Happy Valentine’s Day!!

The new movie from Garry Marshall – the director of such classics as PRETTY WOMAN and THE PRINCESS DIARIES (?) – features just about any name in Hollywood at the moment. VALENTINE’S DAY, boasting a cast of Jessica Abel and Biel, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher….Wait, come back. It’s not as bad as it sounds. There’s also Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Hector Elizondo, Anne Hathaway and Jamie Foxx. Still not convinced?

Well, if you’re not in the market from a light, funny, and completely harmless romantic comedy, then there’s not much I can do for you. If you want to see a number of awkward situations of Anne Hathaway doing ridiculous accents as a phone sex-worker; a precocious 8 year old trying to woo an older woman; and a wonderful scene of both young and old Shirley MacLaine on-screen and expressing their love, then VALENTINE’S DAY might be for you.

I, personally, had quite a bit of fun at this movie. From the over-the-topness of the annoying Taylor’s (Swift and Lautner), to the heart-breakingness and comeuppance of the douchey character played by Patrick Dempsey; this movie had me laughing and empathizing with a number of it’s characters. Never did I actually feel like anything seriously bad would happen to any of them – especially after the nude guitar serenade – but it’s light-heartedness was a refreshing respite from the heavy R-rated fare we’ve had over the past months. (I haven’t seen, and probably never will watch DEAR JOHN, but it certainly didn’t look as fun as this movie was, so there’s where I stand on that.)

The performances in the movie are all over the place. The people who you expect to be not that great, hold to that; the people you expect to be good, are; and the people you haven’t ever seen before – Emma Roberts, and miscellaneous other actors – are pretty good too. The key standouts are Julia Roberts and Bradley Cooper’s scenes on an airplane – where they spend the majority of the movie. Garner and her plot dealing with boyfriend (Dempsey), best-friend (Kutcher), and classroom student (Bryce Robinson, who might be familiar to people that watch FLASHFORWARD). Topher Grace and his relationship with Hathaway is also pretty fun. In fact, anytime Hathaway is on-screen; either by herself on her scooter, with her boss (Queen Latifah) or at dinner with Grace, is a pleasurable experience.

Overall, it’s not that memorable of a movie. But, for the relationships that we get invited to watch it’s a fun two hours. It’s nowhere near the quality of PRETTY WOMAN; but I don’t think it’s trying to be.

Now, as long as we are talking about Valentine’s Day. Here are some other movies, I’d recommend picking up to watch either alone or with a certain someone. Granted my sense of romance might be a little more skewed to the “not so happily ever after”, so that’s a warning.

HIGH FIDELITY is a movie all about inadequacies and break-up. Directed by Stephen Frears (THE QUEEN), inspired by the book by Nick Hornby, and starring it’s own little “all-star cast” (though at the time, most of the names were much less-well known) John Cusack, Jack Black, Lisa Bonet, Tim Robbins and the always lovely Joan Cusack; the movie follows Rob Gordon (John Cusack), who has recently broken up with his girlfriend. This leads to him thinking about his top five past relationship break-ups. Featuring lovely women as Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lili Taylor, Rob finally comes to the conclusion that he’s a jerk-off that just needs to get off his high-horse.

His girlfriend, played by Iben Hjejle, does a great job as Laura and presents a well-drawn female character.  Jack Black and Todd Louiso play Rob’s lackeys at the Record store he owns. And the movie contains one of the best Marvin Gaye covers ever done by an over-weight white guy, in a band called “Sonic Death Monkey”.

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER I’ve talked about before. So, I’ll keep that one short. It’s a love story not about love; about the guy not getting the girl; and how a guy’s incapacity for seeing anything other than through his own eyes can doom a relationship.

Watch it. (The trailer should also be linked into that blog post, watch it there.)

Finally, a classic movie that I love dearly and much like these other selections are not about a perfect relationship. Or even close to the ideals of what most romantic comedies present to us as “LOVE”. THE APARTMENT, Billy Wilder’s look at infidelity, inadequacy (hmm, that again), and of course standing up to the bigger man – that also happens to be your boss. The movie, starring Jack Lemmon, Fred MacMurray, and once again, the icon Shirley MacLaine; circles around office punching bag, C.C. Baxter (Lemmon), who has found notoriety throughout his office as the go-to man if you need to spend an evening away from the wife and with…well someone who isn’t her. Baxter has a crush on elevator girl Fran Kubelik (MacLaine), and one night he finds out that she’s been seeing his boss, Mr. Sheldrake (MacMurray). Well, an incident arises that leaves Fran stuck in C.C.’s apartment and while hijinks does indeed ensue. It’s the relationship that develops between the two leads that is touching, realistic and some truly heart-breaking moments.

Now that’s how I’d spend my Valentine’s Day. No roses or chocolates required.

Welcome Back Mel, You’ve Been Missed

There has been talk about how the trailers for EDGE OF DARKNESS – Mel Gibson’s return to acting since 2004, where he had a small part in Robert Downey, Jr.’s THE SINGING DETECTIVE; and well that certain incident that we all remember – have been misleading people. And it’s true, though it’s not for making people think there’s more action than is actually in the movie (which actually is kind of true), but just in how dark and mean the movie is.

Gibson stars as Tom Craven, a cop for the Boston PD, and a man who really only has his daughter as a connection to the outside world. We’re not given much more back-story on anyone in the movie, other than Craven was in a heavy artillery platoon in the military; but there’s nothing about what kind of cop he is, what happened to Mrs. Craven, or even why he quit drinking – other than to make a meta comment on the actor himself, perhaps. Fortunately, none of that matters, because all this story cares about is what’s happening now.

The movie starts with Craven picking up his daughter at the train station. And it’s only five minutes into the movie that we discover that the story isn’t quite going to go where we thought it was. Needless to say, if you’ve seen the trailer or heard anything about the movie, you know that the daughter gets killed; and it’s mistakenly assumed that the target was meant to be Craven – though he never seems to buy into that for a second. What happens from there is a detective story, mixed with political thriller; but really it’s just a father out for revenge. It’s gritty, hard-biting, and very graphic.

Based off a UK television series, Martin Campbell (CASINO ROYALE) and writer William Monahan (THE DEPARTED) bring this movie to life, and give it all the highs of both of their most recent high-profile jobs. This movie has the action set pieces – a couple car chases, like ROYALE, and some gun battles and tension like DEPARTED. The novie is slick, it looks beautiful – the opening scene is of a beautiful, serene lake with a full moon hovering above; then three dead bodies pop-up from underwater. And that sets the tone for the whole movie. There’s also another thread running throughout the movie, that really caught me off-guard, but is a nice addition. I can see how it worked in the series, and it’s effective here. (No, I’m not spoiling it here.) But, the best thing about the movie, other than the acting, is how it really is a conventional murder/mystery, thriller, but manages to keep you on your toes. Never quite going the direction you think it will, or playing out what could be cliched in the way hundreds of other movies do it. With one exception, and it’s a nearly useless set-piece towards the end, that kind of seemed like a “super-villain” move to make, in an otherwise fairly realistic plot.

The casting is pretty fantastic using actors in parts that they’re easily identifiable with. Danny Huston as the corrupted business man. Who in one scene manages to make you hate him to the fiber of his being, just with a simple question. Denis O’Hare (DUPLICITY, THE PROPOSAL) is perfect in the role that he seems content to continue playing (and so far I’m not complaining); that of a snotty suit, who is just looking to solve whatever issue is at hand. Although here, while still merciless, he seems to show some regard to families of dead people in one particular moment – if not for sympathy, but just in that it causes more of a mess to have people killed). Bojana Novakovic – who was most recently seen in DRAG ME TO HELL, for just a moment – plays Craven’s daughter. And despite her only being alive in the movie for just a few moments, her presence is felt throughout (well, her and the younger version of the character played by Gabrielle Popa).

Then there’s the two shining stars of the movie. Ray Winstone, as Jedburgh; a mysterious UK-er, who works in Washington DC, and seems to be some sort of illicit bagman (maybe that’s saying that same thing twice). He shows up repeatedly throughout the movie, and is always ambiguous as to which side he’s playing on. As he states in the trailer, “he’s usually the man keeping you from connecting A to B.” But, in the case of Craven, who he seems to develop a kinship with, he’s willing to see it played out before making a decision. But, he’s awesome in the role – in the original series it was flipped, as the story took place in London, and the Jedburgh there was played by American Joe Don Baker (WALKING TALL, Scorsese’s CAPE FEAR as the Pepto-swilling PI) – and has an amazing final scene.

Last, but certainly not least is Gibson. He’s in true, form here. PAYBACK and LETHAL WEAPON form – one for the bleak outlook on life, the other for the amazing action performance. He looks fantastic, is completely believable as this character – even if there are moments where the Boston accent slips a little. But, with small glimpses of the funny little things that Gibson is known for – like repeatedly asking for a Ginger Ale, or strange colloquialisms – which sadly I can’t remember at the moment – but some truly great lines like the heavy one from the trailer about “You had better decide whether you’re hangin’ on the cross, or bangin’ in the nails.” This is Mel Gibson, actor and action star, and a welcome respite from the skinny, muscle-laden boys of today’s action stars. Hopefully, with the upcoming, HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION, we’ll get to see more of this Mel, and as much as I love him; less of the comedic one – which will be making an appearance later this year in THE BEAVER.

So, definitely check out EDGE OF DARKNESS. If you liked STATE OF PLAY, THE DEPARTED, the LETHAL WEAPON movies, or even revenge thrillers like TAKEN and PAYBACK; you’re bound to really like this movie.

Would you ever really want to meet an angel?

That’s a quote from the mid-90’s angel-centric movie, THE PROPHECY, starring Christopher Walken, Viggo Mortensen, and Elias Koteas; who speaks the line. In the movie, his character was in seminary school, when he had an apocalyptic vision right before he was to be ordained. During a moment later in the movie, he asks the main female lead (Virginia Madsen),

“Did you ever notice how in the Bible, when ever God needed to punish someone, or make an example, or whenever God needed a killing, he sent an angel? Did you ever wonder what a creature like that must be like? A whole existence spent praising your God, but always with one wing dipped in blood.”

Ending with the question in the title of this post. Amazingly enough, I’m actually not here to write about THE PROPHECY; but another movie featuring angels.

LEGION, the first feature effort by writer/director Scott Stewart, is about the archangel Michael – played by Paul Bettany – who forgoes his place in Heaven in order to protect a pregnant woman named Charlie (played by Adrianne Palicki), who might be humanity’s last hope for salvation. You see, as expressed in both the opening and closing monologue of the movie – they’re the same monologue, just repeated – God is seemingly fed up with “all the bullshit”. So, he’s sending angels down to destroy humanity, and Charlie’s baby in particular.

The main setting for the story is a diner, in the middle of nowhere named “Paradise Falls”. The diner is run by Bob (Dennis Quaid) with his son Jeep (Lucas Black); Charlie is the waitress; and Percy the one-handed cook is played by Charles S. Dutton. When we first get inside, we are introduced to a couple of customers that are only there because they’re lost or their car broke down, like the family played by Jon Tenney (THE CLOSER), Kate Walsh (PRIVATE PRACTICE), and Willa Holland (THE O.C.) as the daughter. Lastly, there’s Tyrese Gibson, as Kyle – a guy from Las Vegas who is lost and stops for directions and cigarettes.

The movie plays as a combination of THE PROPHECY and MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, with an onslaught of angel-possessed people placing the diner under siege. There are some interesting things in the movie, like the look and use of the angels’ wings, their halos. There was a cool thing where it looked like the world would be going through the seven plagues – starting with flies, then there were boils, but then that kind of got left on the side. But other than that, and some of the fun/nasty splatter action, there’s not much to the movie. The story is weak – which isn’t that big of a surprise for a movie coming from someone mainly with a special effects background. But, it’s the actors and their interactions that help keep the movie alive.

Bettany, as the leading character gets to play a character almost darker and more mysterious than his monk in THE DA VINCI CODE – we even get a shot of his feet during a moment of self-mutilation. As the angel that was to have cast Satan from Heaven, we get a grim, slight figure; with lots of interesting tattoos. But, put this together with his playing Charles Darwin in the movie CREATION, and a priest in the movie…well, PRIEST – in a movie about vampires, no less – and Paul Bettany might finally be entering the spotlight that he’s deserved since I probably first noticed him in A KNIGHT’S TALE as Chaucer; or as the Surgeon in MASTER AND COMMANDER.

Quaid and Dutton, as the senior cast members do their best with the roles they have. Dutton, is obviously the far more talented and charismatic actor of the two, and even manages to deliver a pretty touching – though not enough to get me to cry, as the two characters on screen do – speech about “getting right with your life”. All that and wearing a hook prosthetic on his hand. Quaid, plays a worn-out hillbilly, who has finally reached his limit watching his son waste his time in the middle of nowhere. There’s not much meat for him, but he has some good one-liners.

Adrianne Palicki, who I guess would be best known to audiences from her role on the TV series, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS – which I sadly haven’t watched, despite the raves I’ve heard about it – as Charlie, the pregnant waitress unfortunately isn’t really too convincing as an expectant-mother who doesn’t want her baby; no matter how many cigarettes she smokes. But, she does alright for what her character is asked to do – which is nothing, basically. Lucas Black, who starred in the second sequel in THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, as well as the movie version of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, plays the younger hillbilly with a sympathetic – if not just pathetic – demeanor; we feel for him when we see how much he wants to take care of Charlie. Though he doesn’t seem to have the slightest spark of interest in trying to leave the broken down diner, or tiny trailer behind it where he lives, as his father tries to convince him to do. Tyrese, is really the only other character that we come close to caring about. He’s probably given the most character development throughout the movie and even takes a role that could have really come off as a “one-note black guy” into someone that lives and breathes and even has a life outside this story.

Finally, there’s Kevin Durand. In the small amount of time it’s been that I first saw him on-screen – it was either in LOST or 3:10 TO YUMA – he’s made a pretty big impression (not only because of his size). Having now seen him in interesting roles, like in the show DEAD LIKE ME into this past Summer’s WOLVERINE (where he really had one of the better moments, with his, “did you call me ‘Blob’?” comment), I’ve really grown to like him. Here, as Gabriel, he’s quieter but still pretty bad ass and he does an adequate job. Especially with the fight scenes – which I’ll be interested to know how much of the wings he had to actually wear and how much was CGI.

The action, in itself is fun and explosive. There was a good amount of gore and yuckiness that helped keep the movie interesting. It was also nice to see that the main things they used to sell the movie, in the trailers – the creepy ice cream guy (Doug Jones) and the freaky old woman (Jeanette Miller) who jumps on the ceiling – were not only still there, but actually had a moment or two that hadn’t been played a lot. The best (read: ridiculous) jokey moment, might actually be when Michael busts into an armory to retrieve his arsenal and as he explodes his way out – the hole in the wall is a cross. (Get it, cuz he’s an angel!!)

So while I’d say that the movie was worth a watch, it’s definitely forgettable. Scott Stewart definitely has a great visual style, and seems to have the chops to make a good movie. But lets hope he gets someone with a little more experience, or better sense of story, next time. (Peter Schink is credited as co-writer, by the way.). I’ll be waiting for that. Until then, though, I’d recommend checking out THE PROPHECY – my friend at Murmur, Coleman Ranahan, recently watched it and all of it’s sequels; but I only really recommend watching the first one. Especially for the appearance of Viggo Mortensen in an early role, that’s magnificent.

The Modern Sitcom & How I Love Them

There’s not a lot I watch on television – though my subscriptions to HULU would suggest otherwise. (hey, it’s only 17 shows!) But, I have to say that this season’s comedies are probably some of my favorites, ever. Yes, I’ve written about all these shows before, but that was when they were brand new. Now we’re on the second half of the first season for most of them; and they’re all just as good, if not better, than when they started.

First there’s COUGAR TOWN, from the people that brought us SCRUBS (I’m only counting the first couple of seasons, after that, I stopped watching, and don’t even want to know what the new version’s all about.), starring Courteney Cox, Brian Van Holt, Christa Miller and Busy Phillips. The story revolves around Jules (Cox – when did she drop the Arquette, anyway?!) who is recently divorced from Bobby (Van Holt), and has a son, Travis (played by the dour, yet hilarious Dan Byrd). She runs a real estate company, and her assistant is Laurie (Phillips) – a distzy blonde, bimbo. Don’t worry the character would find that a compliment.

Their oh-so-lovable neighbors are Ellie (Miller) and Andy Torres (played by the AMAZING!! Ian Gomez); and the snooty, player of the across the street neighbor, Grayson is played by Josh Hopkins. Grayson is sort of the new guy to the group, as he’s recently divorced also, and is spending it getting busy with every young girl he sees. Of course this drives Jules crazy; because she’s having trouble just trying to get one date, or even keep control over her manic lifestyle.

The story is a simple one. Quirky characters, coming together to form a family. It’s endearing, it’s snarky, and it’s always hilarious. Van Holt has the too-dumb to know the difference attitude down (and it’s kind of a play on his character from JOHN FROM CINCINNATI). Travis is the unfortunate teenager who has to deal with, and see just how messed up the adults he’s surrounded by are. Though he also manages to score some helpful tips on how to be a man, and how to deal with women and all their little idiosyncrasies. The only downside to the show, is that the only real “Cougar” is Barb (played wonderfully in her much-underused role, by Carolyn Hennesy), a minxy red-head that shows up at the perfect moment to embarrass Jules, or make some kind of lewd comment.

COUGAR TOWN airs on Wednesdays @9:30, on ABC – or the day after on HULU (that’s how I watch it.)

MODERN FAMILY is another ABC comedy, that is about three separate families – who we learn at the end of the first episode, are actually all one big family! The interactions here are magnificient. First there’s the most conventional (I daresay, “stereotypical”) family, played by Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen, playing Phil and Claire Dunphy. They have three kids, Haley, Alex and Luke. Haley’s the dumb, teenage daughter that only cares about looks and boys. Alex is sort of the family genius, and goes out of her way to show how dumb Haley is. Luke…well, he likes to eat glue, but he’s very endearing. Phil and Claire and perfect examples of “opposites attract”. Phil’s a nerdy, “gotta be the cool dad” and impress everyone, kind of guy. Claire, is sort of a snobby, stuck-up bitch – but still lovable. (She is played by Carol Vessey, for God’s sake!!)

The second family is Cameron and Mitchell, a gay couple; who adopt a Vietnamese baby and are still working out the rough edges of their relationship. Cameron is flamboyant and very caring of other people. Mitchell, much like his sister Claire (see!!! related!) is kind of snooty and carries a big stick up his…*ahem* about intolerance and well, self-gratification. Mitchell is played by Jesse Ferguson, and he’s brilliant in the role. There’s the antagonistic relationship he has with his sister; his embarrassment of Cam during certain moments, but he really just wants a quiet, normal life. Cameron, who is over the top, and really the giant teddy-bear of the show, is played by Eric Stonestreet. He’s hilarious, in the different things he does, whether it be dress up as a clown; over-do-it in the baby gymnastics class; or just tries to fit in with Mitchell’s dad…

Who is played by none other than Al Bundy, himself, Ed O’Neill. His characer, Jay, is newly married to Gloria (Sofia Vergara); a proud Colombian woman whose son, Manny (played wonderfully by Rico Rodriguez) is mature beyond his years – maybe the most mature character on the show.

Those are the three families, the hijinks that plays between one, and all three is hilarious. There’s Phil’s stumbling whenever Gloria is around. Claire and Mitchell’s dealing with their father being kind of distant, and the disappearance of their mother (played in a small role by Shelley Long). The fun part of this show is that it’s shot sort of like THE OFFICE, where the characters are aware of the camera, and there’s cutaways to individual (or group) interviews.

MODERN FAMILY airs on Wednesdays @9:00pm, on ABC – or again on HULU.

Finally, there’s COMMUNITY. This is probably my newest favorite show – it’s kind of tied with GLEE, though they’re kind of different animals. It stars Joel McHale as Jeff; he puts together a study group for his Spanish class, which is a ruse to try and hook up with Britta (played by Gillian Jacobs). Instead, an actual little clique, kind of forms between the seven people in this study group. The others, Annie (Allison Brie), Troy (Donald Glover), Abed (Danny Pudi), Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), and of course Pierce played by the legend (who is definitely hitting a comeback) Chevy Chase.

All of the characters have their own little quirks and insecurities. Annie is known as “Annie Adderall” after an incident in high school; where she was in the same school as Troy (who she’s secretly in love with). Troy is dealing with the fact that he used to be a “cool jock” and now he’s just “Troy”. Shirley is a woman scorned and looking to start a new life. Britta…well, she’s kind of a normal college chick. Abed, is awesome. That’s really all I can say about him. Pierce, kind of like Shirley is looking to start fresh – or y’know, I’m not really sure why he’s going back to school. But, he’s obnoxious and racist and pretty much, completely insane. And Jeff, well, he’s a jerk. A lovable one, but a jerk nonetheless.

The fun comes from the characters, not just the main ones listed above, but from the slew of supporting characters. Ken Jeong, as the Spanish teacher (who repeatedly comments on how he’s an Asian teaching Spanish); the Dean, played by Jim Rash, is just odd and comes up with things like the schools new mascot – “The Human Beings.” The show is hilarious from the opening moment, that tends to start in the library where the group meets; all the way to the post-credit sequence, where we usually get Abed and Troy riffing on something to do with the show. It’s awesome, and no it doesn’t make me miss, or even feel the slightest bit like my days in college. Well, except for the racist, old guy.

COMMUNITY airs on Thurday nights @8:00pm, on NBC (C’mon, don’t give me that. It has nothing to do with the Conan thing…Which, no I’m not even going into!! Check out some other blogs on all that business!!)

Sorry, no THE OFFICE, or THE BIG BANG THEORY. Those aren’t my bag, baby. I don’t need people pretending to be nerds; ie. the BIG BANG guys who definitely seem like nerds, but they’re playing nerds out of their depth, which just rings false. So, I don’t dig it. Not a big fan of animated shows (are those even considered sitcoms?), but I actually am looking forward to catching the new ARCHER, on FX.

Anything else I’m missing? Let me know.

Perspective keeps the love out…

I don’t know what happened to the world. Where was the love for Ang Lee’s TAKING WOODSTOCK? This movie was brilliant, touching and really spoke to how good (ideally) people can be. The movie stars Demetri Martin as Elliot Tiber; a real life person, who wrote the book and lived the story portrayed in the movie. He’s an artist, who has given up his place in New York City to move to the Catskill Mountains to run his parent’s motel in the small town of Bethel, New York.

Elliot who has been newly elected head of the City Council learns one day that the Woodstock festival has been kicked out of their original venue; and so to help pay off his parent’s mortgage, he makes a phone call. The people who are running the festival show up via limousine and even by helicopter, to check out the landscape and to make sure that Elliot has the proper permits (which he gives himself). And with a little finessing with local dairy farmer, Max Yasgur (Eugene Levy), the festival is on. The town gets into a tizzy, because they don’t want all those dirty hippies showing up “stealing and raping cows”, and yet everyone winds up making a nice profit from the multitudes of people that show up.

Along the way, Elliot meets lots of people – populated in the movie by various cameo roles, both by recognizable actors (Liev Schrieber) and probably not so much (Paul Dano). He learns to free himself, and to not be afraid of hiding who he really is. But, mostly he learns that there’s a life to be lived, and so he should. His parents (played magnificently by Imelda Staunton and Henry Goodman), are stodgy old curmudgeon’s who as Jews, have lived through WWII; and have also had to deal with the persecution of being Jewish in their small town.

The movie focusses on the bureaucracy and the effort put in to make this event happen, and really shines a light on what had originally been my thought that just a bunch of hippies showed up one day to put on a concert and get stoned. And what starts out as a business enterprise – trying to sell tickets and set up venues – eventually just turns into a sea of people; and you just can’t stop the love, man.

It might just be the hippy in me, but I absolutely loved this movie and might even consider it to be my favorite by Ang Lee. I feel like I might need to revisit THE ICE STORM and CROUCHING TIGER, again; and actually see SENSE & SENSIBILITY, to make a final judgement. But, I have a feeling it might hold up. The movie just oozes with positivity and love and the joy of seeing so many people – amazingly enough, although it looks like there’s a lot of actual footage from Woodstock thrown into the movie, it’s all filmed specifically for this movie – together, and it not turning into a giant mess and full of people ruining the experience. Although, there are some townspeople, that do try; but they’re just too small for the amount of people coming for the show. There’s even a great moment of a police officer who says he came up to the Governor-sanctioned “disaster area”, to thump a few hippies on the head. But, says maybe he’s just getting a contact high but he’s been affected. Then he puts on his motorcycle helmet that has a flower in the band.

And I guess, maybe that’s where the movie goes wrong. It’s too positive and we’ve gone from the Age of Aquarius to the Age of Cyncism and Contrarianism. A movie that’s about peace and love (and yes, understanding; what’s wrong with that?), just has no place. Not when we can go to the movies and watch billions of people be killed by the end of the world. Maybe everyone does need to get high a little more often (amazingly enough, this is coming from someone who in-fact does not do drugs – though I have experimented), lose their perspective a little bit.

The quote the title of this post comes from is when Elliot is talking to a girl with the Woodstock group, and he talks about how his troubles really aren’t anything to what’s going on with the festival. Y’know, perspective. And the girl says that “maybe his family problems are the most important thing in the universe.” Perspective shuts out the universe, it keeps the love out.  Maybe it’s too new-agey and stupid for most people; but I think there’s some truth to it.

This movie shows the beauty of the world, and of humanity; and really deserves to be appreciated more than it has.

It’s not a book, it’s a weapon

THE BOOK OF ELI, the new movie from The Hughes Brothers (Albert and Allen), starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, is a movie that blends CHILDREN OF MEN, THE FOUNTAIN, and I AM LEGEND all into one story of a man looking for redemption and to relieve his spirit of a burden that has been tasked to him. In this post-apocalyptic future, where there’s all the tried and true set-pieces, like armored cars that are bound to suck up more gas than what ought to be available; fashion is still just a little too nice; and there are plenty of people that are just as happy to eat you as let you wander past unharmed – there is something else. Something that brings it out of the league of it’s obvious influences of THE ROAD WARRIOR, the too new to be influence but looks similar anyway of THE ROAD, and even some good ol’ Spaghetti Western frontier justice.

What this movie presents is an earnest, and not-too preachy inclusion of religion and more importantly the role that religion plays in civilization. The book, in the title of this movie, is The Bible – sorry if that completely ruins the movie for you – and it’s presented as both the way to salvation; and as the corrupter of souls. The two main characters, who most covet the book, have these viewpoints. Eli (Washington), sees it as the way to rebuild the world and to reach hope. Carnegie (Oldman) sees it as a way to control the weak, and desperate. Both are uses that this book – and just about any religious text – has been used before. What’s different is that this movie doesn’t seem to really take a side in the preaching, and I say that by the moment in the end; where a main character who now knows the power of the book, and (hopefully) the good that it’s meant to inspire, still packs a sword on their journey back into the world. The movie doesn’t see it in black and white, and that’s part of why I liked it so much.

The movie begins with Eli, sitting in wait for a wild animal to appear. In a grand, overstated-scene honestly, we see him release an arrow and just kill this creature with extreme force. It’s this same force that he doles out to anyone or anything that gets in his way. A random thug touches Eli, and that man loses his hand – literally. On his trip West, he makes the decision to head into a small town, so he can replenish his supplies – and charge up the batteries to run his iPod – and along the way walks into trouble and gaining himself an unwanted friend and partner. Solara, played by Mila Kunis, is first offered to Eli as an incentive to stay in the town; but she soon follows him on the road because she’s told she’ll be safer. This naturally proves to be untrue, as it’s her that leads to their being put in more danger, in some shady circumstances, and of course him having to save her a couple times.

Washington is fantastic in the role of Eli. Working a little off his role from MAN ON FIRE, with smidges of MALCOLM X, he underplays the character with a stillness, equivalent to that of a monk, or even a samurai. When he’s relaxed, he’s carrying around a small pistol; he’s never off his game. And even when he has to make the biggest sacrifice in the movie; there’s still an assuredness, that leaves us wondering just what is going to happen next. Oldman, as Carnegie, returns to the role of villain – one that we haven’t seen from him, really since 2001’s HANNIBAL (unless you want to count his role as the Devil in the BMW mini-movie, BEAT THE DEVIL, directed by Tony Scott). He’s been too busy playing Sirius Black in the HARRY POTTER movies and Commissioner Gordon in the new BATMAN movies from Christopher Nolan. So, he’s nice and tasty stepping back into character as the ruthless villain.

It also helps that he has a henchman in the form of Ray Stevenson (PUNISHER: WARZONE and the HBO series ROME), who, while under-written has a couple of moments that reveal the heart of who his character is. The other main characters that appear, from Kunis to Jennifer Beals, and even the cameos from the likes of Malcolm McDowell, Michael Gambon and the always great Tom Waits; are all light on character, but work for the story nonetheless.

The real appeal to this movie is the direction and the soundtrack. First the music has this muddled, over-amplified sound to it. It reminded me a little of Clint Mansell’s score to THE FOUNTAIN, but distorted and turned more into a heavy metal kind of sound. It’s used sparingly, but very effectively. The look of the movie is completely desaturated, and superimposed with magnificent skies rolling with heavy clouds. There are moments of action that take place completely in silhouette, cameras that move like we’re in THE MATRIX, yet aren’t quite that “showy”, and of course the most ragged landscapes wind up being the actor’s faces.

It’s a fantastic movie – that while I wouldn’t rate as high as some of my favorite dystopic movies – is definitely worth the watch. Although that I’m more than willing to accept that I might be the only person to feel this way about THE BOOK OF ELI. I just hope this means that we might get more movies from The Hughes Brothers. While they’ve only made a handful of movies – the Alan Moore adapted, Jack the Ripper movie FROM HELL, the “escape from the hood” movies MENACE II SOCIETY and DEAD PRESIDENTS – I think that they’ve got an interesting voice, that I’d like to hear from more than once a decade.

Westerns, the American Mythology

A friend of mine, Elisabeth Rappe, has a column on The Flickcast called “Western Wednesdays“, and she has managed to come up with a number of movies that I hadn’t actually seen before. Mostly in that she’s focussed on the classics that star a certain icon that I’ve just never been into. And that is John Wayne. When it comes to westerns there are two names that will suck me right in; Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone. Yeah, I’m a Spaghetti Western fan, and an acolyte of the movies that build off that tradition – like most of Eastwood’s westerns, that draw more from that genre than from the Monument Valley pictures of early cinema. I consider one of each of their movies to my favorites of all time (UNFORGIVEN and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, as I might have mentioned before). But, I’ll admit that I haven’t ever really given Wayne a fair shake. And with both the Wayne picture I’m about to talk about and the other one below it, it’s easy to see where both Leone and Eastwood easily could have drawn their inspiration from. Both movies are dark, and not clearly cut into shades of black and white.

In Elisabeth’s latest article, she wrote about a movie that’s considered a classic, not only by Western aficionados but by the general movie-loving populous as well. It’s been in my Netflix queue for a while, and has recently become available to watch instantly via their video streaming service. So, seeing that, I had to push everything else aside for a while and sit down to watch this iconic movie, that has been often-cited as one of the best ever made, and has been replicated, homaged and copied for over fifty years.

THE SEARCHERS starts off how a number of frontier movies do, with a woman opening a door to the mountainous, vacant landscape beyond; and to a man who is returning home. In this case, it’s Ethan Edwards (Wayne, in a role he so loved he named a son after; and claimed it was his favorite and best role), who has come home three years past the Civil War; which he fought on the Confederate side. The home he returns to is that of his brother’s, his brother’s wife and their kids. He hands out trophies and trinkets that tell us what he’s done and where he’s been; instead of us being regaled with stories of his adventures. Ethan isn’t a man that likes to talk about his past, or anything that isn’t mean spirited and makes him laugh.

Not long after arriving a group of Texas Rangers pop in to deputize Ethan’s brother, Aaron (Walter Coy) and an adoptive boy Martin Pawley, played by Jeffrey Hunter. In place of his brother going, Ethan offers to go help the Rangers chase down the Indians that have rustled some cattle from a near-by rancher. When they finally catch up to where the indians are, they see that they’ve been duped and find that cattle dead; and the real ploy was the natives were on a killing party – to which, we see them attack Ethan’s brother’s house.

What follows after that is a chase movie, an epic adventure introducing us to a number of strange, or shady characters; and an insight into the mind of a man who has only really known battle and has a deep hatred for the Comanches that he and Marty chase for five years. There’s an interesting segment of the movie, near the middle, that is actually played out as a character reads a letter detailing what Ethan and Martin are doing. The movie has a number of tone changes like this. There are comedic moments like whenever the character of Charlie McCorry (Ken Curtis) gets on-screen, or when Marty mistakenly marries an indian squaw in exchange for a hat. There are deadly serious moments, like when Ethan understands that Chief Scar (Henry Brandon) intends to finish what he started out the movie trying to do. And there’s layers of subtext to be picked up, either from watching the movie, or from reading other in-depth analyses (or the Trivia page on IMDB), such as whether Ethan has had an affair with his brother’s wife; whether the girl taken from the house is actually his daughter; and how Ethan has come to so hate the Comanches.

But, what’s most interesting about the movie is how through all this, you come away not invigorated, or even left with any kind of feeling, really. In a lot of ways THE SEARCHERS reminded me of the ending to THE HURT LOCKER; which doesn’t say anything other than this particular man has only one thing in his life, and that’s the way of violence and unhappiness. At the end of the movie, there is what could be called a happy ending – but it’s for everyone else who marches off-screen and leaves Ethan standing alone, only to turn around and walk away. It’s a hard movie to watch. As Elisabeth says “(it) is a fascinating film, though I’m not sure it’s a particularly enjoyable one”. It falls in the vein of movies like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, a movie that is harsh in the reality that it presents, even in the lighter moments. It’s funny to see Marty kick his “squaw” wife, or the way that he and Charlie fight over Laurie Jorgensen (Vera Miles), and even when Charlie laughs when Laurie reads the letter saying that Marty has gotten married. But, each of those moments in separate movies would be cruel, tension-filled and heart-breaking.

I can’t say that THE SEARCHERS changed my mind about John Wayne much. But I do understand the praise that it’s gotten and it’s definitely up there with the westerns that I have loved for a long time. Just in my book, it doesn’t quite over-take them.

The other movie from the “Western Wednesdays” column, that I’ve managed to watch, and actually enjoyed quite a bit, was THE OX-BOW INCIDENT. Now this is the kind of Western that I love. One of ambiguity and darkness. One that’s not as mixed in it’s tone as THE SEARCHERS is. Directed by William Wellman, who also directed the classics YELLOW SKY and his own share of Wayne movies – mostly more contemporary stories like THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY and BLOOD ALLEY – THE OX-BOW INCIDENT is the story of mob mentality, of acting beyond reason; and most of all a study in a passive-protagonist.

Henry Fonda is the man riding into town at the beginning of this movie. He enters the saloon with his partner, Art Croft (played by Harry Morgan, also known as the Colonel Potter from the TV show MASH), only to soon have another group of men come in claiming cattle rustling and murder. A posse is gathered, the shopkeeper begs the men to wait for the sheriff; but a local Army officer takes control and heads out – looking to show his son how to be a man. Fonda’s character, named Carter, reluctantly joins up and they set out.

Eventually they come upon three men, who have some cattle from the farm that’d been robbed; and the men don’t have a proper bill of sale, nor a story that seems to hold up. The posse yearns to string up the three men (played by Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn, and Francis Ford – brother to the Director, John Ford, who if I didn’t mention it; directed THE SEARCHERS), but they manage to keep from doing so for a number of reasons. To wait for the sheriff to show up and make it proper, so the three men can eat and/or write to their families. The movie actually manages to keep you intrigued and not knowing where it’s going to go.

Part of that is waiting to see what the star of the movie is going to do. But, other than sticking up for himself, his friend, or to shut some big mouth up; there’s not much he does at all. In fact there’s portions of the movie where we see the characters of the town drunk and a loud woman who is along for the ride and thrill of watching some men hang (quite the peculiar role, if I do say so. Not one you saw too often in that day).

It’s a great movie, and it’s really short. By the end, you’ll question everything you think you know about how dark and deep classic movies can be; and also just what the draw is to seeing violence, and at what expense we look to punish wrong-doers. Hell, typing that, it’s pretty easy to see how it correlates to a lot of today’s predicaments.

THE OX-BOW INCIDENT is also available for watching via Netflix’s Watch Instantly. Definitely check it out.

What’s good, what’s not good

With the release of AVATAR, and pretty much after any “blockbuster” that makes lots of money, but isn’t exactly adored by the critics; there’s lots of discussion about how mainstream audiences don’t know what’s good, or that they only care about movies that you have to “turn off your brain”  to watch. In a couple of recent articles, these concerns have resurfaced, and I felt the need to drop my own two cents.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Now, granted I’m no film professor, or even a film school drop out – hell, I only have an Associates degree in Graphic Design and my favorite movies of all time are westerns – all I know is that I like what I like. Whether it’s an under-appreciated classic like THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE; a French New Wave noir by Francois Truffaut like SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER; a cinematic wonder that might not have revolutionized movies, but is pretty spectacular like AVATAR; or even a lowly indie-movie about an old man who finds some illegal aliens in his metropolitan apartment, like in THE VISITOR; I love a lot of movies. I don’t have a particular genre, film-movement, or even budgetary constraint on the movies that I like. Did I like TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN? Not particularly. Do I personally know someone that does like it, quite a bit? Yes. And that’s their prerogative.

Have I shown that person more “high-quality” movies, like DISTRICT 9 and MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY? Yeah, and he tends to like them as much as any other – what could be considered – common person. “Cinema” as some people like to think of it, is an artform, and just as with cubism or impressionism; it’s not all meant for everyone. Someone who says, “my kid could paint that” is no more likely to like Wassily Kandinsky, than they are a David Lynch or even a Spike Jonze movie. Will they line up to see 2012, though? Sure, and you know why? Because it’s fun. Will 2012 ever be considered top-quality filmmaking? Probably no more than other disaster-porn work like THE TOWERING INFERNO, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, or ARMAGEDDON; but just as those movies all have an audience and fans that adore them, so to will the movies that came out this year that critics didn’t like.

The Towering Inferno

There doesn’t have to be a specific reason why a certain movie can make over a billion dollars in three weeks of release over another barely crossing one hundred million. It’s not specific to economic turmoil, and might have more to do with “group mentality” of not wanting to be left out – but in my experience there are just as many people that will defy seeing/doing something, just because that’s what the “group” does. (I know, because I’m sometimes one of them.) But, sometimes movies are successful, because they’re just plain fun, or moving, or familiar, or completely different. If there were an actual formula to predicting what will be a success, and both a critical and mainstream hit, would we really see as many flops as we do?

People are praising Lars von Trier’s ANTICHRIST and Harmony Korine’s TRASH HUMPERS, but you know what I’m probably not ever going to see them. Does that make me an unlearned heathen? Both are iconoclast filmmakers that I just don’t personally like their style or sensibilities. What if I say that I did like THE HURT LOCKER and GOODBYE SOLO, does that make it all better? How about if I say that ANGELS & DEMONS and GI JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA were both fun movies that I enjoyed this past summer? And I also fell in love with both THE BROTHERS BLOOM and (500) DAYS OF SUMMER? The thing to remember is that every movie is someone’s first, and more than that any movie can be someone’s favorite. My mom’s favorite movie is GREASE, my friend’s favorites vary from YOU’VE GOT MAIL, to OLDBOY, CARLITO’S WAY and L.A. CONFIDENTIAL. Everyone has different tastes, and no one really needs to be made to feel guilty – other than some innocent ribbing every now and then – for the things they like. Because WE are all different.

Oldboy

It’s called taste, or preference. Do I know the difference between true art filmmaking and the artistry that goes into making a blockbuster movie? Yes, I do and I have to say that knowing that doesn’t supersede my desire to be entertained and moved by going to the cinema, or popping a DVD into my player. I wouldn’t ever say that I watch certain kinds of movies to “turn my brain off”; any movie I select to watch is meant to entertain me, and for a lot of stories that defy my views of logic, if they do it well, I can buy into it. Because I know I’m not always meant to be seeing reality. Is it all metaphor, or meant to be deciphered with a deeper significance; or is a cigar, sometimes just a cigar that you’re meant to sit back and enjoy for a short amount of time.

This isn’t to say that critical analysis or people shouldn’t look into what is lacking in certain – or in all – movies. Just that I think that in the criticism community, the joy of actually watching a movie seems to get lost. I’ll admit, there’s no way in hell that I would go to a theater to watch ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS 2: THE SQUEAKQUEL, or LEAP YEAR, or EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES; but then I’m not paid to have an opinion for every movie, and I’ll admit I’d probably quickly become jaded if I did. But, maybe that’s a flaw in the criticism community. There’s bound to be someone that can see those movies and understand the audience that it’s meant for; take movies like that for whatever artistic measure is there and try to come up with something to try and persuade people to either see it or not. I’ve been surprised a number of times by movies I thought would be utter crap, only to see them and find them actually charming – recently those movies have been YES MAN and FOUR CHRISTMASES. Barring that, perhaps without any kind of word of mouth about movies that aren’t worth the time of day, the studios and filmmakers behind these kinds of movies might work harder to create something worth seeing – and maybe the chasm between what the “criticism” community likes and what the “common person” likes will close.

Yes Man

Maybe there is answer to this, and maybe there’s more at play than just personal taste. Maybe liking THE DA VINCI CODE and THE MACHINIST is an anomaly, and the general public just don’t know that they’re stupid and need to educate themselves. But, in my experience, people are happy to not dedicate themselves to something they’re not passionate about, and as much as it pains me to say; not a lot of people care that much about movies. If everyone did, then a movie only making a billion dollars would be at the bottom of the scale – unless the entire world was then covered with dollar theaters. So, maybe instead of spending so much time worrying about why people like certain crappy movies, how about we just start enjoying the movies that we do like.

The Fountain

Let the unwashed masses like their Professional wrestling, Nascar, Transformers movies and Patrick Swayze. I’ll be over here liking what I like and experimenting with what I’m unsure about. After all, if no one else ever liked THE FOUNTAIN, I know I did and that’s all that matters to me.

2009, we barely knew you…

District 9; Starring Sharlto Copley and aliens

So, concludes the year that this blog was born in. 2009, as the lists of others far more prolific than I have noted, was an up and down year. That’s not to say there haven’t been some great movies – there have – but from my perspective, the best of’s are just as equaled by the “still unseen’s”. For every STAR TREK and THE HANGOVER, that I saw and loved (or really liked), there was a THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS and WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, that I missed. So, here is a rundown on the movies that I saw, and didn’t see. Reasons that I enjoy the movies, and comments on why I still want to see others. I guess the movies listed could be considered my “favorites” or picks for the best that 2009 had to offer; but in the end they’re the movies that I want to see, and in a number of cases see again and again.

The way I’ve broken up the list, is through I guess the kind of ideas or principles that I enjoy in movies. There’s the romance, the battles, the fighting for what’s right, and the sacrifice for the ones we hold closest, and of course as the song goes; the end of the world as we know it. Enjoy.

THE LOVE STORIES:

The Brothers Bloom; Starring Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, and Mark Ruffalo

THE BROTHERS BLOOM, the second feature from Rian Johnson, writer-director of 2005’s BRICK, starred Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo, as the epoymous brothers; who have been labeled as one of the greatest con-artist teams, ever. The movie gives us great visual tricks (the sugar pourer), a true mystery (was it real?) and of course a fantastic love story between Bloom and Penelope (Rachel Weisz, always watchable).

UP IN THE AIR is one, that I haven’t seen – and won’t before the end of the year, which sadly puts it after this will be posted – but am looking forward to seeing. Starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, this story of a man who is happy with his simple, and very mobile, life; is thrown for a loop, when a young upstart (Kendrick) is trying to make his job obsolete. Ironic, in that that essentially is what his job is; to get rid of the chaff when a company no longer needs those employees. Brought to us by Jason Reitman (JUNO and THANK YOU FOR SMOKING), this looks like a touching and what I’m assuming will be a personally important movie.

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, is not a love story. The audience is told that at the beginning of the movie, and at the end; we find out that it actually is. Just not the kind of love story we’re used to seeing. It’s the story of infatuation, expectation, loss, and ultimately the realization that “true love” is just something you find in other movies.

UP might just possibly be one of the most touching, and heart-felt love stories I’ve ever seen. And then there’s the final 88 minutes. If this were a list of “best of’s” this movie would be on it (and as of now, the only movie in this post I own on DVD). The story of Carl Frederickson, from a young boy to him being a grumpy old man who sets off on an adventure in the name of his wife, Ellie; and ultimately the message that it isn’t what we plan to do that makes our life special and fulfilled; it’s the things we have done – is why PIXAR Doesn’t just make the best animated movies, but just makes the best movies.

FUNNY PEOPLE is the epitome of the “bro-mance” that has been the label attached to just about everything that Judd Apatow puts his name on – or even looks like it might be related. The story of George Simmons and Ira Weiner (whiner), two comedians that come together over illness and miraculous recovery oozes with the personal association between Apatow and the comedians he grew up working around. This peek behind the curtain at stand-up comedy, is strong enough to support the left turn to the plot that so many people complained about. But, the best thing about this, and a number of these movies – and why I love them – is that by the end no one has really changed. The people that were jerks at the beginning, are still jerks at the end; just now they’ve gotten to know each other a bit. Much like in real life.

THE WAR STORIES:

The Hurt Locker; Starring Jeremy Renner

THE HURT LOCKER, is probably the best, most-thrill inducing action movie of the year – other than possibly AVATAR – with it’s heart-pounding moments of bomb-disarmament. Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and a flurry of great star-studded cameo roles, make this movie a must-see and a testament – along with a couple others I’ll discuss – that you don’t need hundreds of millions of dollars to make a great movie.

IN THE LOOP is sadly another one of the movies I haven’t seen. From Armando Iannucci, comes a satire poking fun at, or shredding apart, the western-world’s political and military enterprises. Starring James Gandolfini, Anna Chlumsky (the MY GIRL movies), and Steve Coogan; this is one I sadly missed in the theater and am looking forward to watching as soon as possible.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, Quentin Tarantino’s, as one of the characters says at the end of the movie, “masterpiece”, is as stunning in it’s proof that Tarantino isn’t just a hip-movie “homagist”, as it is in it’s complete historical re-writing. Christoph Waltz’s Colonel Hans Landa, might just be the most evil character this side of Darth Vader, and we love him all the more for it.

AVATAR, James Cameron’s magnum opus that looks like it might just wind up being as big as his last feature (TITANIC, in case you forgot), has gained notoriety for it’s racial and cultural missteps; it’s revolutionizing of technology both in front of and behind the silly 3D glasses; and then there’s the matter of it being an amazing feat of taking the audience to an alien world, where the people are 12 feet tall, blue and have a deep – and literal – connection to their planet. The movie presents moments that are photo-realistic even when I knew they weren’t, and moments almost as traumatic as seeing the actual footage of 9/11. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but it touched me.

DISTRICT 9 is the movie that I called this past Summer as the movie AVATAR had to beat. And in some ways, I’d say it failed. The movie by Neill Blompkamp and starring Sharlto Copley, while featuring a number of parallel ideas and visuals, rings more personal because we see that unlike Jake Sully who can go back and forth from his transformation; Wikus – as painfully shown in one particular scene – is unhappily and involuntarily being turned into an alien. There’s also the fact that the main alien, we spend most of the movie with comes across as more human in it’s insect-like facade; than the far-more human looking, and English speaking Na’vi.

THE END OF THE WORLD, AS WE KNOW IT:

Knowing; Starring Nicolas Cage

While AVATAR (seriously, I’ll probably stop mentioning it soon), has a back-story about Earth being devastated; it’s movies more like KNOWING, that really present us with a world that will…well, not be around much longer. Admittedly, it’s the ideas behind this movie that make it notable, than the actual execution. The acting isn’t exactly stunning, but it’s the fact that the characters accept that there’s nothing to be done, and the bravery in the ending, that lifts the movie up.

MOON is another, where we don’t actually get to see Earth, but we know that there’s been changes in that now we not only are mining the moon for it’s minerals; but the questionable immoral and unethical ways that it’s done – and I’m not talking about off-shore drilling. Sam Rockwell turns in a stunning performance as Sam Bell, and his only companion – beside himself – is Gerty, the robot voiced by Kevin Spacey. Duncan Jones, who wrote and directed the movie, will be one of the directors; much like Rian Johnson and Blomkamp, that I believe I’ll be a fan of for a long time.

WATCHMEN as flawed as it was – and of the number of different versions that have been released on DVD – has redeemed itself (as much as it can) with the Ultimate Cut, now available. If the movie were rereleased in theaters with this version I would go see it in a heart beat. Zack Snyder’s adaptation of the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons comic book series, managed to be, as Terry Gilliam recently said on the Creative Screenwriting Podcast, “both too long and too short”.

ZOMBIELAND, is the kind of zombie movie that Judd Apatow might make – if he made zombie movies. Instead, it falls to the creative team of Ruben Fleischer, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, to bring us this hilarious and touching story of the post-apocalypse. With it’s rules for survival; the scenery-chewing of Woody Harrelson, and his polar opposite in the guise of Jesse Eisenberg, this is a romantic comedy with zombies and amusement parks, that I didn’t even know I’d been waiting for all my life. And Emma Stone.

FIGHTING THE SYSTEM:

State of Play; Starring Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Russell Crowe

STATE OF PLAY starring Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams, as two sides of the current news media, is as potent in it’s thriller roots as it is a love letter to the printed word. Both actors are great, and their supporting cast from Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren and Jason Bateman; help to elevate this Kevin McDonald (THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND) directed movie to the top of my imaginary list.

THE INTERNATIONAL was an amazing twist on the kind of thriller that maybe STATE OF PLAY is conventionally portrayed as. Perhaps that’s why with the two of these movies together, they might just about equal the importance of ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN – a movie I’ve dubbed the “most important movie ever made”. At the end of THE INTERNATIONAL, the bad guys aren’t vanquished, hell, we might not even really know who the bad guy really was. As it wasn’t just one man in a secret lair twirling a mustache; but instead a corporation that is looking to take over the world not through force, but through debt. Take a look around, and see if it’s not prescient.

THE COVE, a documentary I’m sorry to have not seen yet, has the benefit of being one thing none of these other movies does. And that it’s all documented fact. The story of a small cove in Japan, where dolphins are led to slaughter. It sounds harrowing, and yet like the uplifting story of last year’s MAN ON WIRE, a must-see.

THE INFORMANT, another mix of fact and fiction – and in this case, an even bigger mystery just in that to this day no one is completely sure of the facts. Matt Damon stars as Mark Whitacre, a man who works at a large corn-byproduct company. Soon, he contacts the FBI in relation to a possible saboteur in the company, then reports that there’s even more dastardly goings-on happening. All of which lead us through a story of a man who might not be completely trust-worthy, either in life or as the narrator of the movie. Steven Soderbergh gives us a stylish movie that floats between being the fun stylish farce of the OCEANS movies, and the more realistic ERIN BROCKOVITCH.

THE THINGS WE DO FOR FAMILY:

World's Greatest Dad; Director Bobcat Goldthwait, Star Robin Williams

WORLD’S GREATEST DAD, the second really good movie by Bobcat Goldthwait (not that I’m stating he’s made not good movies), is about a father and the depths that he goes to, to help make people like his son; and through that, make them like him. Some great performances by Robin Williams and Daryl Sabara, set this movie up as another highlight on the reel of William’s great performances. And of course, there’s the fact that the movie is just completely messed up.

THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX, the stop-motion animated movie by Wes Anderson; featuring the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep and a number of others, is based off the story by Roald Dahl. About a fox who gives up his wild ways to raise a family, until he reaches a sort of “mid-life crisis”, and decided to pull just one more job – in three parts. The resulting battle that rages between the animals and the farmers that Fox has been stealing from, is touching and the moment that Mrs. Fox tells him that she loves him but shouldn’t have married him, is a perfect statement on most relationships.

THE ROAD, another adaptation brought to the screen, this time by John Hillcoat (THE PROPOSITION) and featuring Viggo Mortensen as a man making his way through a ravaged world after some catastrophic event leaves the world covered in never-ending ash, earthquakes and fires. But, the story beyond all that is of a man and the love he has for his son. Protecting him, teaching him not only how to survive, but how to kill (others and himself). This is a true representation of what it means to care for another and give everything you have, and are – even in the face of losing your humanity – for someone else.

TETRO, the second movie from the new career that Francis Ford Coppola has created for himself is another of the few that I have not been able to see yet. The story of a man that goes to South America in search for his brother, and the rivalries that endure in a family. This movie starring Vincent Gallo, as the titular character; is shot in a beautiful black and white, and after the bewilderingly, beautiful YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH in 2007, I cannot wait to see this.

Finally, there’s A SERIOUS MAN – one of two movies with “man” in the title that I’ve yet to see (the other being A SINGLE MAN, by fashion-designer and first-time writer/director Tom Ford), given to the world by The Coen Bros., the story of a Jewish man who is dealing with a flurry of life issues, not least of which is his brother who has over-stayed his welcome on the couch. Searching out a series of rabbi’s looking for some kind of counsel, Larry Gopnick (Michael Stuhlbarg) is put through test after test – and well, since I haven’t seen the darn thing, I’m not sure what else there is. But, considering the word-of-mouth, and the Coen’s past work; this is a movie that will not only test Larry, but the audience as well.

So, those are the movies that I saw, liked enough to talk about, and felt best conveyed the sum of all the movies (nearly 50) that I could have bored you with. Earlier this year, I was accused – or was it complimentary – of liking everything. While that’s not completely true, I do have to admit that it’s the joy of going to the movies; the environment, the popcorn, the speakers and even the trailers, that I love almost as much as the movies themselves. Even the movies that I didn’t particularly like this year (TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, THE PROPOSAL – fine, I liked it, but it’s not “good” – or, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE), I had fun because I saw them at the movie theater.

Avatar; starring Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington...sorta

Let me know what you think, or what you liked – or if you even made to the end of this thing, in the comments.

Iron Man 2 trailer, possibly the greatest thing ever seen

When it’s all said and done, the IRON MAN franchise might wind up being my favorite comic book movie property. Note, I don’t say best (I think that as of now that stands firmly with THE DARK KNIGHT, and it’s slightly less successful predecessor, BATMAN BEGINS), but my personal favorite. Since seeing the original teaser trailer for IRON MAN in the fall of 2007 – almost a year before the movie was even to be released – I have been smitten with the look, tone and casting of the movie.

From the opening moments, where we first saw Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark; being interviewed and asked if he’s a “DaVinci of our times”, to which he replies, “that’s ridiculous, I don’t paint”. To the final moment, that we see Iron Man going into super-sonic speed, creating a “sonic boom.” The trailer just made me fall in love with the concept of seeing this comic character – who I admit, I’ve never really been that fond of – brought to life. The trailer has some great music, and puts to great use the melody of the band Filter’s “Hey Man, Nice Shot”, and the eponymous Black Sabbath song, “Iron Man”.

Check out that trailer:

But now, nearly two years later, and a mere six months before the release of the sequel (sticking with the ever simple, IRON MAN 2), there is a new trailer released. This time, we start with Tony Stark again taking questions; not from some lowly reporter but some kind of Senate Oversight Committee, headed by Garry Shandling. Which leads us into a new classic rock song, by AC/DC, “Shoot to Thrill”.

The thing, that I think really gets me about this character, these movies, and this particular trailer; is just how accessible and despite the one leap in technology, how realistic the story is. There’s no mutant powers. No one’s stretching themselves, or popping metal claws out of their hands. Just a guy who invents a suit – at first out of necessity, then because it’s a curiosity for him – and decides to right wrongs with it.

And I have to say, I could watch footage of Iron Man flying through the sky all day. Check out the trailer, then we’ll continue talking after.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that the movie seems to be stepping it up a notch. We’ve got brief glimpses of some integral characters to the Iron Man series. There’s Sam Rockwell – who appears on-screen just as the word “sharks” is spoken – playing Justin Hammer, an industrialist sort of in the same vein as Stark. Only probably more weapons-minded, like Obadiah Stane was in the first movie. There’s Scarlett Johansson, will be playing the character “Black Widow”, or as her name in the comics is, Natasha Romanoff. Then there’s the bigger roles, who make more of an impression in the trailer. First there’s Don Cheadle, who has inherited the role of James Rhodes, or as we see at the end of the trailer, War Machine.

And God, what a friggin awesome moment that is. When the helmet goes down and then he and Iron Man are both blasting away at those robotic clones – I don’t remember what they’re called in the comic, but they’re basically Iron Man automatons. But, the look, just as with Iron Man in the first movie, is perfect; even down to the giant gatling gun on his shoulder.

Secondly, there’s Ivan Vanko, or as he’ll be called “Whiplash”, I’m sure you can guess why. Mickey Rourke, who is playing the role, looks amazing with the grey-streaked hair; the gold capped teeth; and the tattoos. That smile he gives, and the pounding he gives the race-track; he looks like someone you don’t want to mess with.

The worst part about this movie, right now, seems to be that I have to wait until May to see it!! I think that Jon Favreau, and his team of writers, have done an amazing job on this series so far. And considering 2010 will start with SHERLOCK HOLMES in theaters, then IRON MAN in the Summer, and finally the Todd Phillips directed follow-up to THE HANGOVER, DUE DATE in November; next year will be the year of Downey.