Archive for the 'Movie Reviews' Category
November 24th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
It is not often that I try to put so many hopes into one specific film, but I was dead set on wanting to love The Muppets. Besides being pleased with who was involved in the production and the cast, I just get a great joy out of these characters every time I see them. Thankfully it all worked out, as after finally seeing the first new Muppet movie in over 12 years, I can easily say that it was one of the most pleasing experiences of this year. For me, The Muppets was a laugh-a-minute comedy; jam packed with fun, silliness, classic Muppets meta humor, self aware musical numbers, and the endearing nature of the old and new characters. The Muppets manages to have fun with its own nostalgia, while proving it can still bring its familiar brand of humor to a new generation. Continue reading ‘‘The Muppets’ Slapped A Smile On My Face And Made It Stay There’
November 21st, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Based on the peppy title I have given to this review, audiences should know they should be bracing themselves for doom; although I could be misleading you, were you not to look further. Earlier in 2011, Terrence Malick arose from the depths of wherever he goes in the many years in between his films to bring us Tree of Life, a beautifully made film about the beginning of life and its meaning, presented in an obscure and esoteric sort of way. Now, on the other side of that we have the latest from Lars Von Trier, Melancholia, which is a beautifully made film about the end of times, presented in a slightly less esoteric sort of way. The various elements that make Von Trier films unique are all present here (which also tend to make his films quite divisive among audiences), but I actually found this film to be fairly accessibly, despite it being centered around depressing individuals and moving at what some would consider a languid pace. And with all of that out of the way, I will also add that I loved all of it. Continue reading ‘‘Melancholia’ Is A Beautiful Portrait Of Depression And The End’
November 18th, 2011 by Mary Welms
It seems like it was just yesterday that I was in San Diego at Comic Con waiting to get into Hall H to see the Twilight cast. I have so many great memories. Standing next to Ashley Greene (Alice) and Nikki Reed (Rosalie). Talking to Elizabeth Reaser (Esme) and Boo Boo Stewart (Seth). Robert Pattinson (Edward), Kristen Stewart (Bella) and Taylor Lautner (Jacob) just a few feet away from me as they walked across the stage. It was an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life. Continue reading ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (Movie Review)’
November 14th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Despite a strong cast, familiar, but effective indie sensibilities and soundtrack choices, and a story that does a fine enough job playing with its love story conventions and eventual resolution, the fact that the plot of this film hinges on a really bad decision makes me annoyed by it. Like Crazy is a romantic drama that involves two college students, one an American and one a British exchange student, who have their love tested when student visa issues keep them separated for long periods of time. It is thanks to the fact that the personal touches added to this story and the work from both the leads and the very small supporting cast is quite strong, that I was able to appreciate what this film had to offer. If the main plot issue I had did not feel so important to me, I maybe would have liked the film more. Continue reading ‘Deportation Makes Love Difficult, ‘Like Crazy’’
November 12th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Biographies tend to run hot and cold for me. Sometimes, like in the case of Gus Van Sant’s Milk, from back in 2008 (which screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, the screenwriter for J. Edgar, won an Oscar for), I can really get into the film, admire all the performances, the ways in which the film presents the era, and appreciate how it dramatizes it’s subject matter. I have seen Milk a couple of times, rare for me when it comes to a film of that genre/type, because I thought it made the best of the biography film genre. Other times, like in the case of J. Edgar, I find it to be a struggle to really engage myself with the material and how it is being presented via dramatization. With these biographies that I am less enthusiastic towards, I tend to question if I could have gotten a more insightful experience out of watching a PBS or History Channel documentary going over the same material. Since Leonardo DiCaprio dominates this film so effectively, among other reasons as well, I can’t say that J. Edgar is a waste, it is just a fairly standard biography that I didn’t take much away from. Continue reading ‘True To Life, ‘J. Edgar’ Can Be Feared, Admired, Reviled, And Revered’
November 12th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
The Skin I Live In is a twisted suspense thriller that takes an arthouse approach to a mad scientist story. Leave it to Spanish director Pedro Almodovar to take all of the various trademarks of his usual types of films (strong uses of color, strong female characters, themes involving desire, passion, and family) and apply it to a macabre tale involving a brilliant surgeon going to extreme measures to deal his own past tragedies. Graphic is one term that can be used to describe the film, but it is also strongly acted, very well shot, and certainly unique in its story. The Skin I Live In is the kind of film that starts off with intrigue and goes on to have its characters become more understood as its plot becomes crazier and crazier. Continue reading ‘Many Will Be Creeped Out With ‘The Skin I Live In’’
November 12th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
The beauty of director Tarsem Singh’s Greek Myth 3D action film, Immortals, is definitely the most interesting thing about it. At this year’s San Diego Comic Con, Tarsem, known for his work in music videos as well as his two previous films, The Cell and The Fall, made a point of noting that story comes after the fact for him. His focus lies in the visuals and Immortals is a fine example of this in action. The movie is gorgeous to look at and the audience is certainly given enough opportunities to focus on the visuals, as there is not much to this story, which is treated deadly serious, even though it is just as silly as many of the sword and sandal fantasy films that have come before it. As long as the characters were in the midst of combat I was pleased enough, but the time for talk certainly slowed down the excitement. Continue reading ‘‘Immortals’ Is Pretty Looking, Pretty Bloody, And Pretty Dumb’
November 5th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
So now that Halloween has ended, what better way to rush into the holiday spirit than with the arrival of the first official Christmas film of the season – A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. The stoner comedy duo has returned for a third feature film, which had nowhere to go, but up, following the pretty terrible sequel, ‘Escape from Guantanamo Bay’, and fortunately this film manages to do just that. Unfortunately, the move upwards is not that high. This third installment in the series is incredibly hit or miss and while enjoyable for a good portion of its duration, it’s incredibly forgettable as well. While still striving to be offensive in an adorable sort of way, the interesting way the first film handled racial subversion is nowhere to be seen here either. What’s left is a raunchy Christmas story that reunites two friends, with mostly mixed results. Continue reading ‘‘Harold & Kumar’ Attempt A Miracle On 420th St.’
November 3rd, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
The title of this film, as bland as it is, certainly cuts to the chase. This is a simple heist comedy that is fairly entertaining, even as it slightly underuses the talents of its ensemble cast. Brett Ratner, a director better known for his reputation as a hack director responsible for some entertaining successes (Rush Hour 1 & 2, Red Dragon) and some other not so entertaining ones (Rush Hour 3, X-Men: The Last Stand), found his way to bringing his workman-like skills to a pretty forgettable, but enjoyable film. Tower Heist is problematic in the way it attempts to take a very goofy comedy and add more significance and emotion to its story than it should have, but it still functions as a tolerable crowd pleaser. Continue reading ‘‘Tower Heist’ Is Annoyingly Entertaining’
October 29th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
I cannot imagine it being at all simple to develop a story set around a future society, with a specific set of rules in place. For all the fun it must be to describe the ways characters must behave and dress and how the look of the world has changed, getting down to the logistics of whatever it is that is setting the plot within this future society must be a difficult process. Often times a fine B-movie emerges out of a simple sci-fi concept, simply because it was entertaining enough to have its obvious flaws be looked over (Equilibrium comes to mind). With In Time, it seems like there is enough here to make a very entertaining feature; however, something seems to have gone very wrong in the scripting stage, as the dialogue is really bad and the various themes of the film are pretty heavy handed. Continue reading ‘‘In Time’ Features No Aging Or Good Dialogue’
October 29th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
In the 1998 Terry Gilliam film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which has Johnny Depp playing one of the various incarnations of writer Hunter S. Thompson, you could use many different adjectives and phrases to describe it, but a decidedly fun romp is not the one I would immediately jump to. With The Rum Diary, a film based on a novel that Thompson wrote about his experiences in 60s Puerto Rico, but did not publish until the late 90s (which was due to his friendship with Depp), there is a decidedly lighter tone in a lot of ways, but it is the aimlessness and overall resolution of the film, which I think holds it back from achieving a greater sense of purpose. Continue reading ‘Go Gonzo With ‘The Rum Diary’’
October 29th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
The phrase “less is more” comes up a lot when dealing with particular characters that people tend to love. In Shrek 2, the character of Puss in Boots was first introduced and became an immediate favorite to many. Given that character’s popularity and the fact that DreamWorks Animation has decided to milk Shrek for all it’s worth, it comes as little surprise that the swashbuckling feline was able to land his very own spin-off movie. Now, while my admiration for the Shrek franchise faded around the third film in that series, I felt fairly indifferent towards what to make about this newest addition. The film could have easily backfired by bringing a supporting player into the spotlight. Thankfully, I actually enjoyed quite a few aspects of this movie, mostly in the ways that it actually distanced itself from the pop culture reference-heavy Shrek films and stood as a fairly conventional, but entertaining adventure film. Continue reading ‘Shrek Origins: ‘Puss In Boots’’
October 28th, 2011 by Mary Welms
How often in life do we meet people that we know are just a perfect piece in our puzzle of life? Johnny Depp and Hunter S. Thompson’s friendship began in a bar, Christmas 1994 Aspen, Colorado not far from Thompson’s home. The two bonded instantly the first time they met. Johnny was a fan of Hunter since reading “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” as a teenager. Depp went on to play Thompson’s alter ego in the movie of the same name in 1998. While preparing for this role Johnny moved into Hunter’s basement, studying his habits and mannerisms. While going through the basement he found a manuscript titled “The Rum Diary” written by Thompson when he was in his twenties. Depp convinced Thompson to publish it and Thompson agreed as long as they did a film version. Continue reading ‘The Rum Diary (Movie Review)’
October 28th, 2011 by Brian White
So I somehow managed to double-book myself between press screenings for In Time and The Rum Diaries. Bummer! It was a hard decision to make between which one I would ultimately have to pass on. In Time looked promising in the action department, where as The Rum Diaries features my new favorite, the beautiful Miss Amber Heard. What’s a guy supposed to do? I reluctantly chose In Time and graciously let Mary Welms have Johnny Depp all to herself. I’m such a nice guy sometimes. It’s a crying shame people don’t see my inner beauty more often. Instead, they seemingly focus on my skeleton bike jacket and my long sexy hair. Boo! Continue reading ‘If You Have The “Time”: In Time (Movie Review)’
October 26th, 2011 by Ken Johnson
You often hear Hollywood stories of writers, producers, directors, studio heads, and agents all getting involved in a promising movie only to throw every element know to man into it, and ending up with a spoiled cellulose version of Frankenstein. This is the only explanation for Anonymous that I can find when I arrived in the theater ready for a heavy period piece after suffering through the trailers on TV for the past week, but I had no idea the abyss into which I was heading. Continue reading ‘‘Anonymous’ is Arduous! – Anonymous (Movie Review)’
October 26th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
I am giving out a lot of admiration to quiet thrillers lately. Between Martha Marcy May Marlene and this foreboding drama, one certainly needs to take a breath, sit back, and watch a simple comedy to keep from becoming too distraught in their own lives. Take Shelter is a very well acted story about a man having visions of impending doom and how he and his family deal with it. It features fantastic performances from the leads and serves as a direct alternative to many of the “in your face” thrillers that have come out over the year. While it is another very deliberately paced drama, it is due to the lead actors that I was very drawn into what this film had to offer. Continue reading ‘‘Take Shelter’, A Storm’s A Brewin’’
October 22nd, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
It is easier to latch onto some horror series than others. Much like what people laugh at in comedies, things that can scare someone differ from person to person. For me, the Paranormal Activity movies have been quite effective, both in the theater and then later at home, when I am left to sleep during the quiet night in my room. While the initial experimental quality of the first has worn off, along with the simplicity of its plotting, which I really admired, this third entry still effectively makes me worrisome for the things that go bump in the night. Continue reading ‘Back to the ‘Paranormal’: Part III’
October 21st, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
It seems like there was one type of phrase that came to mind during the making of this movie: “This is not your father’s Three Musketeers”. In the era of blockbuster filmmaking that audiences now live in and in the wake of somewhat self-aware period action films like Pirates of the Caribbean and Sherlock Holmes, the clear logic was to take this latest adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel and apply a steampunk-style reinterpretation of the material. This new adaptation from director Paul W.S. Anderson, who is content with slumming in C-movie filmmaking, is a pure exercise in style-over-substance, filling the screen with excessive explosions, slo-mo, and very campy characters and storytelling (and all filmed in glorious 3D of course). Strangely, I also have to add that the film is, at times, genuinely entertaining. There are certainly better ways to appreciate this story, but I can’t deny the small amount of appeal that this film does have. Continue reading ‘‘The Three Musketeers’ Is Junk Food, Like The Candy Bar’
It is not often that I try to put so many hopes into one specific film, but I was dead set on wanting to love The Muppets. Besides being pleased with who was involved in the production and the cast, I just get a great joy out of these characters every time I see them. Thankfully it all worked out, as after finally seeing the first new Muppet movie in over 12 years, I can easily say that it was one of the most pleasing experiences of this year. For me, The Muppets was a laugh-a-minute comedy; jam packed with fun, silliness, classic Muppets meta humor, self aware musical numbers, and the endearing nature of the old and new characters. The Muppets manages to have fun with its own nostalgia, while proving it can still bring its familiar brand of humor to a new generation. Continue reading ‘‘The Muppets’ Slapped A Smile On My Face And Made It Stay There’
