Matt's Talk

Wendy and Lucy

A mesmerizing film of a young woman and her dog on their way to Alaska from Indiana in hopes of starting a new life by getting a job at a Northwestern fish cannery. When Wendy's car breaks down in a desolate Oregon town, her financial situation becomes much more of an issue due to the fact that she's on such an extremely tight budget. The cinematography is quite effective in the sense that it really catches a dour mood, and the haunting humming from Wendy comes and goes as somewhat of a reminder of how simplicity isn't always so simple.
Michelle Williams delivers a fine performance as Wendy Carroll who just can't seem to get ahead, and of course, Lucy, the dog ready to fetch what's thrown even if it takes her into the unknown, followed by her wistful companion.

The Way of the Gun

A brilliant film of two criminals portrayed by Benicio Del Toro and Ryan Phillippe who hold a surrogate mother for ransom as they seek an ultimate fortune.
The acting is first rate by Del Toro, Phillippe, and James Caan as the opposing professional hitman, and the "gunplay" scenes are very well executed allowing for optimal suspense.
The end scenes shot in New Mexico are reminiscent of the spaghetti westerns, but differ in a modern, realistic look at the violence that may result from these situations.

Hackers

A film I probably would never have watched, but happened to see enough of which caught my interest. And hey, I was curious to see Angie in her first big film role.
This film is geared towards a teen audience, but has elements most can identify with as computers have become such a big part of our lives these days. This film is from 1995, so that's around the time computer technology took another, bigger step for business and personal users.
Angelina Jolie's character portrayal of "Acid Burn" is quite different than her
work in films such as "Changeling", but it was interesting to see how she's evolved as an actress in the last fourteen years. Her natural ability has always been there, but she just got better with her craft.
The story is of a group of young "hackers" who discover a plot to unleash a dangerous computer virus which forces them to use their computer skills to find the evidence as they're pursued by the Secret Service, and the evil computer genius behind the virus. Not too interesting, but not too bad.
I'm recommending this film for people who appreciate Angelina. If you don't, there really isn't much here for you.

State of Grace

Magnificent look at the Irish mob in New York known as the Westies. Gary Oldman's character work as the ruthless Jackie Flannery is brilliant. He makes Jackie vulnerable and likable, showing he is one of the most unsung actors of our time. Sean Penn and Ed Harris turn in outstanding performances as well in this riveting film set primarily in New York City's "Hell's Kitchen". Even though Oldman's performance alone makes this film a "must see", the film is pretty much a perfect piece of cinema in every way. Very likely the best film of the last twenty years.

Prom Night

What can I say, this film's a horror classic, and one of the first slasher films that spawned many, even to this day. Sure the acting isn't great to say the least, but Jamie Lee Curtis stands on her own as the "scream queen" she was so destined to become. She just has it; plain and simple.
The lighting in this film is eerie, and the premise is familiar because you've seen it copied by many filmmakers. This film however, delivers horror and unintentional comedy in one dose which is something that can not be duplicated.
And as Randy(Jamie Kennedy) says regarding the police in "Scream", "If they watched Prom Night they'd save time. There's a formula to it, a very simple formula, everybody's a suspect!"

Revolutionary Road

An intense film, yet quite disturbing as well with it's unique edge. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio star as a young married couple in the '50s whose lives are based on what they believe to be of the higher ideals, only to find themselves on emotional rollercoasters due to the inadequacy of their stereotypical existence in Connecticut. Frank(DiCaprio) works at a job he hates because he feels that is the way, and never gives himself the chance to find out who he really is. April(Winslet) has a desire to start over again in Paris which was once fondly spoken of by Frank. But do the pieces fit into the puzzle of their dream of the "perfect" life they imagined themselves living?
I was impressed with Kate Winslet's performance as the daydreaming housekeeper, and Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as the guy who just does what he thinks he has to do as a father and husband. However, each character does questionable things which helps define this union as unsavory indeed.
The "Stepford Wives"-esque feel of the film is eerie even though it may not have even been planned, and I feel a film like this is scarier than the average horror film of these days. Show me a good thriller of the horror genre, and it's an enjoyable ride. But when it comes to harsh reality so often prevalent in the world, it scares the hell out of me.
And ironically enough, Kathy Bates of "Misery" portrays a real estate agent who shows them a house on Revolutionary Road.
"Ozzie and Harriot", I think not.

Radio

This is quite a powerful film.
Cuba Gooding Jr. turns in a brilliant performance as the mentally challenged loner James Robert Kennedy nicknamed "Radio" due to his vintage radio collection in which one is always in his hand playing music he loves, and gives a "score" to his lonely existence of pushing a grocery cart up and down the streets of a South Carolina town.
Ed Harris is brilliant as usual as the town's popular high school football team coach who takes an interest in Radio upon seeing him watching a practice session. His friendship and concern for Radio develops into something that means much more than football to the very well respected coach, Harold Jones.
Jones allows Radio to be part of the team's practices and games on the sidelines, and sit in on his classes in school which opens up a whole new world for James(Radio), and essentially gives him a life that he is in dire need of.

Changeling

Clint Eastwood shows his directorial prowess yet again with this powerful, moving film of a mother seeking her son who has been kidnapped and mis-identified as another child in 1920s Los Angeles.
Angelina Jolie portrays the mother who literally goes through hell for reasons only known to the dubious federal authorities, and undergoes various amounts of torture in hope that things will be seen as they are, and her son will be found and brought back to her. This film is based on true events, and shows how scary things can be in misguided hands of the law, and the criminal minds so eager to prey upon the young and defenseless.

Downloading Nancy

First of all, this film is by no means a feel good, popcorn popping piece of cinema. It's a rather dark, disturbing tale shot in quite dismal premises to tell a story that is real, but not one people want to hear.
However, I was glued to the screen due to the brilliant acting performances by Maria Bello and Jason Patric. They portray characters whose tattered souls take comfort in one another through the internet using e-mail, pictures, and promises of sordid sexual encounters. Nancy(Bello), is a severely damaged woman due to being a victim of child abuse, and self mutilation is something that she simply can't keep herself from comitting. Her husband only cares about his virtual golf game he's set up in a downstairs room as she is suffering above. She sees a therapist, but what is it that Nancy ultimately needs?
When it comes down to it, a download can contain various information, good and bad, but it does not however contain a pulse.

Inglourious Basterds

What a brilliant film!!!
When I heard of it's length, I thought it sounded a bit long. However, this film is so well executed by Tarantino, and brightened with an outstanding character portrayal by Brad Pitt who plays Lieutenant Aldo Raine that it seemed to fly by. Raine organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution, and even take the Nazi's scalps which I thought was a perfect touch and slam to the Nazi scum who couldn't deserve it more.
Raine's squad, known to the enemy as "The Basterds" join a German actress who is also an undercover agent on a mission to take down the Third Reich. The fates converge under a cinema marquee in Paris where a girl(Shosanna Dreyfuss) who witnessed the execution of her family in a German-occupied France has forged a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema, and is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own.
After seing this, I realized why it took so long for Tarantino to write(10 years), and how perfect it was that it came to the point where he was writing with Brad Pitt in mind who is the perfect actor for this role with his excellence in characterizing.
There are bits of the soundtrack reminiscent of the spaghetti western scores by Ennio Morricone, but he did in fact work on the score as I discovered upon the end credits adding to the film's intrigue.
This is without question a Tarantino masterpiece, and showcases how he's willing to go in different, more extreme directions with a topic so dismal that it keeps you on the edge of your seat, but not without the reward of the occasional laugh which is my idea of cinematic perfection.

Lars and the Real Girl

This is certainly a different film, but quite good in it's own right.
Ryan Gosling portrays the affable introvert Lars Lindstrom who is in near solitude for years; only to have a "friend" he's met on the internet come and visit. He introduces Bianca to his brother and his wife who are stunned at the fact that Bianca is in fact a life-size "love" doll that Lars is treating and representing as a human being.
The family doctor explains after meeting Bianca in Lars's presence that this is a delusion he's created for reasons unknown, but believes that the best thing is for them to do is go along with it. The subsequent events show the emotional journey for Lars and the people around him, and how Bianca is more helpful than one may think for Lars.
I know that sounds odd, but it's something you have to see to understand. The brilliant acting performance by Gosling really makes this film what it is. The vulnerability and delusional qualities Lars has are quite sad, but are also quite funny at times due to the context of the film, and the reactions of others to Bianca, the "Real Girl".

Wonder Boys

Michael Douglas portrays the pothead professor/writer Grady Tripp struggling with writer's block in this brilliant, comical film. Tripp befriends one of his students James Leer(Tobey Maguire) who he believes in as a writer. There are some humorous situations involving Tripp and James trying to find a jacket once owned by Marilyn Monroe, a college girl and student of his boarding at his home who is quite enamored with him, his publisher portrayed by Robert Downey Jr, and the colossal book he's been writing that even he can't explain. There's a lot going on in this film, so it's rather difficult to summarize in a brief review. I believe this 2000 film is definately one of the better, funniest films of the twenty first century thus far.

Rescue Dawn

This film is based on the true story of Air Force pilot Dieter Dengler(Christian Bale) who is shot down and captured by Vietcong guerrillas in Laos on his first mission to Vietnam. Bale's portrayal of the headstrong pilot is very well done.
This film is pretty dim as it shows emaciated, traumatized war prisoners doing their best to stay alive. Jeremy Davies's character portrayal is haunting as one of the prisoners who's been there for a couple of years surviving on next to nothing, and Steve Zaughn's character is the opposite of what you normally see him portray. Definately a film meant to tell an important, real horror story, and a representative of the heroes from the Vietnam war.

The Happening

This film is a bit of a bore. I like Zooey Deschanel, so most of my rating goes to her despite her stale performance. Mark Wahlberg has become a decent actor, but this is not one of his better performances. However, I don't think the actors had much to work with here, so I need to be fair. Bad, unoriginal screenplays do happen all too often these days.
The story revolves around a couple and a little girl of a friend they are watching who are on the run from a natural crisis that presents a large scale threat to humanity.
There are some creepy moments here and there, but not enough to keep me too interested.

You Kill Me

An alcoholic hitman from a Polish mob family in Buffalo, N.Y. gets sent to San Francisco by his uncle to clean up his act when he messes up a critical assignment, and puts his family in peril.
Frank(Ben Kingsley) attends AA meetings, gets a sponser, and a job at a mortuary which is clearly an ironic place for him to be. The acting in this film is quite good, and is humorous despite the morbid premise.
Tea Leoni, Luke Wilson, Dennis Farina, and Bill Pullman help wind this film into the entertaining tale it is.

Whatever Works

Brilliant film!
It revolves around the existence of an eccentric, self thought genius(Larry David) who abandons his dismal beliefs about pretty much everything in an attempt at a second marriage with a young girl(Evan Rachel Wood) who ran away from home in the South, and shows up to become part of Boris's life in NYC. Is the crossing of their paths meant to be?
Then the girl's mother and father show up to add to the entanglements adding various aspects of humor in this tale of a man who spends way too much time in his intelligent yet quirky head.

Bongwater

It's a Fistful of Resin. lol
I don't know quite what to say about this film other than the fact that it's worth a laugh. Luke Wilson stars as a preppy burnout who's home burns down in a smoke-out splendor, then moves in with his friend played by the crazy yet oh so funny Andy Dick. Wilson has his misadventures collecting shrooms and dropping acid at a friend's "pot farm" with his high and horny friend portrayed by Brittany Murphy, and with his "ex-girlfriend" played by Alicia Witt who finds herself in unsavory scenarios as she's "moving on" with her life. Kind of difficult to give a distinct review of this film because it is what it is, bongwater.

Awake

This is a film I may not have watched, but happened to see enough of on cable which grabbed my interest. It's a psychological thriller that tells the story of a young man(Hayden Christensen) undergoing heart surgery while experiencing "anesthetic awareness" leaving him awake yet paralyzed throughout the intense operation. While he's "under", you learn there's more going on than routine surgery, and his wife's(Jessica Alba) intentions are indeed quite dubious.
I think this film will particularly interest and send some chills through those who are familiar with the surgical procedure, but will be of interest to anyone who is up for some realistic horror.

In the Bedroom

Analogous title for a flm that deals with this state in various ways. Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, and Marisa Tomei shine in this dismal tale of devastation in a Maine lobster town.
First-time director Todd Field did a brilliant job portraying the loss, rage, and desire for revenge with the help of exceptional acting performances, and the observation of the taciturn anguish so readily available in our everyday lives.

River's Edge

A truly remarkable film! Brilliant character portrayals by a top notch cast. Particularly Dennis Hopper's character portrayal of Feck, the homebound criminal ex-biker. So crazy yet so funny! Crispin Glover's portrayal of Lane is outstanding and hilarious as well, and this film is by no means a comedy. It's a rather dark film yet always watchable and entertaining.