= 3 stars

Starring Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff
Directed by Sam Taylor-Wood

Synopsis

Taken in by his aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas), teenager John Lennon (Aaron Johnson) is going nowhere fast, until his estranged, free-spirited mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff) introduces him to rock and roll.

The Good

• Mines the unexplored, pre-Beatles portion of Lennon’s life (out of necessity with other periods duly covered). John is fifteen, hasn’t yet met Paul, and has yet to pick up a musical instrument. But instead of pop stardom, drama arises through a tug-of-war between Lennon’s carefree birth mother Julia, responsible Aunt Mimi, and absent father figures. It’s suggested Lennon resorted to music not only for the sex, drugs, and rock and roll, but as an escape from a deeply troubled life defined by a lack of options.
• Deftly lends power to the forgettable early Lennon / McCartney song “In Spite Of All The Danger” in one scene establishing The Beatles as John’s new, surrogate family, with long-sought emotional comfort found through his art.
• The nervous and out-of-sorts Johnson is passable as Lennon, but the real key performance is Scott-Thomas as the steely, grounded Aunt Mimi.
• Inspires a revisit of the average Backbeat featuring the early Beatles in Hamburg — no mean feat.

The Bad

• Paul and George look way too young.
• Meandering direction; could’ve used an aggressive editor.
• No Beatles music as none existed at the time.

Conclusion

Grounded by Scott Thomas’ performance, Nowhere Boy pulls off an interesting trick: it humanizes its subject by downplaying the standard rags-to-riches musical biopic plot, and is therefore more able to delve into the pain behind the pop tunes. Without half-baked covers of The Beatles’ familiar hits — we feel the pain driving those primal screams contained within “Mother.”

IMDB: Nowhere Boy
Wikipedia: Nowhere Boy
Rotten Tomatoes: Nowhere Boy

= 3 stars

Starring Jodie Foster, Cherrie Currie, Scott Baio
Directed by Adrian Lyne

Synopsis

Life’s hardly a bowl of curried cherries for four teenage girls in LA.

The Good

• Foster as precocious Jeanie, the sole girl with brains among a sea of idiots. An argument scene between Jeanie and her distracted mother Mary (Sally Kellerman) displays Foster’s acting chops. Cherrie Currie (lead singer of The Runaways) is passable as the messed up, impulsive girl Annie with an abusive cop father.
• Some amusement in the seventies setting; hung-over parents emerging from the free-for-all sixties and failing at proper parenting. Also fun is the proto-hair-metal band (Angel) sporting glammy poses.

The Bad

• Silly, cliched, and pointless plot drags; the girls sport sassy attitude, are forced to grow up too fast, have a party and trash the house, do drugs, all overlaid with awful dialog and cheesy seventies light rock music.
• In a so-bad-its-good climactic moment, Scott Baio on a skateboard pushes a scary dude through a convenience-store window.
• Not a good sign when a major character dies and you’ve past the point of caring.

Conclusion

Really only one viewing reason — Jodie Foster’s smart acting amid the surrounding awfulness. That was good enough for me; don’t think it’ll suffice for you.

IMDB: Foxes
Wikipedia: Foxes
Rotten Tomatoes: Foxes

= 3 stars

Starring Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin, Karin Dor
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Synopsis

Russian defectors provide American agents intelligence on a Cuban arms deal — that somehow involves the code word “Topaz.”

The Good

• Plays out in real-time as we follow information moving from Soviet defectors to American spies and through documents stolen from the Cubans. These clandestine proceedings are loosely based on events that led up to the Cuban missile crisis.
• Some appropriately tense Hitchcock moments: the camera following a hand grabbing a special suitcase and carrying it out the door, the ensuing, sudden violence, and Cuban soldiers utilizing a camera hidden in a loaf of bread.
• A few nice shots: an arresting image of tortured prisoners recalling Michelangelo’s Pieta, and a woman’s death shot dramatically from above.
• Amusing — albeit stereotypical — national groupings: bearded, gun-toting Cubans,nervous Russians, black-suited, aggressive American G-Men, and the cagey but romantic French.

The Bad

• Tediously long at two hours without enough action to break up scenes of people in suits discussing important matters.
• The unfamiliar cast is nowhere near charismatic as Hitch’s other luminous stars (Cary Grant, James Stewart, Grace Kelly). Andre Devereaux’s (Frederick Stafford) international romantic diversion has little chemistry.

Conclusion

A few interesting moments featuring Hitchcock’s directorial hand — but not required viewing by any means.

IMDB: Topaz
Wikipedia: Topaz
Rotten Tomatoes: Topaz

= 3 stars

Starring Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel
Directed by Jesse Peretz

Synopsis

Three sisters take in their well-meaning but not-very-bright brother Ned (Paul Rudd) after he sells pot to a cop.

The Good

• Solid performances by most, with special mention to Rudd, who lends subtle depth to what could have been a one-note character, making Ned well-meaning and likable, enough so that the cynical, idol-less world looks wrong and you wish more would see things through his rose-colored glasses. Also great is Banks as bossy, unethical sister Miranda, chanelling Parker Posey with less vinegary quirk and more humanity.
• Some genuinely funny moments; enjoyed the running-joke return to the hippie free-range farm, Paul’s conversations with his parole officer, aawkward threesome, and Miranda’s nerdy neighbor Jeremy (Adam Scott), a fan of Dune: The Director’s Cut.
• Dog named Willie Nelson.

The Bad

• Deschanel, slightly miscast as slutty sister Natalie.
• Plot doesn’t delve deeper and darker enough (was Paul dropped on his head as a child? Someone practice kung-fu on the ballerina?)
• Cheesy final moments, tying things up too neatly, plus a corny 500 Days Of Summer style end cap.

Conclusion

Cheesy and a bit too sincere, but I eventually warmed up and just accepted it all, thanks to Rudd’s aw-shucks performance. Sometimes you gotta just let that poor schlub sleep on your couch — even if the spouse says no. Worth a rental.

IMDB: Our Idiot Brother
Wikipedia: Our Idiot Brother
Rotten Tomatoes: Our Idiot Brother

= 3 stars

Starring Danny McBride, Ben Best, Mary Jane Bostic
Directed by Jody Hill

Synopsis

Egotistical Tae Kwon Do instructor Fred Simmons (Danny McBride) makes the most of his small town martial arts studio while everything else comes up short.

The Good

• Fred is an amusing combination of cocky and clueless, taking himself way too seriously and playing up past glory while the surrounding evidence (teaching kids, infomercial-style demos, an eye-rolling spouse) points to suburban mediocrity. McBride’s blue-collar, dead pan delivery of self-deluded denial provides most if not all the comedy.
• Some amusing situations and dialogue; loved the Martial arts convention featuring a B movie actor and creepy fifth level black belt friend, and the bizarre phrase “get untired, because there’s a two for one crab leg special at captain O’Landers.” Huh?

The Bad

• I can handle dark comedy and wacky perversions, but there’s a slightly inappropriate mean streak (beating up kids, a band member singing a bad song, and pissing on a wedding ring).
• Plot ultimately doesn’t do the funny characters justice. Fred doesn’t have much of a character arc, and after a really funny start, things just collapse into mean, juvenile humor.

Conclusion

Despite a truly funny main character and some funny lines and situations, not enough plot to take things to the next level of comedy — no black belt earned here. Passable rental.

IMDB: The Foot Fist Way
Wikipedia: The Foot Fist Way
Rotten Tomatoes: The Foot Fist Way

= 3 stars

Starring Jean-Pierre Leaud, Claude Jade, Marie-France Pisier
Directed by Francois Truffaut

Synopsis

Separated from his wife Christine (Claude Jade) and seeing someone new, Antoine (Jean-Pierre Leaud) reconnects with his ex-girlfriend, Colette (Marie-France Pisier).

The Good

• Many scenes from previous films in the cycle appear as flashbacks during interesting moments — as Colette reads Antoine’s memoirs, Antoine and Christine recall their first meeting while pondering divorce. The characters’ recollections may be Truffaut’s own exploration of his favorite moments.
• Tries to conclude character arcs that span four films and thirty years. But besides Jean-Pierre Leaud’s evolution and Claude Jade’s third appearance, we have the return of Colette (Marie-France Pisier) (Antoine And Colette) who has changed from the selfish, aloof girl to a confident, independent woman, who eventually guides Antoine toward a hopeful future.

The Bad

• Truffaut’s direction feels a bit off: has lost some of that early visual inventiveness, and has become oddly reliant on close ups.
• Colette’s corny romance with a bookseller.
• The reliance on scenes from earlier films sometimes doesn’t work; many had much more power in their original context. I dread someone watching these movies in the incorrect order. It’s also notable that none of the previous installments used flashbacks to such excess.
• The ending is oddly “up” based on the endings of all the films previous, and sadly, poor Christine’s situation feels the most unresolved.

Conclusion

The impressive Antoine Doniel cycle of five films (The 400 Blows, Antoine Et Colette, Stolen Kisses, Bed And Board, Love On The Run) spanning thirty years concludes on a satisfying note, but this is the first that cannot stand alone — therefore rendering me entirely uninterested in another. Thank the cinema gods a sequel will never happen.

IMDB: Love On The Run
Wikipedia: Love On The Run
Rotten Tomatoes: Love On The Run

= 3 stars

Starring Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw
Directed by John Lee Hancock

Synopsis

A wealthy mother (Sandra Bullock) takes in a disadvantaged youth (Quinton Aaron) who turns out to be an impressive football player. Based on the true story of football player Michael Orr.

The Good

• Bullock plays an actual character as opposed to her usual romantic comedy roles.
• Timely message of wealthy Americans doing more to help the poor. This is an alternate meaning of the phrase “blind side” — the “other side of town” typically ignored by the well-to-do.

The Bad

• Unremarkable direction and acting other than the two leads.
• Felt a little uncomfortable at times, summed up like this: it’s suggested the only solution to the main character’s plight is adoption, because the black community is a lost cause and beyond repair. In a sense, Orr’s only salvation is to abandon his culture and start over, under the sponsorship of a white family, which shepherds him into the stereotypical role in modern society reserved for African-Americans: professional sports athlete. Compare and contrast with Finding Forrester, The Pursuit Of Happyness, or Hoop Dreams.

Conclusion

A feel-good rags-to-riches sports movie with two solid performances, but dragged down by uncomfortable racial stereotypes and pandering directed right at middle America. It would have been more dramatically satisfying if Orr were a mathematical genius and his family from a Tyler Perry movie, but this wasn’t possible, as this ultimately bleak commentary on “two Americas” is supposedly based on a true story. I initially felt-good, but after further thought, my mood soured to feel-bad.

IMDB: The Blind Side
Wikipedia: The Blind Side
Rotten Tomatoes: The Blind Side

= 3 stars

Starring Anne Hathaway, Bill Irwin, Rosemarie DeWitt
Directed by Jonathan Demme

Synopsis

Rachel’s (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding may be derailed when her burnout sister, Kym (Anne Hathaway), fresh from rehab, makes an unscheduled appearance.

The Good

• Hathaway as the guilt-ridden, attention-seeking younger daughter Kym, who did something-very-bad-a-while-back that the family still hasn’t yet come to terms with. The self-destructive behavior and constant flutter of conflicted emotion crossing her face is a long way from Hathaway’s lighter fare.
• Genuinely real and confrontational at times; capturing the underlying tension between a joyous gathering of family and friends, and the impish impulse to expose the entire situation as a contrived sham. No family is perfect, human relationships are constantly in flux, and brushing the the screwed-up truth under a rug for the sake of keeping up appearances provides ample material for the genre “drama.”
• Rosemarie DeWitt = Don Draper’s beatnik friend Midge on Mad Men.

The Bad

• Either through lack of focus or wilting beside Hathaway’s burnt-out performance, bride-to-be Rachel and her groom Sidney fade into the background. The groom in particular remains a cipher save for a fun scene involving competitive dish washing. Without much interest in the couple, the wedding scenes became a bit tedious, as I kept wanting more of Kym’s story.
• Aimless and wandering direction. I was actually surprised to see Jonathan Demme’s name attached as it bears the loose (sloppy), documentary, hands-off editing style of many an indie filmmaker.

Conclusion

Hathaway’s almost too good, which is kind of bad, since she’s not supposed to be the sole focus. Perhaps the title “Kym’s Not Getting Married” would be more appropriate.

IMDB: Rachel Getting Married
Wikipedia: Rachel Getting Married
Rotten Tomatoes: Rachel Getting Married

= 3 stars

Starring Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Cyd Charisse
Directed by Vincente Minnelli

Synopsis

While hunting in the Scottish countryside, Tommy (Gene Kelly) and Jeff (Van Johnson) happen upon a mysterious village trapped in the past.

The Good

• Fascinating visuals featuring a combination of elaborate stages, hollywood sets, painted backgrounds, and a constantly moving camera trying to take everything in.
• Two dance numbers featuring Kelly and Charisse that faithfully evoke a brand-new romantic infatuation.

The Bad

• Once the explanation behind the mysterious village and its out-of-it citizens is revealed, the plot becomes wholly predictable — it’s not much of a stretch to know how it’s all going to play out and who ends up together.
• Other than the two numbers with Kelly and Charisse, not enough music / dance magic. The energy is rather somber and serious, nothing like the day-glow nutty fantasy of Singin’ In The Rain or An American In Paris. It’s missing one showcase, climactic number where the film drops away leaving only pure music / dance.

Conclusion

I’m forgiving of plot in movie musicals if there’s stellar music or dance to compensate, but that doesn’t happen in Brigadoon. I’d sooner watch Singin’ In The Rain for the 1,492th time than revisit this mysterious Scottish village — that appropriately, spends most of its existence shrouded in fog.

IMDB: Brigadoon
Wikipedia: Brigadoon

= 3 stars

Starring Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer

Synopsis

Nightclub pianist Al Roberts (Tom Neal) hitches a ride to a very dark place.

The Good

• Compelling film noir plot: ordinary guy makes bad choices, leading to increasingly terrible situations. The solid writing contains darkly comic, hard-boiled threats and metaphors, most delivered in voice-over as the main character explains his justification for each immoral move he feels forced to make.
• The manipulative femme fatale Vera (Ann Savage) and her shocking disregard for human life and manipulation of Al for her own, selfish purposes.

The Bad

• Noticeably low budget featuring limited locations (diners, seedy motels) and a projected backdrop for all driving scenes.
• Other than Savage’s (appropriate name) aggressive napalm-fuming — unremarkable acting.

Conclusion

Interesting example of solid plot and writing overcoming a low budget and amateurish performances. Worth a rental.

IMDB: Detour
Wikipedia: Detour
Rotten Tomatoes: Detour

= 3 stars

Starring Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher
Directed by Max Mayer

Synopsis

School teacher Beth (Rose Byrne) tries to get to know astronomy-obsessed, loner neighbor Adam (Hugh Dancy) — until his Asperger’s Syndrome gets in the way.

The Good

• Asperger’s places Adam in his own world, to where relating with others is a challenge. Dancy lends a pitch-perfect, reserved tone avoiding caricature or falling back on comedy.

The Bad

• The ancillary plot of Beth’s father (Peter Gallagher) running afoul of the law doesn’t reach the emotional catharsis hinted at — see Say Anything.
• Beth’s motivation for befriending Adam is never made clear; all we get is a bad past relationship mentioned in passing.

Conclusion

While I was somewhat let down by late plot developments, Adam is true to the characters and its ending makes logical sense — something worth commending in this day of the forced, happy ending. Worth a rental.

IMDB: Adam
Wikipedia: Adam
Rotten Tomatoes: Adam

= 3 stars

Starring Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner
Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

Synopsis

28 weeks after the violent plague that wreaked havoc across London in 28 Days Later, a family is torn apart while the US military takes over the city in an attempt to fight off the infected.

The Good

• Some scary thrills, the director does his best to imitate the chaotic, frentic camera moves and editing of the preceding film, and there’s one genuinely spooky sequence involving a night vision scope and Rose Byrne shrieking.
• Still captures that moral question of the first movie: the human will to survive makes it difficult for everyone else, as keeping an infected loved one alive might spread the infection.

The Bad

• Not as scary as the first film. The sheer numbers of the military takes away much of the suspense — in one scene, sharpshooters mow down crowds of zombies — rending things as frightening as a turkey shoot. I can only think that in order to differentiate itself, the makers were going for more mainstream action, perhaps Aliens, as seen by the young kids and a military heroine — well, they were unsuccessful.
• Hard to care whether unengaging characters live or die.

Conclusion

A passable rental, but the originality, excitement, and genuine scares of the previous installment is buried beneath the switch to action-adventure and gore. The relentless explosions, gunfire, and brooding render the first film’s minimalism and surprising plot twists more satisfying. And as a result, the open ending that hints at the obligatory sequel (28 Months Later) feels like a disappointment.

IMDB: 28 Weeks Later
Wikipedia: 28 Weeks Later
Rotten Tomatoes: 28 Weeks Later

= 3 stars

Starring Jason Ritter, Jess Weixler
Directed by Jay DiPietro

Synopsis

Peter (Jason Ritter) and Vandy (Josh Weixler) meet by accident, date, fall in love, and end up wholly dysfunctional.

The Good

• Weixler and Ritter are pretty good, particularly Weixler, standing up for herself amid Peter’s petty accusations. Her character (Vandy) ultimately bears the responsibility of deciding whether the relationship will continue — their relationship seems lopsided toward her tolerance of Peter’s Ethan Hawke-ish behavior.

The Bad

• Some interest in the time-jumping editing, but sets up an unfortunate comparison to 500 Days of Summer. Unfortunately, the plot, if put in the proper order, is far less interesting than Tom and Summer’s. Peter and Vandy’s most interesting situations are a Vietnamese restaurant with smelly pad thai and a heated conversation over how to properly prepare a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
• Rather lackluster direction; somber colors with the largest change in scenery a few sweaters.

Conclusion

Interesting indie film with two good performances at its core, unfortunately all else is sub-par. I’ll keep an eye out for Ritter and Weixler, however — in other movies.

IMDB: Peter And Vandy
Rotten Tomatoes: Peter And Vandy

= 3 stars

Starring Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling
Directed by Olivier Assayas

Synopsis

After their mother’s death, three siblings divide up her estate, part of which is a valuable art collection.

The Good

• Concerns the universal subject, death and what happens with all the memories, thoughts, secrets, and worldly possessions when you die. It’s too easy to say youth always wipes away the old. The distracted adult children and grandkids impose their own importance on the late grandmother’s possessions, or ignore them altogether, summed up when the next generation gazes upon an old Corot painting and can’t articulate whether they like it or not, only able to say it’s “from another era.”
• Some comment on today’s fragmented families and its effect on what’s passed on to the next generation; family members are scattered across the globe which unfortunately influences what becomes of the estate. Pieces end up in a museum where they lose their emotional context. One wonders if their display to many strangers is better than the ownership by an individual who imparts an object with personal value and therefore meaning.
• Pleasingly vague final scene, likely depending on the viewer’s age. Being middle-aged, I was dismayed to see youth rudely adapting the old to their own purposes, but also touched a young girl treasuring her grandmother’s story as opposed to the unwanted material goods. The way the different characters fade off of the screen follows the pattern of life itself — grandmother passes first, then the parents, and the youth own the future.

The Bad

• Not enough Binoche.
• Wanted more sibling conflict.
• All characters have that upper-middle-class, educated disposition that is targeted directly at the upper-middle-class art house type folks that would see this sort of movie, and patronize the museums. These people have no pressing worries; and it would have been nice to have one heir desperate to sell their inherited items for some quick cash.

Conclusion

Death and modern life asks the survivors to heal simultaneously, which of course is impossible since death is emotional and affects everyone differently. And second, values change over a lifetime — perhaps only while very young and very old are we above gross materialism. Good thoughts, but that said, I wished for more emotional contrasts rather than contrast between young and old, the personal and publicly displayed — too subtle for my taste.

IMDB: Summer Hours
Wikipedia: Summer Hours
Rotten Tomatoes: Summer Hours

= 3 stars

Starring Robin Williams, Daryl Sabara, Alexie Gilmore
Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait

Synopsis

English teacher Lance (Robin Williams) is stuck in a rut; with a stack of unpublished novels and a teenage son Kyle (Daryl Sabara) who hates everything.

The Good

• Teenage son Kyle (Daryl Sabara) is an acerbic jerk, saving particular resentment for his emasculated, lonely father Lance — I found both darkly hilarious. The teen years are a fox-and-the-grapes age where, lacking in accomplishments, it’s easier to define yourself through what you hate. Particular choice lines: “movies are for art fags,” “all music is gay” and “being in public with two teachers is AIDS.”
• Williams pulls off a tricky mix of warm / funny yet creepily desperate. His twisted facial expressions summarize the bitter irony of loving and raising a child only to find it become it sullen and resentful upon reaching puberty.
• Lance earned my sympathy, but that feeling was soon tested as he becomes possibly the biggest liar in the known universe. This tug-of-war is refreshingly unpredictable until the very end, and along the way, I wondered if a horrible lie that leads to greater good can be forgiven.
• Goldthwait (yes, that Goldthwait) displays some bold directorial choices leading to memorable scenes, namely a dinner where father and son finally bond over something — however ridiculous — and the final moments following Lance’s inevitable confession. The camera displays Lance’s point of view, and there’s an oddly uplifting diving (falling) scene.

The Bad

• One crucial plot element so reprehensible, I nearly stopped watching. Oddly, it’s the impetus for everything that follows, and the film’s funniest character is absent through the second half. I think it could have been handled differently (a faked death?). In its defense — on par with a student blowing up a suicide-stricken school.

Conclusion

Difficult review. I liked the characters, performances, some thought-provoking insight into lies and fame, and direction, but one plot choice nearly ruins everything. Only for those with a strong stomach for dark comedy.

IMDB: World’s Greatest Dad
Wikipedia: World’s Greatest Dad
Rotten Tomatoes: World’s Greatest Dad

= 3 stars

Starring various Macintosh fanboys
Directed by Kobi Shely

Synopsis

Documentary on the nutty “fanboys” that revere Apple, its products, and Steve Jobs like a religion.

The Good

• Picture postcard of Apple’s home base of Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and California — some candid clips and interviews feature Moscone Center during an annual MacWorld pilgrimage.
• Solid overview of Apple history, leading up to the iPhone introduction and those line-waiting fanatics. Mentions the “dark days” in the mid 1990s when Apple’s viability was in doubt. The most impressive Apple loyalists (ahem) are those monk-like individuals, who persevered through this dark period without giving in to heretics and purchased a PC. Special attention to the waning Macintosh User Groups, due to the ubiquity of the Internet — younger users find community and answers computer problems online.
• Preferred over Welcome To Macintosh.

The Bad

• Frantic editing, as if the director is unsure of the material, flitting from clip to clip.
• Save Guy Kawasaki and Steve Jobs at a keynote, screen time is filled with unknowns or ancillary personalities only loosely associated with Apple.

Conclusion

More respectful than Trekkies, contains occasionally amusing insight into the “Mac fanboys” persona — of which I remain a card-carrying member. I just wish a better director would take an interest in this material.

IMDB: Macheads

= 3 stars

Starring Anat Baron, Sam Calagione, Rhonda Kallman
Directed by Anat Baron

Synopsis

Documentary on American microbreweries struggling to survive beneath the market dominance of large breweries, specifically Anheuser-Busch.

The Good

• Enlightening information: the beer industry is dominated by three big companies (Anheuser-Busch, Coors, and Miller) and subsequent mergers (Coors + Miller while Anheuser-Busch was purchased by InBev). These companies control store distribution (microbreweries fight for space on a delivery truck owned by larger companies) and develop “fake” microbrews to stamp out the competition — the organic beer Stone Mill is actually made by Anheuser-Busch.
• A candid look at the business challenges faced by the microbreweries Dogfish and Moonshot, specifically the daily pressure on their families just to stay solvent. It’s fascinating to see entrepreneurial drive that nearly crosses the line into dangerous obsession.

The Bad

• A few slightly pointless documentary clichés: cartoons introducing the host, aMichael-Moore style big interview with the corporate CEO — which of course, never happens, and a few “host questions the averge person on the street” segments to which the answers are inevitably “no idea.”
• Doesn’t delve deep enough into the subject matter, lacks the “hard-hitting” element, and goes flat by the end. A call to support microbreweries is made, but feels less compelling than say, Food Inc. where the mass production of food is both cruel to animals plus makes you unhealthy. How about a chemical analysis on Bud Light?

Conclusion

If you’re a beer drinker with a particular predilection for microbreweries, worth a rental. Otherwise, compared to other documentaries, seems torn between a celebration of beer and an expose of megacorporations. Bears the hoppy aroma of Food Inc. O’Douls Lite.

IMDB: Beer Wars
Wikipedia: Beer Wars
Rotten Tomatoes: Beer Wars

= 3 stars

Starring Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Eigeman
Directed by Whit Stillman

Synopsis

Coworkers Alice (Chloe Sevigny) and Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale) search for love and meaning during the dying days of New York disco in the early eighties.

The Good

• Solid performances; Sevigny as the quiet yet intelligent Alice, reminiscent of Dr. Zhivago — observing rather than acting — and Beckinsale as the unintentionally bitchy and hypocritical Charlotte, the worst type of friend, oblivious to their selfishness. Lastly, Eigeman (a Stillman standard) providing snarky comic relief as the possibly gay cad who works at the disco.
• Some social commentary regarding the fun of the late seventies coming to an abrupt halt with the crushing, early eighties recession and warning signs of the AIDS epidemic.

The Bad

• Doesn’t provide interest much beyond relationship troubles. There’s a subplot of a FBI investigation into corruption at the disco club that could have been directed in a contrasting thriller manner.
• Odd that the many great disco tunes in the soundtrack rarely inspires dancing.
• Save for Eigeman, the other male characters are nowhere near as compelling as Alice or Charlotte.
• Not enough explanation or nostalgia for disco and what it meant to society in general back then. Some commentary and nostalgic footage arrives at the end, which is way too late.

Conclusion

I had pretty high hopes due to my love of Metropolitan, and save for Sevingy’s performance, was let down. If you want a wacky disco nostalgia trip, this isn’t it. But if you want to see a relationship essay with strong, early performances by Sevigny and Beckensale, it’s worth a rental. They almost make the film dance — and Stillman’s going down in my book as a “one hit wonder.”

IMDB: The Last Days Of Disco
Wikipedia: The Last Days Of Disco
Rotten Tomatoes: The Last Days Of Disco

= 3 stars

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Bill Hader
Directed by Greg Mottola

Synopsis

When his post-college trip to Europe falls through, James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) gets a job at the pathetic amusement park Adventureland. Hilarity ensues.

The Good

• Relatively quick pace; James is soon awkwardly attracted to coworker Em (Kristen Stewart), and a love triangle is speedily set up, all thanks to efficient direction by Mottola (Superbad). Also sports a fairly brilliant, sudden ending. The amusement park becomes a holding ground for the awkward post-adolescent, pre-adult stage.
• Cynical, jaded workplace humor: park supervisor Bobby (Bill Hader) is a mustachioed tyrant, the all-too-common, middle-aged middle-manager taking their job way too seriously. Also amusing are several pathetic bottom-barrel amusement park workers, stoners, rockers, and hot chicks sporting suggestive shirts announcing “Rides.”
• Stewart solidly captures a semi-worldly pensiveness, plus a special mention for Ryan Reynolds as Mike, the mysterious, older handyman / musician.
• The 1987 setting; the soundtrack features the Replacements, Falco (played 20 times a day), Big Star, Nick Lowe, Poison, Crowded House, The Cure, Whitesnake — all loaded on mix-tape cassettes in cars, arcade games, and amid piles of weed.

The Bad

• Eisenberg isn’t as compelling as Stewart, and there goes half the film.
• Not a comedy as the trailer would suggest; more of an indie-drama.

Conclusion

Worth a rental, particularly to those of the Gen-X demographic.

IMDB: Adventureland
Wikipedia: Adventureland
Rotten Tomatoes: Adventureland 88%

= 3 stars

Starring Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Alec Guinness
Directed by David Lean

Synopsis

Doctor and poet Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) falls in love with Lara (Julie Christie) during the Russian Bolshevik Revolution, and the ensuing societal upheaval changes their lives forever.

The Good

• Beautiful cinematography and Lean’s direction create an epic stage and wonderful moments: the frozen “ice palace,” a military train hurtling in the opposite direction of impoverished villagers, and peaceful protest marchers headed toward their doom. The larger machinations of war and societal upheaval are handled very well, most notably the lavishly decorated house that is ransacked when the communists take over.
• The song “Lara’s Theme” is an instant ear worm, one listen and it will be stuck in your mind for days.
• A few interesting performances break through: Alec Guinness as a serious, somber soldier, and Klaus Kinski as a prisoner on a train.

The Bad

• Nearly interminably long, two parts adding up to three hours.
• Although the story’s point is to show lives torn apart by the changes in Russian society, dramatically, the main character of Yuri is frustratingly passive — he’s constantly observing; watching things happen to others and not acting.

Conclusion

While I’ve seen Doctor Zhivago three times now, my biggest problem is that it looks great and feels epic, yet at its core, I repeatedly fail to connect with Yuri and Lara’s love story. I guess I need a little more realism, less “love at first sight,” or more active characters to take me through the three hours running time. Worth seeing, but I’ll easily take another trip through the similarly epic romance and lengthy Gone With The Wind or Lean’s masterpieces Lawrence Of Arabia and The Bridge On The River Kwai — while the time spent with Doctor Zhivago always feels like a chore. Even if I can’t get that song out of my head.

IMDB: Doctor Zhivago
Wikipedia: Doctor Zhivago
Rotten Tomatoes: Doctor Zhivago 83%

= 3 stars

Starring Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin
Directed by Christine Jeffs

Synopsis

Sisters Rose (Amy Adams) and Norah (Emily Blunt) start a crime-scene clean-up service, with mixed results.

The Good

• Adams and Blunt do the best they can with the so-so material; sympathy for both muddled characters eventually feels earned. I wasn’t that impressed with Blunt in The Jane Austen Book Club but she’s better here, as a looser, organic alterna-grump. Adams proves amusing even while lugging cleaning supplies and stabbing at blood stains with a toothbrush, but after so many great roles (Enchanted, Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, Doubt) I’m pathetically unobjective — yes, even after Leap Year.
• Interesting premise; the unpleasantness of crime-scene clean was featured in the Studs Terkel book Gig, and the plight of the unseen, overworked, and underpaid certainly deserves more screen time during these ongoing, difficult economic times.
• The light amusement of Rose and Norah’s incompetence soon gives way to a relatively deeper story of past pain, and explains the bond between the sisters. It’s explained in an unusual, touching manner, personally evoking Waitress and Twin Peaks.

The Bad

• Plot is the biggest failing; too many half-baked ideas with no hope of resolution: a neglected son, a one-armed man who builds model airplanes, a dad with too many bad business ideas, a potential lesbian romance, and an affair.
• Confusing tone caught between comedy and drama.

Conclusion

Passable rental, largely because Adams and Blunt manage to cut through the depressing subject matter and lukewarm story. I’d love a movie version of Nickel And Dimed, starring one or the other.

IMDB: Sunshine Cleaning
Wikipedia: Sunshine Cleaning
Rotten Tomatoes: Sunshine Cleaning 72%

= 3 stars after seeing the documentary, 2 stars otherwise

Starring Drew Barrymore, Jessica Lange
Directed by Michael Sucsy

Synopsis

Fictionalized biopic of Big and Little Edie Bouvier, relatives of Jackie Kennedy, filling in the back story of the bizarre yet mesmerizing documentary Grey Gardens.

The Good

• Fills in much biographical information I sought after watching the original Grey Gardens, showing both Edies when they were young and at the pinnacle of High Society. Mom sings at elaborate house parties while Little Edie moves to New York to become an actress.
• The slide from rich opulence to the absolute dumps is enthralling, as wallpaper peels, adopted animals arrive, and money vanishes. Both Barrymore and Lange slowly deteriorate, including their voices which morph into the odd, mannered tones heard in the documentary.

The Bad

• The original contained genuine individuals and therefore, improvised scenes, while this modern dramatization by nature, can’t be spontaneous. Lange is amazingly successful at recreating Big Edie, but Barrymore sometimes feels like a carefully studied mimic. She also looks nowhere near old enough in the film’s later scenes, despite layers of makeup.
• One confrontation between Edie and her mother that makes dramatic (or Hollywood) sense to add closure, but I’m highly skeptical it ever happened. Keeping in the spirit of the documentary, truth is stranger than fiction, and often unresolved.

Conclusion

Very reluctant to recommend this to anyone who hasn’t seen the original documentary. It’s impossible recreate the improvisational magic of a lightning strike, and some stories are better left alone.

IMDB: Grey Gardens
Wikipedia: Grey Gardens
Rotten Tomatoes: Grey Gardens

= 3 stars

Starring Taylor Nichols, Chris Eigeman, Mia Sorvino
Directed by Whit Stillman

Synopsis

Salesman Ted (Taylor Nichols) and his naval officer cousin Fred (Chris Eigeman), living in Barcelona, Spain, become entangled in both romance and politics.

The Good

• Still love the odd, mocking humor of Stillman’s dialogue, where well-read, over-educated urbanites struggle to make sense of an uncaring world. Think distilled Woody Allen without the self-mockery.
• All-around amusing acting, namely the selfish Fred (Eigeman), who mooches off of his cousin in both living arrangements and money, a young Mia Sorvino, and the luminous Tushka Bergen as Spanish women who wind up dating the ugly Americans.

The Bad

• Stillman eventually drifts of his league in the political intrigue plot, which could have been directed more like a thriller.
• Personally preferred the mix of romance and American naivete in the more direct Vicki Christina Barcelona.

Conclusion

I had high hopes for this flick after loving Stillman’s Metropolitan, and was rather disappointed to see him unable to encompass more subject matter. Worth a rental only after Metropolitan or The Last Days Of Disco - and even then, don’t expect to like it much.

= 3 stars

Starring Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson
Directed by Wes Anderson

Synopsis

Anthony (Luke Wilson), Bob (Robert Musgrave), and Dignan (Owen Wilson) are a team of incompetent criminals who embark on a string of audacious robberies.

The Good

• Interesting musical choices.
• The Wilson brothers got their start here, with Owen Wilson as the standout as the talky, lying, ex-con Dignan.
• One great scene, a heist gone wrong, complete with orange jumpsuits and one accomplice awkwardly wandering off to a freezer.

The Bad

• Anderson’s stylistic trademarks: bright colors, scenes shot head on, at profile, or from directly above, and slow motion set to music. It seems more a style derived from laziness and not in service of the story, and this might be a matter of personal taste, but I don’t care for it.
• Plot is all over the place.

Conclusion

In case you haven’t noticed already, I’m not a big Wes Anderson fan. Save for The Royal Tenenbaums, his movies have let me down more than satisfied. Not much here to change my mind.

IMDB: Bottle Rocket
Wikipedia: Bottle Rocket
Rotten Tomatoes: Bottle Rocket 79%

= 3 stars

Starring Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Paul Giamatti
Directed by Tony Gilroy

Synopsis

Former spies Ray (Clive Owen) and Claire (Julia Roberts) now work in corporate espionage where everyone’s motives are unclear.

The Good

• Constantly skipping time frame, and it’s often fun to watch the characters on screen fiddle while we already know where they’re going.
• Slicker than slick look, with exotic locations from Italy to Dubai.
• Owen and Roberts sport the requisite chemistry: Owens would make a gritty yet approachable James Bond, and Roberts… well, I kept thinking about Tess from Ocean’s Eleven which wasn’t that bad.

The Bad

• An expected “big twist where nothing is as it seems” isn’t that satisfying.
• Found the corporate espionage angle rather dull. The scheming centers around a secret chemical formula which doesn’t compare to a casino heist and revenge on a smarmy dude who stole your wife. Therefore, the best double-cross is a small scale one, with Clarie holding a pair of underwear and snaring someone in a lie. This small moment somehow trumps the complex intrigue swirling about.

Conclusion

Slickly produced thriller that oddly, failed to thrill. Can Clive Owen take over for Daniel Craig, or, is there an Ocean’s Fourteen?

IMDB: Duplicity
Wikipedia: Duplicity
Rotten Tomatoes: Duplicity 65%

= 3 stars

Starring Illeana Douglas, John Turturro, Matt Dillon
Directed by Allison Anders

Synopsis

Female singer / songwriter Denise Waverly (Illeana Douglas) works at a songwriting company during a 1960s based in reality and fiction.

The Good

• The “partly fictional” 1960s (think Dreamgirls, and a neat way to avoid song rights) is an often interesting alternative reality. The soundtrack consists of original songs written in the styles of the time. Also intriguing are characters that are amalgams of actual personalities: our heroine loosely recalls Carole King, a record producer shares Phil Spector’s eccentricities, and a visionary California musician (Matt Dillon) is unquestionably based on Brian Wilson.
• Illena Douglas, quirky indie standby (Ghost World, To Die For) is charmingly solid as the lead, Denise Waverly, and her lip-sync job is tops (vocals provided by Kristen Vigard).
• One performance of God Give Me Strength (penned by the inimitable Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello) sums up everything. The song’s structure echoes someone finding their voice and the bridge contains the raw, confessional emotion attributed to Waverly. Hearing it sung by a woman puts a different spin on the lyrics.

The Bad

• Save for God Give Me Strength, the other tunes are forgettable. There are many stock movie moments when producers announce, “Wow, this is a hit song!” but your ears won’t agree.
• All other actors disappoint: Eric Stoltz is weak as Denise’s husband, and casting Matt Dillon as a visionary Brian Wilson type never fully works, and sadly wanders into the unintentionally funny when the drugs and bed-ins begin.
• Meandering plot, eventually feeling very “made-for-television.”

Conclusion

Cool idea, one great song, but some fuddled acting and questionable execution. This mixed bag — like those mediocre sixties greatest hits compilation albums — equals rental material.

= 3 stars

Starring Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon
Directed by Burr Steers

Synopsis

Mike O’Donnel (Zac Efron) was a star high school basketball player in 1989 but gave it all up to get married. Twenty years later, “old Mike” (Matthew Perry), disappointed with how his life turned out, undergoes a movie-magic transformation into his youthful self so he can re-enroll in high school and relive his glory days.

The Good

• Being middle aged, I plead ignorance to Efron and all things High School Musical and am a better person because of it. But thankfully, this movie isn’t all about Efron — odd supporting characters provide often bizarre entertainment: Mike’s wife Scarlet (Leslie Mann), daughter-who-becomes-classmate Maggie (Michelle Trachtenberg), the older Mike (Mathew Perry), and most notably nerdy friend Ned Gold (Thomas Lennon), obsessed with Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. There’s enough other crap going on for those not into teen heart-throbs (any male over 20) to maintain interest.
• Yes, it’s a completely predictable mish-mash of Freaky Friday, Back To The Future and all other forgettable body-switching movies. From the first frames it’s obvious Mike’s trip back will make more appreciative. But the filmmakers are aware of this paint-by-numbers plot, and therefore the aforementioned randomness and a subtle self-mockery.

The Bad

• Slightly disturbing that the main character Mike (Matthew Perry) is portrayed as an old, grumpy has-been at 37 (my age). He feels his best days are behind him and dreams of reliving his high school glory. I am “old Mike”, and yes, am at the age where the “young” actors I grew up with are now playing parents to “kids” I have never heard of. I hope to die before Hillary Duff plays grandma and some presently unborn actor travels back in time for some 2010 nostalgia.

Conclusion

Truth be told I expected this aimed-at-teenagers movie to suck, but it eventually won me over and moved into tolerable rental territory. Harmless entertainment.

IMDB: 17 Again
Wikipedia: 17 Again
Rotten Tomatoes: 17 Again

= 3 stars

Starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride
Directed by David Gordon Green

Synopsis

Process server Dale (Seth Rogen) witnesses a murder, forcing him to flee with his pot dealer Saul (James Franco).

The Good

• The drug buddy pot half of the flick is pretty funny, most notably scenes where Dale and Saul riff off of one another, recalling the Cheech and Chong movies.
• Some funny, random characters and moments, specifically Dale’s high-school visit to his inappropriately young girlfriend, and eventual dinner with her disapproving parents. Also funny is another dealer Red (Danny McBride), laughably oblivious to increasingly serious wounds. Other oddballs take their jobs way too seriously despite being completely inept at them — note the highschool teacher and school security guard.
• James Franco, nearly unrecognizable (Milk) is very funny as the perpetually stoned Saul. I think we all knew a guy like this, once.

The Bad

• An increasingly unsatisfying action plot (including two Pulp Fiction reject hitmen) takes over about halfway through, culminating in an over-the-top gun battle more appropriate for an old episode of the A-Team. More disappointing: not that funny.
• Still waiting for Apatow and co. to improve on — or merely equal — The 40 Year Old Virgin or Knocked Up — this ain’t it.

Conclusion

Better appreciated if you’re stoned, and for a time, does produce a rather harmless contact high. But the biggest downer is the missed opportunity for hilarity and the overall feeling that Apatow and co. are running out of ideas — even dopey ones.

IMDB: Pineapple Express
Wikipedia: Pineapple Express
Rotten Tomatoes: Pineapple Express 68%

= 3 stars

Starring Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon
Directed by Floria Sigismondi

Synopsis

It’s 1975 and teenagers Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) find their band one step away from fame, directed by svengali producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon).

The Good

• Two strong performances: Stewart, sporting an awkward rock-and-roll rebel slouch, perfectly fit for a low-slung guitar, exhudes the odd combination of someone desperate to be noticed yet simultaneously wanting everyone to get lost. Several snarly outbursts (an awesome urination scene and throwing a tantrum when the band inevitably breaks up) complete the picture. Also great is Shannon (the creepy house guest from Revolutionary Road), smarmily amusing as passionate yet probably insane mastermind Fowley, who creates the band out of thin air, and coaches them on shilling sex as product to horny young boys.
• Effectively captures that sunny yet tragic seventies period, when young kids felt the fallout of the previous generation’s hedonism.
• Lots of firsts that now seem common: girls playing guitars, teenagers as sex symbols, lesbians, and musical artists primarily known for their look and attitude than any musical talent whatsoever.

The Bad

• The Runaways weren’t huge stars, and Joan Jett’s (also Lita Ford, for you 80s trivial buffs) solo success came afterwards, so the whole enterprise, lacking a series of huge hits like other biopics, often evokes the question “why?” It’s a lot like BackBeat, featuring the Beatles in Hamburg, Germany, before they were fab, whose main character is the relatively unknown Stu Sutcliffe. You never heard of that movie or Stu Sutcliffe? Same applies here.
• Despite looking great (definitely evoking that blonde jail-bait Bardot thing Fowley was looking for), Fanning is disappointingly somber as Currie; I got little sense of her emotions throughout the experience.
• Direction goes off the rails in the final stretch with pointless scenes or ones you’ve seen in every rock biopic: why is Foley hanging upside down? We want to be respected for our music, not our bodies! Everyone’s on drugs; lost and confused.

Conclusion

Despite strong performances by Stewart and Shannon, Fanning’s flat performance, odd direction, and the questionable importance of the music itself pitches this whole confection firmly in rental territory. And I’m gonna rent Foxes.

IMDB: The Runaways
Wikipedia: The Runaways
Rotten Tomatoes: The Runaways

= 3 stars

Starring Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric
Directed by Marc Forster

Synopsis

James Bond (Daniel Craig) investigates the death of Vesper Lynd, which leads to a multinational conspiracy based in Bolivia.

The Good

• Craig, steely, stoic, stone-faced killer, who seems to subsist on alcohol and quick kills.
• Driven to avenge Vesper Lynd, Bond actually goes rogue, abandoning M and going off on his own, recalling the previous, dark Bond misfire Licence to Kill.

The Bad

• Haphazard, confusing direction during action scenes: think Michael Bay where things are shot from a thousand different directions and cut between as quickly as possible. You get the feeling of always missed something.
• Convoluted plot, without much of a payoff. Previous Bond conspiracies led to some delusional mad man overseeing a ridiculously complicated base in the bottom of the earth containing a spaceship. Where we end up is nowhere grandiose enough.
• Unimpressive “Bond women,” especially in the comparison to Lynd of the previous outing.

Conclusion

Despite the opportunity to make a better License to Kill, all we have here is average Bond in every way except one: the solidly menacing Craig. But that’s not enough to take a flick over rental material.

IMDB: Quantum Of Solace
Wikipedia: Quantum Of Solace
Rotten Tomatoes: Quantum Of Solace