a font reminiscent of the 60’s. Soderbergh uses them to infer that, quite possibly, Whitacre thinks of himself as a super spy, even jokingly referring to himself as, “agent 0014.” When asked why he replies, “Because I’m twice as smart as 007.”

Basically, I think that this is Soderbergh’s version of the 60s spy film, only this time out we get a character who is not as suave and debonair as he likes to think, but is basically flawed which viewers will see if they go to see the film.

This all adds up to a very funny and entertaining film. All in all, “The Informant!” is a good night out at the movies.

"Ponyo" (2008)

2009-09-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

The fish out of water story meets Pinocchio. That’s the best way to describe “Ponyo.”

“Ponyo” is, without a doubt, the cutest animated movie I’ve seen since “Wall-E” which just goes to show that the older I get the more of a softie I become. Director/writer Hayao Miyazaki tells the story of Ponyo, a goldfish that makes her way to the surface and befriends a little boy named Sosuke. Unfortunately, Ponyo’s father, a human voiced by Liam Neeson, wants to bring her back to rejoin her sisters who are also goldfish. Meanwhile, Ponyo and Soske must contend with a tsunami, the minions of Ponyo’s father, Ponyo’s transformation into a little girl thanks to her magical powers, and a trio of senior citizens voiced by Cloris Leachman, Betty White, and Lily Tomlin.

I can’t say anything bad about this film except that Sosuke’s mother reacts surprisingly well upon learning that Ponyo is actually a goldfish transformed into a little girl. It’s a wonderful story with a great voice cast including Tina Fey and Matt Damon as Soske’s parents and Cate Blanchett as Ponyo’s mother a mystical, elemental being who can grow to enormous heights or the size of a human woman.

This film made me appreciate how rare it is to see a hand-drawn animated movie nowadays. Don’t get me wrong I love the work of Pixar, but it’s great to see some old-school hand-drawn animation.

I was also surprised at the lack of violence in this film. In most animated films or television shows there is some form of violence. This had none as far as I could see. Granted there were plenty of action sequences, but there was no fighting or shooting.

Bottom line this is really a great film to take the kids to. It’s sweet, endearing story and central character will, and I know I’m pulling out the clichés here, melt your heart. As of now though I am definitely a Hiyao Miyazaki fan, and I for one am putting the rest of his films in my Netflix queue.

Black Hawk Down (2001)

2009-08-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

My criteria for a good movie is that it must be both entertaining and thought-provoking. I think that Black Hawk Down had both of these qualities.
The film is based on a true story in which two U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopters are shot down while trying to arrest two members of a warlord’s army. The ground forces, led by Josh Hartnett must fight their way to both helicopters and get their men home.
Hartnett plays a sergeant in the U.S. Army who, in the beginning of the film states his reasons why the United States should be helping these people. The director, Ridley Scott seems to be echoing these sentiments by showing the effects of the atrocities committed upon these people by the regime that is in power.
All this says to me is that Scott is in favor of the United States getting involved in this conflict. By showing the audience these images in the opening of the film he hopes to elicit a reaction out of us in order to involve us emotionally in the story. He does a very good job of this. It is almost like watching a propaganda film. There are shots of people having been murdered and starved by the warlords. They wrap their dead up in sheets in order to, I’m assuming, protect the bodies from the harsh, biting desert winds.
The film also shows us that the warlord’s militia has even recruited children; one of whom accidentally kills one of his fellows while trying to kill one of the Americans. Next we see the child crying over the man’s body. It is not clear to us if the man was the boy’s father, brother, or just a friend but it is a very shocking scene in that in any movie how many times do we see children kill anybody?
This is just a small sample of how extreme life is in that part of the country. In another scene we see an old man carrying the body of a child across the street in front of a convoy of the American soldiers.
The film boasts a very large cast of actors from both sides of the pond as it were: Besides Josh Hartnett we have Tom Sizemore as Col. Danny McKnight. Sizemore seems to be playing the same character here as he did in Saving Private Ryan although he is as enjoyable to watch here as in Ryan.
One aspect of the casting of this film that I get a real kick out of is that we have a large group of British, Scottish, and Australian actors playing American soldiers. This includes: Jason Isaacs, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, and Orlando Bloom.
Ewan McGregor plays a soldier named Grimes, who goes from being a typist who excels at making coffee to actually being in the middle of the fighting. This character is the innocent. He has never seen combat yet here he is finally getting his chance. While packing his gear for the mission, MacGregor is taking water, night vision goggles, etc. while being told that they are not even going to be out there that long. Grimes is nervous, swearing to himself when asking another soldier why an officer did something while giving the troops last minute instruction. This nervousness really works for the character so much so that he even needs to be told how to correctly hold a weapon.
The film is loaded with almost non-stop intense violence. In one scene a soldier gets his thumb nearly shot off. The audience sees it afterwards just barely hanging from what looks to be the skin, a bloody, pulpy mess.
In another scene a soldier picks up, what I assume to be his friends hand, from the ground and puts it in his bag, in case he finds the guy later. Mind you these scenes are not like the opening D-Day invasion sequence from Saving Private Ryan but they can come pretty close.
The film concludes with Eric Bana telling Josh Hartnett what his friends back home would ask him when he finally gets home. Bana simply replies, “It’s all about the man next to you”. In war if you can’t rely upon the men you are fighting with then whom can you rely on.
In all I think that Black Hawk Down is a good war movie. Scott states what I believe to be his case for America to be involved in this conflict, if that was his intention so not only is this a war film but it is political as well.
Black Hawk Down is not only entertaining, but thought-provoking as well. I think that Ridley Scott makes you feel for these people and makes the audience feel glad that we’re not in the situation that they are, without making you guilty.

Anger Management (2003)

2009-08-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

Therapy to the extreme is the best way to describe Anger Management. In the film Adam Sandler plays Dave Buznik, an extremely passive man who works as an executive assistant. While on a plane Buznik tries to get some assistance from the flight attendant only to have this little episode turn into a major altercation. Upon returning to New York, Buznik is ordered to pay a fine and required to attend anger management therapy. In therapy he meets Dr. Buddy Rydell played by Jack Nicholson. Rydell and Buznik met on the plane which Buznik’s airborne altercation took place. After being involved in a bar fight with another gentleman and a blind man, started by Dave’s “anger ally” played by John Turturro, Nicholson moves in with Sandler and here the insanity begins.
With a setup like that and with Sandler and Nicholson on board you would think that the laughs would begin at full force. To me, this film made absolutely no sense. The lead therapy to the extreme truly is the only way to describe what goes on. Nicholson’s therapy in the film is so out – of – this – world that the story comes off as utter nonsense.
Yes I did laugh as a comedy is supposed to make you do, but I came out of this film completely dumbfounded. As of this writing I’m still trying to completely decide what the whole purpose of this film was supposed to have been.
Nicholson comes off as a therapist who is in more need of therapy than his patients. Granted he is not the lovable curmudgeon that he was in As Good As It Gets. At least in that film there was a method to his madness. Here we are given no reason as to why Dr. Rydell treats his patients the way he does.
The character of Dave Buznik is not the usual Adam Sandler character. Buznik is actually somewhat successful in a career. He’s not the typical slacker character that we are used to seeing Sandler play. Granted he does actually beat the occasional person up but here it just isn’t entertaining. Here I’m going to admit that yes, I am an Adam Sandler fan (now that I have admitted that I have a problem I can begin the road to recovery) but here the Buznik character is just disappointing. These Sandler beatings are funny when he’s the ultimate slacker character. It has an appeal. In this film, Buznik is on a higher social level, so in assaulting a Buddhist monk who pulled Dave’s pants down when they were kids, the beating is just not entertaining.
I’ll end here because I can’t believe I just critiqued the beating of a monk. My career as a movie reviewer may be over before it’s even begun. To save myself any future embarrassment I’ll just say that Anger Management may be in some need of some actual plot management and an attitude adjustment.

A Mighty Wind (2003)

2009-08-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

The folk version of This Is Spinal Tap. That is kind of the feel I was expecting when I went to see A Mighty Wind. I didn’t quite get it.
The film, directed and co-written by Christopher Guest, begins when folk producer Irving Stienbloom dies. Following the news of his death, Stienbloom’s son gathers together all of the folk acts that his father promoted; The Main Street Singers now The New Main Street Singers; the Folksmen, played by Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean; and Mitch and Mickey, played by co-writer Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara. Steinbloom’s goal is to put on a reunion concert at New York City’s Town Hall Theatre.
A Mighty Wind, much like This Is Spinal Tap, is a comedy shot like a documentary. The film has many funny moments such as a husband and wife couple, who are members of The New Main Street Singers, discussing how they first met. Also, the couple discusses how they follow their own religious doctrine based on color which seems to just come from out of nowhere.
Although the main source of entertainment for me was Eugene Levy as burned out folk singer Mitch Cohen, who until the reunion concert has dropped out of society. Levy is fantastic in this part playing the character perfectly. In one scene upon meeting Mickey’s husband, who works in the bladder removal industry and who goes on endlessly talking about bowel movements while the group has lunch, takes Mitch downstairs to show him his model train set. Mitch remarks how he would like to live in the little homemade town that Mickey’s husband built for the trains. Levy follows this remark with a roll of the eyes that drives home the fact that Mitch is no longer “playing with a full deck”. With his hair looking like it was done by Albert Einstein’s stylist, Mitch reminds me of a drugged out Cat Stevens.
It was fun to watch Guest, Shearer, and McKean together again, although as a friend who I saw the film with mentioned, the songs were given a seriousness so that they sounded like they could have been actual folk songs of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Nothing like such classics as Hell Hole and Big Bottom. This was a little disappointing, given that Guest co-wrote this film and the songs from This Is Spinal Tap. Possibly, he could have had some spin and had some fun with the songs of the folk genre.
As I was watching the film the word authenticity came to mind. McKean’s character, in one scene refers to The New Main Street Singers as commercial. As in the music industry today, we look at the commercial aspects of Brittney and Christina and how they were created with a specific image in mind and marketed to the masses. The folk bands of this film were not.
You could possibly say that folk artists were actually that, artists. Now being that I am not really a fan of folk music (the only musician of this genre I really like is Bob Dylan), but upon hearing the lyrics of the songs from this film, it's obvious folk singers were just trying to describe the world around them. It seemed as though the characters in the film truly believed in and loved what they were doing, and this belief is what we discussed in class regarding authenticity. This belief carried over into their music in that the lyrics were simple and sometimes political and possibly not conventional. The shows were not big or eye-popping like today. Sometimes you could see these artists in a local coffee house.
Perhaps, this is why I find it funny when Britany or Christina refer to themselves as artists.

2009-08-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

Hi folks! I'm Rob, and this is my blog! Look around, make yourself at home, and enjoy! My purpose here is to post reviews of movies that I've seen. Some of them will be new films as they come out, and others will be of movies that have played in the past.
Within the next few days, I'm going to post some old reviews that I wrote for a college course that I took six years ago. Soon I'll post reviews for new films, hopefully starting next weekend with Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds".
In the meantime, bear with me while I start this project, and of course feel free to leave any and all comments and thoughts that you might have regarding my posts. I want to hear what you think as well, whether you agree with me or not; after all, intellectual discourse is what forums like this are all about.

So for now I'm gonna sign off, and in honor of the fortieth anniversary of Woodstock this weekend, peace and love everybody!