Director: Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz [which was pretty good, but this is only his third film)
Stars: Michael Cera (Superbad, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist)
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Death Proof, Final Destination 3)
YesNoSoso: 2
I don't usually do this, but a blog I read, Filmdrunk, reviewed Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (here) and said everything I think of this movie much more elegantly than I ever could. I loved it. I might even give it an Emphatic 2 (I did). A movie littered with video game imagery and tongue-in-cheek video game references, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World executes its intended style with perfection. Edgar Wright's finished product is unlike any film ever made and is wildly entertaining. I know this is terse and uninformative. Just read the review at Filmdrunk or better yet, go see it.
IMDB
Wikipedia
8/19/10
The New World (2005)
Director: Terrance Malick (Thin Red Line, Badlands [haven't seen either, but hear they're good])
Stars: Colin Farrell (Crazy Heart, S.W.A.T.)
Q'orianka Kilcher (nothing else really)
YesNoSoso: 1
I put this movie on my Netflix because it was listed on the Onion's AV Club's top 10 movies of the 2000's. Although I respect the AV Club's track record, I have to respectfully disagree with this inclusion. It was boring. As boring as any movie I've ever seen. It avoids the embarassment of a YesNoSoso 0 because of the innovative and downright daring directorial decisions of Terrance Malick. Do yourself a favor and read the trivia section on the IMDB page. Malick employed such aggressive styles as editing the movie around a completed score, using only steady-cam and handhold camera shots, using virtually no artificial light and an average shot length 10x as long as the industry standard. All these decisions give The New World a very authentic feel and I will always respect a director who applies unconventional means to aid the storytelling. But again, boring.
IMDB
Wikipedia
Stars: Colin Farrell (Crazy Heart, S.W.A.T.)
Q'orianka Kilcher (nothing else really)
YesNoSoso: 1
I put this movie on my Netflix because it was listed on the Onion's AV Club's top 10 movies of the 2000's. Although I respect the AV Club's track record, I have to respectfully disagree with this inclusion. It was boring. As boring as any movie I've ever seen. It avoids the embarassment of a YesNoSoso 0 because of the innovative and downright daring directorial decisions of Terrance Malick. Do yourself a favor and read the trivia section on the IMDB page. Malick employed such aggressive styles as editing the movie around a completed score, using only steady-cam and handhold camera shots, using virtually no artificial light and an average shot length 10x as long as the industry standard. All these decisions give The New World a very authentic feel and I will always respect a director who applies unconventional means to aid the storytelling. But again, boring.
IMDB
Wikipedia
Away We Go (2009)
Director: Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition [both amazing])
Stars: John Krasinski ("The Office", It's Complicated)
Maya Rudolph (Idiocracy, Grown-ups)
YesNoSoso: 2
Its hard to go wrong with a film directed by Sam Mendes and written my Dave Eggers (and his wife), but apparently Away We Go just didn't jive with audiences. I thought it was really funny. Not in the belly-laughter style of The Hangover or Old School, but in a familiar and comforting way. Krasinksi's true talents lie not in timing or any other classical comedic skills. His strength is his likability. I know this sounds like a knock but it is not, he somehow creates characters (I'm sure its mostly just him) that make you want to hang out with him (and not in the "I'm kickin it with a movie star" way). When he's on the screen, I feel like I'm just hanging out with him cracking jokes and that is a very powerful tool when creating comedy. Maggie Gyllenhall, Catherine O'Hara, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney and Jim Gaffigan add to the color of the film with amazingly portrayed eccentric characters.
IMDB
Wikipedia
Stars: John Krasinski ("The Office", It's Complicated)
Maya Rudolph (Idiocracy, Grown-ups)
YesNoSoso: 2
Its hard to go wrong with a film directed by Sam Mendes and written my Dave Eggers (and his wife), but apparently Away We Go just didn't jive with audiences. I thought it was really funny. Not in the belly-laughter style of The Hangover or Old School, but in a familiar and comforting way. Krasinksi's true talents lie not in timing or any other classical comedic skills. His strength is his likability. I know this sounds like a knock but it is not, he somehow creates characters (I'm sure its mostly just him) that make you want to hang out with him (and not in the "I'm kickin it with a movie star" way). When he's on the screen, I feel like I'm just hanging out with him cracking jokes and that is a very powerful tool when creating comedy. Maggie Gyllenhall, Catherine O'Hara, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney and Jim Gaffigan add to the color of the film with amazingly portrayed eccentric characters.
IMDB
Wikipedia
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Director: Steven Spielberg (Raiders of the Lost Ark, War of the Worlds)
Stars: Henry Thomas (Gangs of New York, Suicide Kings [which was pretty good, but I haven't seen anything else he's been in. Although I can only assume Pycho 4: The Beginning was terrible)
Drew Barrymore (Donnie Darko, Fever Pitch)
YesNoSoso: 2
My parents always say I was the only kid in the country that didn't like E.T. Combine that fact with my anger at Speilberg for essentially inventing the summer blockbuster and I had little incentive to re-watch this. I'm upset I stalled. E.T. is, for lack (or laziness) of a better word, a really fun movie. The bike racing scenes were exciting and inspired a boyish nostalgia, I can only imagine how enjoyable they are for boys (and some girls) of bike-riding age. Regardless of my disdain for money-above-all-else culture Spielberg has inspired in Hollywood, I would be remiss not to mention/realize that he accomplished it with extraordinarily good movies. My only beef is the obvious CGI he added in the remastered version. Luckily I was able to look past that and appreciate E.T. for the lovable animatronic Muppet he undoubtedly was in my childhood.
IMDB
Wikipedia
Stars: Henry Thomas (Gangs of New York, Suicide Kings [which was pretty good, but I haven't seen anything else he's been in. Although I can only assume Pycho 4: The Beginning was terrible)
Drew Barrymore (Donnie Darko, Fever Pitch)
YesNoSoso: 2
My parents always say I was the only kid in the country that didn't like E.T. Combine that fact with my anger at Speilberg for essentially inventing the summer blockbuster and I had little incentive to re-watch this. I'm upset I stalled. E.T. is, for lack (or laziness) of a better word, a really fun movie. The bike racing scenes were exciting and inspired a boyish nostalgia, I can only imagine how enjoyable they are for boys (and some girls) of bike-riding age. Regardless of my disdain for money-above-all-else culture Spielberg has inspired in Hollywood, I would be remiss not to mention/realize that he accomplished it with extraordinarily good movies. My only beef is the obvious CGI he added in the remastered version. Luckily I was able to look past that and appreciate E.T. for the lovable animatronic Muppet he undoubtedly was in my childhood.
IMDB
Wikipedia
8/2/10
Grizzly Man (2005)
Director: Werner Herzog (Rescue Dawn, Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans [both of which are very good])
Stars: Timothy Treadwell (real person, its a documentary)
YesNoSoso: 1
This could be the classic case of me overreacting to all the positive hype this movie received but I didn't love this movie. I've been on a bit of a documentary kick lately and was very excited about Grizzly Man, seeing as everybody who I told about my recent documentary kick suggested it to me. Add that to the fact that it was on The Onion's AV Club's 50 best movies of the 00's and I was expecting a mind blowing documentary. I really didn't find that to be true. Some of the footage Treadwell shot and Herzog used is truley beautiful and makes for a visually appealing film but I found the story to be less than compelling. Perhaps it was knowing he dies, but I was simply bored.
IMDB
Wikipedia
Stars: Timothy Treadwell (real person, its a documentary)
YesNoSoso: 1
This could be the classic case of me overreacting to all the positive hype this movie received but I didn't love this movie. I've been on a bit of a documentary kick lately and was very excited about Grizzly Man, seeing as everybody who I told about my recent documentary kick suggested it to me. Add that to the fact that it was on The Onion's AV Club's 50 best movies of the 00's and I was expecting a mind blowing documentary. I really didn't find that to be true. Some of the footage Treadwell shot and Herzog used is truley beautiful and makes for a visually appealing film but I found the story to be less than compelling. Perhaps it was knowing he dies, but I was simply bored.
IMDB
Wikipedia
The Messenger (2009)
Director: Oren Moverman (his first and only movie)
Stars: Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, X-men: The Last Stand)
Woody Harrelson (Zombieland, Money Train)
YesNoSoso: 1
A very solid dramatic piece driven by fantastic performances. The criminally under appreciated Ben Foster and perpetually impressive Woody Harrelson play perfectly opposite each other in this story of two soldiers assigned to the Casualty Notification division. An interesting and emotionally charged story unravels as the soldiers cope with the range of emotions the next of kin bring to the notification of their loved ones dying as well as their own personal demons. Watch out for a great cameo by Steve Buscemi.
IMDB
Wikipedia
Stars: Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, X-men: The Last Stand)
Woody Harrelson (Zombieland, Money Train)
YesNoSoso: 1
A very solid dramatic piece driven by fantastic performances. The criminally under appreciated Ben Foster and perpetually impressive Woody Harrelson play perfectly opposite each other in this story of two soldiers assigned to the Casualty Notification division. An interesting and emotionally charged story unravels as the soldiers cope with the range of emotions the next of kin bring to the notification of their loved ones dying as well as their own personal demons. Watch out for a great cameo by Steve Buscemi.
IMDB
Wikipedia
7/29/10
Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
Director: Andrew Jarecki (his first movie, he co-founded Moviefone)
Stars: Arnold Friedman (a real person, its a documentary)
YesNoSoso: 2
Much in the style of Soupcons, Capturing the Friedmans is a documentary about a court case in which the details of a heinous crime are never really very clear. Jarecki wanted to make a documentary about David Friedman, the most sought after party clown in New York City, but instead found the court case revolving around David's father and brother, Arnold and Jesse respectively, the more interesting subject. The ups and downs, twists and turns of Capturing the Friedmans are so good and so profound that I would be remiss to include even the slightest hint to its subject matter. Just go see it and prepare for a wild, though admittedly depressing, ride.
IMDB
Wikipedia
Stars: Arnold Friedman (a real person, its a documentary)
YesNoSoso: 2
Much in the style of Soupcons, Capturing the Friedmans is a documentary about a court case in which the details of a heinous crime are never really very clear. Jarecki wanted to make a documentary about David Friedman, the most sought after party clown in New York City, but instead found the court case revolving around David's father and brother, Arnold and Jesse respectively, the more interesting subject. The ups and downs, twists and turns of Capturing the Friedmans are so good and so profound that I would be remiss to include even the slightest hint to its subject matter. Just go see it and prepare for a wild, though admittedly depressing, ride.
IMDB
Wikipedia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
