Love and Other Drugs (2010) Review

Jake Gyllenhall and Anne Hathaway reunite for one of the most predictable movies of last year. Love and Other Drugs tells the tale of a charming pharmaceutical rep, named Jaime (Gyllenhaal), who meets a free-spirited painter named Maggie (Hathaway). He falls for her and the two begin a no-strings attached love affair (although that's only after she exposes herself to a doctor who's pretending Jaime is an intern). The only problem with that friends-with-benefits arrangement? Jaime wants to have a deeper relationship but Maggie doesn't. Why? Because she suffers from Early-onset Alzheimer's and does not want Jaime to take care of her.

There isn't much I can say about this movie. It's as though the director (Edward Swick) and writers (Charles Randolph, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz) think the audience has failed to see a romantic comedy/drama before. The movie is so predictable and formulaic that I sat there the whole time saying "Here comes the fight between Maggie and Jaime, now they're going to make up, Ah now they break up for good, Big surprise he does something selfless that she will realize she loves him for. Now they stay together." Guess what? All that happened. This is precisely why I can't exactly recommend this movie. If you seen one movie in this genre you've seen them all.

With every review I write I try to look for something good in the movie. Sometimes this is impossible. I looked for something good in this film and did in fact find it. The best thing about the movie is the performances, in particular by Anne Hathaway who never fails to give a gracious and unique performance. I'm glad that both of them were at least nominated for Golden Globes although I wish they had gotten Oscar nominations as well. If for nothing else than the fact that, although saddled with a clichéd eye-roller of a screenplay, they keep the film from being boring. That speaks volumes about their talent.

One more thing I have to mention. The film is rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, pervasive language, and some drug material. The nudity is largely one-sided (Gyllenhaal shows less skin than Hathaway). That's not necessary. The filmmakers don't need to show Anne Hathaway taking off her clothes. Yes, she is a very pretty girl but the only reason to show what they had her show was to get a higher box-office gross. I don't need to watch that in order to enjoy her films.

★★1/2

Conversation(s) With Other Women (2005) Review

★★★1/2

There are several good, small, dialogue driven movies but they are so difficult to find among the schlock that is out there. There is also so few directors who can handle such a movie. Among the ones that come to mind: Sidney Lumet, Richard Linklater, Joel and Ethan Coen. Judging by the way he handles this film, Hans Canosa can be added to that list.

When a man (Aaron Eckhart) and a woman (Helena Bonham Carter) flirt with each other at a wedding reception the tension between the two could be cut with a knife. They go up to the same hotel room where, during a night of passion and discussing their significant others, we discover that they are not as much of strangers as we once thought.

The entire film is edited in split-screen and rather than doing fast cuts we see different angles of the same scene. This is an original and interesting way to approach the film. Don't let the whole multiple things going on in the same picture thing frighten you away. There is a single frame version. Even if you do watch the split-screen, you could close your eyes and fully understand what is going on in the movie because there is so much well-written dialogue.

I'm going to risk offending some of her die-hard fans but I don't like Helena Bonham Carter in her Tim Burton movies or in her roles in the Harry Potter films. I much prefer her in roles like this one. Her films where she plays calm non-eccentrics are so much better than the loud, obnoxious ones we see so often.

Folks, you need to watch at least one of the two versions of the film. Preferably both of them.

Schindler’s List (1993) Review

During his review for Shining Through, Gene Siskel said that "It doesn't work to make a film about World War II in general and the Nazis in particular. A movie without some real bite on those subjects can really come across as trivial". I believe Schindler's List has that bite that Gene was talking about.

It tells the true story of Oscar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a German businessman who owns a factory. He witnesses the horrifying events of the Holocaust and the toll it takes on the Jewish people. Eventually, he creates a list of over 1100 Jews whom he saves from certain death. He bribes, schemes and cons members of the Nazi party to get Jews into his factory. Because the factory is a protected war industry a job there may guarantee longer life. At first all that Schindler cares about is making money. He's not exactly a good man. He's a womanizer, he's selfish, he drinks. But he did an extraordinarily good thing. This movie is absolutely incredible.

The director of the film (Steven Spielberg) always either is able to reduce an audience to tears or at the very least get some type of emotional reaction from the audience. Never have I seen a movie that leaves me more at a loss for words. Never have I seen a movie that moves me this profoundly and deeply. Spielberg never talks down to the audience. With this film he completely respects the audience's intelligence and maturity. With this film he says, "I don't blame people for the horrors of the past. This was something we can't allow to happen again"

I was extremely impressed by all the performances. In particular Ralph Fiennes as the real-life Nazi commander Amon Goeth. He's frightening and, in my opinion, deserved the Oscar over Tommy Lee Jones

The musical score, as composed by John Williams, is performed by world renown violinist Itszhak Perlman. This decision creates a haunting and highly memorable score and fits so perfectly with the black and white camera work.

I wouldn't let the violence of the movie dissuade parents from showing their children the film. Although the movie is extremely violent there is a purpose for it and it's a very important film.

★★★★

Rio (2011) Review

Here we are more than four months into 2011 and overall the films so far this year have been disappointing. Fortunately we appear to have broken out of that rut with Rio.

Blu (voice of Jesse Eisenberg) is one of the last two remaining Blue Cockatoos in the world. He lives with his bookstore owning best friend Linda (voice of Leslie Mann) in Minnesota. He has a good life but is unable to fly. One day a doctor of Ornithology comes to the bookstore and convinces Blu and Linda to go to Rio De Janeiro to meet the other Blue Cockatoo and save the species. Her name is Jewel and she is voiced by the always charming Anne Hathaway. Jewel wants freedom. Unfortunately for her she is chained to Blu after bird smugglers steal them from an aviary. Then they escape and go on an adventure where they meet a toucan named Rafeal (George Lopez), a bulldog named Luiz (Tracy Morgan) and a pair of song and dance birds (Jaime Foxx and Will. I. Am.)

The only criticism I have for the movie is the use of slow motion in one scene. I'm tired of seeing that in every animated movie these days. It's a cliché and it doesn't add anything special for me.

I am most surprised by the fact that, although they normally irritate me, George Lopez and Tracy Morgan are great in this movie. I found myself enjoying the movie much more when Lopez' character came on. Both of them are kept in check enough that they don't take over the screen. As I said I adore Anne Hathaway. Every one of her films I enjoy enough to watch more than once. Well, except maybe Bride Wars.

The movie is charming and bright and colorful and fun. Even the human villains are more bungling idiots than a real serious threat. It wouldn't fit this movie for them to die so instead each one of them is embarrassed beyond belief.

This is the best movie I have seen this year.

★★★★

Scream 4 (2011) Review

Scream 4 or as the posters spell it, Scre4m, is the third sequel in the blockbuster franchise by the second master of suspense Wes Craven. It follows the rules of sequels that says if the third movie sucks then the fourth won't be as bad but still will not be up to par with the original.

It's been ten years since the events in Scream 3 and Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has finally been able to put her life back together with the help of a bestselling book. She returns to the town of Woodsboro, a place she hasn't been to since the first movie. There she, once again, meets up with Ghostface.

Fifteen years ago director Craven and writer Kevin Williamson were able to somehow capture lightning in a bottle. Everything about the original film worked. It was a great combination of horror and satire. Now the series has its own clichés.

Like I said earlier this movie is better than Scream 3 but that's like saying Rocky V is better than Rocky Balboa. Not much of an accomplishment. This movie follows a formula. First a phone call, then a threat, then a surprise, then a killing. The whole movie is largely nothing more than a series of setups and slashings, setups and slashings, setups and, well you see where I am going with this.

The major problem with the movie is that Kevin Williamson doesn't seem sure about which characters to focus on. Instead of giving new characters the spotlight he chooses to sort of write the three main ones into a storyline that doesn't really need them that badly.

Remember The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King? The one with six endings. This movie had six openings with each one being revealed to be nothing more than the opening for the fictional Stab movies. First Stab 6, then it's revealed that the people watching Stab 6 are actually in Stab 7.

I must say that watching the movie wasn't even half as enjoyable as listening to the audience I was watching it with.

★★

127 Hours (2010) Review

127 Hours is 5 days. That's how long Aron Ralston (James Franco) is trapped between a rock and a hard place. Literally. Based upon a true story, 127 Hours is about a young engineer who, when hiking in the desert, gets his arm stuck between a large boulder and a canyon wall. The boulder is too big to move and has wedged his hand just perfectly. The next hour and a half of the movie takes place in that canyon. Aron never actually gives up trying to escape but has no qualms about the fact that he is probably going to die. No one knows where he is because Aron broke the number one rule about hiking alone. Always let someone know where you are going.

Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) is famous for doing weird things with the camera. At first he begins the film with wide shots and is able to show a carefree feeling. Then by filming the last two-thirds of the movie in extreme close-up he creates a sense of claustrophobia. We feel stuck in that tiny canyon along with Aron.

Over the last couple of years James Franco has consistently given believable performances. 127 Hours is his best yet. So few actors are able to carry an entire movie all by themselves.

However I must confess that I do have some criticisms with the picture. There are far too many flashbacks that Aron goes through with no real explanation or purpose for them. I would much rather have spent time seeing Aron try to get out and talking to a hand-held camera where he creates a sort of manifesto. Those moments are by far the most compelling and the flashbacks slow the film down.

Aron manages to escape but in order to do so he must do something that the audience sees as unthinkable. There is no way around that outcome or reaction from the audience.

★★★

Sidney Lumet

One of the last great directors, Sidney Lumet died last Saturday. He was 86. I feel that he was worthy of a blog post as one of my own personal favorite directors and a huge influence on me and a major reason why I want to be a director.

There really isn't much that can be said about him that hasn't already been said by anyone else but I'm going to make an attempt.

With a career spanning half a century and such films as Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, 12 Angry Men and Before The Devil Knows You're Dead few directors were always so respectful of an audience's intelligence. He was so wide-ranged that he could not be put into any category.

Much like Robert Altman and Alfred Hitchcock he is in a special class of directors who never received an Academy Award despite being nominated several times and being highly respected in the film industry and around the world. Fortunately his films and his genius will continue to live on in other filmmakers and his films will continue to be talked about and revered for years and years. You mark my words.

The 13th Warrior (1999) Review

Why can't Hollywood ever seem to get Michael Crichton's material right? Jurassic Park was the one time it was done satisfactorily. After that all of it has been bad. This is just another example.

Arab courtier Ahmad Ibn Fadlan (Antonio Banderas) is sent to the barbaric north as an emissary, because he fell in love with the wrong woman. In AD 922, this usually meant goodbye forever. Shortly after the party ran into exploring Vikings and befriended them, a young boy reaches the camp to call the warriors home: The Wendol, creatures of the Mist, have started attacking their homeland, killing and eating everyone in their way. The oracle forces a thirteenth warrior to accompany the Vikings, but this must not be a man from the north. Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, who quickly is nicknamed Eban, is chosen. At first Eban does not feel comfortable with the strange, smelly men of the north, but when he finds out that the Wendol are only men, he bravely fights alongside the Vikings in a battle that probably can't be won.

The movie has far too many inconsistencies to overlook. At one point one of the Vikings gives Eban a long sword. He says he can't lift it, so what does the Viking say? Grow stronger. Ahmad doesn't grow stronger but instead he has the sword changed to a curved blade. All of a sudden he is a master at swordfighting simply because he changed the sword. Another issue is how easy it becomes to kill the Wendol when it is discovered that they are not super bear-human hybrids but are only cannabilistic cavemen. How does Ahmad communicate with the Vikings? They speak a different language that he manages to learn in one night around the campfire.

The movie is full of excruciatingly violent deaths (decapitations, dismemberments, arrows into the skull etc.). The story seems to take a backseat to those deaths, many of them are difficult to see because of the poor cinematography.

I don't know what movie director John McTiernan (Die Hard) was trying to make. It tries to transcend between horror and action but doesn't have the balance to walk that line.

★1/2

The Gingerdead Man (2005)

I know what you are thinking. Why would the creator of the best review blog on the planet, who has incredibly high standards, waste a portion of his life watching a movie called The Gingerdead Man? Well, I’m going to tell you. It’s the same reason I watched The Mangler and Monkey Shines. Some movies are so bad they are entertaining. If for nothing other than give you the material to make some good jokes. I picked this up with the hope that I would have a fun-filled evening laughing at stupidity and meaninglessness disguised as a movie. Let’s just say I didn’t.

The movie is about an evil Gingerbread man who comes to life with the soul of a convicted killer (Gary Busey). He wreaks havoc on the girl who sent him to the electric chair with her testimony. Did I mention that his name is Millard Findlemeyer? Clever.

The movie wasn’t even worth making fun of. It was a profoundly pointless experience that I wish I never had. It wasn’t funny or even slightly humorous and it certainly wasn’t scary (although I didn’t think it would be)

To prove how bored I was I’m going to tell you a little bit of a story. My uncle has a bedroom just on the other side of the room where I was watching the movie. His room is complete with a flat-screen TV and DVR satellite. We actually became more interested in trying to figure out what it was that he was watching without going in there.

Clocking in at just south of seventy minutes this story of a cookie monster is too short to be a feature film.

It’s as though they had a movie and then unmade it. I wish they had completely unmade it and let the cookie crumble.

I refuse to assign this trash a star rating of any kind.

On Golden Pond (1981) Review

Anyone who knows me well, or even anyone who looks at one of the pictures in my office, knows that my favorite actress is Katharine Hepburn. She may have not always been in great movies but she was always, as she wrote in her biography, adorable in all of them. On Golden Pond is a great movie where she is perfect.

Based upon the stage play by Ernest Thompson (who also wrote the screenplay) takes place one summer on a lake that is, of course, called Golden Pond. Norman (Henry Fonda) and Ethel Thayer (Hepburn) are an aging couple who own a cottage on the lake that they visit every summer. Together they have one daughter, Chelsea (Played by Henry Fonda's real life daughter Jane Fonda), who decides that she needs to visit for Norman's eightieth birthday. She brings along her boyfriend Bill (Dabney Coleman) and his son Billy (Doug McKeon) and then travels to Europe with Bill. They leave Billy to spend the summer with Ethel and Norman.
The entire film centers on the various relationships that the other characters have with Norman. Ethel loves him and Chelsea feels neglected by him.

As I said above Katharine Hepburn is perfect in this but I also need to mention the incomparable performance given by Henry Fonda. On the surface Norman is a humorous old man but there is a visible tragedy beneath that humor that Fonda balances in a way that is extremely subtle but nonetheless moving.

I think it's everyone's secret wish to be like Norman and Ethel. People want to find someone to grow old with and still be in love. That's why this film is so readable and touching.

Definitely worth watching more than once.

★★★★