Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Monster House

New from The Movie Snob

Monster House (B-). Remember when you were growing up and there was that creepy house on your street? With a grumpy old man living there who scared the wits out of all the kids on the block? That's the set-up of this new animated feature. Moreover, this particular haunted house is not just content to sit there and be haunted--if you get too close, it will actually eat you! Three little kids become aware of this disturbing quality on Halloween and race against time to find some way to stop the conniving cottage from devouring the neighborhood's children. The striking visuals are the main attraction here, especially the house itself. The vocal characterizations are good too, featuring stalwarts such as Steve Buscemi and Fred Willard. But the plot, or at least the back story for how the house became haunted, doesn't make a lot of sense, and the animated characters themselves are needlessly ugly. They're like a bunch of rejects from Pixar or something. Decent effort overall, a little too scary for the littlest kids though.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Invincible

Movie review from Nick at Nite

Invincible

Wow. Caught a sneak peak of the Disney movie last night. Very impressive. It is a familiar story of a person down on his luck who perserves, works hard, and in the end is rewarded for his determination. This homage to Rudy, another excellent film, stars Mark Wahlberg as Vinnie Papale, the Philadelphia bartender that tried out for and made the Philadephia Eagles in 1976 at open invitation, and Greg Kennear as Dick Vermeil, the head coach of the Philadephia Eagles with a heart of gold. I just don't think enough movies with uplifting, positive, human interest stories are made. This movie has a good feel to it and will make you smile. Don't expect an Oscar caliber movie. It isn't. What it is, is an inspirational true story with no strings attached. Go see it. You will be glad you did. Incidentally, although this is a football movie, it is also a people story. I don't think you have to be a football fan to enjoy it. After you see Snakes on a Plane and are disappointed because it stinks, go down the hall and check this one out. You won't be sorry you did. I give it an "A."

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Artificial Happiness - a book review

From The Movie Snob.

Artificial Happiness: The Dark Side of the New Happy Class by Ronald W. Dworkin (Carroll & Graf 2006). This book got a very favorable review from a magazine I read regularly, so I picked it up. I expected a book with lots of stories about the dangers of overprescription of drugs like Prozac, Zoloft, etc. There was a little of that at the beginning, and a little more at the end, but in between is a great slab of text that tries to explain why anti-depressants (and alternative medicine and exercise therapy) have become so over-prescribed, which Dworkin says is also the story of how unhappiness came to be seen as a medical problem. It is a long story about the turf wars between and among primary-care physicians, psychiatrists, neurologists, and even the clergy. Dworkin, an anesthesiologist, somehow even tries to connect the abortion debate to this story. I guess it was sort of interesting, but not compared to the anecdotal stories about how anti-depressants can be counterproductive when prescribed for people suffering from garden-variety unhappiness. Like the guy who realized that he wasn't making anything of himself after college, found himself too overwhelmed to take steps he needed to do anything about it, and found relief through drugs. As Dworkin points out, the drugs didn't push him to improve himself, and in fact they just enabled him to continue stagnating without feeling bad about it. He signs off with a warning about the direction our society might take if a critical mass of people start using these drugs to feel good about themselves regardless of whether they are, in fact, good people.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Dungeons & Dreck

DVD review from The Movie Snob

Dungeons & Dragons (D-). Long before I became an erudite and sophisticated movie critic, The Movie Snob was an avid D&Der. Although there were rumors that Hollywood was making a movie explicitly based on the Dungeons & Dragons game way back in the 1980s, they came to nothing until this 2000 release. I heard it was bad and only just now got around to seeing it. Yes, it's a turkey. The special effects are cartoonish, the dialogue is lame, and the acting is abominable. Somehow they got Jeremy Irons to play the villainous sorceror Profion; he chews the scenery with insane glee, and for some reason he seems to think that he sounds more evil if he talks like he has a frog in his throat. Thora Birch is absolutely terrible as the idealistic empress who turns up from time to time to deliver a clunky speech about equality and brothrhood; she sounds just like she is reading them from cue cards. One of the Wayans brothers drops in; apparently nobody told him that he was supposed to be a medieval thief and not a character in a late-20th-century sit-com. Absolutely terrible.

P.S. According to reviews floating around the internet, the direct-to-video sequel from 2005 was actually a better movie.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

13 Going on 30

DVD review from The Movie Snob

13 Going on 30 (B-). This is like my cousin Diane's favorite movie, but she did not succeed in making me watch it until just recently. The film started out with two strikes against it: (1) I did not like Big, and I assumed that this movie was basically a remake, and (2) I am not a Jennifer Garner fan. I just don't think she is that cute. Anyhoo, the movie was a pleasantish surprise, even though it was extremely similar to big. Jenna is an unhappy 13-year-old who wakes up one day to find herself 17 years older. (Unlike Big, in this movie the 17 years really have gone by. In a sense, it's kind of a Rip Van Winkle sort of scenario.) Although Jenna finds that she is a successful magazine editor, she also discovers that she has no real friends and has fallen out of touch with both her parents and her childhood best friend Matt. Lessons are learned, "Thriller" is danced to, yada yada yada. Cute.

Friday, August 11, 2006

Ultraviolet is Ultrabad

New from Nick at Nite

Ultraviolet. Usually, science fiction and Milla Jovovich are "two great things that go great together," e.g. The Fifth Element, Resident Evil, and Resident Evil: Apocalypse, you know, just like chocolate and peanut butter. In this movie, they don't go too well together, you know, just like Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt. Ultraviolet, based on a Japanese comic book, is the story about humans who become infected with a virus that turns them into something similar to a vampire, but without the blood sucking. Turns out the uninfected humans hate the infected humans. Milla Jovovich is infected and is trying to make it so everyone can just get along. FX are incomplete and unimpressive. How do all these people die, literally hundreds by swords and gun play, yet there is not more than an ounce of blood spilled by any of the characters? Plot? What plot? If you want to see some science fiction and you are a big Milla Jovovich fan, rent The Fifth Element. That Luc Besson film is excellent and strange. Save your money on this stinker. I give Ultraviolet, which should be right down my alley, an "F."

Thursday, August 10, 2006

V for Vendetta

New from Nick at Nite

V for Vendetta. This is not your father's made-for-television sci-fi mini-series. No alien lizard babies were birthed by human mothers in this movie, humans are not eaten by alien lizards in this movie, and humans do not rise up to destroy the alien lizards who suddenly reappear in a later television series. This is a better-than-most movie adaptation of a comic book intended for adults. It is a cross between The Count of Monte Cristo, 1984, Brazil, Zorro, and Moscow on the Hudson (okay, not so much Moscow on the Hudson). It is very entertaining, the acting is superb, and the story is an original twist on a well-known plot. Basically, through fearmongering a dictatorship takes over England (see George Bush and the Republican Party). A victim of the ruling junta rises up to challenge the dictatorship (junta meaning - military dictatorship). The masked victim, known as "V," mobilizes the people who revolt against the ruling junta by planning a Guy Fawkes' type demonstration (remember November 5th and big explosions). Natalie Portman, who plays a friend, acquaintance, confidant, aide, etc ... to V, continues to make me think she will eventually be remembered as one of the greatest actresses of her generation (I think she is destined for Oscar glory). This movie was not well-received by the critics or the movie going public. I think they were wrong. I think they expected the Matrix Part IV since this movie was produced by the same Wachowski brothers. Well, it is not the Matrix. Get over it. The production values are the same, it is not a good as the first Matrix, but does not have the tired feel of the second two films. I think the critics bashed the movie because the don't like the Wachowski brothers. They are strange, but that is no reason to dismiss the film. I say rent it. You won't be disappointed that you did. I give it an "A." Pay special attention to the monologue given by V, where he uses a series of words that start with the letter "v." A very visceral venting by V.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

That Hideous Strength

Book review from The Movie Snob

That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis. This is the last, longest, and most outlandish book in Lewis's "space trilogy." In fact, this one does not involve outer space at all; the action is situated entirely on terra firma. The forces of evil are launching an effort at world domination through an international organization ironically named N.I.C.E. (National Institute of Coordinated Experiments). The forces of good are a very small band of people led by Dr. Ransom, hero of the first two books in the trilogy. Although ostensibly a very scientific and techonologically advanced organization, the N.I.C.E. is secretly on a quest to unearth and revive none other than Merlin the Wizard himself, whom it plans to co-opt in its evil scheme. Ransom and his forces take this threat completely seriously and strive to get to the old magician first. It is a very strange book, but not a bad read. Still, I think the first book in the series, Out of the Silent Planet, was the best.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Belle de Jour

A new review from The Movie Snob

Belle de Jour (C). This foreign film from 1967 is now is re-release at a local arthouse theater. The beautiful Catherine Deneuve (the Nicole Kidman of her time?) stars as Severine, a young woman recently married to a handsome doctor. All is not well with the newlyweds, however. Severine is apparently frigid towards her husband but simultaneously indulges in rather lurid daydreams (vividly shown to the moviegoer). When she chances to hear about an upscale brothel in downtown Paris, she hesitantly goes there and hesitantly takes a day job as a prostitute. She soon grows to love her work, but things take a dark turn when one of her customers, a hideous gangster, becomes obsessed with her. A very strange movie in which it is sometimes unclear what is real and what is happening only in Severine's head. Not very explicit by today's standards, but still disturbing in places. View with caution.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Ole! for The Matador

From Nick at Nite

The Matador

Brilliant. Pierce Brosnan is remarkably sleazy in this story about a corporate hitman entering a mid-life crisis. Greg Kinnear is also very good as the doe-eyed businessman who has a chance run-in with the Matador. I don't want to give too much away, so I won't give any more plot details. It is a little crass - mostly because the Matador has a foul mouth and apparently quite a libido. Has a sex scene that made my wife turn away from the screen (however, it is rated "R," not NC-17, for a reason). Check it out. I give it an "A."

Sunday, August 06, 2006

The Devil Wears Prada - Take Two

From The Movie Snob

The Devil Wears Prada (B). We've already reviewed this one, so I'll be brief. Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries) plays Andy, a college graduate and aspiring journalist who has moved to NYC and who dreams of Making A Difference in the world. Yet, almost despite herself, she lands a job as the second assistant to the Miranda Priestly, the powerful and feared editor of a Vogue-like magazine. Meryl Streep (Death Becomes Her, A Prairie Home Companion) steals the show as the icy yet ferocious Priestly. The story arc is not exactly groundbreaking -- naive but talented newcomer in the big city makes good but risks losing her soul in the process -- but the doe-eyed Hathaway and the amazing Streep make the predictable material enjoyable. Worth a look.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Zombies, Munich

New reviews from Nick at Nite

Land of the Dead

I love Zombie movies. Anyone who really knows me, knows I do. I can't really explain it. I saw Omega Man at an early age and was struck by the way Charleston Heston existed as the lone survivor in a post-apocalyptic world run amok with the Zombies. From Omega Man I moved on to Day of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead, Shaun of the Dead, Resident Evil, the list goes on and on and on ... I was pumped about seeing Land of the Dead because it is from the mind of George Romero, the grandfather of all modern day Zombie movies. My viewing of the film was delayed because Blockbuster got into a dispute with George over the distribution of the film. The result: you could buy it at BestBuy or Amazon or wait for it to come out on cable. I waited. I caught it last night at 11:30 on HBO. I could not have been more disappointed. Everything that was campy, strange, and scary about the first George Romero's movies was missing from this movie. This movie took itself a little too seriously, without the plot, actors, or special effects to justify it. It just was not what I expected. Basically, Dennis Hopper has taken over an exclusive high-rise building in a the middle of an unnamed city and managed to keep all the Zombies outside the city. He has created a rich-poor gap inside the city - with lower class workers living in old warehouses and rich folk living in his high-rise. Well the rich-poor gap spills out into the Zombies who attack the city. Much mayhem ensues. People die. People get eaten. I was mostly bored. Save your money, save your time. Rent one of George's older movies or rent Shaun of the Dead, it's a riot. I give it an F.

Munich

Spielberg is a genius. I have enjoyed every movie he has ever made, with the notable exception of Munich. Unlike others, who were disappointed in the movie because they thought it was only supposed to be about the original hostage crisis at the Munich Olympics, I was disappointed because the after story seemed slow. I know a story about how the Israeli secret service took out its revenge on those responsible for the hostage crisis should be a reflection of the methodical and deliberate nature of the Israeli secret service's actions, but how Spielberg was able to take such an interesting and compelling story and make it boring, I'll never know. Honestly, I might have been more interested in the how-did-they-do-that and who-is-that-person, than in emotive character development. I'll give it a C. He can do better.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

A Scanner Darkly

New from The Movie Snob

A Scanner Darkly (B-). First, a word about Philip K. Dick, whose novel is the basis for the movie. Several of his works have inspired movies, most famously Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report. If you like science-fiction, especially dystopian science fiction, you should give Dick a try. I read a few of his books as a kid, and I generally enjoyed them. Be warned that they are very weird, like Ubik, a story about a gang of psychics whose leader is killed -- and then starts sending them mysterious messages from beyond the grave.

Anyway, Scanner is considered one of Dick's best books, but I remember trying to read it, getting confused, and eventually giving up. The movie is much more straightforward than I remember the book being. Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) is a dopehead hooked on the horrifically addictive "Substance D," along with 20% of the population of America. But he is also "Fred," a narcotics agent assigned to spy on Bob Arctor and his small "family" of fellow dopeheads (Woody Harrelson, Robert Downey, Jr., Winona Ryder). When he reports to work, he wears a high-tech, identity-concealing suit so effective that even his bosses don't know his true identity (although they assume he is either Arctor or one of his cronies). Which is his real identity? Substance D is so powerful and destructive that even he isn't sure any more. The movie can be taken as a warning against the danger the "war on drugs" poses to our civil liberties, but its unflinching look at the pathetic, brain-damaged drug users seems to justify even harsh measures intended to stem the tide.

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