January (10)
Lost in Beijing - Jan (112)
Director / Co-Writer: Yu Li Screenwriter: Li Fang
Actors : Bingbing Fan (Liu Ping Guo), Elaine Jin (Wang Mei), Tony Leung Kai Fai (Lin Dong), Dawei Tong (An Kun)
Review: Banned from China and the producers are barred from making a film in China for the next two years. The expressive nudity / sex scenes surprised me for a Chinese film but the ban doesn't. A contemporary story set in Beijing surrounding a ménage-a-quatre with a young foot masseuse, her boss, her husband and the boss's wife. The perverse details of Li's plot is that the ménage-a-quatre starts from the rich boss raping the foot masseuse. The rape is dealt as a sub-plot and not a major plot point. The ending bothered me that the rapist was held in higher regard than the husband who was trying to swindle money from the masseuse boss in exchange for custody of the Lui Ping gives birth to. I guess the director Yu Li was symbolizing that both men raped her and neither deserved her or the baby. The actress playing Liu Ping does a decent job.
Grade: 4
Teeth - Jan (88)
Director / Screenwriter: Mitchell Lichtenstein
Actors: Jess Weixler (Dawn), John Hensley (Brad), Hale Appleman (Tobey)
Review: An ode to the classic 50's sci-fi horrors Attack of the 50 Ft Woman & The Incredible Shrinking Man. The crazy things that happen to the human body. The audience in the theater had a blast watching it. A campy teen horror comedy, destined to be a cult horror classic for years to come. Dawn played with vigor by the charming Jess Weixler a youth abstinence leader learns that her body isn't like the average teenage girl. Dawn's urges overcome her preachy abstinence manifesto but it's not until two horrifying incidents when Dawn realizes she controls the vagina dentata. Dawn's vagina has TEETH. All the victims inTeeth get their due in a number of ways.
Notables: Makeup, Horror
Grade: 6
The Air I Breathe - Jan (89)
Director / Co-Writer: Jieho Lee Screenwriter: Bob DeRosa
Actors: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Sorrow), Brendan Fraser (Pleasure), Forest Whitaker (Happiness), Kevin Bacon (Love), Andy Garcia (Fingers)
Review: Based on a Chinese proverb that breaks life into four emotional cornerstones: Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow, & Love. Jieho Lee's debut feature is a multi-storyline drama circling these emotional cornerstones. The best performance I've seen from Sarah Michelle Gellar in her film career, Forest Whitaker's "Happiness" story was the weakest of the four. Lee pins Brendan Fraser as the centerpiece of the ensemble & the plot itself. Surmising that pleasure affects all: love, sorrow, & happiness.
Grade: 4. 5
Rambo - Jan (85)
Director / Screenwriter: Sylvester Stallone
Actors: Sylvester Stallone (Rambo), Julie Benz (Sarah)
Review: Where to begin on this train wreck? It's hard to expect anything decent from a January release and that's what you get with Rambo. The action / battle scenes were so overtly one sided, gratuitous but the only thing worth watching from the movie. If it was at all possible to delete all the dull, poorly executed character & plot scenes and moved right onto a 15 minute short action film then I'll pay my $2 with no gripes about it. As a feature film this blew, Stallone's laziest performance to date & a miserable ensemble of actors minus Julie Benz that gave something to the role of Sarah. The ending was as big a joke as the rest of the film, Rambo returning home.
Grade: 3
Untraceable - Jan (96)
Director: Gregory Hoblit Screenwriters: Robert Fyvolent, Mark Brinker, Allison Burnett
Actors: Diane Lane (Jennifer), Billy Burker (Det. Box), Colin Hanks (Griffin), Joseph Cross (Owen)
Review: A new-wave thriller starring Oscar nominee Diane Lane. A unique premise trapped in a generic thriller with frantic pacing. The writers, director, producers everyone involved desperately tried stealing scenes from the serial killer thriller masterpiece Silence of the Lambs. A scene straight out from Silence, Diane Lane and the whole FBI crew track down an address for the sadistic killer but he's already gone. The ending was the best scene in the entire film and actually some grade B thriller moments. The director builds up this new wave killer by setting up a website and the more people that view the faster the victim dies. The allure of the killer is squashed when he is plainly revealed to us then the last mystery is why would he do all this and then a sob story reveals his motive. This 19 yr old kid witnessed his father's suicide on TV and is now getting revenge on everyone involved by airing the murders online. Diane Lane has had one good performance in her career (Unfaithful) but hasn't shown anything else in all of her other performances.
Grade: 3. 5
Cloverfield - Jan (84)
Director: Matt Reeves Screenwriter: Drew Goddard
Actors: Lizzy Kaplan (Marlena), Jessica Lucas (Lila), TJ Miller (Hud), Michael Stahl David (Rob)
Review: A great monster, survival horror. One of a kind, the Blair Witch faux documentary technique with the handheld camera's & classical monster horror roots such as Godzilla & King Kong. Clever but not too smart & naturally terrifying. Director Matt Reeves hides the monster throughout the movie buidling a gigantic mystery to what in the creation is causing all this havoc. As the terror scenes start shades of the monster are revealed culminating in the ending after the monster knocks their plane from the air and...the money shot – a full shot of the monster in all his glory. I had the feeling their swaying to a clean ending flying away in the plane and once that was snatched away the apocalyptic ending was all that remained. The 9/11 & terrorism metaphors are right in place: the attack on the city = 9/11 and the creature = terrorism. The coolest monster in recent memory.
Notables: Editing, Or. Screenplay, Cinematography, Best Horror
Grade: 7
February (9)
Be Kind, Rewind - Feb (98)
Director / Screenwriter : Michel Gondry
Actors: Jack Black (Jerry), Mos Def (Mike), Melonie Diaz (Alma)
Review: In my opinion it falls short in what could have been one of those rare gems perhpas a cult classic. Gondry has the nostalgia & adoration for the medium of movie-making in place. Besides the quirkiness, nostalgia of a time gone away, the movie spoofs Be Kind, Rewind feels somewhat hollow at the core a mixed message sent by Gondry. Gondry's nostalgia for moviemaking is misplaced by drifting away from acknowledging future potential for a breathing medium. First is Be Kind, Rewind set in the late 90's because even an extremely outdated, run out shop like Mr. Fletcher's videostore in Pasaic, New Jersey would be aware of DVD's so for this to be contemporary is laughable as an oversight.
Grade: 5
Jumper - Feb (85)
Director: Doug Liman Screenwriter: Jim Uhls, David S. Goyer, Simon Kinberg
Actors: Hayden Christensen (David), Sam L. Jackson (Roland), Rachel Bilson (Millie)
Review: A poor job following big action hits like The Bourne Identity & Mr. & Mrs. Smith with routine action fluff with a sci-fi twist like this. Three talented screenwriters in Uhls (Fight Club), David Goyer (Batman Begins), & Simon Kinberg (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) collaborated for a script that starts on a good premise a loner, orphaned teenager learns he can teleport spring board to a cool action movie, Sam Jackson the best part of the movie as the convincing villain (even though he's one dimensional character) Jumper has a nice ending until somebody felt we need to wrap the film with a cheesy mother / son moment that has to hint at a sequel that no one wants to see. She loves him so she'll give him a headstart before she hunts him down.
Grade: 3. 5
The Spiderwick Chronicles - Feb (87)
Director: Mark Waters Screenwriters: Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum, John Sayles
Actors: Freddie Highmore (Jared / Simon), Sarah Bolger (Mallory)
Review: An average kid fantasy lit in the vein of Bridge to Terabithia & less like Harry Potter. Spiderwick's universe exactly in the way that Terabithia creates a fantasy sub-atmosphere in the real world of domestic, emotional drama. It served no purpose for the story to have Jared & Simon as twin's wouldn't it have served the story identically (pun, not intended) if there were brothers with a year or two difference and not both played by Freddie Highmore who is officially going through the puberty voice change. At times even for a 85 mil. dollar movie felt extremely like a TV movie on ABC family or the Disney channel.
Grade: 4. 5
Diary of the Dead - Feb (95)
Director / Screenwriter: George A. Romero
Actors: Michelle Morgan (Debra), Joshua Close (Jason)
Review: Horror legendary director George A. Romero's latest zombie horror movie. Romero shows a clear respect & understanding of the 21st c. filmmaking technology. The inherent politics that kept finding its way into the film was intrusive at best. A group of college filmmakers while shooting a student horror film are drenched in a real-life horror story. Romero uses the docu-realism camera to tell the story which feels too soon too familiar to Cloverfield & Romero's tired zombie fixation.
Grade: 5
In Bruges - Feb (104)
Director / Screenwriter: Martin McDonaugh
Actors: Brendan Gleeson (Ken), Colin Farrell (Ray), Ralph Fiennes (Harry)
Review: Somewhat surprising. Martin McDonaugh's feature film debut (past Oscar winner for Best Live Action Short) has a lot to offer: R-rated quibs, stylish action scenes, and a nice ending. Brendan Gleeson is a magnificent supporting player that rarely gets much attention and he's pretty good here as Ken the big brother hit man whose morals are a fatal flaw. The best performance of Colin Farrell's career near pitch perfect Brit black comedy. The one flaw of McDonaugh's script is plugging in a raw, emotionally melodramatic scene coming out of nowhere. The film's climactic ending is pulsating, the kind of movie Hollywood doesn't give you in the first 3 or 4 months on the new calendar.
Notables: C. Farrell, B. Gleeson (L. Actor), Or. Screenplay, Editing, For. Film (England)
Grade: 7
The Band's Visit - Feb (85)
Director / Screenwriter: Eran Kolirin
Actors: Saleh Bakri (Haled), Ronit Elkabetz (Dina), Sasson Gabai (Tawfiq)
Review: Israel's first submission for Best Foreign Language film for the Oscar's rejected for what honestly was 65 / 35 split predominantly in English. A worthwhile feature debut and consistent output from Israeli cinema. The Band's Visit is a comedy about an Egyptian police band visiting Israel. The cultural and semi-political commentary is noticable but not at the forefront of Kolirin's film. Ronit Elkabetz's performance as the memorable Dina a Jewish divorcee gives the film a true heart at the core.
Notables: R. Elkabetz (L. Actress), For. Film (Israel)
Grade: 5. 5
Caramel - Feb (95)
Director / Co-Writer: Nadine Labaki Co-Writers : Rodney El Haddad, Jihad Hojeilly
Actors: Nadine Labaki (Layale), Yasmine Elmasri (Nisrine), Sihame Haddad (Rose)
Review: My first experience with Lebanese cinema.Caramel is a romantic comedy about a group of friends working in a beauty shop dealing with relationships, social & political baggage. The multi-tasker Nadine Labaki writes, directs & stars in the film in what you can consider an all around bang up debut. Labaki's script is an ode to the femininity & her performance sticks with you through her sadness & sexuality.
Notables: N. Labaki (L. Actress), Or. Screenplay, For. Film (Lebanon)
Grade: 5
Beaufort - Feb (125)
Director / Co-Writer: Joseph Cedar Co-Writer: Ron Lesham
Actors: Oshri Cohen (Liraz), Ohad Knoller (Ziv), Itay Turgeman (Zitlawy)
Review : A group of Israeli forces stationed in an outpost in Lebanon on Mt. Beaufort prior to the withdrawal of forces in 2000. A fairly contemporary war film on young Israeli soldiers deals with the banality of warfare & questionable decisions by the military to guard a mountain that serves no specific purpose resulting in the loss of three young soldiers. The film's protagonist Liraz the leader of the group is first seen as an all-military guy and doesn't warm much to the other soldiers besides his close friend. The film's narrative shows Liraz's humanizing evolution. Joseph Cedar's film keeps the enemies off camera, combines long character scenes with abrupt war violence & ends on the men finally going home.
Notables: S. Effects Editing, Cinematography
Grade: 5. 5
4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days - Feb (110)
Director / Screenwriter: Cristian Mungiu
Actors: Anamaria Marinca (Ottilia), Laura Vasiliu (Gabita), Vlad Ivanov (Mr. Bebe)
Review: A dark melodrama from the corners of Romania one of the fastest rising stars of International cinema. Mungiu's film isn't a political film by nature but considering Mungiu's Romanian origins. Anamaria Marinca in the lead role Ottilia plays a 23 yr old college student who goes above and beyond to help assist her best friend arrange an illegal abortion in 1987 abortion. Marinca delivers a thoughtful, hard to forget performance who sacrifices a whole lot for her best friend. Mungiu's not only writes a well crafted abortion melodrama he writes a sleazy abortionist played wonderfully sleazy by Vlad Ivanov who preaches that he only wants to do the right thing and money was never mentioned but he forces sex / rape on Ottilia as collateral for the abortion rate. Mungiu's has a full understanding of the cinema language and uses many of those directorial techniques to show that. One scene for instance Ottilia questions Gabita about her inept decision making for choosing the abortionist she did Mungiu shoots Ottilia in extreme closeup for the entire conversation.
Notables: Picture, Director (C. Mungiu), L. Actress (A. Marinca), S. Actress (L. Vassiliu), S. Actor (V. Ivanov), Or. Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, Or. Song, For. Film (Romania)
Grade: 8
March (6)
Funny Games - March (107)
Director / Screenwriter: Michael Haneke
Actors: Naomi Watts (Ann), Tim Roth (George), Michael Pitt (Peter), Bradey Corbet (Paul)
Review: Michael Haneke went the Hitchcock route remaking his own film of the same name 11 yrs ago. Funny Games is obviously an ironic title if you see the film you know there is nothing funny about these games. Two young guys (possibly recent high school graduates if you can believe anything they say) torment by a family vacationing by the harbor. Tim Roth and Naomi Watts star as the victimized husband and wife to Michael Pitt & Brady Corbett's tormentors. Haneke pulls no punches, a hopeless dire ending. The script is ruthless in its convictions of the "funny games" allowing no salvation for the family. There's a moment and Haneke wonderfully breaks film conventions by crossing the fourth wall on more than one occassion and erasing 30 seconds of the film by rewinding a scene.
Grade: 5. 5
The Bank Job - March (102)
Director: Roger Donaldson Screenwriters: Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais
Actors : Jason Statham (Terry), Saffron Burrows (Martine)
Review: A good heist film. Jason Statham's best film since the firstTransporter. A film obstensibly influenced from the recent heist hit Inside Man bears many similarities. A group of old friends are reunited for a wedding and a bank heist. In a lesser script Martine's deception would come as a plot twist much later in the script rather than from the outset inThe Bank Job. By our protagonist knowing this deception he's ahead of the curve so are we and Martine isn't coupled with the villains of the film. The film actually affords to save many of the characters from villainy excluding the black anarchist, drug-dealing, rapist Michael X and his porn king ally Lew Vogel.
Grade: 5. 5
10,000 B.C - March (96)
Director / Co-Writer: Roland Emmerich Co-Writer: Harald Klaser
Actors: Steven Straight (D'Leh), Camilla Belle (Evelet)
Review: A pre-historic epic by director Roland Emmerich who directed Independence Day & The Day After Tomorrow. Emmerich has the resume to be right for a pre-historic epic giant sized pre-historic animals like mammoths & sabretooth tigers but from the film's trailer I was skeptical that this kind of film could work and it didn't. The blue-screen created giant animals, massive production, and just one good action scene drives 10,000 B.Cbut everything else is washed away the performances, especially the garbage script of the unlikely hero who is the destined hero.
Grade: 3. 5
Semi-Pro - March (86)
Director: Kent Alterman Screenwriter: Scott Armstrong
Actors: Will Ferrell (Jackie Moon), Woody Harrelson (Monix)
Review: The worst Will Ferrell comedy of his oeuvre. Will Ferrell's recycled comedy vehicles have worked and sold until this point but I knowSemi-Pro is the last of these recycled comedies. No originality, reusing the same old Will Ferrell skit scenes but that would have been adequate at least if Semi-Pro was actually that which it's not. A laugh here, a laugh there but for a 90 minute comedy two or three laughs don't suffice for a story with no backbone.
Grade: 3
The Signal - March (90)
Directors / Co-Writers: Dan Bush, David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry
Actors: AJ Bowen (Lewis Denton), Justin Welborn (Ben), Cheri Christian (Anna)
Review: This must be a first a trio directing and writing a film together. I'm not the only reviewer that would think the three voices gave no unity to this horror film. The gore, blood & thriller scenes from the first third of the film are the best scenes of the movie. The middle third of the film could altogether been scrapped (30-35 useless minutes). You introduce a main character and remove her from the plot for over an hour seems impossible but the minds of Bush, Bruckner and Gentry were all for it.The Signal a snappy idea, so-so execution & faulty writing drags down to obscurity.
Grade: 4. 5
The Other Boylen Girl - March (110)
Director: Justin Chadwick Screenwriter: Peter Morgan
Actors: Natalie Portman (Anne), Scarlett Johansson (Mary), Eric Bana (Henry Tudor)
Review: Suspicions of the movie arose when Focus Features shifted it out of 2007 Oscar competition into the stale months of March. The inexperienced, TV director Justin Chadwick doesn't show too much except his inexperience. His TV roots were shown throughout. The costumes and Natalie Portman's performance as the ambitious, hard-headed (no pun intended) Anne Boylen the more spirited of the sisters are the film's strong points. Portman has nice chemistry with Eric Bana while Scarlett Johansson continues a cold streak unable to strike solid chemistry with any of her male co-stars.
Notables: N. Portman (L. Actress), Cost. Des
Grade: 5
April (10)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (112)
Director: Nicholas Stoller Screenwriter: Jason Segel
Actors: Jason Segel (Peter), Kristin Bell (Sarah), MIla Kunis (Rachel), Russell Brand (Aldous)
Review: A solid comedy spinning from the Judd Apatow web of comedies like Knocked Up. Written and starring Jason Segel from "How I Met your Mother" in a more heartfelt, endearing character than Seth Rogen from Knocked Up by not as funny. The supporting are all pretty good from the unknown Russell Brand as a likeable asshole singer Aldous Snow, Kristin Bell in her first big feature role as the girl that breaks Peter's heart & realizes too late that he's right for her, & Mila Kunis looking beautiful as ever playing Rachel our protagonist's true love interest. A couple of the characters like Paul Rudd & Jonah Hill's role while funny are unnecessary carciatures.
Grade: 6
The Forbidden Kingdom (113)
Director: Rob Minkoff Screenwriter: Steven Fusco
Actors: Jet Li (The Silent Monk), Jackie Chan (Lu Yan), Michael Angarano (Jason), Yifei Liu (Golden Sparrow)
Review: A nice surprise from the first four months of 2008 that had few of them at all. Jet Li and Jackie Chan starring together for the first time in a sweet, martial arts family film. A great debut by young beauty Alexis Bridges. Jackie Chan looks at its martial arts best & Jet Li isn't too far behind either. Borrowing from the family-fantasy classic Wizard of Oz, cult hit Karate Kid, & classic martial art themes & plotting throughout.
Priceless (101)
Director / Co-Writer: Pierre Salvadori Co-Writer: Benoit Graffin
Actors: Audrey Tatou (Irene), Gad Almaleh (Jean)
Review: A French romantic comedy starring the beautiful (and now) very sexy Audrey Tatou who plays a professional gold digger who cares for nothing but jewels, fine clothing, dining until she meets a young hotel clerk who she mistakes for a rich stud where love ultimately brews. He shows her that the finer things in life are fine but precious, tender, real moments are the one's that are priceless. Tatou shows dynamite sex appeal that has gone untapped in previous roles and looks as sexy as we've seen an actress in a long time. She looks her most comfortable in a role like this as the charming vixen or as the charming down to earth girl like Amelie.
Grade: 5
My Blueberry Nights (87)
Director / Co-Writer: Wong Kar Wai Co-Writer : Lawrence Block
Actors: Norah Jones (Elizabeth), Jude Law (Jeremy), Rachel Weisz (Sue Lynn)
Review: It would be too easy to simply say that Wong Kar Wai's first English language film was a disappointment since it was. I was perplexed why Wong Kar Wai would cast a non-actor / singer Norah Jones as the lead in his first Hollywood film. You can lay it down to a failed experiment a transition into his English language career here in Hollywood if that's the path he decides to take. Everything in the film felt meaningless to me Norah Jones wasn't at all convincing of the drifting, poetic that encompasses Wai's Chinese films. The only two scenes of the film that were absolutely necessary were the first and last all the rest were a waste of time, energy and story.
Grade: 4
TFFF:
Idiots & Angels (70)
Director / Screenwriter: Bill Plympton
Review: A creative, very unique animated feature by writer-director Bill Plympton a two-time Oscar nominee (in Best Animated short). A classic-type hand drawn animation through the lens of Dutch-style paintings illuminates the screen. The film is devoid of dialogue and forms it story through sound, music, character actions & humorous fantasy sequences. You could only hope that a filmmaker like Bill Plympton would continue making animated features to leave his mark on the medium. The type of filmmaker that has strayed from mainstream Disney / Pixar animations refusing to lose rights to his property. The film itself is about an angry brute who grows wings and he sees this action as a curse. A bar man crazed to take the wings for himself he personally removes them, attaches them on his torso and uses the wings to bomb all the competing bars in the town. Our protagonist the angry brute in a Lynchian / Cronenberg inspired scene bursts out of the bar man's stomach to find love with the beautiful girl working at the bar. His wings were a blessing to help find love and himself.
Notables: An. Feat
Grade: 5. 5
Fermat's Room (88)
Directors / Screenwriters: Luis Piedrahita, Rodrigo Sopena
Actors: Lluis Homar (Hilbert), Alejo Sauras (Galois), Elena Ballesteros (Oliva), Santi Millan (Pascal)
Review: One of the best twist-heavy thriller I've seen in a year or two and one of the best films through April of 2008. A one-set thriller about four mathematicians invited to a gathering that turns out to be a Saw style tortured thriller forcing the mathematicians to answer puzzles in a minute or two or the walls start caving. Math has never been this much fun. Most of the puzzles the characters are forced to solve are difficult but sensible in retrospect. The final twists are pretty good, the cast holds together throughout, the one setting film works extremely well fusing the four math minds to stop the dimensions of the room from closing in on them. They can't stop the walls from closing in but they can find a way out. Who is the cruel mastermind that puts them up to this test, and why?
Notables: For. Film (Spain), Or. Screenplay, Editing, Art Direction, Or. Score
Grade: 7
Ramchand Pakistani (103)
Director: Mehreen Jabbar Screenwriters: Mohammed Ahmed, Javed Jabbar
Actors: Nandita Das (Champa), Rashid Farooqi (Shankar), Fazzal Hussein (Ramchand)
Review: A 7yr old Pakistani boy Ramchand & his father accidentally cross the border into India foolishly mistaken as Pakistani spies are imprisoned for four & a half years. While Ramchand's mother back home in Pakistan lives impoverished & has no idea that her family has been imprisoned. A tender story about family, community (in the jail), the prevailing power of humanity, and the disappearing line at the border in this case India & Pakistan. For a Pakistanian film the director Jabbar sympathetically portrays multiple Indian characters like Ramchand's teacher who grows to love him albeit his low level on the caste system & the genuine superintendent overlooking the prison.
Notables: For. Film (Pakistan), Cinematography
Grade: 5. 5
Dying Breed (90)
Director / Co-Writer: Jody Dwyer Co-Writer: Michael Boughan
Actors: Leigh Whannell (Matt), Nathan Phillips (Jack), Mirra Foulkes (Nina)
Review: Your typical 9-5 slasher film using all of the cliched genre conventions. The historical story of the two legends: the ancient tiger & the cannibal Alexander 'Pie Man' Pierce pulls you into this story set in the Australian backwoods similar to Deliverance's setting. The gore comes pretty late in the film, many plot points of the script fail to make much sense. The two leads Leigh Whannell (from Saw), & Mirra Foulkes are solidly wooden throughout.
Grade: 5
Let the Right One In (105)
Director: Thomas Alfredson Screenwriter: John Ajvide Lindqvist
Actors: Kare Hedebrant (Oskar), Lina Leandersson (Eli)
Review: A touching coming of age vampire story. Let the Right One In is about a bullied, overlooked boy Oskar with no friends but once a 12 yr old girl moves in next door his life begins to change forever. The two leads are memorable & considering it's both of their debut performances even more so. The actors had great chemistry together forming the precious bond of the two young kids. If this was only a coming of age story it would be fine enough but the vampire story entwined with the coming of age story. The director Alfredson makes the A & B plot so close together creating genuinely touching moments between a 12 yr vampire & a lonely, friendless 12 yr old boy.
Notables: L.Actress (K. Hedebrant), Ad. Screenplay, Director (T. Alfredson), Editing, Cinematography, For. Film
Grade: 8
The Objective (90)
Director / Co-Writer: Daniel Myrick Co-Writer: Mark A. Patton, Wesley Clark Jr.
Actors: Matthew R. Anderson (Wally), Jonas Ball (Ben), John Huertas (Vincent)
Review: Daniel Myrick co-director of The Blair Witch Project who has directed three straight to dvd films. A group of special op. marines are led by a CIA agent & Afghan guide into a Middle Eastern bermuda triangle to locate a secret Afghan weapon. The mission goes terribly bad resulting in everyone's death by this ancient evil. The actors (mostly unknowns) are trying hard but the directing is amateurish. It's surprising this film had a projected 8 mil. budget & it looked like it was shot on a micro-budget. Myrick tried making The Objective look like a Hollywood budget war film & that hurt the film overall.
Grade: 4
May (5)
Three Kingdoms (100)
Director / Co-Writer: Daniel Lee Co-Writer: Ho Leung Lau
Actors: Andy Lau (Zhau Zilong), Sammo Hung (Luo Ping-An), Maggie Q (Cao Ling)
Review: A disappointing action film starring Andy Lau and Sammo Hung a duo that could have worked something really special between two big Chinese stars across generations. The screenplay was a wreck banking on cliche dialogue, characters with little emotional effect and the overall premise doesn't hold strong or even stay consistent throughout the movie. The action scenes were only temporary respite and they were nothing extraordinary copies of recent much better films.
Grade: 3. 5
Love Pain & Vice Versa (90)
Director: Alfonso Pineda Ulloa Screenwriters: Alex Marino
Actors: Leonardo Sbaraglia, Barbaria Mori (Chelo)
Review: An attractive premise railroaded by a predictable, boring Mexican psychological thriller. I could care less for the big twist ending, the lead actor Sbaraglia shows very little while the beautiful Barbara Mori had a couple chilling scenes. The first 15 minutes of the film was driving to an interesting plot that only falters when the story shifts to the male lead. Love Pain is about two thirty year olds that have inter-connected dreams one dreaming about the man of her dreams and the guy having repeated nightmares of a woman that kills him. Lo and behold the twist is that these two had a one night stand and can't remove each other from the other's mind ending in a boring double murder scene.
Grade: 4
Speed Racer (134)
Directors / Screenwriters: The Wachowski Brothers
Actors: Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer), Susan Sarandon (Mom), Christina Ricci (Trixie), John Goodman (Pop), Matthew Fox (Racer X)
Review: Fun, very enjoyable, and much better than expected for a cartoon PG adaptation family film. Hirsch passes well for Speed and sparks chemistry with co-star Christina Ricci looking finer than ever. I was extremely skeptical about the insane visual imagination the Wachowski's brothers developed for the world of Speed Racer. A great mix of the magic a cartoon series had on a child's imagination & the world of being enraptured by a video game (for the latter generation). The climactic races are exciting, a true thrill ride. The film might go un-appreciated, a gem nonetheless for their outstanding visual effects.
Notables: Vis. Ef, S. Ef Ed.
Grade: 6. 5
Iron Man (124)
Director: Jon Favreau Screenwriters: Mark Fergus, Hawk Otsby,
Actors: Robert Downey Jr (Tony Stark), Terrence Howard (Jim Rhodes), Jeff Bridges (Obadiah Stone), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts)
Review: The must-see movie of the summer Iron Man is Marvel's big ticket to the future taking the torch from Spiderman. In the best comic book casting of all time Robert Downey Jr. stars as the witty, sarcastic, enigmatic, larger than life, patriotic, & loveable Tony Stark. Tony Stark is a billionaire, playboy, alcoholic weapons dealer when taken prisoner in Afghanistan builds the model for an armored suit that helps him escape. Back home in L.A, Stark's eyes are open & he understands that he has been committing war profitering on the worst scale. He devotes his whole life to taking back his weapons that have been sold to foreign, dangerous countries & his newly, designed armored, indestructible suit. More in line with Batman Begins than any of the other Marvel films. Iron Man is going to be Jon Favreau's calling card as a director the film will be a giant summer blockbuster, after more than 25 year Robert Downey Jr. finally landed a big box office hit (looking to add second later this summer also), most of the film really hinges on his performance and relationship to his pal Jim Rhodes as the Air Force admiral who will become The War Machine and his love interest Gwyeneth Paltrow plays Pepper Potts who has excellent chemistry with Downey. Oscar-nominated scribes Fergus & Otsby write a good script that makes a great action movie about a superhero Tony Stark rather than trying to make a superhero movie. It's hard to get it right on the first time out but Favreau does and Iron Man is the best in the superhero canon following Batman Begins.
Notables: R. Downey Jr. (L. Actor), G. Paltrow (S. Actress), T. Howard (S. Actor), Cost. Des, Ad. Screenplay, Vis, Ef, S. Mix, S. Ef. Ed
Grade: 8
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (120)
Director: Steven Spielberg Screenwriters: David Koepp, George Lucas
Actors: Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), Cate Blanchett (Irina Spalko), Karen Allen (Marion Ravenwood), Shia Lebouf (Mutt Williams), Ray Winstone (Mac)
Review: A complete throw-back to a 50's era action adventure using visual aesthetics & contrived dialogue to match. The dialogue almost came to a point where it was nauseating extremely subpar for a Spielberg film. The idea to filmCrystal Skull the way it would have been filmed 20 years ago wasn't the smartest idea but besides the film was a fun ride even though there were significant drawbacks to the film. Cate Blanchett's super-Russian communist villain is a cardboard character, Shia LeBouf adds youth and energy to an old franchise with a chance to take the battalion from Ford. Having the film's star Harrison Ford do his own stunts (especially at his age) was a rarity in capturing that film of 50's Americana. Far from the legendary status of Raiders of the Lost Ark or even Temple of Doom.The story (and plotting) is the film's biggest misfires; Koepp (and Lucas)'s script feels hollow / emotionless & the adventure wheezes along with little or lackluster danger for our protagonist.
Notables: Art Dir, Cost. Des, Cin, Editing, S. Ef Ed, S. Mix
Grade: 6. 5
June (11)
Wanted (100)
Director: TImbur Bekmambetov Screenwriters: Michael Brandt, Derek Haas
Actors: James McAvoy (Wesley), Morgan Freeman (Sloan), Angelina Jolie (Fox)
Review: I wasn't completely surprised by Wanted but popular Russian director Timbur Bekmambetov (of Nightwatch fame) matches if not exceeding the potential he's shown in his two hit action films. Bekmambetov directs one of the best action films in years & the most stylish by a football field. The team of Brandt & Haas wrote the best Western (3:10 to Yuma) in over a decade & now their Wanted script adaptation (which more original than adapted) is one of the best action scripts in at least five years. James McAvoy has officially become a star with this film he has buffed up & kicks ass in a big way. A very stylish (that's an understatement, of course) fast paced, ultra-cool action summer ride. Now to get to the good part: Angelina Jolie playing McAvoy's mentor in training honestly & objectively looks the hottest an actress has ever looked period end of statement. Also kicking some major in the meanwhile. Some of the craziest, out of your mind action stunts & effects of modern action cinema.
Notables: S. Ef Ed, Vis. Ef
Grade: 8
Wall-E (100)
Director / Screenwriter: Andrew Stanton
Review: An absolute gem, undeniably belongs with Pixar's all-time greatest animated features: Toy Story, Toy Story 2, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, & Ratatouille. The race for best animated feature tends to start with Pixar's latest big release but this year just like year the race for best animated feature starts & ends with Pixar's late June animated feature. Wall-E is going to be a children's G-rated classic for decades to come, a pure film undeniable in its depiction of humanity & love through two utterly adorable robots. Audience of all ages will fall in love with Wall-E & Eva the apple in our clumsy, noisy, inquisitive, brave little robot. Extremely charming, somewhat unconventional (85% of the film has NO dialogue at all), very romantic, & great sci-fi adventure to boot. Wall-E is set in the year 2700 concerning the titled robot who is left in charge to clean Earth which is now vacant left as a giant lot of junk, millions of scrap items, & dirt. Humanity is on a spaceship crusie for 700 years leading to 100% obesity, laziness beyond comprehension, & mass consuming androids that have forget how to live. Wall-E & Eva prove to the Captain of the ship that life can survive Earth & its time to return home, time to clean our home. Yes this makes an ecological statement but the statement is vital. The best film of the year? Through June it definitely it is.
Notables: An. Feat, S. Mix, S. Ef Ed, Or. Screenplay, Director (Andrew Stanton), Or. Score
Grade: 8. 5
The Fall (117)
Director / Co-Writer: Tarsem Co-Writers: Dan Gilroy, Nico Soultanakis
Actors: Lee Pace (Roy), Catinca Untaru (Alexandria), Justine Wadell (Nurse Evelyn)
Review: A fabulous fairytale, it's the English answer to Pan's Labyrinth. Lee Pace star of ABC's "Pushing Daisies" comes off nicely in his first leading film role. The Fall is about stunt man (Roy) during the Silent Era that is left a paraplegic getting injured a terrifying stunt & the 6 yr old girl he befriends at the hospital who has broken her arm. Tarsem balances the fairytale storytelling by Roy & the grimmer real-life drama unfolding. Roy has a desperate desire to committ suicide but for a time Alexandria has kept him afloat but he begins to use her to get morphine until she almost kills herself the last time. The cinematography is extraordinary & the visual effects for the fairytale scenes are near astonishing for an Indie film. A film that will help you explore or re-explore fairytales or stories of your youth & tears will drop from a few faces.
Notables: Cinematography, Editing, Vis. Ef, S. Ef Ed, Cost. Des
Grade: 7. 5
Mongol (120)
Director / Co-Writer: Sergei Bodrov Co-Writer: Arif Aliyev
Actors: Tadanobu Asano (Termudjin), Khulan Chuluun (Borte)
Review: Oscar nominated for Best Foreign Language film in 2007, the first for the country of Kazakhstan. A historical epic glorifying Kazakhstan's supreme historical hero Genghis Khan set in the late 12th century. Bodrov's film serves (at least) three intense, high blood shed, sweeping battles. The film's hero is clearly one dimensional but the scope of the film eliminates those issues.
The Incredible Hulk (110)
Director: Louis Letterier Screenwriter: Zak Penn
Actors: Ed Norton (Bruce / The Hulk), Liv Tyler (Elizabeth), Tim Roth (Emil Blonsky), William Hurt (General)
Review: A good replacement to Ang Lee's disappointing stab at a popular comic book character. The new director Louis Letterier of strict action origins gives the film a dose of action-adrenaline. A pleasing comic book adaptation & action film in one. Ed Norton gets Bruce Banner right & the transformation of Hulk's look not only is more realistic but also more consistent to the comic book's depiction. The film lacks the strong script that other Marvel ventures have had such as Iron Man, the Spiderman films, etc. The first film was desperately missing a viable villain and abomination surely provides that for Hulk. A villain that the audience isn't too sure our hero can beat. The final action scene in the Incredible Hulk is quite superb, memorable, & a capping snapshot in how this film differed from the first film. Letterier was drawing only making Hulk closer to a King Kong type character. The romance scenes with Betty might have been forced on but that's the heart of Banner's struggle.
Notables: S. Ef Ed, S. Mix, Vis. Ef
Grade: 7
Kung Fu Panda (86)
Directors: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson Screenwriters: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Actors: Jack Black (Po), Dustin Hoffman (Shifu), Angelina Jolie (Tigress), Ian McShane (Tai Lung), Seth Rogen (Mantis)
Review: A second tier animated hit with a first tier vocal performance by comedy star Jack Black. A shrek inspired lazy, overweight, loofy Panda Po bored with his mundane life working in his father's noodle shop. Po's dream is to become a Kung Fu master but the obvious obstacles such as him being a Panda, obese, lazy, & no Kung Fu experience but none of that stops him from his destiny. The obvious family film themes surface: believing in yourself, overcoming obstacles, & the acceptance of an outsider. The animation shows off a bright array of colors, decent Kung Fu style action scenes, and a climax that the kids would find likeable. Amusing, good work by Jack Black but not strikingly memorable.
Notables: An. Feat
Grade: 6. 5
The Visitor (100)
Director / Screenwriter: Thomas McCarthy
Actors: Richard Jenkins (Walter Vale), Haaz Sleiman (Tarek), Hiam Abbass (Mouna), Danaa Jekesai Gurira (Zainab)
Review: The first great performance of the year belongs to Richard Jenkins (it took five full months but we got there!) an actor usually reserved to the father or boss roles. Jenkins stars as Walter Vale a college professor who travels to New York City (a visitor in his own city) only to find two illegal immigrants living in his rarely used apartment. Walter has been living an empty existence, bitter & angry until he catches Tarek & Zainab illegally subletting his apartment. He befriends Tarek an illegal from Syria (Visitor) who is a nice, easy going guy that teaches him how to play the drums even though he has been proven to lack the musical ear. This performance by Jenkins should garner him Oscar contention at worst as a longshot & definitely should nail him lead roles here & there. Award winning writer-director McCarthy's follow up to the beloved Indie Station Agent hits on many similar chords: humanity, unlikely friendships. & re-discovering yourself. McCarthy does all of this while also dealing with a hot-button political issue America's new firm policy on deporting illegal immigrants a good bunch who have lived here for years.
Notables: R. Jenkins (L. Actor), H. Abbass (S. Actress), Or. Screenplay, Editing, Indep. Feat, T. McCarthy (Director)
Grade: 7. 5
Foot Fist Way (85)
Director / Co-Writer: Jody Hill Co-Writers: Ben Best, Danny McBride
Actors: Danny McBride (Fred Simmons), Mary Jane Bostic (Suzie)
Review: Funny even hilarious in many spare moments through the film. Danny McBride should have no trouble making a nice future in comedy as the best friend in a lot of films with even some Seth Rogen-level potential. In the end Foot Fist Way is an elaborate skit, a long extended joke that has a very thin screenplay and appears to have been largely improvised on a shoe-string budget. McBride appeared to be the only actor that actually seemed to have acting experience. Fred Simmons story has no reprieve, nothing to fall back on. Any person theater could tell after the first scene how the film would end but McBride & director Jody Hill did give some good laughs in between.
Grade: 5
The Chronicles of Narnia 2: Prince Caspian (140)
Director / Co-Writer: Andrew Adamson Co-Writer: Christopher Markus
Actors: Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian), Georgie Henley (Lucy), Skandar Keynes (Edmund), William Moseley (Peter), Anne Popplewell (Susan)
Review: As far as sequels go this one surpasses its predecessor, poised to be a 7 film franchise poor box office returns in the treacherous first summer month puts a damper on a film that deserved better. Yeah, the Christian driven cute, little Lucy pours out every other line of dialogue but besides this the action is amp'd up 180%, a more rounded cast with supporting roles such as Peter Dinklage & Warwick Davis. Ben Barnes gives his best Hayden Christiensen impersonation but with more likeable. The Pevensie siblings are called back to Narnia to restore the Narnian's & help Prince Caspian capture his throne (a Hamlet plot line). The style of action & pacing reminds me very much of the middle film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Notables: Art Dir, Cost. Des, Or. Score, Or. Song, Makeup, Vis. Ef, S. Mix
Grade: 6. 5
War, Inc. (100)
Director: Joshua Siftel Screenwriters: Mark Leyner, Jeremy Pisker, John Cusack
Actors: John Cusack (Hauser), Marissa Tomei (Natalie), Hilary Duff (Yonica)
Review: A well manufactured satire probably the sharpest satire in awhile. It exposes big business as the puppet master's in global affairs especially dictating warfare. Britney Spears is transformed into a Middle Eastern sex pot, Cusack plays a Hauser a super CIA action hero killing everything and everyone indestructible (US), and Marisa Tomei looking fine as ever plays Natalie the stereotypical liberal journalist with honorable intentions and a moral backbone. Hilary Duff's performance could shock the random viewer and with solid turns by Cusack & Tomei. War, Inc. is witty, relevant in the political climate (like the best of all satires), and action-packed; a crazy genre-bending fiasco.
Notables: Or. Screenplay, H. Duff (S. Actress)
Grade: 5. 5
Roman de Gare (103)
Director / Screenwriter: Claude Lelouch
Actors: Dominique Pinon (Pierre Laclos), Fanny Ardant (Judith), Audrey Dana (Huguette)
Review: A splendidly charming, twisty French thriller about three strangers (not exactly an honest logline). It's really about a best-selling novelist, her ghost writer, and a mother he meets that is lost in her personal & emotional life. The three actors Pinon, Ardant, & relative newcomer Dana give respectable performances in a script heavy, character meaty scenes with solid all around plot twists. The ghost writer (Pierre) of a best selling novelist (Judith) refuses to suppress his creative / critical acclaim anymore threatening the diva writer to expose her as a fraud if she doesn't help publish his book she gives in to his demands but with eyes on killing him & reeping the benefits. Before she can kill him he vanishes off her yacht & presumed he drowned. He lets her publish the book as her own while it sells millions of copies he resurfaces in time before Judith is charged with his accident only to be stunned when Judith kills herself.
Notables: For. Film (France), D. Pinon (L. Actor), F. Ardant (S. Actress), A. Dana (L. Actress), Editing, Ad. Screenplay, C. Lelouch (Director)
Grade: 7
Mid-Year Movie Awards
Visual Effects: Iron Man Runner-Up: The FallSound Mixing: Iron Man Runner-Up: Wall-ESound Effects Editing: Wall-E Runner-Up: Iron ManMake-Up: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Runner-Up: The FallOriginal Score: Wall-E Runner-Up: Let the Right One InOriginal Song: The Chronicles of Narnia Runner-Up: Wall-ECostume Design: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Runner-Up: Indiana Jones 4Art Direction: Indiana Jones 4 Runner-Up: The FallEditing: 4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days Runner-Up: The FallCinematography: The Fall Runner-Up: 4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 DaysSupporting Actress: Fanny Ardant (Roman de Gare) Runner-Up: Hiam Abass (The Visitor)Supporting Actor: Vlad Ivanov (4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days) Runner-Up: Haaz Sleiman (The Visitor)Lead Actor: Richard Jenkins (The Visitor) Runner-Up: Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man)Lead Actress: AnnaMaria Marinca (4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days) Runner-Up: Lena Leanderson (Let the Right One In)Adapted Screenplay: Hawk Otsby, Mark Fergus (Iron Man)Runner-Up: John Ajvide Lindqvuist (Let the Right One In)Original Screenplay: Andrew Stanton (Wall-E)Runner-Up: Christian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days)Director: Christian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days)Runner-Up: Andrew Stanton (Wall-E)Picture: Wall-ERunner-Up(s): Iron Man & 4 Months 3 Weeks & 2 Days
July (5)
The Dark Knight
Director / Co-Writer: Christopher Nolan Co-Writers: Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer
Actors: Christian Bale (Batman), Heath Ledger (Joker), Michael Caine (Alfred), Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent), Maggie Gyllenhall (Rachel)
Review : Priceless entertainment.The Dark Knight is the Godfather of all superhero films. Christopher Nolan has directed the finest film in the genre, the best film of his career, & all in all a masterpiece. Bale's finely crafted performance as Batman / Bruce Wayne rises high into depths that you would never think an actor could take Batman to. The ensemble ranging from Aaron Eckhart (who continually impresses) pitch-perfect as Harvey / Two-Face, Gyllenhall steps up giving life to Rachel's dead character fromBegins.There is no forgetting the last & most memorable member of the ensemble: Heath Ledger. Heath Ledger's performance as Joker will be a landmark amongst cinema villains, most definitely the finest performance of the year to date & anything less than an Oscar nomination is a travesty. A post-humous Oscar to a greatly talented actor whose career was viciously cut short does not seem like a stretch.The Dark Knight is the best film of the year & will likely hold that crown well into the waning months of 2008.
Notables: H. Ledger (S. Actor), Cost. Des, Art Dir, S. Mix, S. Ef Ed, Vis. Ef, Makeup, C. Nolan (Director)
Grade: 10
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
Director / Screenwriter: Guillermo Del Toro
Actors : Ron Perelman (Hellboy), Selma Blair (Liz Sherman), Doug Jones (Abe Sapien), Seth MacFarlane (Johann Krauss)
Review: The genuine alternative comic super hero returns to the big screen for a fun summer movie better than Del Toro's first film. Guillermo Del Toro's knack for visually creating the creatures of Hellboy's world are one of his best accomplishments as the director of the film & gives you faith what he'll do when he takes over the reins of Middle Earth from Peter Jackson. Ron Perelman, Selma Blair, & Doug Jones have great chemistry as Hellboy, his girlfriend & his best pal. The action scenes are spruced up 2x fold & the sequel's larger budget allows Del Toro to expand on his visual creativeness withHellboy's makeup & visual effects of the creature ensemble. Del Toro as writer invokes emotion in this alternative comic book universe as well if not better than of the other big super hero movies. In super hero movies emotions & sentimentality & corniness has a thin line but Del Toro makes the scenes work & doesn't feel out of place.
Notables : S. Mix, S. Ef. Ed., Vis. Ef, Makeup
Grade: 8
Hancock
Director: Peter Berg Screenwriters: Vincent Ngo, Vincent Gilligan
Actors: Will Smith (John Hancock), Charlize Theron (Mary), Jason Bateman (Ray)
Review: A new breed of a summer blockbuster: a superhero action comedy based on an original idea, this has never been seen before. Opening a blockbuster super hero based on an original idea sounds like poison especially considering Hancock a malevolent, arrogant, verbally abusive, irrate alcoholic causing more damage anywhere he goes than the help he provides. The one missing element is the star & few actors could have pulled off a box office hit or even get this movie off the ground but Will Smith the most bankable actor in Hollywood.Hancock is surprisingly dark & dreary but with enough sacrastical whim (by Smith) & loud, action, flying spectacles to keep you in your seats for 90 minutes. The backstory involving Hancock's past & Mary seems half backed in the grander scheme of the movie.
Notables: S. Ef Ed, Vis. Ef, S. Mix
Grade: 6
The Happening
Director / Screenwriter: M. Night Shyamalan
Actors: Mark Wahlberg (Eliot), Zooey Deschanel (Alma)
Review: The Happeningwasn't all too bad the way hundreds of critics made it out to be. For the 90 minutes the film ran I can't say I was altogether bored but it did glue me in at many points in Shyamalan's latest thriller. The two leads Deschanel & Wahlberg work nicely together & look like a cute couple even though Deschanel showed some hiccups in her first lead role. Did this film happen to be buried under its global warming message? I consider that's a possibility. It's much better than his last filmLady in the Water & about on-par withThe Village while being miles away from the chills of theThe Sixth Sense but while mentioning chills there were one or two of the best spine tingling thriller chills that I've seen all year, i.e The suicide bodies hanging from the tree in Princeton.
Grade: 6
The Wackness
Director / Screenwriter: Jonathan Levine
Actors: Josh Peck (Luke Shapiro), Ben Kingsley (Dr. Squires), Olivia Thirby (Stephanie)
Review: Fall nothing short of a indie classic comedy of age tale.The Wackness is a 1994 throwaback about high school graduate pot dealer who becomes bestfriends with his psychiatrist that he gives pot in exchange for the sessions. Shapiro & Dr. Squires are a pair of misfits both professionals & outcasts from many social circles. They are the only friends the other has. Peck gives a type of performance that you are positive that this kid is on the up & very fast to good performances. Ben Kingsley constantly finds ways to re-invent himself as an actor & continues being one of the most interesting actors cinema has ever known. Olivia Thirby plays Stephanie the girl Shapiro pines over & the girl that breaks his heart in the end. Thriby who broke out with Juno last winter is making a name on the indie circle & after this film you can see her starring in a handful of bigger films with a pretty face & a great body.
Notables: Or. Screenplay, B. Kingsley (S. Actor)
Grade: 7
August (3)
Pineapple Express
Director: David Gordon Green Screenwriters: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Actors: Seth Rogen (Dale Denton), James Franco (Saul Silver), Danny McBride (Red)
Review: The second funniest movie of the year (to Tropic Thunder), adding a director like David Gordon Green to a script like this instead of a comedy director gives Pineapple Express the comedic action it captured. James Franco's best film performance to date and another gem by Seth Rogen (in the writing & acting department). Rogen & Goldberg in their script & Green in his direction give some of the funniest action moments you've ever seen. Along with Foot Fist Way & Tropic Thunder marking Danny McBride's coming out party looking to become one of the new comedy players in Hollywood films. Seth Rogen plays a stoner that befriends his pot dealer spinning into a web of violence, insane fight scenes, tender moments of friendship, & laugh out loud 'high' antics.
Notables: J. Franco (S. Actor), Or. Screenplay
Grade: 7
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
Director / Screenwriter: Alex Holdridge
Actors: Scoot McNairy (Wilson), Sarah Simmonds (Vivian), Brian McGuire (Jacob)
Review: A brief encounter romance between two lonely Los Angeles struggling souls. Wilson: a depressed, struggling screenwriter is convinced by his roommate to post a Craigslist ad to find a date for New Year's eve. The girl he meets is an equally struggling Angelino but an actress from Texas just out of a relationship. Holdridge's film has some interesting things specifically the dialogue but he uses two nearly meaningless montage sequences that serve little for the film's romance story. Heavily inspired & drawn from Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise & Sunset films.
Grade: 6. 5
X-Files 2: I Want to Believe
Director / Screenwriter: Chris Carter Co-Writer: Frank Sponitz
Actors: David Duchovny (Fox Mulder), Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully)
Review: Having not seen an entire episode of "X-Files" ten season run I was clearly not the target audience for a sequel to a film based on a hit sci-fi series. The plot of this film is timid in terms of a sci-fi plot, if it's a sci-plot at all. Gillian Anderson & David Duchovny do a great job capturing the on-screen chemistry I'm positive they had on the Fox series that produced its longevity. The X-Files sequel makes me semi-interested in seeing the first film even though not being thrilled or even amused by this film tepid sci-fi premise that includes a psychic, underground organ transplants, weird / creepy surgeries, & one last episode for Mulder & Scully.
Grade: 5. 5
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