Someone Give Warwick Davis More Work!
Story: This is the archetypal David and Goliath style story of a little man (literally) vs. the big bad. It's also the quest style of fantasy story. It has more than a few similarities to the Lord of the Rings, not to mention some parallels with the story of Moses from Bible, but it does it in it's own way. All around, aside from some startling badass decay, which we'll explore in the acting section, the only real complaint I have with the story is that the ending is not terribly self explanatory. Whenever I make someone watch this movie for the first time, they always turn to me and ask, “What just happened there?” and I do consider this a failure on the part of the movie. They could have explained it after the fact. B
Acting: Val Kilmer is my favorite actor, largely because of this movie, Tombstone, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Spartan, and At First Sight, and while he's really, really good in this movie, I don't understand why he and Joanne Whalley got higher billing that Warwick Davis. Warwick is in nearly every shot of this movie, he's the titular character, and he really was the meat the holds the movie together. I guess it was a marketing decision. Anyhow, Warwick is awesome in this movie and really needs to be given more to do than be a side character in every Star Wars, Harry Potter, or odd ball fantasy movie/miniseries that comes down the pipes. Don't believe me? Watch Ray. He's in it, he's a little man, and it doesn't matter. It doesn't impact the story practically at all. He gives a strong performance and it works.
Anyhow, back to Val. Madmartigan is probably the loudest, most animated character that Val has ever played, which is cool when you consider that he usually plays very thoughtful, understated characters (like his Ice Man character in Top Gun). He sort of plays this movie's version of Han Solo, the skeptic, smart mouthed fighter. His character does experience a certain level of badass decay as the movie approaches its climax, as he loses his smart mouth in favor of being the generic, noble warrior character. To a certain extent, this understandable, but I would like to have seen him retain more of his personality. That said, his sword fight with Pat Roach more than makes up for this.
Madmartigan may experience badass decay, but not nearly as badly as Sorsha, the character played by Joanne Whalley. She starts out tough as nails with a strong personality. She's got a sword that looks like pain harnessed in steel form, and she's here to kick your ass... until she falls in love with Val Kilmer. After this, she barely gets two lines in for the rest of the movie and also devolves into an idealized sort of warrior woman.
However, I think the real star of this movie is Jean Marsh. Queen Bavmorda is evil and powerful. She's knows magic spells to kill you in many painful ways and a enough of a lacking conscience to use it. When the Nostalgia Chick listed her top lady villains, I was quite disappointed to see that Bavmorda didn't make the list when the wicked witch of the west from the Wizard of Oz did (I realize that I'm about to utter blasphemy, but the witch didn't do anything in that movie except laugh in an over the top manner. Oh, and she used flowers to put people to sleep and employed an hour glass of doom, oh the horror!) Her acting is almost over the top, but not quite. She hits her note perfectly.
Lastly, they got the cutest, most expressive baby in the world to play Elora Danan. She smiles and laughs at all the right times. B
Visuals: This movie was really revolutionary at the time for raising the bar on visual effects with the whole process of morphing. The special effects hold up to this day and look better than a lot of digital effects you'll see on a Sci-Fi (or is it Sy Fy?) channel original. Also, may I say that Nockmaar castle is the most evil looking castle ever (sorry Orthanc and Barad-dur). I realize that sixty percent of it is a painting, but seriously I love the look of that castle. A
Sound: The music in this movie is beyond epic, although I know I heard the same music in an ad for Disney's the Three Musketeers, so I don't know who borrowed it from whom. Whatever, it works in this movie. The sound effects are awesome, they completely compliment what we're seeing on screen. A
Overall: This is one of my favorite movies from my childhood, not to mention my favorite NES game. I probably drove my parents crazy between the two of them. However, this is one of the few childhood memories that held up over the years. I definitely can't say the same for the Thundercats. B
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, flixter, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
Friday, January 8, 2010
A Serious Man – Directed by Ethan and Joel Coen – 2009
The Coens Do Job
Story: This is the story of Job, set in the 1970's as a bizarre sort of comedy. And, it's really funny. I'm not sure why, as I usually dislike movies where I'm supposed to look feel bad or embarrassed for a genuinely nice fellow like in Meet the Parents or What About Bob, but this one worked for me. Then again, the Coen Bros. Do lots of things that I would probably reject in the hands of some other director (see the epic fail in No Country For Old Men). B
Acting: There were lots of great actors, but I have to give a shout out to Simon Helberg who plays Wolowitz on my current favorite sit-com, the Big Bang Theory. I had no idea that he was in this movie until he appeared on screen, and I was like, “Hey, it's Wolowitz!” Michael Stuhbarg, Sari Lennick, and Richard Kind all do a great job, but I thought the star actor was Fred Melamed as Sy Ableman. He just plays the nicest, most compassionate douche that just slept with your wife and honestly thinks that you should move out of your own house for the good of your children. A
Visuals: This movie was very brown in color, or maybe more of a light tan. Whatever, that color was everywhere. It provided a hazy, should be depressing but oddly light hearted tone to the movie. Well, Mel Brooks always used yellow on the grounds that it was funny color, and it worked. B
Sound: The music fit the general era they were trying to establish, even if they say it was supposed to by 1967 but make reference to an album that didn't come out till the 70's. It was fairly quiet, understated movie. B
Overall: In many ways, this felt like a live action version of Charlie Brown, in that he never gets to kick the football. Ever. In some small way, I kept thinking of the cartoon Invader Zim while watching this, in that the humor comes through watching horrible things in an exaggerated manner. B
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, flixter, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
Story: This is the story of Job, set in the 1970's as a bizarre sort of comedy. And, it's really funny. I'm not sure why, as I usually dislike movies where I'm supposed to look feel bad or embarrassed for a genuinely nice fellow like in Meet the Parents or What About Bob, but this one worked for me. Then again, the Coen Bros. Do lots of things that I would probably reject in the hands of some other director (see the epic fail in No Country For Old Men). B
Acting: There were lots of great actors, but I have to give a shout out to Simon Helberg who plays Wolowitz on my current favorite sit-com, the Big Bang Theory. I had no idea that he was in this movie until he appeared on screen, and I was like, “Hey, it's Wolowitz!” Michael Stuhbarg, Sari Lennick, and Richard Kind all do a great job, but I thought the star actor was Fred Melamed as Sy Ableman. He just plays the nicest, most compassionate douche that just slept with your wife and honestly thinks that you should move out of your own house for the good of your children. A
Visuals: This movie was very brown in color, or maybe more of a light tan. Whatever, that color was everywhere. It provided a hazy, should be depressing but oddly light hearted tone to the movie. Well, Mel Brooks always used yellow on the grounds that it was funny color, and it worked. B
Sound: The music fit the general era they were trying to establish, even if they say it was supposed to by 1967 but make reference to an album that didn't come out till the 70's. It was fairly quiet, understated movie. B
Overall: In many ways, this felt like a live action version of Charlie Brown, in that he never gets to kick the football. Ever. In some small way, I kept thinking of the cartoon Invader Zim while watching this, in that the humor comes through watching horrible things in an exaggerated manner. B
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, flixter, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
Where the Wild Things Are – Directed by Spike Jonze – 2009
It's a great movie that I absolutely hated.
Story: Sometimes a movie comes along that I despise but I also recognize is a legitimately good movie. This is an example of that, so is Monster. This is the story of a little brat who throws major temper tantrums when things don't go exactly his way. When his mom ignores him while entertaining a male guest the kid acts the absolute spawn of hell and when his mother looses her temper with him, he runs away into an imaginary land where wild creatures live. I must compliment the writers for going beyond the book and mapping out a world that a child would imagine. A.
Acting: The acting was pretty good. The kid always made me believe that he was seeing these creatures and this world. The voices all fit the monsters perfectly and Catherine Keener did an excellent job as Max's mother.
Visuals: This movie looked awesome. The use of mostly practical effects with only minimal amounts of digital effects really assisted the overall product. As is standard with any story designed for kids, it contains a significant amount of traumatizing material, my favorites being when Carol rips off another monster's arm and it says, “Carol, that was my favorite arm!” leading them to replace it with a stick. The other being where Max hides in Judith's mouth from Carol. Tell me that isn't nightmare fuel! A
Sound: The music really fit this movie and so did the sound. Not much more to say. A
Overall: Understand that my hatred for this movie stems from my hatred for the kid in this movie. He needed a very good flogging. Did he ever get one? No! Why the mother apologizes to him for her loosing her temper with him. The kid gets away without punishment. Thank you, Hollywood, for encouraging parents to not discipline their children, for not teaching them to obey their authority figures, for letting them know that it's okay to throw temper tantrums, for telling them that mommy and daddy are in the wrong for trying to mold you into a valued member of our society, and I want to thank you adding to the general decay of our society as kids continue to grow up with no sense of discipline or work ethic.
For the record, as of this writing, I have no kids. Upon hearing my thoughts about this movie and my general thoughts on child raising, my sister has threatened to steal any children that I may ever have away from me so that they actually enjoy their childhood. A
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, flixter, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
Story: Sometimes a movie comes along that I despise but I also recognize is a legitimately good movie. This is an example of that, so is Monster. This is the story of a little brat who throws major temper tantrums when things don't go exactly his way. When his mom ignores him while entertaining a male guest the kid acts the absolute spawn of hell and when his mother looses her temper with him, he runs away into an imaginary land where wild creatures live. I must compliment the writers for going beyond the book and mapping out a world that a child would imagine. A.
Acting: The acting was pretty good. The kid always made me believe that he was seeing these creatures and this world. The voices all fit the monsters perfectly and Catherine Keener did an excellent job as Max's mother.
Visuals: This movie looked awesome. The use of mostly practical effects with only minimal amounts of digital effects really assisted the overall product. As is standard with any story designed for kids, it contains a significant amount of traumatizing material, my favorites being when Carol rips off another monster's arm and it says, “Carol, that was my favorite arm!” leading them to replace it with a stick. The other being where Max hides in Judith's mouth from Carol. Tell me that isn't nightmare fuel! A
Sound: The music really fit this movie and so did the sound. Not much more to say. A
Overall: Understand that my hatred for this movie stems from my hatred for the kid in this movie. He needed a very good flogging. Did he ever get one? No! Why the mother apologizes to him for her loosing her temper with him. The kid gets away without punishment. Thank you, Hollywood, for encouraging parents to not discipline their children, for not teaching them to obey their authority figures, for letting them know that it's okay to throw temper tantrums, for telling them that mommy and daddy are in the wrong for trying to mold you into a valued member of our society, and I want to thank you adding to the general decay of our society as kids continue to grow up with no sense of discipline or work ethic.
For the record, as of this writing, I have no kids. Upon hearing my thoughts about this movie and my general thoughts on child raising, my sister has threatened to steal any children that I may ever have away from me so that they actually enjoy their childhood. A
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, flixter, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
Zombies Anonymous or Last Rites of the Dead – Directed by Marc Fratto – 2006
For B Horror, this is really good!
Story: Quick synopsis since this is a lesser known movie: The dead in this world don't stay dead, they come back as zombies, but not zombies in the traditional sense that they are mindless corpses with only the drive to eat and a basic fight or flight response. These zombies retail all the intelligence and memories of the living. That said, they do eat raw meat. The can get by just eating raw ground chuck but they are stricken with headaches that only go away when they eat the still warm flesh of humans. The living aren't okay with this and zombies are treated as second class citizens who are usually fired from their jobs for being zombies and sometimes executed by humans who are afraid of them. This leads to an industry of cosmetic products designed to hide the fact that a person is a zombie.
So, it is in this world that we meet our main protagonist, Angie, who is killed by an abusive boyfriend. She then tries to go about her”life” as if nothing happened and tries to hide the fact that she's a zombie. It should come as no surprise that this turns into a metaphor for being different and encourages people to stop conforming and be themselves.
I was surprised that this was more serious than humorous, given the title, but it actually has some really strong themes and ideas presented. There are some laughs sprinkled throughout, but I don't think I'd call it a comedy. The first half of this movie was absolutely genius, but the second half faltered a little bit. I have to give it a B.
Acting: I have to give props to Gina Ramsden for playing a very effective girl next door sort of character. Christa McNamee plays an absolutely terrifying Commandant who leads death squads against zombies. Most of the rest of the cast does a pretty good job, and by pretty good I mean pretty good for a Hollywood movie. By B horror standards, they are phenomenal. B
Visuals: I watch a lot of bad horror movies and have a fairly strong stomach, but this one made me want to gag a few times. Granted, I think I was fighting a virus when I watched it, so it may have just been me instead of the movie. Anyhow, this is a gross movie. I wouldn't advise eating anything when you watch it. Also, the whole world looks dirty and depressingly gross. This was no doubt by design, so I have to give props. B
Sound: This was probably the weakest link in the chain. The sound was much better than some B horror movies, but there was almost constantly a hiss in the background that comes from poor sound equipment. The music also didn't leave a huge impression on me either. C
Overall: This may be one of the few B horror movies that I actually give a B to. It should have been shorter and losses steam in the second half, but it's still much, much better than the rest of the horror crap that's out there. I got my copy used from Blockbuster for about five bucks and I think it's worth paying up to twelve dollars for this movie (that includes shipping if you should decide to order it). If you're into indie horror, I have to believe you'll enjoy this movie. B
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, flixter, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
Story: Quick synopsis since this is a lesser known movie: The dead in this world don't stay dead, they come back as zombies, but not zombies in the traditional sense that they are mindless corpses with only the drive to eat and a basic fight or flight response. These zombies retail all the intelligence and memories of the living. That said, they do eat raw meat. The can get by just eating raw ground chuck but they are stricken with headaches that only go away when they eat the still warm flesh of humans. The living aren't okay with this and zombies are treated as second class citizens who are usually fired from their jobs for being zombies and sometimes executed by humans who are afraid of them. This leads to an industry of cosmetic products designed to hide the fact that a person is a zombie.
So, it is in this world that we meet our main protagonist, Angie, who is killed by an abusive boyfriend. She then tries to go about her”life” as if nothing happened and tries to hide the fact that she's a zombie. It should come as no surprise that this turns into a metaphor for being different and encourages people to stop conforming and be themselves.
I was surprised that this was more serious than humorous, given the title, but it actually has some really strong themes and ideas presented. There are some laughs sprinkled throughout, but I don't think I'd call it a comedy. The first half of this movie was absolutely genius, but the second half faltered a little bit. I have to give it a B.
Acting: I have to give props to Gina Ramsden for playing a very effective girl next door sort of character. Christa McNamee plays an absolutely terrifying Commandant who leads death squads against zombies. Most of the rest of the cast does a pretty good job, and by pretty good I mean pretty good for a Hollywood movie. By B horror standards, they are phenomenal. B
Visuals: I watch a lot of bad horror movies and have a fairly strong stomach, but this one made me want to gag a few times. Granted, I think I was fighting a virus when I watched it, so it may have just been me instead of the movie. Anyhow, this is a gross movie. I wouldn't advise eating anything when you watch it. Also, the whole world looks dirty and depressingly gross. This was no doubt by design, so I have to give props. B
Sound: This was probably the weakest link in the chain. The sound was much better than some B horror movies, but there was almost constantly a hiss in the background that comes from poor sound equipment. The music also didn't leave a huge impression on me either. C
Overall: This may be one of the few B horror movies that I actually give a B to. It should have been shorter and losses steam in the second half, but it's still much, much better than the rest of the horror crap that's out there. I got my copy used from Blockbuster for about five bucks and I think it's worth paying up to twelve dollars for this movie (that includes shipping if you should decide to order it). If you're into indie horror, I have to believe you'll enjoy this movie. B
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, flixter, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Changeling – Directed by Clint Eastwood – 2008
Confessions of a JMS-aholic...
I'm going to break from my usual format for the purpose of reviewing this movie. From Captain Power to the Real Ghostbusters to Babylon 5 to his run on the comic book Spider-man, J. Michael Straczynski is not so much my favorite writer as he is my writing God. So, when I heard that a major motion picture, written by him, was being produced by originally Ron Howard, then Clint Eastwood and that A listers like John Malkovich and Angelina Jolie were going to be in it, not to mention Jeffrey Donovan, the star of Burn Notice, were going to be involved in it, I was excited and nervous beyond all hell. I'm not really a sports fan, but the feeling I had is the way I think a fan feels when they find out their home town team is playing for the World Series or the Superbowl. I was excited because JMS was finally going to break into Hollywood. I was nervous because, well what if it sucked? I mean, I loved JMS's work on TV shows, but while the Babylon 5's made for TV movies weren't bad, they were nowhere near as good as the show itself. I was worried that JMS might not be able to pull off a movie. Furthermore, a lot of hands end up touching movies before they get produced. I wanted to see my home town team win, not get humiliated. So, I was nervous.
Also, I was confused. The movie was called Changeling, which to me, the Star Trek nerd, is the alien species that Odo from Deep Space Nine. I couldn't believe for the life of me that all these A-listers signed on for a sci-fi movie, despite the fact that JMS had made his name writing sci-fi. Then I heard it was based on a true story. This confused me even further.
But, all my anxiousness didn't stop me from being a one man advertisement team for this movie. I bugged and threatened and bargained with all my friends to go see this one when it finally came out. In retrospect I think some of them might have decided to skip it because I was annoying them that badly.
Well, the movie came out... and it was amazingly good! I mean, I know I'm a JMS whore, but it really, really was awesomely good. The cast was awesome, the visuals were awesome, the music was awesome, everything about it was freaking awesome, and the writing was beautifully, magically awesome!
My only minor complaint with the movie is that JMS may have been too faithful to history and might have shortened the end by combining a few scenes. But, seriously, this is definitely my pick for best movie of 2008, and probably ranked number two or three of the decade, following Finding Neverland and (500) Days of Summer. A!!
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, flixter, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
I'm going to break from my usual format for the purpose of reviewing this movie. From Captain Power to the Real Ghostbusters to Babylon 5 to his run on the comic book Spider-man, J. Michael Straczynski is not so much my favorite writer as he is my writing God. So, when I heard that a major motion picture, written by him, was being produced by originally Ron Howard, then Clint Eastwood and that A listers like John Malkovich and Angelina Jolie were going to be in it, not to mention Jeffrey Donovan, the star of Burn Notice, were going to be involved in it, I was excited and nervous beyond all hell. I'm not really a sports fan, but the feeling I had is the way I think a fan feels when they find out their home town team is playing for the World Series or the Superbowl. I was excited because JMS was finally going to break into Hollywood. I was nervous because, well what if it sucked? I mean, I loved JMS's work on TV shows, but while the Babylon 5's made for TV movies weren't bad, they were nowhere near as good as the show itself. I was worried that JMS might not be able to pull off a movie. Furthermore, a lot of hands end up touching movies before they get produced. I wanted to see my home town team win, not get humiliated. So, I was nervous.
Also, I was confused. The movie was called Changeling, which to me, the Star Trek nerd, is the alien species that Odo from Deep Space Nine. I couldn't believe for the life of me that all these A-listers signed on for a sci-fi movie, despite the fact that JMS had made his name writing sci-fi. Then I heard it was based on a true story. This confused me even further.
But, all my anxiousness didn't stop me from being a one man advertisement team for this movie. I bugged and threatened and bargained with all my friends to go see this one when it finally came out. In retrospect I think some of them might have decided to skip it because I was annoying them that badly.
Well, the movie came out... and it was amazingly good! I mean, I know I'm a JMS whore, but it really, really was awesomely good. The cast was awesome, the visuals were awesome, the music was awesome, everything about it was freaking awesome, and the writing was beautifully, magically awesome!
My only minor complaint with the movie is that JMS may have been too faithful to history and might have shortened the end by combining a few scenes. But, seriously, this is definitely my pick for best movie of 2008, and probably ranked number two or three of the decade, following Finding Neverland and (500) Days of Summer. A!!
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, flixter, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
They Live – Directed by Jon Carpenter – 1988
Cheesy, but some of the best one liners ever!
Story: Aliens invade and a guy fights them with guns while spouting one liners. Seriously, what more do you want? Carpenter spends a lot of time jumping up and down on his soapbox, with the hidden messages on the money and the billboards being oh so subtle (“This is your god!”), but it's done in such a cheesy, over the top way that it becomes quite hilarious. There are a few moments of plot induced stupidity, mainly coming from the bum who turns out to be working with the aliens not noticing that Piper's face was on TV as being wanted when he takes Piper inside the alien base. C
Acting: Roddy Piper does an excellent job of playing a very understated character at the beginning of this movie. Then once he notices the aliens around him he starts spouting one liners in an over the top fashion. In many ways it felt like his character had split personalities. I also love the fact that the first offensive move he does in this movie is a good old fashioned clothesline from pro wrestling. Keith David is probably the star actor of this movie, unless you count the fight between him and Roddy which was probably the real star of this movie, just ask South Park (Cripple Fight!). C
Visuals: Okay, this movie looked awesome. The special effects are a bit dated, but they more or less hold up to this day. The differences between the real world and the world seen through the glasses are awesome. John Carpenter is and will always be one of my favorite directors and this one was pretty good, although his love for long shots cost the scene of the cops beating up people in the back alley. That scene needed some creative editing and rapid cuts to make the hits look like they were actually impacting the victims. B
Sound: Carpenter loves synthesizers, as shown by this movie, Prince of Darkness, and In the Mouth of Madness. In this one we get the blues as played through a synth, which makes for an eerie sound. No foleys kicked me out of the movie, so all around we're good. A
Overall: This is a really stupid movie and I love it. It has become a bit hard to find these days, and if you consider yourself a fan or Carpenter and/or Evil Dead 2, then this movie is worth hunting down. I'd be willing to pay up to fifteen dollars for a good copy or a buck or two for a used VHS copy somewhere. C
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, flixter, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
Story: Aliens invade and a guy fights them with guns while spouting one liners. Seriously, what more do you want? Carpenter spends a lot of time jumping up and down on his soapbox, with the hidden messages on the money and the billboards being oh so subtle (“This is your god!”), but it's done in such a cheesy, over the top way that it becomes quite hilarious. There are a few moments of plot induced stupidity, mainly coming from the bum who turns out to be working with the aliens not noticing that Piper's face was on TV as being wanted when he takes Piper inside the alien base. C
Acting: Roddy Piper does an excellent job of playing a very understated character at the beginning of this movie. Then once he notices the aliens around him he starts spouting one liners in an over the top fashion. In many ways it felt like his character had split personalities. I also love the fact that the first offensive move he does in this movie is a good old fashioned clothesline from pro wrestling. Keith David is probably the star actor of this movie, unless you count the fight between him and Roddy which was probably the real star of this movie, just ask South Park (Cripple Fight!). C
Visuals: Okay, this movie looked awesome. The special effects are a bit dated, but they more or less hold up to this day. The differences between the real world and the world seen through the glasses are awesome. John Carpenter is and will always be one of my favorite directors and this one was pretty good, although his love for long shots cost the scene of the cops beating up people in the back alley. That scene needed some creative editing and rapid cuts to make the hits look like they were actually impacting the victims. B
Sound: Carpenter loves synthesizers, as shown by this movie, Prince of Darkness, and In the Mouth of Madness. In this one we get the blues as played through a synth, which makes for an eerie sound. No foleys kicked me out of the movie, so all around we're good. A
Overall: This is a really stupid movie and I love it. It has become a bit hard to find these days, and if you consider yourself a fan or Carpenter and/or Evil Dead 2, then this movie is worth hunting down. I'd be willing to pay up to fifteen dollars for a good copy or a buck or two for a used VHS copy somewhere. C
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, flixter, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
Sherlock Holmes – Directed by Guy Ritchie – 2009
Good Acting, Average Story
Acting: Robert Downey Jr. is awesome at any role, and I'm glad that he's finally getting the recognition he deserves. He does a great job of making Holmes quirky and borderline unlikeable at times, but he just has this innocent sort of charm that makes us like him. Jude Law plays a great Dr. Watson. I have to agree with Moviebob in saying that it is nice to see a Watson that isn't played dumb or flat so that Sherlock looks more interesting by comparison. Rachel McAdams... was hot! She's an excellent femme fatale-ish sort of gal and seriously, she should be more famous than she is. Between Mean Girls, the Notebook, Wedding Crashers, and her best role (in my opinion) Red Eye, she really should be a household name by now. In many ways the actors were the main attraction in this movie and the banter between Jude Law and Downey made this movie. A
Visuals: This movie had a great steam punk look to it and was generally a feast for the eyes. The fight scenes where Holmes would plot out each of his moves and the anticipated counter move was an item of beauty. Now, since I deleted my direction category in favor of a sound category, I'll attack the director here: This movie needed to be shorter. At least by ten minutes, probably closer to twenty minutes shorter. B
Sound: The music was quite epic and, again, there were no foleys that kicked me out of the movie. The general sound of steam being released fit the whole steam punk atmosphere. B
Story: Eh... I really don't like mystery movies or books as a genre. There are exceptions, but as a general rule they just don't pull me in. To the masses, they're good for maybe two viewings, once to try and figure it out as it plays out and another to check and make sure the writer didn't pull a fast one on the audience. The goal, I suppose, is to make the audience try to solve the mystery with Sherlock Holmes. But, all movies are to a certain extent a fantasy instead of reality, so logic goes out the window when the writer uses lots of supernatural elements or applied phlebotnium to drive the plot, making any real world speculations on our part a general waste of time. Hence, I never even try to solve the mystery and never get pulled in because of it.
All right, enough about the genre, how's this particular mystery? Well, it's okay. I cared more about the banter between characters than solving the mystery, so I thought they could have cut a lot of the clues and speculations segments and gotten the running time down some. It would have made me happier. The villain's overall plan was good, but I think that a suspense thriller approach of letting the audience know his plan but not Holmes would have kept me interested when I tuned out, but I prefer thrillers over mysteries any day. C
Overall: It's not a bad movie, and it seems to be fairly faithful to the Holmes mythology (even if he is a bit more physical than he ever was before... but I only read The Hound of the Baskervilles, so my knowledge of Holmes is limited to what my roommate, Robert, who read every Sherlock Holmes story ever, tells me) and ultimately it doesn't matter. This movie creates its own continuity and seems to stay consistent. I recommend this movie to fans of the players involved (Downey, Law, McAdams) and say that it's probably worth sending between five and eight dollars to see, but anymore than that might leave you feeling ripped off. B
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, flixter, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
Acting: Robert Downey Jr. is awesome at any role, and I'm glad that he's finally getting the recognition he deserves. He does a great job of making Holmes quirky and borderline unlikeable at times, but he just has this innocent sort of charm that makes us like him. Jude Law plays a great Dr. Watson. I have to agree with Moviebob in saying that it is nice to see a Watson that isn't played dumb or flat so that Sherlock looks more interesting by comparison. Rachel McAdams... was hot! She's an excellent femme fatale-ish sort of gal and seriously, she should be more famous than she is. Between Mean Girls, the Notebook, Wedding Crashers, and her best role (in my opinion) Red Eye, she really should be a household name by now. In many ways the actors were the main attraction in this movie and the banter between Jude Law and Downey made this movie. A
Visuals: This movie had a great steam punk look to it and was generally a feast for the eyes. The fight scenes where Holmes would plot out each of his moves and the anticipated counter move was an item of beauty. Now, since I deleted my direction category in favor of a sound category, I'll attack the director here: This movie needed to be shorter. At least by ten minutes, probably closer to twenty minutes shorter. B
Sound: The music was quite epic and, again, there were no foleys that kicked me out of the movie. The general sound of steam being released fit the whole steam punk atmosphere. B
Story: Eh... I really don't like mystery movies or books as a genre. There are exceptions, but as a general rule they just don't pull me in. To the masses, they're good for maybe two viewings, once to try and figure it out as it plays out and another to check and make sure the writer didn't pull a fast one on the audience. The goal, I suppose, is to make the audience try to solve the mystery with Sherlock Holmes. But, all movies are to a certain extent a fantasy instead of reality, so logic goes out the window when the writer uses lots of supernatural elements or applied phlebotnium to drive the plot, making any real world speculations on our part a general waste of time. Hence, I never even try to solve the mystery and never get pulled in because of it.
All right, enough about the genre, how's this particular mystery? Well, it's okay. I cared more about the banter between characters than solving the mystery, so I thought they could have cut a lot of the clues and speculations segments and gotten the running time down some. It would have made me happier. The villain's overall plan was good, but I think that a suspense thriller approach of letting the audience know his plan but not Holmes would have kept me interested when I tuned out, but I prefer thrillers over mysteries any day. C
Overall: It's not a bad movie, and it seems to be fairly faithful to the Holmes mythology (even if he is a bit more physical than he ever was before... but I only read The Hound of the Baskervilles, so my knowledge of Holmes is limited to what my roommate, Robert, who read every Sherlock Holmes story ever, tells me) and ultimately it doesn't matter. This movie creates its own continuity and seems to stay consistent. I recommend this movie to fans of the players involved (Downey, Law, McAdams) and say that it's probably worth sending between five and eight dollars to see, but anymore than that might leave you feeling ripped off. B
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, flixter, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
The Blind Side – Directed by John Lee Hancock – 2009
It Made a Non-football Fan Care
I'm going to preface this review by saying that I did not want to see this movie. Why? Because I hate football and because I watched Michael Phillips and A.O. Scott write it off as cheap, overly sentimental Oscar bait. I ended up seeing this because my mother wanted to see it for her birthday and I planned on taking a nap it the theater.
Well, Mike and Tony, you were wrong. This movie was awesome. Freaking awesome. Again, I hate football and did not want to like this movie, but I loved it. So, I no longer record At the Movies. You two are heartbroken, I know.
Story: The story follows the true story of Michael Oher as he was adopted by Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw. He bonds with them and comes to see them as his own family. He gets his grades up, excels at playing football, and gets to go to college on a football scholarship. Then, the family gets put under a microscope by an investigator who wants to know why Sandra Bullock adopted Michael, suspecting that she did it so that her alma mater would have a powerhouse football player rather than out of a sense of charity. It is that last part that makes this movie so good, because we live in a cynical society where we want to know what the charitable are gaining by being charitable. It doesn't dodge that question.
The only possible complaint I have with the story is that, under the correct viewing, the story could come off a bit racist. It inadvertently asserts that white culture is superior to black culture. The generous white people save one poor black kid from the horrors of living in a black world. This could have been subverted some by having the ghetto not be uniformly black and the white world being so uniformly white. However, being a true story, maybe that's how it happened. In fact, it does sort of come up as a plot point when Michael writes in his journal about feeling isolated by being the only black kid in the school. So, I don't think the movie was trying to be racist, but I do think some people will be offended. B
Acting: Sandra Bullock's character came under fire by Scott and Phillips as a one dimensional idealized characterture that didn't grow throughout the story. They were particularly harsh on the line where Sandra said that Michael was changing her life, arguing that she showed no signs of that. I disagree. She was growing, but very subtly. Yes, she was headstrong and stubborn and changed very little, but she did grow, and if she hadn't been so persistent then this story never would have happened.
Quinton Aaron also fell under fire, saying that his portrayal of Michael Oher was reduced to reaction shots and that he became an ancillary character in his own movie. Again, wrong! Yes, Michael doesn't say much, but he said everything that he needed to say through those subtle looks. Quinton did a fabulous job.
Jae Head made this movie a lot of fun with his enthusiasm through playing SJ, Sandra Bullock's biological son who immediately bonds with Mike. Even the most jaded cynic will be smiling during SJ's scenes.
Lastly, I knew Tim McGraw was in this movie and I kept wondering which character he was playing. I was shocked, absolutely shocked to learn that he had been playing Sean Tuohy, Sandra Bullock's husband. He disappeared into the role utterly, totally and completely. I had no idea that it was him until the end credits rolled and then I kept wanting to see his character again to see if it really was him, but instead the movie ends with photos of the real life Michael Oher and Tuohy family. Props, Tim! You were able to match energy with Sandra Bullock and were awesome! Acting gets a big fat A!
Visuals: This movie did a good job (perhaps too good considering the potentially offensive racial message it sent) of making Michael's world and the Tuohy family world seem completely different. One is soft and pretty, the other is dark and gritty. The football action drew me in, an accomplishment when you consider that I don't enjoy the sport. All around, the visuals get an A.
Sound: The soundtrack felt a bit southern, but it fit the movie and the mood they were trying to send. The foleys kept me believing that there really was a football game being played and didn't kick me out of the movie at any point. A
Overall: This movie is really good. It's uplifting and generally gives a feeling of hope for the future. I hope no gets too terribly offended by it, but by and large I think you should see it. A
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, myspace, flixter, amazon, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
I'm going to preface this review by saying that I did not want to see this movie. Why? Because I hate football and because I watched Michael Phillips and A.O. Scott write it off as cheap, overly sentimental Oscar bait. I ended up seeing this because my mother wanted to see it for her birthday and I planned on taking a nap it the theater.
Well, Mike and Tony, you were wrong. This movie was awesome. Freaking awesome. Again, I hate football and did not want to like this movie, but I loved it. So, I no longer record At the Movies. You two are heartbroken, I know.
Story: The story follows the true story of Michael Oher as he was adopted by Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw. He bonds with them and comes to see them as his own family. He gets his grades up, excels at playing football, and gets to go to college on a football scholarship. Then, the family gets put under a microscope by an investigator who wants to know why Sandra Bullock adopted Michael, suspecting that she did it so that her alma mater would have a powerhouse football player rather than out of a sense of charity. It is that last part that makes this movie so good, because we live in a cynical society where we want to know what the charitable are gaining by being charitable. It doesn't dodge that question.
The only possible complaint I have with the story is that, under the correct viewing, the story could come off a bit racist. It inadvertently asserts that white culture is superior to black culture. The generous white people save one poor black kid from the horrors of living in a black world. This could have been subverted some by having the ghetto not be uniformly black and the white world being so uniformly white. However, being a true story, maybe that's how it happened. In fact, it does sort of come up as a plot point when Michael writes in his journal about feeling isolated by being the only black kid in the school. So, I don't think the movie was trying to be racist, but I do think some people will be offended. B
Acting: Sandra Bullock's character came under fire by Scott and Phillips as a one dimensional idealized characterture that didn't grow throughout the story. They were particularly harsh on the line where Sandra said that Michael was changing her life, arguing that she showed no signs of that. I disagree. She was growing, but very subtly. Yes, she was headstrong and stubborn and changed very little, but she did grow, and if she hadn't been so persistent then this story never would have happened.
Quinton Aaron also fell under fire, saying that his portrayal of Michael Oher was reduced to reaction shots and that he became an ancillary character in his own movie. Again, wrong! Yes, Michael doesn't say much, but he said everything that he needed to say through those subtle looks. Quinton did a fabulous job.
Jae Head made this movie a lot of fun with his enthusiasm through playing SJ, Sandra Bullock's biological son who immediately bonds with Mike. Even the most jaded cynic will be smiling during SJ's scenes.
Lastly, I knew Tim McGraw was in this movie and I kept wondering which character he was playing. I was shocked, absolutely shocked to learn that he had been playing Sean Tuohy, Sandra Bullock's husband. He disappeared into the role utterly, totally and completely. I had no idea that it was him until the end credits rolled and then I kept wanting to see his character again to see if it really was him, but instead the movie ends with photos of the real life Michael Oher and Tuohy family. Props, Tim! You were able to match energy with Sandra Bullock and were awesome! Acting gets a big fat A!
Visuals: This movie did a good job (perhaps too good considering the potentially offensive racial message it sent) of making Michael's world and the Tuohy family world seem completely different. One is soft and pretty, the other is dark and gritty. The football action drew me in, an accomplishment when you consider that I don't enjoy the sport. All around, the visuals get an A.
Sound: The soundtrack felt a bit southern, but it fit the movie and the mood they were trying to send. The foleys kept me believing that there really was a football game being played and didn't kick me out of the movie at any point. A
Overall: This movie is really good. It's uplifting and generally gives a feeling of hope for the future. I hope no gets too terribly offended by it, but by and large I think you should see it. A
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, myspace, flixter, amazon, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
Avatar – Directed by James Cameron – 2009
It's Soooo Beautiful!
Visuals: For years Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and all sorts of other sci-fi or fantasy movies have been trying to take us to another world. This one succeeded, and it was so beautiful. I swear that I had a religious experience in reaction to the visuals to this movie, probably akin to the feeling that many people had when they watched the original Star Wars for the first time in theaters. I don't tend to get teary eyed over physical beauty that often, but this world moved me to tears from the sheer beauty of it. It was like stepping inside an expressionistic painting. If you get a chance to see this in 3D, do it! If you get a chance to see it in the theater, do it! If you miss out on all that and watch your DVD in an old tube television, well... still watch it, although you might not have quite the same reaction as everyone else. The visuals get an A, and I somehow feel that an A isn't high enough to do this movie justice.
Sound: If the sound had failed, then the visuals would have too. Pandora sounded alive and organic. The creatures made sounds that matched the visuals and the music superbly added to the drama of what was going on. A
Acting: I tip my hat to every actor in this movie. The humans interacted with the CG characters in such an organic way that I really never questioned the fact that the humans were reacting to no one. Sam Worthington, mixing this with his roles in Terminator 4 and Clash of the Titans, may be establishing himself to be the next big action star since Jason Statham. Likewise, Zoe Saldana's career is on the rise as she just came off playing Uhura in the Star Trek reboot. And then there's Stephen Lang... good Lord, I do not want him angry with me under any circumstances ever. The man was ripped in this movie and looked like he could give Chuck Norris a run for his money. In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing a movie with Stephen Lang portraying a character very similar to his role as Col. Miles Quaritch, but as the movie's main protagonist instead of villain. The acting department gets an A!
Story: Normally, I tackle story first thing in my reviews. I saved it for last here, because I really loved this movie, but that doesn't mean that I'm blind to some issues with the storyline. Immediately after seeing this movie I ended up at a bank and was discussing it with my friend when the clerk noted that although she had seen the trailers, she didn't really get what the movie was about. I then gave a brief synopsis of the plot (something along the lines of humans travel to a distant planet and transfer a human's brain into an alien body so that he can learn their customs) at which point the clerk said she had little interest in sci-fi movies. I mention this for the simple fact that James Cameron had been working on this movie for a long, long time and a ton of money got dumped into a very, very sci-fi fantasy movie. Personally, I love sci-fi, but you had better believe that if anyone other than James Cameron, the visionary behind the movie that no company wanted to finance and all of whom ended up regretting when it became the highest grossing movie of all time, Titanic, had pitched this movie, it would never have been made (or, it would have been a cheap sci-fi original with really bad CG).
Anyhow, this is the archetypal mole goes native story. There are some shocking similarities between it and the novel Call Me Joe, and it wouldn't be the first time that Cameron had been sued for plagiarism, as Harlan Ellison sued him over Terminator, but I still think that simultaneous creation is possible in this instance. Regardless, the story is pretty good, but it's definitely the weakest link in the chain. All of the characters played their parts in making this story function, but I definitely thought some parts were written a bit shallow, for instance (SPOILER WARNING):
1. The Na'vi never once thought that Jake was giving intel to the humans? I think tvtropes.com might call this “Plot Induced Stupidity,” especially when you consider that they only let him stay there to gain intel on the humans. Slightly hypocritical, if you ask me. Since we're on the subject, Neytin turned on Jake and immediately never wanted to see him again before the humans attacked and her father died. This despite the fact that the Na'vi mate for life and the two just mated. After taming a red dragon-like creature, she welcomes him back with open arms.
Okay, this functionally works to progress the story, but I think a better progression would have been to have the two mate, Jake reveals his mole status and the rest of the Na'vi turn on Jake but Neytin, feeling that strong, irrational mating bond, stands by her man until her father dies, at which point she turns on him. Jake then tames a red dragon and symbolically regains the trust of the Na'vi but it takes a little longer for Neytin to forgive him. At least, that's how I would have done it.
2. The evil human corporation is willing to massacre innocent natives to make a quick buck. It's so one dimensional that it's painful. Not to say that it couldn't happen, but I wanted more, and I think the movie hinted at more. In fact, Worthington's character mentioned that the earth had been ruined somehow. If we as a race no longer had a home world and were dependent upon Unobtainium to survive, and the Na'vi were unwilling to negotiate giving us any Unobtainium for over six years (which the movie stated was the timetable the negotiations had gone), then I think stealing it wouldn't necessarily have been the right thing to do morally, but necessary for the survival of the human race. The story hints that this is what's going on behind the scenes, but never says it outright probably because we the audience would turn on Jake Sully if we knew that. In any case, I would have preferred that the storyline be less cut and dry. The soldiers just started shooting. They didn't try a covert mission to steal the Unobtainium first, and the money grubbing corporation didn't recognize the potential money to be made in harvesting the forest's telepathy/soul bank?
Again, I thought the writing was okay, but with some major problems. C
Overall: You should see this movie. It's awesome. Yes, the writing is a bit shallow at times, but it's still really good in spite of the writing. A
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, myspace, flixter, amazon, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
Visuals: For years Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and all sorts of other sci-fi or fantasy movies have been trying to take us to another world. This one succeeded, and it was so beautiful. I swear that I had a religious experience in reaction to the visuals to this movie, probably akin to the feeling that many people had when they watched the original Star Wars for the first time in theaters. I don't tend to get teary eyed over physical beauty that often, but this world moved me to tears from the sheer beauty of it. It was like stepping inside an expressionistic painting. If you get a chance to see this in 3D, do it! If you get a chance to see it in the theater, do it! If you miss out on all that and watch your DVD in an old tube television, well... still watch it, although you might not have quite the same reaction as everyone else. The visuals get an A, and I somehow feel that an A isn't high enough to do this movie justice.
Sound: If the sound had failed, then the visuals would have too. Pandora sounded alive and organic. The creatures made sounds that matched the visuals and the music superbly added to the drama of what was going on. A
Acting: I tip my hat to every actor in this movie. The humans interacted with the CG characters in such an organic way that I really never questioned the fact that the humans were reacting to no one. Sam Worthington, mixing this with his roles in Terminator 4 and Clash of the Titans, may be establishing himself to be the next big action star since Jason Statham. Likewise, Zoe Saldana's career is on the rise as she just came off playing Uhura in the Star Trek reboot. And then there's Stephen Lang... good Lord, I do not want him angry with me under any circumstances ever. The man was ripped in this movie and looked like he could give Chuck Norris a run for his money. In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing a movie with Stephen Lang portraying a character very similar to his role as Col. Miles Quaritch, but as the movie's main protagonist instead of villain. The acting department gets an A!
Story: Normally, I tackle story first thing in my reviews. I saved it for last here, because I really loved this movie, but that doesn't mean that I'm blind to some issues with the storyline. Immediately after seeing this movie I ended up at a bank and was discussing it with my friend when the clerk noted that although she had seen the trailers, she didn't really get what the movie was about. I then gave a brief synopsis of the plot (something along the lines of humans travel to a distant planet and transfer a human's brain into an alien body so that he can learn their customs) at which point the clerk said she had little interest in sci-fi movies. I mention this for the simple fact that James Cameron had been working on this movie for a long, long time and a ton of money got dumped into a very, very sci-fi fantasy movie. Personally, I love sci-fi, but you had better believe that if anyone other than James Cameron, the visionary behind the movie that no company wanted to finance and all of whom ended up regretting when it became the highest grossing movie of all time, Titanic, had pitched this movie, it would never have been made (or, it would have been a cheap sci-fi original with really bad CG).
Anyhow, this is the archetypal mole goes native story. There are some shocking similarities between it and the novel Call Me Joe, and it wouldn't be the first time that Cameron had been sued for plagiarism, as Harlan Ellison sued him over Terminator, but I still think that simultaneous creation is possible in this instance. Regardless, the story is pretty good, but it's definitely the weakest link in the chain. All of the characters played their parts in making this story function, but I definitely thought some parts were written a bit shallow, for instance (SPOILER WARNING):
1. The Na'vi never once thought that Jake was giving intel to the humans? I think tvtropes.com might call this “Plot Induced Stupidity,” especially when you consider that they only let him stay there to gain intel on the humans. Slightly hypocritical, if you ask me. Since we're on the subject, Neytin turned on Jake and immediately never wanted to see him again before the humans attacked and her father died. This despite the fact that the Na'vi mate for life and the two just mated. After taming a red dragon-like creature, she welcomes him back with open arms.
Okay, this functionally works to progress the story, but I think a better progression would have been to have the two mate, Jake reveals his mole status and the rest of the Na'vi turn on Jake but Neytin, feeling that strong, irrational mating bond, stands by her man until her father dies, at which point she turns on him. Jake then tames a red dragon and symbolically regains the trust of the Na'vi but it takes a little longer for Neytin to forgive him. At least, that's how I would have done it.
2. The evil human corporation is willing to massacre innocent natives to make a quick buck. It's so one dimensional that it's painful. Not to say that it couldn't happen, but I wanted more, and I think the movie hinted at more. In fact, Worthington's character mentioned that the earth had been ruined somehow. If we as a race no longer had a home world and were dependent upon Unobtainium to survive, and the Na'vi were unwilling to negotiate giving us any Unobtainium for over six years (which the movie stated was the timetable the negotiations had gone), then I think stealing it wouldn't necessarily have been the right thing to do morally, but necessary for the survival of the human race. The story hints that this is what's going on behind the scenes, but never says it outright probably because we the audience would turn on Jake Sully if we knew that. In any case, I would have preferred that the storyline be less cut and dry. The soldiers just started shooting. They didn't try a covert mission to steal the Unobtainium first, and the money grubbing corporation didn't recognize the potential money to be made in harvesting the forest's telepathy/soul bank?
Again, I thought the writing was okay, but with some major problems. C
Overall: You should see this movie. It's awesome. Yes, the writing is a bit shallow at times, but it's still really good in spite of the writing. A
Tacmovies: We're not failed film students who bitterly criticize successful movies... really... sniffle... so, um... yeah, ahem: Follow our reviews on blogspot, myspace, flixter, amazon, imdb, yahoo movies, and youtube.
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