| Movie | Rating | Review | Date | Your Rating | Match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State of Play - PG-13 | April 26, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - PG | April 25, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3) - R | April 25, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Wolfman - Unrated | September 1, 2008 | N/A | ||||
| Honeydripper - PG-13 | August 29, 2008 | N/A | ||||
| Into the Wild - R | Sean Penn's beautiful, challenging film about an upper class young man who turned his back on modern society and its trappings to go live alone in the Alaskan wilderness. Although the character's motivations are always understandable, Penn allows the protagonist to come off as a bit of a jerk, which is factually accurate but narratively unfortunate. Hal Holbrook's small but memorable role is a real highlight of the last hour. | August 24, 2008 | N/A | |||
| A Lawyer Walks into a Bar... - Unrated | Surprisingly interesting documentary about six law students from hugely divergent backgrounds who are trying to pass the bar exam. Much more interesting than I would've thought possible. Fascinating and sometimes moving stories of why people seek to enter the world's most hated profession. | August 24, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Outfoxed - Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism - Unrated | August 19, 2008 | N/A | ||||
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars - PG |
Who ever thought we'd see a "Star Wars" movie in which a huge part of the storyline involves Anakin Skywalker babysitting Jabba the Hutt's infant son? It's "Bringing Up Baby", in a galaxy far far away. This thoroughly unnecessary film at least contains a lot of action and combat, which helped me overlook the relatively crude animation. There are no real surprises from a character point of view -- there can't be, really, considering this film is merely bridging the gap between two other movies. The only real twist is that Anakin's got a new (female) padawan learner in this adventure. Their relationship is feisty and spirited, in a typical "buddy cop" sort of way: they initially despise each other, then gradually become inseparable. Although I liked the dynamic, I hated their affectionate pet nicknames for each other (Skyguy and Snips? Really?) Clone Wars has its flaws, but I liked it. It's about as good as, say, Episode II. (Which still isn't great, but I had fun.) |
August 18, 2008 | N/A | |||
| August Rush - PG |
Oscar nomination be damned. What a shitburger of a movie. An orphan with a Mozart-like musical gift leaves his his foster home in search of his birth parents. His guide? The magical spirit of music, which floats in the air around him. It seems to have "Force"-like powers over him. Cloying sentimentality, mediocre music, and thoroughly forgettable performances mar the already illogical storyline of this nearly meritless film. My clothes reeked of saccharine and shame after watching it. |
August 18, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Les Miserables - PG-13 | August 18, 2008 | N/A | ||||
| The Night Stalker - Unrated | August 17, 2008 | N/A | ||||
| El Orfanato (The Orphanage) - R | August 17, 2008 | N/A | ||||
| Tropic Thunder - R |
A group of actors are attacked and captured while making a Vietnam war film, only they don't realize that it's not all part of the movie. A funny premise, executed with fine craftsmanship from actor/writer/director Ben Stiller. Jack Black is wasted in a one-note caricature of drug addiction, while Tom Cruise, virtually unrecognizable except for his voice, has a tremendous time here. Robert Downey Jr. made me laugh from beginning to end, despite his character's intentional shallowness. I'm still not a fan of contemporary comedies as a rule, but I had a reasonable amount of fun with this. I doubt I'll ever watch it again, though. |
August 17, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Vicky Cristina Barcelona - PG-13 |
Amazing... Woody Allen's latest film is actually playing in Scranton! Granted, it's only at one theater, and only on one screen, but I'll take what I can get. I'm just happy I got to see it all, because I absolutely *adored* it. (We tend to get about 50% of Woody's films on the big screen -- the rest find their way to me from Netflix.) Two American women (Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johnanson) decide to spend a summer in Barcelona, where they fall under the spell of a betwitching Spaniard (Javier Bardem), who turns on all his charms and beds them both. Relationships grow complicated, and although it sounds like a cliche, all three learn a lot about themselves, and of the wrath of Bardem's psychotic ex-wife (Penelope Cruz). As we've come to expect from Mr. Allen's work, all the characters deliver eloquent, poetic monologues about life, love, and happiness, but unlike certain other Allen films, it doesn't feel perfunctory. This is a movie with a lot on its mind, and empathy for -- and analysis of -- the characters and their motives is required. I can't get into all the reasons why, but this movie hit me like a sledgehammer. I recognize that the reasons are largely personal, but I can't ignore a movie that shakes me this hard. I had a "Smoke Signals"-type reaction to it. You may not respond to it the same way -- indeed, it's fairly likely that you won't -- but it'll stay with me for a while to come. An early pick for my Best of 2008 Top Ten List. |
August 16, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Blue Thunder - R | Although suffering a bit from James Bond syndrome, in which each and every one of the title helicopter's arsenal of weaponry is employed exactly once during the final act of the film, this 1983 Roy Scheider/Malcolm McDowell thriller is still a fun ride. I also love how almost every line of dialgoue serves as foreshadowing for a later scene. Now *that's* economy of screenwriting. | August 16, 2008 | N/A | |||
| The Night Strangler - Unrated | August 16, 2008 | N/A | ||||
| 12 Days of Terror - Unrated |
Tell me if this plot synopsis sounds familiar: An ocean community is shocked when a series of shark attacks plague their waters right around the 4th of July holiday, threatening to impact their summer business. Although the initial victim clearly died due to a shark attack, the coroner poo-poos this idea, claiming any number of things could've caused this swimmer's death. Much discussion ensues about whether the beaches should be closed, but a stubborn mayor refuses to give the order. The consequences are disastrous, because the shark's next victim is a young boy. A reward is soon offered for the shark's death. A marine biologist arrives from out of town to help make sense of the monster's actions, and puts forth the theory that the shark is both a Great White and rogue. Meanwhile, a gruff, cantankerous captain does everything in his power to get rid of the predator, chewing up nearly as much scenery as the shark itself. The final act of the movie is an extended shark hunting sequence, with three men alone on the ocean, in the crazy captain's dilapidated boat. Nope... doesn't ring a bell. It's no secret that Jaws was based (loosely) on the real-life 1916 New Jersey shark attacks, and this made-for-TV film dramatizes the events perfectly. But the movie feels like an "also ran", directed with far less artistry than Spielberg's film, and boasting a much less inspired cast. (Even John Rhys Davies, who plays the Quint-like character here, barely seems to be going through the motions.) It doesn't help that the plot feels old and tired, while Jaws felt new and fresh upon its release. Even some of the dialogue here is virtually recycled from Spielberg's classic... compare 12 Days of Terror's "This boat looks kind of small," to Jaws' "We're gonna need a bigger boat". And the screenplay, co-written by Halloween III's Tommy Lee Wallace, never quite captures the feeling of a community in terror. A few individual people, yes, but not an entire town. Although I greatly enjoyed the 1916 setting, and the warm, slightly sepia tones employed by the cinematographer, I can't really recommend 12 Days of Terror. It's an interesting companion piece to Spielberg's film, but not terribly significant beyond that. (Although the shark looks pretty good.) |
August 14, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Blue Water, White Death - Unrated |
An amazing 1971 documentary about a group of marine biologists trying to film Great White sharks, which at the time this movie was made had never been successfully photographed. This documentary was a huge influence on Peter Benchley, who'd go on to write a novel called "Jaws" a few years later, and many of the crew from this film would later do second-unit photography for Spielberg's movie, bringing everything full circle. Wait for the sequence where a survivor of a Great White attack recounts his ordeal in amazing detail. What a story... as powerful in its own way as Quint's Indianapolis speech. This documentary has been lovingly remastered on DVD, and looks like it was shot yesterday. Well worth a look, even with Tom Chapin's asinine folk songs sprinkled throughout. (What moron brings a folk singer along on an expedition like this!? Why couldn't they have brought his brother Harry instead?) |
August 13, 2008 | N/A | |||
| The Curse of Frankenstein - Unrated | August 10, 2008 | N/A | ||||
| The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - PG-13 | August 10, 2008 | N/A | ||||
| Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End - PG-13 | August 10, 2008 | N/A | ||||
| When Worlds Collide - G | August 10, 2008 | N/A | ||||
| Tell Them Who You Are - R |
Although this is supposedly a documentary about the relationship between cinematographer/filmmaker Haskell Wexler and his son Mark, it's pretty much a cheap therapy session for the son, allowing him to whine for 90 minutes about what a bad father his dad is/was, complete with selectively edited scenes of Dad being a dick. Roll end credits. The irony is that Mark's central message seems to be that he finds it difficult to live in the shadow of his famous father. So he responds by making a documentary (just like his dad might do) and interviewing a bunch of famous people (George Lucas, Dennis Hopper, etc.) in the process... people he surely wouldn't have had access to if not for his father. The documentary itself is pretty uninspired, but I enjoyed the inclusion of footage from the senior Wexler's work, especially his lesser seen films. |
August 10, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Jaws - PG |
The first summer blockbuster, and still one of the best. I make it a point to rewatch this film every year on the first day of summer. We're gonna need a bigger boat, indeed. And I don't care if the shark looks fake. It could still kick your ass. |
August 7, 2008 | N/A |
1742 ratings
283 reviews
