Archive for July, 2010

The Rage in Placid Lake

Posted by will on July 20, 2010

Director: Tony McNamara
Rating: PG-13
Release: 2003
Language: English
Runtime: 89 minutes
Plot: Placid Lake isn’t your usual rebel. He wants to work in insurance.

Placid Lake, the only, lonely child of pacifist, suburban hippies is trying to take himself seriously. Although, from the beginning, you, the viewer, are only to take the seriousness of the film with a grain of salt. The Rage in Placid Lake ends up being a enjoyable quirky coming of age tale presenting the freshly graduated Placid, disregarded by everyone except his best friend Gemma, looking to embrace the monotonous desk jockey lifestyle.

Call it a “early life crisis”. Placid gets a haircut (modeled after G. W. Bush), buys a suit, and saturates himself in the self-help section of the local library. From there, it’s on to a career in the exciting world of insurance.

Sounds boring, right? Although, it’s only 89 minutes long, the film has a nice pacing to it and presents a unique problem that sets itself from the normal social-oddball-finds-himself tale. How does one go from a life of freely flowing spirit and nonconformist Bohemia to the very much buttoned down world of economical and social “common-sense” and normalcy? This opposed to the Running With Scissors, Thumbsucker, and Rushmore styled movies makes the quandary even more unique and appealing.

Placid is played by Aussie musician Ben Lee opposite Gemma, portrayed by Rose Byrne, Placid’s genius best friend and sometimes foil. Both were pretty much perfect for the roles but I thought Garry McDonald and Miranda Richardson, as hippie-cum-basket cases stole the show in terms of character performance.

Rage in Placid Lake is a charming and sometimes sharply sardonic tale that is definitely worth 89 minutes of your time.

Click here to watch the movie in its entirety on Hulu. Or, stream it through Netflix.

The Verdict:

2 Comments on this post | Published in Comedy

Inception

Posted by benjamin on July 17, 2010

Director: Christopher Nolan
Rating: PG-13
Release: 2010
Language: English
Runtime: 148 minutes
Plot: Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. — Yahoo! Movies

Let me start this review by stating that Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite current directors and I’ve enjoyed all his films minus one (Insomnia). Inception was also my most anticipated film of the summer. So as you can tell, the hype for this film was already prepared for me.

And the hype was justified as Christopher Nolan nailed this one. This may not have been Nolan’s first trip inside the human mind (Memento) but with Inception the audience is pulled inside the mind into a world that is as much a dream as it is real. With each scene you are left uncertain if you are in a dream or in reality preparing for the next dream. And that’s the real beauty of this film because he really gets the subtleties of dreams that we may talk about briefly but really never look to learn more about: How do I travel to different locations within dreams? How can so much happen within my dreams in such a small period of time? How vulnerable am I within my dream? How do I wake from a dream?

Now, Nolan cannot accomplish everything on his own and must trust the actors that he has collected for his vision. Therefore, Nolan enlists the help of the ever growing, Bat Pack (yes, I just coined that name). The Bat Pack, as you are probably already formulating in your mind, consists of Michael Caine, Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy, and Ken Watanabe. Inception contains all minus Christian Bale even though Caine’s appearance within the movie is minimal at best. Even with actors of these great talents, Nolan adds even more talent through DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard (Big Fish fame to me), Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, and Ellen Page. Inception puts DiCaprio over the top for me in terms of an actor that I must see while the real star for me overall was Marion Cotillard. Cotillard’s character of Mal, DiCaprio’s wife in the film, combines a perfect mix of beauty, love, and creepiness. Yes, I said creepiness as her character consistently put me on edge and made me feel uncomfortable and weary of the relationship she had with DiCaprio’s character but I also wanted to see the two together for the love that was keeping them attached.

For a movie that clocks in at almost 2 and a half hours, I was weary about the pace of the film, much like I’m doing now with this review. Why would I doubt it would be anything less than perfect after seeing the Dark Knight? Well, yet again I was not disappointed. From the moment the film begins, we are off and running. In the beginning I was left wanting the speed to be slowed so that I could catch my breath and really think through what I was seeing but instead I was pulled along at the appropriate pace that was needed to keep us moving towards the conclusion. At the end of the film, I reflected back to realize that I never once questioned that speed should have changed because it was too slow or too fast other than I wanted the personal time to really think through the film.

In the end, Inception is a perfect ride through the world of dreams. Nolan’s story is new, interesting, and leaves me wanting to back to the theater to see it again and again just so I can find new elements to enjoy. As well as wrapping my mind around Nolan’s brilliant uses of escher visuals, including the one found within the poster above.

The Verdict:

5 Comments on this post | Published in Mystery & Thriller

Goal! The Dream Begins

Posted by benjamin on July 13, 2010

Director: Danny Cannon
Rating: PG-13
Release: 2005
Language: English
Runtime: 118 minutes
Plot: How far would you go to live your dreams? When Santiago Munez is given the chance of a lifetime, he must leave his family, his life in Los Angeles and everything that he knows to travel halfway around the globe to England and into a completely foreign world–the exciting, fast-paced and glamorous world of international soccer. — Yahoo! Movies

With the month of the World Cup finally coming to a close, I needed to find a film that would help me continue enjoying the beautiful game, soccer (a.k.a. football for those external to the US). Remembering viewing a trailer that seemed soccer centered many years ago and thanks to Netflix’s suggestions, I believe I found that film.

Goal! The Dream Begins finally provides a film related to soccer that takes the view point of drama as opposed to comedy or just action. This is a story about dreams and the love for the sport. Sure, it is filled with the typical cliches and a protagonist that constantly falls short of his dream throughout the course of the movie, but you still continue to watch and want to watch to see what will result in the end. The gameplay action shots even leave you wanting something more along the lines of Mean Machine or even Victory, but the movie is about the story and not really the action on the pitch.

The star, Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker), is the weak link in the film as his acting is too forced and not real enough for me as an audience member. However, the other actors around him (Alessandro Nivola of Face/Off, Tony Plana of 24, Stephen Dillane of John Adams, and Gary Lewis of Gangs of New York) seem to help pull the film along in bringing these emotions to life. Tony Plana probably has the largest back catalog of being in films with you never knowing his name and does his usual bang up job of being the stern father figure.

Now a film on the beautiful game would not be complete without a few guest appearances, whether credited or not. Some are as blatant as Beckham and Zinédine Zidane while others are as subtle as Steven Gerrard. Its great to see a few of the world’s finest trying to bring some notoriety to the film even though I don’t think any soccer fans (here in the US at least) even knew this film exists. However, even with a brief appearance by Beckham or a final showdown between Liverpool (I cheer for the men in red) and Newcastle United, I can’t be swayed in the fact that I really enjoyed this film. I enjoyed it so much, that I instantly made my way to Netflix to see if I could add the sequel to my queue. Thankfully it is on instant queue and awaiting my next play.

The Verdict:

P.S. It seems that I need to update my old soccer films list.

Comments on this post | Published in Drama

The Proposal

Posted by will on July 11, 2010

Director: Anne Fletcher
Rating: PG-13
Release: 2009
Language: English
Runtime: 108 minutes
Plot: A pushy boss forces her young assistant to marry her in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada

In a sense, romantic comedies are prefabricated euphoria. I think this is why I hate them (the opposite, desired effect).

The Proposal has been sitting in our Instant Queue for quite awhile. It took me a Saturday of boredom to finally relent to watch it. And, well, actually it wasn’t half bad.

First, let me state I really don’t care much for Ryan Reynolds. Nor Sandra Bullock (the Queen of Rom-Coms?). Couple this acting ensemble with my least favorite genre and I was expecting a train wreck.

While the story is one in the same (sticky situation goes sour, turns into “real” romance, everyone wins) with its special twist (overworked Canadian facing deportation, forces assistant into faux engagement, hijinks ensue … in Alaska), it wasn’t a bad way to spend an hour and a half. Maybe my tastes are becoming more mature, in-tune with the American standards, or lowering. Either case, the film was entertaining.

Reynolds and Bullock have some pretty good chemistry, although, you should definitely have low expectations for this type of film. As an aside, most people probably thought Betty White is the highlight of this movie. As for me, it just comes across as gimmicky (sorry, America). I promise I just don’t hate old people.

The Verdict:

Update for Benjamin’s Secondary Review:
For all that know me, I am not a fan of any and all “chick flicks.” I can probably count on one hand the number of romantic comedies that I have actually enjoyed. Therefore, it should come as quite a surprise that I actually chose to go see this movie over The Hangover. The main reason was the feeling that The Hangover was starting to get the over-hype treatment with me.

Overall, I’d say I was quite pleased with The Proposal. It’s nothing more than your simple “can love find its way” moving picture. You throw in the lovable Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, add some crazy Betty White, and the laughs will begin to appear.

The story is simple. Crazy, work first boss Margaret is being deported back to Canada until she forces her assistant to admit that they are getting married. The threat of hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and years in prison cannot qwell Andrew’s commitment to his boss and the possibility of a huge promotion. Man you have to love the American business world. First step in committing this fraud is to tell Andrew’s parents and of course his father who wants him to just take over the family business. Oh no…conflict….

Betty White steals the show as the crazy grandmother but Ryan and Sandra are entertaining in their own right. There are times when the movie gets too serious for how it starts, but it passes in time. Make certain you stay after with the credits for the funny post interviews with the Immigrations officer.

The Verdict:

Comments on this post | Published in Comedy, Romance

Despicable Me

Posted by benjamin on July 10, 2010

Directors: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud
Rating: PG
Release: 2010
Language: English
Runtime: 95 minutes
Plot: In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, we discover Gru planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon, yes, the moon. — Yahoo! Movies
Official Movie Website

I’ve been pumped to see this movie for sometime thanks to the interest my fiancée had in seeing the film. It also didn’t hurt that the trailers made it look especially cute and entertaining.

Now when I went to see the film, we opted to enjoy it in all its 3D glory as well as the XD Cinemark technology. I’m not a huge fan of 3D since most of the time it doesn’t really add much to a film and can sometimes be a deterrent to the actual story. However, Despicable Me didn’t follow those rules. The film was quite crisp and clear and after a certain period of time I even forgot that I was enjoying the film in 3D. There were a few shots that made the 3D look terrible (see the tip jar) and seemed to hurt the actual animation but they were so minimal that I’ll have to say that it was worth the few extra bucks to enjoy. Even for someone sitting in the second to front row (like I had to do) I was still even able to enjoy the film without much strain.

With the visuals out of the way, its time to get on to the actors/characters. Instead of listing the voice actors, I’ll just say see the cast of Forgetting Sarah Marshall as there are many hold overs between the two films. But the star of the film is around Gru who is voiced by Steve Carell. The accent Steve brought was perfect for the role and it was hard for me to think of Gru and Steve as the same person. He really brought the character to life. In addition to Steve, the three little girls that he cares for within the movie were perfect. Two newcommers and one returnee provided real emotion for the film.

Regardless of everyone else, the minions really stole the film. These little “twinkie” like characters were to Despicable Me what the penguins were to Madagascar. And for those who have a smartphone, there is a Best Buy app (cheap plug) that can be used at the end of the film to translate what the minions are saying during the credits. It was kind of cool for a sponsor tie in.

Overall, the film was very cute, sweet and fun. I thought the second half was better in terms of story and characters, but maybe that was because I spent the first half really getting to know who they were. My one real negative thing about the film was that it was a little edgey at times similar to the ways that the Shrek films were, but Despicable Me was more open and not trying to hide the jokes as much.

The Verdict:

1 Comment on this post | Published in Comedy, Family