laraemeadows Reviews

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Harry Potter and the Half Ass Film

[6/10 · 14 July 2009]

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is the sixth movie in Harry Potter film series. Too dependent on previous films or expecting the audience to have read the books, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince fails to develop into a complete movie.

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is whisked away by his professor and fellow wizard Dumbledore (Michael Gambon )to meet with Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) to encourage him to return to his professorship at Hogwarts School. Harry and Dumbledore continue to attempt to find a way to defeat Lord Voldemort and prevent him from returning to the living world. Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) dance around their feelings for each other and engage in typical teenage romance melodrama. Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) sneaks around, waving his wand at bookcases in dark storage rooms, spiraling down an emotional whirlpool.

As an added bonus for the audience, the director and writers have left bonus loose ends for the audience to enjoy. The extraneous footage includes destroying mystical stuff, a girl who has a crush on Harry, some broom related sporting events, potions, and curses. The cinematic loose ends fray long enough to braid and be sold as rope to climbers heading off for K2.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince reminds me of leftover casserole. Leftover casserole is made by taking the remnants of a week's worth of food, layering it in a casserole dish and hoping it tastes good enough that your family won't run out on you. If you sprinkle it with parmesan cheese, it can look delicious, but it almost always tastes like week old, reheated donkey-butt stew. Director David Yates and writer Steve Kloves take a bit of left over the Sorcerer's Stone, covers it in Order of the Phoenix, slathers on Chamber of Secrets, dumps in Goblet of Fire and sprinkles Order of the Phoenix, bakes it with parmesan on top (the special effects) and thinks we will eat it.

It shows a total lack of cinematic integrity to assign the audience required reading or mandatory viewing in order to understand anything that is taking place on screen. It is perfectly rational to expect a first time Harry Potter viewer won't get every mention but they shouldn't be completely lost. It is not too much to ask for a bit of recap, artfully worked into the story so new viewers can understand what is going on. It irritates me to no end that David Yates, and the production staff think we should pay full price for a half a movie. In one of the more "intense" scenes in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Dumbledore says, "Once again I must ask too much of you, Harry" but I think it's the writer and director who have asked too much of the audience by hiding the casserole behind a smoke screen - literally.

Smoke comes out of the water, goes into the water, is outdoors, is indoors, and seems to follow Harry and his compadres, regardless of their travels. Harry would be the alpha caveman of any cave based solely on his ability to attract fire to himself. Based solely on the beauty of the smoke, Harry Potter is a stunning movie.

All of the effects in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince shimmer almost brightly enough to make one blind to the disparities in the plot. Well lit sets are set against green-screen created backgrounds that seem to flow naturally into each other. While some of the scenes don't work as well as others, they all work well enough to suspend disbelief and make wizardry riveting.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince has no beginning, nor an end; it is only a middle. With nothing to tell the audience what has happened up until now and an unraveling carpet for an ending, it fails to offer the audience a reason to sit through the film. It should be renamed to Harry Potter and a Half.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Shoddy Production and Smoking Hotness

[4/10 · 1 May 2009]

Forged in the heat of war and personal tragedy, claw wielding Wolverine was born. Shoddy production and inconsistent writing makes me wish that X-Men Origins: Wolverine could be retroactively aborted.

After his life is turned upside down, the young James Logan - Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) embarks on a tragic journey with co-mutant Victor Creed (Live Schreiber) that spans four wars and endless killing. When the wars finally end, they are dispatched to be members of a special squad of men sent to commit unspeakable acts. Unable to stomach the discomfort of his orders, Logan splits to find newer, more unimaginable pain. All the while Hugh Jackman is hot.

It surprises me that a movie with such a large budget and characters with a following as strong as the X-Men comics could not find a company to produce quality visuals. (Good thing Hugh Jackman didn't need help with his high quality visuals.) The computer generated effects are more than 20% of the movie, and are 80% of the problem. Lighting on the actors is a different color and are at a different angle than the green screen scenery behind. The generated backdrops lack an understanding of shadow and depth of field. This basic misunderstanding of lighting irons the visuals so flat, it's impossible to suspend disbelief.

The frustration is further compounded by the unnecessary use of generated objects. (And the unnecessary use of clothing on Jackman.) Instead of using models to create locations too expensive to build fully, they are created using the same disappointing generations. When props could be used to save money on the film and create a better visual effect, director Gavin Hood still uses artificially spawned effects.

The writing by David Benioff and Skip Woods does not come naturally either. Events that could prove Wolverine's humanity are sped through at a pace that makes them almost comedy. The love story is so rushed, it is hard to feel their connection. Characters multiply so quickly, it is hard to keep them straight. (Except Wolverine, it is hard to miss Jackman when he is burning a hole in the screen.) Some of the one liners are as cliché as teenage angst.

The audience is forced to languish in poorly lit fight scenes that drag on in near complete darkness. Those scenes that had enough light were poorly choreographed, and it is hard to get interested in what they are doing. Well, when they have their clothes on.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine has an almost orgasmic amount of pretty. I admit it shamelessly: I am in complete and total lust with Hugh Jackman, and his special attention to his body for this movie did not go unnoticed, by me or any of the other people in the theater. Jackman wasn't alone in unbelievably, moist-worthy hotness. Live Schreiber's creepy character can't outshine his ha-cha-cha-cha gorgeousness. Lynn Collin, who plays Kayla – the love interest in the film, made me want to fall in love with her.

These actors did not just rest on their beauty. Hugh Jackman was completely handcuffed by an imprisoning script. Jackman and Collins have really beautiful chemistry. My only gripe about the acting was the complete lack of emotional connection between Jackman and Schreiber. Neither gave bad performances individually but they can't seem to really bond the characters tight enough to make enough to give the story the depth.

All I wanted from X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a bit of ass kicking fun. Even accounting for the Yowza Factor, X-Men Origins: Wolverine fell short. The substandard visuals made even the best looking people (Hugh Jackman) look stupid.

The Brothers Bloom (2008)

The Archer Fish of Cinema

[8/10 · 21 October 2008]

The Brothers Bloom unwinds the story of two confidence men, an Asian sidekick and their rich but isolated mark. The Brothers Bloom is a charming off kilter dramedy about love.

Bloom (Adrien Brody) and his brother Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) work as confidence men with their explosive sidekick Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi). Tired of the life, Bloom tells his brother he's done. His brother talks him into one final con against Penelope Stamp (Rachael Weisz.) Penelope is a rich, eccentric shut-in who has yet to live. They take advantage of her loneliness in a scam meant to satisfy her need for adventure.

Rian Johnson sees the world in The Brothers Bloom the way an archer fish sees bugs. The archer fish hunts bugs above the water's surface by shooting water at the bug from below the water line. When looking up from underneath everything looks like it is one place but actually is in a slightly different place because water refracts light, changing the view for the submerged. The archer fish has to see things slightly cockeyed in order to get the archery right. Rian Johnson took a slightly crooked approach to get the cinematic physics just right.

Penelope Stamp is the Robin Hood of cinematic archer fish. Everything about her life, her development, and her emotions are delightfully off balance. She isn't brilliant but she had dedicated herself to learning how to do many strange and obscure things. It wasn't good enough for Rian Johnson to make Penelope interested in pinhole cameras (a camera made by putting a piece of photo paper in a light-tight container and poking a pin hole in it to expose the paper), it had to be a pin hole camera made of a watermelon. Johnson made sure Penelope is beautiful, but by casting Weisz, made her an interesting beauty.

It isn't just the nature of the characters, but also how they talk. Johnson commits so fully to this strange-ified world, that dialogue that would warrant a call to the loony bin in real life, seems natural in the world created in The Brothers Bloom.

The downside to making the characters fit so naturally in their world is jokes or emotions that might resonate deeply in our world sometimes fall a little flat in The Brothers Bloom. There are no gut busting jokes but occasionally the audience finds themselves chuckling. Cheeks will not be soaked in tears, but occasionally a frog may find way into the throats of the viewers.

The Brothers Bloom is an endearing quirk-filled film sure to whisk the audience away on a flying crime filled love carpet.

Morning Light (2008)

The Slip and Slide of Cinema

[2/10 · 20 October 2008]

What happens if you put fifteen young, good looking adults in the same place, and make them compete to join a team that will participate in one of the most elite races in sailing? As it turns out, nothing but sailing in the documentary Morning Light.

Roy Disney wanted to get young sailors in the TransPac race so he bought the Morning Light, and set off to get the best to man it. Fifteen mostly obscenely rich, mostly white, all good looking, young sailors, Chris Branning, Grahm Brant-Zawadzki, Chris Clark, Charlie Enright, Jesse Fielding, Robbie Kane, Steve Manson Chris Schubert, Kate Theisen, Mark Towill, Genny Tulloch, Pieter van Os, Chris Welsh, Kit Will and Jeremy Wilmont are chosen to vie for eleven spots on the Morning Light. They go sailing, talk about sailing and look at sail boats.

A reasonable person would venture a guess that a bunch of young virile men in a competitive situation trapped in a small space with a couple of women might bring some sexual tension. It would be expected that directly competing to participate in one of the most elite races in sailing, the TransPac, would cause outbursts or the occasional jockeying for attention or recognition. The powerful part of competitive reality TV…er movies… is the strong emotional connection between the people on the screen.

Watching Morning Light is like trying to swim on a slip and slide. While it is wet and you can move across it swiftly on your stomach, you can't drown in the story because the water is only there to lube you up. Nothing that would make the audience submerge into the depths of the people or circumstances even grace the screen.

Morning Light has the emotional depth of a sociopath. We might as well be watching, "How to sail: A Step by Step Guide for the Rich and Moronic," because it offers equal levels of emotional expressiveness. They did not make me wonder or care about who would be selected to make the team, if they won the race or how they got along. Instead of asking myself questions of wonder during the movie, I often asked myself, "Who cares?" On the plus side, I do know far more about sailing than I ever did before, maybe enough to encourage me to buy a sail boat – if I could afford one. Until then, I hope Disney leaves Morning Light out at sea.

The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004)

An almost brilliant train wreck.

[5/10 · 24 June 2008]

The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things tells the story of a small boy passed around from person to person, but always haunted by his mother. There were a lot of aspects of this movie that resonated deeply with me was because I had a similar upbringing, but strange visuals ruin any brilliance the movie may have reached.

After being in a loving foster home for several years, Jeremiah (Jimmy Bennett, Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse) is returned to the care of his narcissistic drug addicted mother. When he tries to return home, his mother, Sarah (Asia Argento), convinces him his foster parents don't want him anymore. She also leads him to believe that if he were to return to his foster home, he'd end up dead. She leads him on an escapade through several moves, several boyfriends, a few husbands, and endless abuse. She even goes as far as introducing him to drugs at a very young age. Jeremiah loses himself through time and begins to fall into his mother's insanity.

My biggest complaint is the director/writer, Asia Argento, creates such a great gritty movie with such realistic elements of emotional malnourishment and physical abuse but dashes them away when there is a visual effect using red crows that shattered my complete submission to the story.

Argento splashed the screen with honest depictions of what happens to abused children. When they moved using black garbage bags I broke down in tears because most of the dozens of movies I've had to make were made using the illustrious black garbage bag.

Then out of nowhere, a crappy red crow. The crows look like they were physically painted with acrylic paint, photographed, pasted in a flip book and filmed. After they were filmed they were placed in a scene in the most bizarre way possible. It felt like Argento slammed on the breaks while driving 100 miles per hour for no reason in rush hour; it causes a pileup.

Most of the acting in The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things is phenomenal. All of the actors do a great job of showing true packaging in which evil comes. Most of the actors know when to pull the character back from obviously monstrous and make the character so insidiously subtle they would be hard to spot by normal people in the real world.

I admit; I was too let down by the visuals and some herky- jerky camera work to enjoy The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things. I will recommend it as an explanation as to why being bounced from place to place, from home to home is damaging to a child and how a child can become very good at survival techniques.

Conjurer (2008)

Conjurer - It wishes

[1/10 · 19 June 2008]

Conjurer is about how history returns to haunt even the unsuspecting. Conjurer reaches for brilliance occasionally but shallow acting, appalling writing and cataclysmal camera work doom Conjurer to a gruesome death. I'm going to do my best to stay awake while I write this review for you but I even as I type these words I'm dozz… Shawn Burnett (Andrew Bowen) and his wife Helen (Maxine Bahns) move to the country after a miscarriage devastates Helen. There is an empty cabin in the back yard when they move in which is the subject of local legend. Shawn begins obsessing over the cabin, the witch-lady who used to live there and the potential danger to him and his wife. Shawn and Hele…….. Sorry, I feel asleep just then.

Conjurer is like watching a farmer roll his cart to market through frozen molasses up a hill, and when he arrives, everyone has gone home. Horror or thriller movies can be slow moving, until the pay off in the end, which makes the entire movie worth the audience's patience and attention. Conjurer requires an all volunteer audience because there ain't no one getting' paid. *Yawn* The story ends at pretty much the same place it began, whattheheckland. The characters don't develop, the ending is unclear, and there is only enough plot for fifteen minutes.

The characters, especially Helen and her brother Frank Higgins (John Schneider) are confusing and loathsome. We watch as ……… Damn, it isn't any easier to stay awake when writing about Conjurer than it was to watch it. Helen swung from bitchy to attentive. Frank swung from generous to greedy. Both characters seem unable to clearly define themselves.

Andrew Bowen is convincing as a loving husband who believes wild stories. I often found myself not sleepy when he was in scene. He pulls Shawn off adequately enough that if the script were better, he might be able to compensate for the egregious attempts at acting by other actors in the movie.

Whenever Maxine Bahns came on screen, the teeth in my mouth that had dental work began to throb. She couldn't portray loving, sad, upset, scary, or shot convincingly. If I had to judge strictly on her portrayal of Helen in Conjurer, I am not convinced she could emote sincerely if someone was ripping the legs of her kitten.

Ken Blakely, the cinematographer has a fantastic understanding of light and framing, so when the camera is not moving, Conjurer is beautiful. There are lovely visuals where light gives a strong presence of mood. Sadly, when Blakey moves the camera he downright tries too hard. I can tell he is trying to figure out the best angle to convey mood but the only thing I felt was nausea.

The one part of the whole movie I was in love with was the when Shawn decides to take the status of the crow into his own hands. By the time he does, the entire audience had been having the same feeling for about an hour.

Any audience member who dares to watch Conjurer should be wary their heart will stop pumping because it fell asleep. I'm going to take a nap now; talking about Conjurer has made me sleepy.

Sex and the City (2008)

Anyone have a time machine so they can warn me about this movie?

[2/10 · 29 May 2008]

The much loved HBO show characters Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda come to the big screen in Sex and the City. A cheap, shallow, and annoying waste of film that made me shake my head so often, my neck needs chiropractic adjustment.

This travesty of character and plot development obliterates any chance I would even call Sex and the City a film instead of a TV movie with really good distribution. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) spends the entire TV movie trying to get married to Big (Chris Noth). Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) spends the entire TV movie trying to stay married to Steve (David Eigenberg). Samantha (Kim Cattrall) spends the entire TV movie trying to get laid. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) spends the entire TV movie, er, uhm, hmm, well, with nice hair. All the designers of New York masturbate all over the audience.

The writer and director, Michael Patrick King, didn't bother to make one plot that went smoothly through the entire movie. Instead, Michael Patrick King lumped four episodes together, but took out the theme song and credits. Even though there is a somewhat lengthy introduction at the beginning of the movie, this enhanced TV movie absolutely requires that the watcher has seen the HBO show Sex and the City, is familiar with the characters, and the events in their lives. The shoddy writing makes a synopsis nearly impossible.

Sex and the City jumped the shark when a fart joke lasts a solid three minutes and eventually saves the day. Then it turned right around, lined back up and jumped it again when a character's weight causes an entire party to take notice. Who knew that slapstick humor had a place in a chick flick. The whirring and whizzing past my head deafened me as Sex and the City went through an entire tank of gas leaping over selected marine life.

Now I like a pretty dress and shoes like the next girl but I would never consider spending millions of dollars on a movie slated to come out in the summer blockbuster season to try to get the audience to worship at the altar of designer shoes. As much as Michael Patrick King wants shoes to be a character or even a plot driver, they aren't. Am I the only person in the world who thinks a two foot flower on a five foot woman makes her look a little insane? It seems I am alone in the feeling that sleeves should not be wider than the woman. Is it possible that douche-baggery can be transferred to Sex and the City? I think so.

Unless hair dye counts, there is no character development in Sex in the City. After spending two and a half hours of my life with these characters, I didn't gain a single insight into the girls I didn't already know because the point of the movie is nothing changes. The only character who does anything interesting is Steve, Miranda's husband. Too bad his screen time comes to a whopping 15 minutes all together.

There is one cute scene where the girls start to talk about using the euphemism "coloring." The conversation goes on for some time and is the most entertaining part of the movie.

I would give anything to get the two and a half hours back I wasted on this Sex in the City. I would actually have sex in a city. I might even buy some shoes. I am considering suing Michael Patrick King to make him build me a time machine, test it on monkeys and little furry bunnies, go back in time to May 28, 2008 at 6:45pm at the Kabuki Theater in San Francisco and prevent me from ever seeing Sex and the City.

The Visitor (I) (2007)

The Visitor

[9/10 · 2 May 2008]

The Visitor strings together unlikely events in the lives of a professor and his visitors. Remarkably sincere and touching, the unimaginable events feel natural.

Awkward Connecticut economics professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) has essentially checked out from his job, his personality and his life. Walter is forced by circumstance to return to his abandoned New York City apartment. When he returns he meets Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Jekesai Gurira), who have taken up unauthorized residence in his apartment. Tarek and Zainab teach Walter to live again, to come out of his shell and remind him how unfair life can be.

Writer and director Thomas McCarthy wrote all of the characters in The Visitor with almost contradictory personality attributes which gives them each a complex humanity.

McCarthy wrote Walter Vale painfully dull and bumbling but it was Richard Jenkins who also makes Walter charming and heart breaking. In nearly every setting, Jenkins both makes the audience scrunch their faces at Walter's social inadequacies while simultaneously bringing out our Florence Nightingale instincts. As Walter changes in the course The Visitor, Jenkins keeps the essential qualities of Walter but changes him in surprising ways.

The supporting cast isn't any less remarkable in The Visitor. There is a master of life, a vision of unabashed sadness and an embodiment of sensual motherly warmth. Haaz Sleiman, who plays Tarek, is (damn foxy) full of life as Tarek. His esprit fills Tarek, the audience, the other characters and actors with such vitality. Danai Jekesai Guria plays Zainab, Tarek's girlfriend. So much of Zainab is forlorn despondent dejection. Rich with beautiful hardness and unnaturally attractive pain, Danai Jekesai Guria made Zainab so hard to watch but impossible to pull your eyes away from. Hiam Abbass plays Mouna, Tarek's mother. Her fear is palpable but she never loses her intangible sensuality.

The most remarkable part of The Visitor is the way it organically shows the way life can change un-expectantly, unfairly and without warning and does it with real, raw emotion. Just when you think you've figured out what the movie is about, you slapped with a new reality. It is frightening, timely and angering. Even the ending, which is not the typical movie ending, is emotive in a subtle and realistic way. I was not overwhelmed or underwhelmed by the movie, I was perfectly whelmed; a task indeed.

The pacing is the one complaint I have with The Visitor. The editing could have been much better. There are beautiful scenes sometimes drawn out to boredom. Scenes that were the actors' timing is slightly off are only highlighted by the shoddy editing. The Visitor is an artsy movie but Tom McArdle checked out completely in a few of the scenes.

Slow bits aside, The Visitor is a rewarding film with rich characters, beautiful acting and complexities that might make those people who are quick to tears, cry.

Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man - Almost Super

[8/10 · 1 May 2008]

A genesis story, Iron Man answers the question, "Where did Iron Man come from?" Laughter dots the super hero backdrop that is visually fun to watch but lacks the lift off to be a classic super hero movie.

Like the wise one says, "necessity is the mother of invention" and Tony Stark's mother birthed the crude chrysalis of Iron Man in a cave in Afghanistan. While demonstrating the Jericho Missile, spoiled, womanizing, arrogant weapons manufacturer and brilliant engineer Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr. ) is kidnapped by the Ten Rings terrorist group led by Raza (Faran Tahir). He is seriously injured during the attack. They hold him captive with a kidnapped doctor, Yinsen (Shaun Toub), who saves him from further death by attaching a device to his chest. Yisen and Tony work together to escape alive. Instead of recreating the missile for the terrorists, Tony develops the beginnings of Iron Man, emotionally and mechanically.

Iron Man is studded with easily recognizable names camping it up for the story. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Tony Stark's assistant Pepper Potts. She runs around in four inch heels, maternally tending to Tony's needs. Her dialogue is fun but a little grating at times because she is a deep as a teaspoon. Terrence Howard plays Jim Rhodes, Tony's friend in the Air Force. He puffs his chest in ways that would make a Marine commercial blush.

Iron Man isn't a huge modernized Rock-em Sock-em Robots revision, nor is it a strict superhero movie. It deals with the very beginning of the Iron Man legacy, so it is more Tony's personal development story. He begins as a self absorbed, uncaring, skirt chasing billionaire dilettante with no regard for the consequences of how his money is made. By the end he is a self absorbed, skirt chasing billionaire dilettante who cares about the people around him, where his money comes from and what people do with his weapons.

There is no shortage of scenes meant to make you laugh that add nearly nothing to the plot of Iron Man, including one with stripper flight attendants. The scenes meant to evoke laughter sometimes force the audience into an uncomfortable giggle, like a chuckle one might give their unfunny uncle. It isn't all middle aged relatives; some of the laughter was well earned. His machines are fun, his mistakes are entertaining and his arrogance earned more than a few smiles.

The scenes where Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man are exhilarating. I found myself clapping for flame throwers; how often do you get to do that in real life? I was fond especially of the learning scenes where Tony was trying to perfect Iron Man's suit.

The computer generation of the suit is flawless. I did not have to set aside belief because the light was wrong or the shine was too perfect. The only problem I had with the Iron Man suit was the inside of the mask, which seems like it is the size of a space suit when the camera looks in it at Tony. If one was to judge the size of the entire suit as it relates to the space in the mask, one would think it was designed for a couples naked high-altitude romp.

I found Iron Man enjoyable but, unfortunately, my socks remained firmly on my feet. I couldn't really escape into it but I didn't mind watching it either.

Evening (2007)

A great chick flick

[8/10 · 18 June 2007]

Evening is the beautiful story of the flawed love of a mother. The movie split in time, is magically shot, amazingly acted and has a touching script. Vanessa Redgrave plays Anne Grant Lord, a woman sun-setting out of life. Lying in her bed, her mind remembering and misfiring, she recalls her first mistake. Claire Danes plays the young Anne, giving a youthful vitality to dying bed ridden woman. Daughters Nina (Toni Collette) and Constance (Natasha Richardson) try to decipher the real story from the disheartening dementia. Her first mistake revolves around Harris Arden (Patrick Wilson); the man her best friend Lila (Mamie Gummer) deeply loved. The daughters must come to terms with their mother's past, and their futures. The cast is glowing in Evening. The collective acting energy of this movie could have powered the equipment for the production of this entire film. I am so glad to see Claire Danes working again, especially in this role. She is so young, and alive, fully living the joys, mistakes and heartbreak of young Anne's first mistake. This is a true feat when you realize she is playing a woman, dying in bed. When her life overwhelms her, you can feel her desire to crack and her hopeless hope that she won't. Some of her facial expressions grinded on me a little, but over all her performance was so radiant, I was left with that only as a side note. Toni Collette continues to prove that you can be a powerful actress without being a super model. She plays the black sheep of the family; a little lost. Nina finds a great deal of strength in her mother's mistake. Collette delicately avoids creating a cruel character who revels in the mistakes of her mother, instead choosing the wiser path of learning from her mother's mistakes. There is a great deal of infighting between Nina and her sister Constance. Their fights remind me of ones I have with my sister all the time. Mamie Gummer, who plays Anne's youthful best friend, is wonderful. Her character is stuck between her heart and her status in society. Even when she is crying and her heart is breaking, she is incredibly regal and charming. I can't wait to see her act in something else in the future. Vanessa Redgrave's performance is very hard for me to describe. Her talent at making her mental status ambiguous without being wacko or even especially tragic is why it is so powerful. The audience does not know if she is making up the story because she is slipping away or if these events truly happened. Physically and emotionally speaking, Redgrave is acting in a box. Not much physical space and limited emotional range might have been a stunner to a lesser actress but she makes the limitations work for her. I was constantly amazed. The movie is definitely woman-focused but the men in the movie are not just accessories. Patrick Wilson is mesmerizing as Harris. It is no wonder that everyone in the movie is in love with him, I sure was. Buddy Wittenborn is Lila's brother, spiraling out of control. Hugh Dancy spirals Buddy out of control without sending his acting down the drain. Glen Close has my favorite scene in the movie. It reminded me of the famous scene from Monster's Ball. It is terrible and jaw dropping grief. I was utterly stunned. The one acting disappointment was Natasha Richardson. While her fight scenes were memorable, most of her acting reeks of melodrama. It would have suited her to take an acting bath before we had to breathe her stink. It's a good thing she wasn't in charge of the visuals. The visuals of the movie are sparkling. Cinematographer Gyula Pados couldn't make a film richer in color, light so perfectly matched to mood and emotion. The visual concepts of the flash back sequences are powerful and resonating. There were many scenes that could have been stopped, printed, mounted and sold as art. I admit it, I cried. Evening is a powerful movie. Evening is defiantly a chick flick but a really great chick flick. If you want to impress a woman with a movie choice, pick Evening.

The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Leaves you with a scar on your heart and mind

[7 February 2007]

"The Last King of Scotland" based on the book by Giles Foden, is the intense story of charismatic and horrifying Ugandan leader, Idi Amin. Exceptional writing by Jeremy Brock and Peter Morgan, acting, and directing make a must see movie that sticks in your mind and on your heart like a battle scar.

James McAvoy plays new doctor Nicholas Garrigan. When Garrigan decides to have some adventure as a doctor in a third world country, he spins the globe and lands in Uganda. While out in the middle of no where Uganda a revolution goes on around them. Idi Amin, portrayed by Forest Whitaker, overthrows the government in a coup and the magnetic leader travels the countryside so his people can know him. During his travels he meets Garrigan, finds out that he's Scottish, and asks him to be his personal physician. Garrigan agrees, starts his life of luxury and is thrown into a tyrannical world of systematic violence and paranoia. Eventually Garrigan becomes one of Amin's closest advisers.

Forest Whitaker's portrayal of Idi Amin is frightening. When you first meet Amin he is fun, approachable and it was easy to find inspiration in his words and personality. Throughout the movie his personality changes from inspiring to paranoid and terrifying. Whitaker's performance flows naturally in and out of these two men trapped in one body. He never misplaces his anger in a sweet scene; his glints of admiration never seep out during a frenzied rant. Whitaker avoids all hints of schizophrenia and ignores all opportunities to dive into multiple personality disorder.

Garrigan is unaware of what's happening in Uganda at first, but even after he realizes what Amin is doing, he does nothing to stop him. Only when it seems the crazed paranoia and mass murders might affect him and weigh on his conscience does Garrigan say something. James McAvoy's emotional transition from innocent privileged young man to a morally ambiguous government official is stirring. During the movie, I had to restrain myself from yelling at Garrigan to stop what he's doing, to leave right away or to just do what had to be done. McAvoy's seamlessly grows his character from an acorn to a diseased oak.

The supporting cast isn't outshined by the main characters. Kerry Washington plays Kay Amin, Idi Amin's third wife. Her performance is tender, perplexing and sexy. Gillian Anderson plays Sarah Merrit, Garrigan's first love interest in the story. Her sage words and cool demeanor will be left ringing in your ears by the end of the movie. Simon McBurney, Nigel Stone's character, is monstrous in the covert, James Bond sort of way. His maniacal character is not over acted, absolutely to the credit to Stone.

Jeremy Brock and Peter Morgan use an historic figure to tell a cautionary tale about what happens when you let fear decide who runs your country and what happens when your blind ambition overrules your moral center. Their characters are complete and lacking no texture. The temptation to make characters who are strictly monsters or heroes is avoided. Each character, even Amin, is not strictly good, nor bad, but products of their circumstances. I found the recipe for creating a monster far too realistic to be comfortable and for that I thank the writers for giving me the opportunity to feel that level of discomfort. Even the hero of this movie is only slightly heroic; leaving the melodramatic phony heroics for a superhero movie. Garrigan's transformation left me wondering if I could be any stronger than he is, given the situation he got himself into.

I was impressed that the cinematographers and directors made a point of changing the camera style, lighting and framing to fit the mood of the movie. There are scenes where the sweat on someone's face seems radiant in the dark. There is an impressive use of light to set mood that doesn't fall into the cliché parenthesis.

This shattered my personal peace. It has left me to question my own behavior. Have I paid enough attention to my own life? Have I let raw, unadulterated ambition kill parts of my humanity? What would I do in that situation? At what point would I run screaming from Uganda? Can we afford to be afraid and let that fear color our decisions when it comes to our government? How can I tell if someone is a monster when they are so charismatic? Has my ambition hurt other people?

"The Last King of Scotland" is a heart pounding drama that left me uneasy, utterly disappointed with the quality of the characters' behavior and inspired by the quality of the film making. Missing this movie would be bad for your cinematic knowledge and for your personal growth.

The Dead Girl (2006)

Not a revolutionary experience but great acting and strong script

[8/10 · 6 February 2007]

"The Dead Girl", written and directed by Karen Moncrieff, is a haunting story of how six women are affected by the gruesome, untimely death of one young woman. Each affected woman is suffering in their own emotional prison. Arden, Leah, Beverly, Ruth, Rosetta, and Melora all gain new life and opportunity because of their connection to the dead girl.

Arden, played by Toni Collette, lives and cares for her abusive mother. Arden's mother, Piper Laurie's character, has such an emotional hold on Arden that she doesn't even feel that she can go on a date with out being humiliated. Arden finds the dead girl on her family's land, and for some reason it gives her new courage to explore a life outside her mother's grasp. After the girl is removed from Arden's family stead, she is taken to the local Medical Examiners Office.

The Examiner's intern, Leah, Rose Byrne's character, examines her and believes that she is her long lost sister, missing for 15 years. Struggling to get past her grief since her sister left, believing she is dead finally allows her to get on with her life stalled for so long. She and her mother, Beverley, played by Mary Steenburgen, and father, Bruce Davidson's character, have different methods for struggling with the past. She goes on a date with Derek, played by James Franko, and begins down the road away from her missing sister and into a life of her own!

Mary Beth Hurt plays Ruth, a woman trapped in her marriage to an absent bastard by her strong religious convictions. Even after she threatens her husband, Carl, Nick Searcy's character, for being gone all the time and for sleeping around, she is conflicted about leaving him. Of all the characters, she is the most pitiful and deplorable. Her religion stunts her common sense, her past cuts it down completely. At the end of her story I wanted to punch her in the face. Ruth is my favorite character.

After the dead girl is identified, her mother, Melora, comes to collect and identify her body. Melora, played by Marsha Gay Harden, finds about her daughter, who ran away years ago, from her girlfriend and co-worker, Rosetta. Together Rosetta, Kerry Washington's character, and Melora collect the remnants of what's left of her daughter's life. Melora's is obviously pained by her daughter's death but her emotions become unraveled when she learns why her daughter left.

Finally we meet Brittany Murphy's character, Krista. Krista is the dead girl. Her sad and tragic life can really only lead to Arden's family farm. Choices she made and choices people made for her are equally gut-punching and in the end, who made which decision doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is she died.

The writing in "The Dead Girl" leaves you dumbstruck and in pain. It's as if Karen Moncrieff drew a line for each of the characters starting years before the dead girl and stretching years in the future. The dead girl is the point where each of the lines intersect and change direction. At first it seems the women's lives bear no similarities to each other but their differences are only as deep as a coat of paint. Each of them is shackled to the past, tied away from the potential their future holds. They tug on their restraints, waiting for anything to break them free. Each of the stories is full of unspoken fear and a frightening depth.

All of the acting in "The Dead Girl" is astoundingly disquieting. Each of the performances is compelling and all of the actors were completely entrenched in character. Marsha Gay Harden's performance is the shining star of this film. Her character is a well mannered, suburban, house wife who learns in the probably the most gut wrenching way about her misjudgments and bad decisions. In a scene where she learns how her bad decision making has hurt her daughter, the surprise and rush of emotion completely changed my view of the character. Her utter desperation and painful honesty made me wish I were in the room to console her.

Each of the character's stories is shot in slightly different ways. The difference is subtle, but if you pay attention, you can see it. There is nothing exceptional about the cinematography, but it isn't a big budget movie either.

The Dead Girl won't be a revolutionary experience for anyone but it is one to see if you desire a strong plot and noteworthy acting.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Yellow is now my favorite color.

[9/10 · 4 February 2007]

Little Miss Sunshine, the laugh out loud comedy, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and written by Michael Arndt is an inspired work of comedy, acting and cinematography.

When young Olive, brilliantly played by Abigail Breslin, is flung into the "Little Miss Sunshine" pageant at the list minute, her slightly off kilter family packs into their VW Bus and heads off on a long road trip, so she can compete. Richard, Greg Kinnear's character, takes the driver's seat, in every respect. Richard treats life and his family like his 9 step program to self improvement. Paul Dano plays Olive's brother Dwayne. Dwayne has committed to a vow of silence until he can become a test pilot. Alan Arkin plays Olive's drug using, potty mouthed, sassy grandpa. Sheryl, played by Toni Collette, is the nurturing and insecure mother. Steve Carell wraps up the family tree as Uncle Frank, the suicidal scholar who can't be left alone.

The writing in "Little Miss Sunshine" is a flawless work of timeless comedy with a sprinkling of ageless wit. Writer Michael Arndt drives this movie from somber to strange and right on to silly. Arndt uses all different kinds of comedy, as if he was creating a fine sauce and avoids making cinematic gruel. Each of these characters' personalities are so incredibly rich, you feel that you've known these people for years. Even more still, I felt that each of the characters is a little bit like me. It is hard to make me laugh audibly, but there was no shortage of snorts and laughter coming from me during "Little Miss Sunshine."

It's rare that an entire cast gives an equally exceptional performance but from now on we'll be able to point to "Little Miss Sunshine" as an example of just that. The more anomalous performances in a film, the exponentially better the film's quality.

In order to deal with his own insecurities, Richard tries to fix his entire family. He sees them all as losers waiting for his 9 step program. Kinnear performance left me wanting to strangle him, wanting to shake him and laughing at him. Richard is not intentionally funny; his disconnect from reality is unintentionally so. Still Kinnear does a great job of portraying Richard's insecure mess.

Paul Dano's role is even more difficult. As you find out in the first few minutes of the movie, Dwayne doesn't speak. His distain and contempt for his family may be perfectly adolescent but playing such disgust with no words is a feat unto itself. Dano's ability to show his emotion clearly and unambiguously but with out over acting his mannerisms is admirable and painfully funny.

Sheryl keeps the plot from getting stuck on any one character. She is constantly trying to protect people's feelings and end fights. She feels responsible for the welfare of every member of her family and it seems that no one feels responsible for her welfare. Toni Collette never gets over emotional or secure. Her performance is deeply complex and yet, simple to understand. Her wavering strength is relatable and hysterical.

Dry hilarity is the only way to explain Steve Carell's masterful performance. Frank is depressing, his struggles for love saddening and yet, you can't stop laughing at the situations he and his depression creates. Carell's character is quick with sarcasm which is perfectly timed and poignantly placed.

Alan Arkin gives new meaning to, "Too old to care" as Grandpa. After years of having to care what people thinks, Grandpa doesn't care anymore. He does and says what he wants, when he wants to whomever he wants. His high jinks and wild ideas give the movie some of its most memorable moments. He and young Olive have a special relationship that makes the end of the movie nearly bladder emptying and touching.

Young Abigail Breslin made me laugh more than any other character in the movie. Her performance is unrestrained by adult convention. Olive's innocence keeps the characters in check. Breslin gives such a fearless life to Olive, her performance should be a highlight, even if she becomes an adult actor.

The cinematography in "Little Miss Sunshine" is exceptional. Every single scene's light, angle and composition are well planned and the attention to detail almost makes the movie worth watching with the sound off. It's obvious that Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris as well as Director of Photography, Tim Suhrstedt, wanted to make sure that the way each scene was shot matched the current mood.

I think I spent more time laughing in this movie than not. It's no surprise that this film has earned the label "Comedy" and it is certainly no exaggeration to call it so. Yellow is now my favorite color.

Charlotte's Web (2006)

A sweet movie

[5/10 · 24 January 2007]

Charlotte's Web, based on the book by E.B. White, directed by Gary Winick, film story by Earl Hamner Jr. and screenplay by Susannah Grant and Karey Kirkpatrick is a heart warming story of friendship, loyalty and acceptance.

When a runt pig is born, a little girl, Fern, talks her father out of slaughtering the pig. Fern, played by Dakota Fanning, raises the pig, Wilbur, by hand until the pig is too large to stay in the house. She takes Wilbur, voice by Dominic Scott Kay, to live with her uncle. It is only after Wilbur goes to live with her uncle that Fern realizes that her pig will be slaughtered for Christmas dinner.

In the barn where Wilbur goes to live there is a collection of funny and uptight animal characters. Each character's voice is provided by a recognizable, familiar voice. Samuel the sheep, voice by John Cleese, is the uptight leader of the sheep and occasionally provider of sage advice. Steve Buscemi provides his voice for the mischievous and self-minded Templeton the Rat. Expecting geese parents Gussy and Golly Goose, whose voices are provided by Oprah Winfrey and Cedric the Entertainer. Bitsey, Kahty Bates, and Betsy, Reba McEntire, cows, provide the physical and fart humor for the movie. Wilbur is not so delicately informed by Templeton that he will be slaughtered.

This sends Wilbur into an emotional down-spiral. Luckily for him, he makes a new friend, Charlotte the Spider, who promises to find a way to keep him from being slaughtered. Taking her promise seriously, Charlotte spins a series of webs that have the words, "Radiant" and "Some Pig" to draw attention to how special Wilbur truly is.

Julia Roberts was a wonderful cast for Charlotte. Her soft, sweet voice effectivelyembodies the spirit of E.B. White's character. Charlotte's cool head,and confident demeanor, give hope to the barn and most importantly, Wilbur. Roberts does a great job at making Charlotte a constant and level character. Charlotte was completely animated. The computer animation wasn't anything to sneeze at, nor was it anything to praise.

There were several scenes where Charlotte looks to be the size of, or larger, that of a tarantula. There are other times when she doesn't seem to be a daddy long legs. Still, the animators did a good job of making her feel like a character rich with emotion. I'm sure it was a challenge to make a spider both realistic and emotional.

Dakota Fanning was adorable in the movie. I was disappointed because at times her acting was inconsistent and strained. Still, there is a reason why she is one of the most desired child actors in Hollywood. The problem with having voices done by celebrities is you spend so much of your time seeing their faces, instead of the character that it can be a little confusing. Can you imagine a movie where Julia Roberts is put in a jar by a little boy as Cedric the Entertainer and Oprah Winfrey stand by and watch? It gets even worse when you associate a voice to a character. One of the crows is played by Thomas Haden Church. Church used to play the airplane mechanic on "Wings". During the extremely funny scenes with the crows, all I could see was the mechanic on "Wings. " While I think you should defiantly have a recognizable voice in your film, if you do too many it's distracting.

Even though I was distracted by the different voices occasionally, I was generally lost in the story. I was in a theater with several small children and most of them made it though the movie with out yelling, fussing or getting bored. Either they were the best behaved children ever or they were truly enjoying the movie.

I knew how the story was going to end; I started to cry when it actually happened.

I don't think this movie is the end all be all of what Charlotte's Web could be. I think it will do just fine until a better one comes out. Don't be afraid to take your children, they'll love it!

Idiocracy (2006)

It is a sinful joy.

[8/10 · 9 January 2007]

Idiocracy, directed, written and produced by Mike Judge and co-written by Etan Cohen, staring Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph, is Mike Judge's vision of what happens when the stupid people of the world out-populate the smart people by millions to none. I spent most of the time rolling my eyes and I'm almost ashamed to say, this movie made me laugh. It is a sinful joy.

Completely average Private Joe Bowers, played by Luke Wilson and hooker Rita, played by Maya Rudolph are part of a Pentagon experiment to put soldiers in suspended animation. Joe and Rita are forgotten about when the people running the experiment are arrested and the base is turned into a garbage dump. Five hundred years pass as the world's population gets dumber and Joe and Rita sleep.

Americans has been ravaged by their own stupidity. They have forgotten that water is for drinking, everyone speaks redneck-valley-ebonic-homey and everyone is named after a corporation. The president is a wrestler. Lawyers get their degree from Costco. They have forgotten science, medicine and all other useful knowledge, except how to drive. Everyone has a barcode tattooed on their wrist for identification and financial reasons.

During a great garbage avalanche Joe and Rita are dislodged from their resting places in the garbage and abruptly flung into a world in desperate need of an IQ over 42. As soon as he gets out of his pod, Joe heads off to find a hospital. When he finally finds a hospital, the doctors are just as stupid as the regular people. When they realize he doesn't have a barcode all hell breaks loose. The doctor sets off an alarm that causes Joe to flee in fright.

Rita figures out that she can make more money for less work because the men are so stupid. She convinces them to pay her for the anticipation of having sex. Rita never had to even have sex with anyone and she was making more money than before.

Joe and Rita are reunited and help to solve the world's problems. The people are so ridiculously idiotic that they can't even remember that plants need water, not Gatorade.

The premise of the movie feels like the internal monologue I've had with myself every time I go to the DMV or watch Maury, which is why I find it so humorous. How many times have you imagined, or better yet, feared, what would happen if the idiots who go on Jerry Springer ran the world. I believe Mike Judge has had that dialogue himself and decided to make it a movie. Most of the time, the characters are doing something so brainless that you can't help but roll your eyes. Watching the imbecilic motions of everyone other than Joe and Rita makes you feel the undeniable need to shake your head and laugh. It isn't that they are doing anything funny, if they were seven years old, but they are not seven and it is funny. Every single part of this movie is so over the top it is hard to take it seriously and I don't think Judge requires it of you. In order to believe that the world is run by people who are slightly retarded, you must let go of your lid and let stuff just spill over the top. I wonder if Judge was trying to make a cautionary tale. Maybe he is trying to encourage those of us who have a normal brain to spawn. Maybe he is trying to be funny. I don't care, it made me laugh none the less. Even still, I feel a deep shame in laughing. This movie is the Britney Spears record of cinema. Everyone taps their toes and no one admits they own the record. It would be difficult for me to admit in public, to my family or to my friends that I really like this movie.

If after a long day of watching daytime talk shows you want to enter your fantasy of being the smartest person left on the planet, this is the flick for you.

Hard Candy (2005)

I was impressed with this film from start to finish. You will be too.

[9/10 · 9 January 2007]

Hard Candy, directed by David Slade and written by Brian Nelson stars Patrick Wilson and Ellen Page, is a disturbing, empowering and emotional look at pedophilia and the lengths people will take to expose a pedophile.

Wilson's character, Jeff Kohlver, begins an internet relationship with a fourteen year old girl, Hayley Stark. When Jeff meets Hayley, played by Ellen Page, in person for the first time he sets off to seduce her by making her feel special and safe. Hayley agrees to go back to his house to listen to some music.

Just when you think this film is going to show us the seedy mind of a pedophile it changes to show us the seedy mind of a fourteen year old girl trying to expose a child rapist. After drugging him and humiliating him, she proceeds to do a myriad of things to convince him that this encounter is going to make him pay for the rest of his life for what he had done in the past. Hayley may well be a sociopath but you don't hate her. By the time you get to the end you are expecting it but it is still shocking and unexpected.

Patrick Wilson's portrayal of the way a child molester gains the trust of and seduces a child was disturbing. Jeff's hands off approach only encouraged Hayley's flirtation and advances. All of his remarks could be taken as sexual or asexual. Even though, in the beginning, everyone watching can tell he is attracted to her and her to him, the way he seduces her is so subtle and complex it would be hard for a child to understand the advances as anything more than innocent. In the scenes where he is being tortured, and humiliated, Jeff is terrified, angry, scared, and spews attrition.

Wilson's performance is nothing short of incredible. This film goes from beginning to end with a range of affect that even the most experienced actors would find challenging. Jeff is horny, lonely, seductive, silly, sultry, angry, fearful, despondent, elated, and never shameful. He acts with his entire being. At times during the torture you actually empathize with him, in spite of who he is because Wilson helps you feel his physical pain and dismay during his torment. Wilson's performance is worth seeing this movie alone.

Ellen Page's performance is frightening and exciting. Page swings in and out of emotions quickly but naturally. When the film starts Hayley is sweet, insecure and open to Jeff's seduction. There is a point in the movie where you learn that both Jeff and you have been played by Hayley. She isn't sweet and innocent. She is scary, vengeful and admirable. Hayley Stark is the person we all wish we could be and are scared to become.

A role like Hayley is hard to pull off well. Left to a lesser actress this role would have blown into a contrived fantasy. Page instead completely controls her composure to release only what the scene demanded; a marvelment of precise projection. Given the right role in the right film, I wouldn't be surprised if her name became one everyone knew.

There is a cameo appearance from Sandra Oh as the nosey neighbor. I think it was a waste of such a great actress to give her such a strange and awkward role.

Actors can only be as good as the material they act from and writer Brian Nelson's script is nothing short of engaging. He was able to make a thriller/drama about a child molester make you angry and fearful instead of sad, which is hard to do when dealing with such a disturbing topic. He also makes the characters full and completely dimensional. It is a major achievement to make a child molester's character so in depth.

The writing and acting aren't the only achievements in the film. The cinematography is first class. Jo Willems understands how to use light, framing, angles, color and grit to give the right mood to the right scene. David Slade, Art Director Felicity Nove, Costume Designer Jennifer Johnson and Set Decorator Kathryn Holliday created sets completely devoid of unnecessary clutter or eye distraction. Everything that can be made of a solid color is completely one solid color. The walls are purple, the couch is black, shirts are solid colors, etc. This creates a simple world in which the complex story plays out. It also lets you know exactly what you should be looking at because they aren't simple and they really stand out.

I was impressed with this film from start to finish. You will be too.

PS. This question is a spoiler. Please don't read it if you haven't seen the movie. Please see the movie!

At the end, is the person still on the roof a sociopath? If you believe a sociopath knows what they are doing is wrong and does it anyways, does this person fit? Or do you think what they did wasn't wrong?

Night at the Museum (2006)

I felt like I spent an hour and a reading the back of a laffy taffy wrapper.

[9 January 2007]

Night at the Museum, is directed by Shawn Levy, written by Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon is based in the book by Milan Trenc and stars Ben Stiller. The inside of a Laffy Taffy wrapper made into a film, this flick is full of eye rolling almost humor.

This film is set in the New York Natural History Museum. Ben Stiller plays Ben Stiller….er…Larry Daley, the new, unsuspecting security guard who can't seem to get his life together. He stumbles into the job when his ex-wife requires him to get his life together before he can see his son again. What he doesn't know when he takes the job is that all of the exhibits in the museum magically come to life when the sun goes down. Crazy characters spring up from all over the museum, wreaking havoc and being generally mischievous. Some of the exhibits are horrendously wicked and try to kill Larry. Other exhibits just try to kill each other. The old security guards give him a list of things to do but he disregards the list until it is nearly too late. Poor Larry loses his directions when the all too silly Dexter the Monkey steals them. Larry spends his first night running around trying not to be eaten, trampled, slaughtered or go insane. At the end of the night though they all return to their respective areas and assume their display positions.

I had serious suspension of disbelief issues with this movie but not with the magical museum itself. Larry is allowed to assume the role as the sole night security guard of one of the largest natural history museums in America with only one five minute interview with the head security guard, no background check, no experience and a horrible resume. Maybe I'm just being nit-picky but it makes me suspicious. Then Larry is left with no notice about the exhibits. How on earth could the old security guards keep this daily magical event a secret if they didn't train the new guy and tell him to keep his mouth shut? When Larry realizes he has to tell his son what is going on in the museum he brings him to work, with the killer exhibits. Good parenting? I think not. No wonder his ex-wife wants him to get his stuff together. The head muckity muck, played by Ricky Gervais, walks into the museum and realizes that one miniature of thousands is out of place. Huh? Doesn't this guy have nothing better to do?

Robyn Williams has a small role as Teddy Roosevelt and the catalyst of personal change for Larry. Even Robyn Williams can not save this movie. A magical museum, I can get my mind around that. It is a whimsical idea for a story. I have gone to a museum and imagined what it would have been like to be there. Much to my chagrin, I don't think there is anything whimsical about Ben Stiller or any of the other actors in this flick.

The movie is chalked full of unnecessary gags. A scene which had plot development value was completely destroyed when a puck hits Stiller in the face. Why? For a cheap laugh? They ruined the scene for nothing.

That is only funny if you are stoned, seven or never actually played hockey. Stiller would be a funny guy if he decided to make movies that were either slapstick or situational humor but not both.

The special effects in this movie are mostly believable. The T-rex is expertly done. Like so many of these movies, the best parts of the dinosaur scenes are in the trailers and feel old by the time you see them in the theater. The animation wasn't all good though. The miniatures, Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan, look like the Brownies did in "Willow."

I was impressed by the costume design. The range of different costumes necessary to fill out a natural history museum is vast. Renée April, the movie's costume designer, gives each of the costumes an authentic feel for their representative times but also for having been in a museum for an extended period of time.

The movie is obviously made with children in mind but some of the content is inappropriate for small children. A good children's movie has a balance to make it interesting for adults. The subplots are meant for adults but are uninteresting and underdeveloped to be interesting to anyone.

I spent more time rolling my eyes then giggling. I never got up to a full laugh. I felt like I spent an hour and a reading the back of a Laffy Taffy wrapper and got nothing soft and chewy to eat.

Eragon (2006)

I waited with baited breath for the climax of this film. Silly me!

[2/10 · 9 January 2007]

Eragon, directed by Stefen Fangmeier, and written by Peter Buchman, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal, and Jesse Wigutow, based on the book by Christopher Paolini, is beautifully shot, with fair acting, with wonderful graphics. The scenery, the costumes and makeup are magnificent. All the admirable qualities can't save this film from its unoriginal and tediously familiar script.

Brand new actor, Edward Speleers plays Eragon, an unsuspecting farm boy chosen by a dragon to be her rider. Eragon lives in a small village in a time when a mighty king abuses his power. Men are dragged from his village at a certain age and forced to join the army. Soldiers mercilessly torment the people in the village. The villagers aren't even allowed to hunt in the area surrounding their village because it belongs to the king.

Eragon was left with his uncle and cousin when his mother abandoned him. Auspiciously, while out hunting one day, Eragon gets his very own dragon egg. The dragon likes Eragon so she decides to hatch and the dragon rider is born.

Jeremy Irons, plays Brom, the village wacko… Or is he? Brom realizes that Eragon has a dragon. He believes that Eragon and his dragon will turn the tides against King Galbatorix if he can join forces with the Varden, a group of freedom fighters. Brom knows if the king finds out about the dragon he'll kill the dragon and Eragon. He whisks Eragon off, in hopes of protecting him from evil King Galbatorix. On the way you learn how much Brom and Eragon realize all they have in common. Acting as his mentor, Brom nurtures Eragon, teaches him to fight and how to be one with his dragon.

Dastardly King Galbatorix once was a dragon rider who protected the people. His thirst for power drove him to turn on the people and he killed the other dragon riders and took the power all for himself. When he realizes that a dragon is born, he turns his attention to killing the dragon and Eragon.

Edward Speleers acting is believable, sweet and often endearing. If he had premiered in any of the original plots this movie bases itself on, he might have become a household name. Hopefully his bad decision to start off with Eragon doesn't banish him to bargain bin, straight-to-video flicks.

Iron's acting suffers in this film from an unfortunate script. His words often feel contrived and his acting feels forced. I suspect that even the best actors would have a problem keeping their performances believable with a script as cliché as this one.

Fangmeier hired veteran actor John Malkovich as the maniacal King Galbatorix. Malkovich's role amounts to nothing more than a bit part. Malkovich's talents are wasted in this film. His face time wouldn't even add up to ten minutes. It's idiotic to have such a great talent and give him so little film time. Malkovich isn't at his best here either, every mannerism was overblown and over acted.

Keira Knightley knock off, Sienna Guillory, plays brave and mystical princess Arya. Guillory's acting is malevolent and unbelievable. She is supposed to be flowing, and natural. Instead her acting is herky-jerky and uninspiring. If this is the extent of her acting talent she should play a naked mute statue in the background of a Vin Diesel film.

Like everything else in this movie the costumes have an amazing attention to detail, and are disappointingly old hat. Arya's costumes are obviously inspired by the elves in Lord of the Rings and from Native American stereotypes. All of the men's costumes seem to come directly from Lord of the Rings. If imitation is the greatest form of flattery then LotR and Star Wars should be blushing.

Eragon was shot in Hungry but it looks like New Zealand. The scenery is stunning. Lush greenery, snowy peaked mountains, and lovely forests are a bewitching and picturesque background for Eragon. The terrain is the most interesting character in the movie and overshadows much of the acting in the film.

I waited with baited breath for the climax of this film. I was left to finish myself off because there was no cinematic orgasm. The film at the end of movie didn't wrap anything up for the audience and leaves the sneaking suspicion that there will be a sequel.

If you have never seen Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter or Star Wars, Eragon would seem fresh and original. If you took out the beautiful scenery and put it in space, it would be Star Wars. If you kept the scenery and took out the dragon it would be Lord of the Rings. This movie would be great for taking your young teenagers and preteens. There is nothing challenging, nothing offensive, not much of anything. This movie is a perfect C.

Primal Fear (1996)

Edward Norton could not have picked a better film in which to debut.

[10/10 · 9 January 2007]

Primal Fear, directed by Gregory Hoblit, written by Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman is based on the book by William Diehl. Primal Fear is one of the few examples of a psychological thriller with young, new talent shinning in a film with a great script and excellent direction. Edward Norton could not have picked a better film in which to debut.

When Arch Bishop Rushmen is murdered in his office, a young parishioner, Aaron Stampler, is found running from the scene covered in blood. The police follow him to a train yard where he is eventually arrested. When Stampler, expertly played by Edward Norton, is captured by the police he is obviously terrified, unexpectedly meek, and can't make eye contact. Stampler's prominent stutter and introverted personality make his guilt difficult to digest.

Richard Gere's character, the smarmy defense attorney Richard Vail, sees the capture on the local news and decides to represent Stampler pro-bono for the publicity. He leaves his cover page interview to get to Stampler's cell before any other defense attorney does. The first half of the movie plays like a thrilling murder trial drama. District Attorney, Janet Venable, played by Laura Linney, tirelessly and doggedly pursues Stampler. Evidence is covertly and excitingly collected. Light is shined on different aspects of the case by both the DA and the defense attorney.

Vail tracks down another alter boy who tells him the sins of the Arch Diocese and that he taped them. Vail gets the video and it rocks the case from a simple church slaying to a complicated case of blame the victim. This is only one of the first masterfully written plot turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat and unable to truly grasp the situation fully.

Vail orders a psychological evolution for Stampler. The interview brings to surface a Stampler's mental illness. When Stampler's mental illness (I won't ruin it for you) is revealed to his psychologist, it is horrifying and rocks the viewer with an unexpected jolt. His guilt or innocence is no longer easy to figure out and isn't a case of black or white. The rest of the courtroom drama rests on your perception of the guilt or innocence of Aaron Stampler.

Courtroom drama isn't the only drama. Interrelated to the case there is a subplot about rich business men, murder, church corruption and mobsters. Yeah, it could go downhill fast and sounds cheeseball but it works. The subplot gives Vail motivation for passionately defending his client.

Richard Gere flawlessly plays the grandiloquent Vail. Vail must believe, disbelieve, question, and wonder about Stampler's guilt. Even so, Gere's acting never misses the mark. He gives new meaning to smarmy and surprise. Even so, his acting is far outshined by Edward Norton's disturbing performance.

Edward Norton's character ranges from pitiful to downright scary. The challenge of Norton's character is portraying a man who might be guilty but making it so hard to conceive that your mind can't get around it. Portraying a person with the mental illness (I'm still not going to tell you) Stampler has is extremely difficult to do with out turning the part into a poltergeistic mess but Norton leaves you with your mouth hanging open, unable to speak. It is no wonder that Norton was nominated for an Academy Award for this role.

Gregory Hoblit's direction is worthy of applause. The fragile nature of all the relationships is a thread he had to walk like a tightrope. Each actor's performance would have devastated the film if it were over or underacted. Still, Hoblit was able to get passion and coldness at the exact level the character, the relationships and the film required. It was as if he wanted his direction to cook the perfect omelet. Too long in the pan and it's rubber, too short and it's soupy, just right and it's breakfast.

This film is an exceptional work of cinematic art. Every character is multi-dimensional, perfectly written and wonderfully acted. I could watch this movie over and over again and it doesn't lose a thing.

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Every scene has an emotional subtlety and expressiveness that touched me

[9/10 · 9 January 2007]

In Pursuit of Happiness, is directed by Gabriele Muccino, written by Steve Conrad and starring Will Smith. I was touched at the range of emotion, entirely engrossed by the story and completely drained by the end of the film.

Set in the 1980's in San Francisco, Will Smith portrays Chris Gardner, a father struggling to sell a loser medical machine, with dreams of giving his family a better life. On what would seem like a whim, he decides to try to be a stock broker. In order to get the job he has to take an unpaid internship that has little promise of panning out to a job at all. He is months behind on the rent, he hasn't made a sell in a long time but he decides to do the internship anyways. During the internship he and his son can no longer pay the rent and they become homeless.

Gardner is a conflicted character. He wants to improve his family's life but in order to do so he has to risk everything and make their lives harder for a while. There is also no promise of a job if he takes the risk. His wife eventually tires of working double shifts and perceives his aspirations as a fool hardy pipe-dream. Linda, played by Thandie Newton, is tired, frazzled and hopeless. She can no longer see the light at the end of the tunnel. Gardner's last scheme had eaten up their entire life's savings. In a fit of selfish anger she leaves for New York and abandons both Gardner and their son, Christopher.

The story reminds me of Erin Brockovich and is just as touching. Writer Steve Conrad quilts a story of pain, doubt and fear but lines it with a radiant hope. An actor can only be as good as his script and Conrad gives each actor an opportunity to shine.

My hat off to Gabriele Muccino for taking the risk of a light internal narration and making it truly work for this film.

Will Smith's painful scenes are exhaustively powerful. This film required a girth of emotion unrivaled by any of his previous films and Smith does not disappoint. In one scene the script requires an emotional gamut that runs from hopeful, hopeless, silly, tired, exhausted, and eventually to depression. He holds together this scene that could have easily fallen into melodrama with delicate precision. I felt the weight of his physical burdens throughout the movie. Smith's transformation to "A" list actor is complete.

Thandie Newton plays Linda, Gardner's wife. Newton portrays Linda's justifiable anger with passion and control. She makes Linda more than just a selfish wife who runs off but rather a character so exhausted by being let down that she doesn't want to take it anymore. I felt for Linda because Newton was so exhausted looking and maxed out feeling. Newton is an amazing actress who proves again that her acting is a reason to see a movie.

Jaden Christopher Syer Smith plays Christopher, Gardner and Linda's son.

Often you have to rate a child actor on the "child actor" scale but Jaden can be judged on the traditional actor's scale. He did an exceptional job in this roll. This movie was demanding emotionally on all the characters but Jaden captures the instability so damaging to children in these situations. He also does an incredible job of giving hope to the film. I can't wait to see how he matures as an actor. Numerous movies have been made about women who struggled to get by. I was impressed that this film could touch me and that I could relate to a father's struggle as well.

In Pursuit of Happiness is a powerfully written and acted film. Every scene has an emotional subtlety and expressiveness that touches the audience in a personal and intimate way. I might just see this one again.

LaRae Meadows [e-mail] http://laraemeadows.livejournal.com www.justpressplay.net

Bobby (I) (2006)

This movie is insightful, disheartening and the acting stirring.

[8/10 · 9 January 2007]

"Bobby" directed and written by Emilio Estevez is set on the day of the California Presidential Primary Elections in 1968. Set in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, Anthony Hopkins, Sharon Stone, William H. Macy, Shia LaBeouf and many others share one location with seemingly loosely related story lines. Actual footage of Bobby Kennedy is spliced into the movie, mostly to give context to the times that the characters are currently living in.

Smartly, Estevez does not try to cast Bobby Kennedy. The Kennedy charisma is intangible and it would have taken away from the movie if someone else played him. Bobby Kennedy, instead, is an unseen vessel to examine hope and hopelessness; the hopelessness of the war, the economic struggle and the general lack of hope that ravaged America in the late 60's. Remember, the Vietnam War had been raging for several years, parts of the country were suffering economic hardships, fights for equality for women and minorities, general lack of trust of the government by the citizens and vise versa. Obviously, to Estevez, Bobby Kennedy was a beacon and a symbol of hope.

The other characters are separated into small groups. Each group examines of a different social, economic, or cultural experience of the late 1960's. Some of these groups are almost never currently discussed and have almost become extinct in the annals of American history. Many of the characters are unlikable and unsavory.

The two old timers, Anthony Hopkins and Harry Belafonte, examine the way things were and what aging was like in the late sixties.

The kitchen staff, Freddy Rodriquez, Lawrence Fishburne, Christian Slater, and Jacob Vargas, carefully shows us the relationship between races and systemic racism.

A house wife, Helen Hunt and husband, Martin Sheen, question the militant consumerism and image conscious nuclear family of the 50's and 60's.

Bobby Kennedy's staff, Nick Cannon and Joshua Jackson, were put in the movie as our window into the social political situation in America at the time. Nick Cannon's character, Dwayne, gives us insight to the feelings of politically active African Americans right after the death of Martin Luther King. He also is probably the one character who shows us the true dismay of minorities during this time of interracial struggle. He says, "Now that Dr. King is gone, no one left but Bobby - no one." He gives an even and believable performance. At the end of the movie, you believe he is the most directly effected by the death of Bobby.

The hotel manager, William H. Macy, his wife, Sharon Stone, and mistress, Heather Grahm, show us how easy it is to be enlightened when it doesn't effect what's happening in your own home. Macy's character, Paul Ebbers, the hotel manager, runs his hotel with sensitivity toward how different races are treated in his hotel but he treats his wife like she is his property. The fight for equal rights for women and for races were separately fought battles, even in the home.

A drunk musician, Demi Moore, and her husband, Emilio Estevez show the changing domestic roles that confused men and women.

A new bride, Lindsay Lohan and groom, Elijah Wood, marry to protect the groom from being sent to the front lines. Their lives, like the lives of so many their age, were completely defined by the war. Lohan's performance was surprisingly subtle but Elijah's performance felt a little forced.

The stoners, Ashton Kutcher, Shia LaBouf and Brian Geraghty shine light on the culture of drug use at the time. LaBouf and Geraghty provide the comic relief through out the movie, with hysterical tripping scenes. Ashton Kutcher plays Ashton Kutcher.

Each of these stories runs almost independently of each other except they are all set in the same place and they all exemplify the social adolescence of the country in the late 60's. The stories of these people are painfully intertwined even if they don't know each other.

A painful ending, even though you know what is going to happen, Estevez does a great job of making the scene emotional, and disheartening. The end of the movie reveals how the characters are connected and the importance of hope. History tells us what happens afterward when there is no hope.

The movie is not a docu-drama. If you are expecting a minute by minute account of the day he was killed, you will be disappointed by the movie. The characters are not historically accurate, so if you want to know about the Bobby Kennedy assassination, this is not the movie for you.

The cast is huge and packed with stars, which is distracting at first. In the end though, I can see why so many great actors wanted to be in this movie.

Don't let the huge names outshine the fresh faces, Shia LaBouf and Freddy Rodriquez, give excellent performances in this film.

This movie is insightful, disheartening and the acting stirring. If you want to see a movie all about Bobby Kennedy don't see "Bobby." If you want to see a movie about the late 60's that will make you think, see "Bobby."

For Your Consideration (2006)

Feels like a film posted by "A List" stars on YouTube to torment the "C Listers".

[9 January 2007]

"For Your Consideration", directed and co-written by Christopher Guest and co-written by Eugene Levy is a comedy based in Los Angeles about a bunch of washed up "C List" stars who find out there is internet Oscar buzz about the ridiculous movie "Home for Purim" they are currently filming. The buzz makes the actors and everyone else connected to the film lose their minds.

At the beginning of the film you enjoy and feel for the characters. They are weird but they a human and relatable. Washed up, has-beens, nobodies, we have all had those experiences. Riddled with insecurities they are funny but you like them and don't want to laugh for fear of hurting the characters' feelings. The first quarter of the movie makes you feel like you are standing on the lot, watching these things happen.

Catherine O'Hara plays Marilyn Hack, an actress who is far past her prime. Her feverish insecurities are amusing and sad. She constantly asks the lighting guy if she looks good, she wants her makeup to make her look younger and is always fishing for a compliment. Through out the movie she drops hints, fishes for assistance finding the mention and not so subtly drops the news that she has Oscar buzz. She stays completely in character, even when her character is acting. Her behavior is bizarre, and that is being kind. Even so, her performance is the silver lining around this twister cloud.

Harry Shearer plays Victor Allan Miller, an actor who thinks he is more important than his talent would merit. His Jerry Orbach smile makes him perfect for this role.

Parker Posey plays a beautiful, high strung, prima donna, playing a lesbian runaway come home to see her mother die. Sound good? It isn't. Posey's acting is fine, but the character makes you want to take a nun's paddle and bash your own head deaf, blind or preferably, both.

The two writer characters, Lane Iverson played by Michael McKean and Philip Koontz Bob Balaban are completely unnecessary to this story. It is as if Guest felt bad that there were no roles already written into the story for his friends, so he wrote them their own characters. If you removed the writers from the story, it would speed up the story so we could get to the end faster (a plus) but wouldn't take anything from the story. The McKean and Balaban seem to be just reading the script out loud, unaware that it isn't dress rehearsal.

As each person gets more attention, the attention goes to their heads, virtually expanding in helium fashion, right in front of your eyes. Posey's character spends the first half of the movie saying how much she doesn't want one and loses her mind when she gets buzz mention.

The nothing movie gets attention from a local morning show and it seems as if the characters think it is Good Morning America. Whenever they are interviewed, the questions are rude, hurtful or just queer. I wondered if their mothers dropped them on their heads at birth or something.

As the film progresses, it gets more strange and less funny. The writing, which seems in the beginning to be heading to Funnytown takes a wrong turn and heads to Whatthehecksville. It didn't feel like an exaggeration of what might actually happen; it feels adolescent. It becomes unbelievable and I was no longer able to be in the movie. I was sitting stationary in my chair but my eyes were rolling all over the theater.

The writing and editing in this movie feels like driving in a car with an eighty year old grandparent. It is a dodging, swerving, weaving, slow paced accident waiting to happen. Through the entire movie I wondered when I was going to be thrown through the windshield and my movie viewing brains splattered on the highway of film history.

Christopher Guest should seriously consider getting a different director for the movies he writes and in which he acts. The lack of oversight in editing and writing in this movie shows us what can happen when the entire pre-production is homogeneous.

Not only is it weird, but it is downright cruel at the end. "For Your Consideration" feels like a film posted by "A List" stars on YouTube to torment the "C Listers".

This movie does not blow a goat, it in fact blows several goats. "For Your Consideration" is worth seeing if you are suicidal but unsure you can go through with it and need a little push over the edge or if you have someone to make out with.