Tuesday August 30, 2011

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari- First time seeing this 1919 classic, and even if it is a little slow and you have seen its influence like a billion times by now (wink 'Shutter Island'), it's still amazing to know that it dates back as early as the 20s. It has a lot of creative and interesting direction to it, especially coming from its genius artistic choices in background and lighting. The style of German Expressionism is really interesting and I have always loved the idea of telling a story with only actions (there is dialogue, but it's a silent film… so you know... not really). I've been meaning to get to it, but it's always daunting to take on a silent or really old film. Although, as soon as you get through it, it gets you thinking. The only problem is that it's a 70 minute film that feels like 2 hours. Maybe if they gave me more background, let me get to know the main character (Francis)'s friend, Alan, I might have cared more about his survival, or how about the girlfriend character, who I didn't even know her name (it's Jane) until like 3 or so minutes left in the film. From an analytical point, it's a really interesting film since Robert Wiene uses the style to confuse the audience in a way that another film using the same style wouldn't. What I mean by this is that Wiene makes the Expressionism a logical plot point instead of it being just a movement. Not a perfect experience, but an entertaining, and inspiring one.



- Jeff Bassin

Sunday August 28, 2011

Prom- Cliche to an unbearable level, yet utterly charming. The cast works the predictable, so even when you are screaming in your head, "That would never happen!", you totally wish it would for some of them. Some of the stories are less interesting than others, since the whole jock cheating on a girl thing is so played out in my head, so it can be kind of hard to watch. But I liked how the film presented Prom… like it was such a big event in a high school career (not so much in real life), since in that way it pays homage to John Hughes films, where the loser gets the girl, and the bad guy is not so bad after all, and everything culminates at the last event of the school year, the prom. All its lack of realism and fairy tale aesthetics will ultimately set poor expectations on the youth of today, but hey, let tweeners tream. It's the kind of good, clean, cutesy fun filled evening meant to create expectations, and why not? It's a solidly entertaining time, even if the word schlock somehow comes to mind.



Priest- In an effort to combat the feminine style of 'Prom', I decided to venture into 'Priest', which didn't quite do it, but it helped. I started the film thinking blah from the opening scenes. But as soon as I saw Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton, True Blood) playing a human role in a vampire flick, I couldn't help but lighten up a bit. It also didn't hurt when Cam Gigandet showed up, (the antagonist Paul Walker looking guy in 'Never Back Down') as a sheriff to proposition Priest for his help in saving the girl he loves (Lily Collins, the daughter in 'The Blind Side'). That is when the film starts to actually get better. Maggie Q (plays a Priestess that fights with Priest) does nothing for me and Lily Collins is just around to look pretty. Outside that, the plot is not bad, but requires you to be a fan of westerns and also for you to see the film from a better character's perspective. You see, the Priest character isn't all that interesting. He's very cocky, and really doesn't have any room to grow. Paul Bettany (who seems to keep doing religion-based films, 'Legion', 'The Da Vinci Code', 'Creation', and now this) doesn't do much with guy, cept for talking in a low pitched voice and kicking vampire butt. For that reason alone, the film should have stuck to Gigandet's perspective and made it a sort of 'True Grit' with 'Vampires' Mattie Ross/Rooster Cogburn sort of thing. Either way, the film isn't long, and it wouldn't be the worst hour and a half you spend, so why not if you are looking for an action/horror/western type of movie. Although, I'll be honest, I kind of enjoyed 'Prom' more (way more of a feel good movie, even if it also comes with annoying, while this just makes me meh with shrug hands).



Hesher- You don't often hear lines like "What's green, slimy, and smells like bacon?" in a film, google it if you want to know. Using such a profane style, Writer/Director Spencer Susser makes it abundantly clear the kind of film you are getting yourself into isn't going to be a walk in the park (though it might be a swim in the pool). Sure, there have been films about a kid who learns from a mentor, but I don't know if they have even been quite like Hesher. Think of a juvenile version of the destructive character Clint Eastwood portrayed in 'Gran Torino', and you've got Hesher. He lives anywhere he can, he leaves a trail of fires wherever he goes, and he claims things like he need to go to the doctors because "it burns when [he] pees". His snake/mice and missing nut stories connecting to the plot are utterly ridiculous. Hesher is a character worth a film. No, the movie isn't perfect. It gets odd and chaotic at some points, but it's still interesting when it does. This is because of the work of Rainn Wilson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, and Devin Brochu (who plays the lead), who do a great job performing off of one another. Overall, this is nice indie black comedy about what you gain from loss, and it has enough lessons and laughs for a solid average viewing recommendation.



- Jeff Bassin

Saturday August 27, 2011

Chernaya Molniya A.K.A. Black Lightning- On an essential level, it's just a russian 'Spiderman' with 'Transformers', the latter just being the fact that it involves a big ole Herbie car that allows him to be a superhero. I mean, seriously, comparing the two movies would take up a good amount of space. Homage is a little too kind of a word. But I enjoy 'Spiderman' and I hadn't seen it in a while so it's nice to revisit it in a different form. It's not a bad movie. Entertaining, certainly. If I hadn't been forced to watch 'Spiderman' like 15 times in row one time when I was sick, I would probably have found way less criticism for it. One thing I did enjoy was how the main character, Dima (Grigory Dobrygin), chooses to deliver flowers instead of doing something awesome with his cool flying car. It just seems hilarious that he would do something so silly with all the power he has. It's a blend of nature with technology I guess (trying to look for symbolism and reason). The most annoying thing I found about this movie was that the female lead, Nastya (is this a common name in Russia?) (Ekaterina Vilkova), has about zero to no personality. Outside of "she's hot", I can't for the life of me decide why Dima or his friend want to date her (love triangle). Sure, she likes good hearted guys… but then again, she turns down a guy after he fails an important exam for her, just cause she likes the Superhero who she doesn't know. Ridiculous. That girl just aint worth it. See this if you are in the need for a random generic Superhero flick.



- Jeff Bassin

Saturday August 20, 2011

Submarine- Music Video director Richard Ayoade (also portrays the character Moss on 'The IT Crowd') did a interesting job on this one. Fair warning, the first few minutes' utilization of shifts between stylized imagery and odd hand held type cinematography may give off a kind of odd feeling, so let it settle and find it's ground and you become comfortable with it. Once you get to know the character of Oliver Tate (played awkwardly as ever by Craig Roberts), you can see the brilliant mess of comedy and sadness that will contain the next hour and a half. Despite it fitting into that block of "films that should be recommended to fans of Wes Anderson's 'Rushmore'", the film finds a starkly original place to stand on its own. The film is told from the narrative perspective of Tate, who often looks at his own life like a film, consequently forcing plot points into his own life story/film. It's quite funny, in it's awkward way, but the majority of it that will most likely draw you in for its Coming-of-Age, dramedy-esque bits. The movie brings Tate's story of first love with the combined polar opposite story of his Parents' failing marriage, and his resolve to keep both story lines under control creates the conflicts of the film. It's definitely worth watching, simply at best because Ayoade adds a certain personal flair to it that is worth checking out from a first feature. Also, the score by Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys is a perfect fit and even if you don't watch the movie, I would still recommend at least checking out the track "Piledriver Waltz".



- Jeff Bassin

Tuesday August 16, 2011

Final Destination 5 3D- Not only one of the best 3D movies I have witnessed so far, but also one of the top films I have seen this summer. Not because it is all that genius, it's actually quite dumb. It's because the producers and filmmaker understood their intentions so well that for the first time since the original, it delivers what the audience has wanted from the series. Also, it's wicked fun in a theater full of gasp and ughs. The cast is fine, I mean, Nicholas D'Agosto (Fired Up, Rocket Science) does well with what he's given, not that any of the performances are oscar material. The real genius is in the way people are killed. Even though you know the person is going to die (which is the reason many see the films in the franchise), you have no idea how, which makes it all the more glamorous when the movie outlandishly destroys your expectations. The gymnastic sequence was wild and certainly had me on the edge of my seat which is quite a good task. There is just something about the nail on the balance beam that hits everybody's nerves in the theater. On the ending, I can't say more than that it pretty much made it the best film in the series (although the payoff to this one requires viewing the first one), leaving the message that not only can you hardly cheat death on a tradeoff level, but that death is always around the corner, whether you are escaping it or just a small part of a bigger picture that is yet unfolded. I know it's cryptic, but so is death, and so is this film. The film gives off the fact that even escaping death doesn't mean that death won't come knocking again (especially if you are a good looking actor). Deemed, worth the $3.50 I had to pay to get 3D glasses (free movie tuesday doesn't cover 3D glasses and all the other films were sold out).



30 Minutes or Less- This film is retarded on any level outside of an entertaining one, so it's a good thing it has a lot of entertainment value. Jesse Eisenberg and Comedian Aziz Ansari are a average pair, if not just as flawed as their characters are written, and the film really rides off of their work together. Sure, Danny McBride and other Comedian Nick Swardson do good work together as well, but at the core, they really are only the support on this bridge (ironically the falling structure in 'Final Destination 5'). McBride and Swardson act like the wild monkeys they mask as (also seems odd that this should come up in the second week of 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes') and Eisenberg and Ansari mask as their own alter egos, bank robbers. The robbery sequence is easily the funniest bit in the movie, providing both some comedic moments amongst a should-be tense moment, and also an interesting fact about bank money trickery. The biggest problem with the film really is the climax, which raps up all too quickly and ambiguously and without further explanation. This is light, fun, and fast paced, but overall would make just as good of a rental than as a theater viewing.



- Jeff Bassin

Monday August 15, 2011

Soul Surfer- I enjoyed this a lot. Even if it got preachy with the religious stuff at some times (I think this is actually how the Hamilton family is, so it's acceptable). The film has a great fast paced feel during the surfing sequences from disney director Sean McNamara that gives me a 'Slumdog Million/Bollywood' feel. Also, the guy uses nice digital editing techniques and odd filming angles to remove actress AnnaSophia Robb's arm to better display the lost arm of her real life counterpart for this film, Bethany Hamilton, so that's always interesting to watch. It's a surfing film, but it is also a film about picking yourself up from problems when you face them. It's about finding new perspective when you are having a hard time dealing with something. With that in mind, AnnaSophia Robb does a great job performing the good and the bad that came with her character's arm loss. This is a true story with a message, and the film preaches that she lost her arm in order to embrace the world even more than she does with two arms. It's quite beautiful, even if at some times it can feel a little forced. Also, Lorraine Nicholson, Jack Nicholson's daughter, does a good job playing Alana Blanchard, the at first frightened friend, from witnessing the incident, and eventually (actually early on, I mean, she is not a complicated character most of the time, but she does have a good friendship chemistry with Robb) the supporting friend.



Bad Taste- Peter Jackson's first feature is just as fun and brilliant as any of his others ('Dead Alive' being the most similar). I thought it wouldn't be so great, since it's years before 'Alive' but I think it has just as much ambition. Even Peter Jackson has a role, two actually, as the odd and kind of insane head case of Derek and as the villain alien zombie guy, Robert. It's great. He's hilarious. Also, there is plenty of gore and action that helps the movie feel more than just an outdoors filming adventure by some 20-somethings. It's all in good fun. There is good makeup and the aliens are odd but cool creations. I hope Jackson comes back to horror comedy at some point in his career because it seems to me that nobody can do bloody visual gags in quite the same way as Jackson. All I have left to view is his second film, 'Meet the Feebles' and even though the film sounds like an odd Bakshi/muppets/Avenue Q thing, I'm more excited for it, knowing that his first film was great.



- Jeff Bassin

Sunday August 14, 2011

Wrecked- A really straightforward slow paced film with really no satisfying conclusion. You get your answers as to how Adrien Brody ended up in his particular predicament, and it's always nice to get that info… but the final moments either should have went for something happy for the viewer or sad. Instead, it ops for happy but without a hint of what will become of him in the future, so it's also kind of sad. He lives, well, he better live after I just watched him for 90 minutes climb up a damn hill army style, but does he get together with his wife/fiance/girlfriend/whatever by the end, or does that even matter, since he's so screwed up from the car accident that he may never recover. On another note, I enjoyed the ways this film confuses the viewer with the events that have occurred in the woods. In 127 hours, it allowed you to watch the protagonist, Aron Ralston, from more of a third person view. From the camera you were able to decipher when Ralston (James Franco) was acting insane or when he was facing real situations. In this film, outside from the mentioning of the non-existent dog (which I totally called early on in the film), this film allows you to view the horrid survival story from the victim, and when the audience sees events, and he has no idea if they are real or part of the obvious illusions that he witnesses such as his wife/girlfriends/fiance/whatever, the audience feels the same way. Enjoyable for one viewing, but most people would probably grow bored of this if they watched it in a crowd (Kind of like Coppola's 'Somewhere' in that way).



The Lincoln Lawyer- The second viewing didn't really change my impression from when I saw it in theaters. Good, not great. It would be a real solid episode of 'Law and Order' but since it's a feature film, it doesn't really do much for me. A good performance from McConaughey but that doesn't warrant it as hollywood entertainment. This is purely a rental. Which is how I saw it this time, so I guess it was better considering it is only one buck on redbox. The film is a bit long and has a real awkward way of concluding, but I guess since just about everything raps up nicely, it's appropriate.



- Jeff Bassin

Saturday August 13, 2011

Dinner for Shmucks- Watching this movie a second time, I enjoyed this film even more than I did the first. The first time I saw this in theaters for free movie tuesday, I thought, this is a funny movie, but a very very stupid one. This time, I'm realizing just how great Carell and Rudd perform together and just how well the numerous cameos work in addition to the film. Like 'Meet the Parents' (the other film from feature director Jay Roach), it's an everyman that is faced by forced circumstances and must fight them in order to be with the girl he loves. This is a really fun film and holds well on the second viewing. Though I won't lie, it gets away with quite a bit of sex talk and clitoris mentioning for a PG-13 film.



- Jeff Bassin

Tuesday August 9, 2011

Rise of the Planet of the Apes- This is a quality science fiction film that easily forgets the previous Tim Burton film. Outside of Andy Serkis, who is brilliant in his motion capture performance as the ape, Caesar, nobody else is fantastic but they all do their part and are effective at playing their roles. The movie shows a greater duration of its length in the perspective of Caesar, and tells more of its story as the idea of poor treatment towards animals that ought to be our equals. It's fascinating and makes you think, but audiences that would think that it's an action film will be mistaken and most likely a little disappointed. Despite its repetitive and redundant title (too many "of the"s for my taste), I would definitely recommend it.



The Change-Up- Funny but pretty bad. It's 'Freaky Friday' with dudes, and for dudes. Definitely a FDBD (think FUBU) film. There's plenty of sex, nudity, and shit jokes that make up this film. Some of it works really well... but most of it doesn't. It's a movie that gives you what you would expect. Which is kind of disappointing since you don't expect too much. Jason Bateman does a lot of complaining (even when he's supposed to be Ryan Reynolds' character in Bateman's body) and Ryan Reynolds does a lot of advising (especially when he's supposed to be Jason Bateman's character in Reynolds' body). Finally, Olivia Wilde makes her real life public image more appealing, by choosing to appeal to everything guys like this summer (in 'Cowboys and Aliens' and 'Tron: Legacy', she's appealing to nerds, and in this one, she's appealing to 'normal' or (SPIKE TV/MANswers type) dudes) while Leslie Mann ends up being the pitied wife with bowel issues. Yup, that's about it. It is watchable, but good? I think not.



- Jeff Bassin

Monday August 8, 2011

Astro Boy- I enjoyed this animation far more than I though I would. First, because it isn't just a simple robot hero story. This is the story of a kid who's death causes a heartbroken father to build a robot using his DNA, creating a robot with the same memories, but with a slightly different personality. The father dislikes him, because he reminds him of his departed son, so he chooses to kick him out of the home, leaving the emotion filled robot to find his purpose in this world. Pinocchio. It has an interesting premise and highly interesting themes for what I thought would just be about action. Robot (Slave) equality, Upper class vs. Lower class, the Struggle for Political Regime, yep they are there. This is more than you would think, and I enjoyed a large portion of it. Although I can't say much for the voice cast (especially that Nic Cage), I wouldn't let that sway my viewing. Considering that nobody I know has really seen it (kind of old for this kind of movie bro… Good point parenthesis response person) this is what I like to call underrated.



- Jeff Bassin

Sunday August 7, 2011

Little Monsters- A fun kids movie from back in the day that is a good watch but there is so much to pick on that its partially hard to enjoy. Howie Mandel's impression of Betelgeuse only goes so far, and it's the mean spirited attitude of the monsters that provides odd humor for a children's movie. Even if the kid has a bully that makes fun of him and picks on him, does that really give him the right to sneak into his house late at night and pee in his apple juice container. But I can forgive that, only there's more. At the end of the film, their entrance way to the mortal world from the monster world is closed because the sun is up. This should mean that the kids are trapped and will become monsters. Only the loophole is that they can go to a different state around the world to find a place where they can exit without the sun. Doesn't this mean that nobody has to become monsters? Was everyone too stupid before them to run to a different time zone? Oh well, this is a 'Goonies' level movie with a horror lime twist to it, so its all in a playful spirit, but if I'm watching something with my future kids or am feeling nostalgic, I should probably just go with 'The Goonies'… also, I feel like this one could scare kids, so obviously that's not great for the family.



Don't Look Under the Bed- Another horror kids film, this from the Disney Channel Original Movie brand (though I found a copy of it on Youtube after feeling nostalgic for this one after 'Little Monsters') and I like it much more than Little Monsters… although it is much creepier. Despite overusing the Dutch 'Sideways' Angle to create an eerie abnormal effect probably way too much, it is used for the right purposes. Anywho, I wanted to begin by saying, now this is quality for an old kids movie. It is certainly scary (gives me a bit of chills after its done, but when I saw it when I was younger, I was fearing' like crazy cause of this one… Well, not as bad as 'The Ring', but you get the idea. Anyways, the leads are both solid, it is filled with fun moments and creepy ones, and everything almost ties up perfectly. Except for never telling us why the lead could see the imaginary friend but not the Boogeyman character, and then letting her see the Boogeyman character at the end with no explanation, this is a kids film I mark with an appropriate amount of good nostalgia.



- Jeff Bassin

Friday August 5, 2011

Rio- Started this last night and finished it in the morning. This was a really fun movie. I can completely understand why critics praised what seemed like a mindless effort. It depicts brazilian culture quite accurately, it includes many real locations of brazil, and it is mighty colorful. It also doesn't hurt to have voice talent like Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg on the group, especially Eisenberg, who is coming off of 'The Social Network'. The songs are cute and sometimes funny (Jermaine Clement of 'Flight of the Choncords' has a great one where he emulates his song style from the tv show, and the big "Rio" number that repeats is also quite good). It's childish at times, with pretty much all of the jokes passing by with mostly smirks from my part, but they were enjoyable smirks. Overall, this is an interesting an fun animated movie for adults, but I'm certain kids will enjoy it way more. Of course, I would be willing to watch it again with them.



Hobo with a Shotgun- Despite having an interesting look (odd choices for colors of the film, claiming to be in technicolor (some real "Wizard of OZ' s@$t), it just took itself too seriously, even when it was being silly, thus making the gory sequences (a girls arms being chopped off and then her lifting a sewer grate by just a bone arm) all the harder to watch. It's fun, don't get me wrong, but most of the fun comes from juvenile punchlines and over the top gore. Nothing special, but somehow entertaining.



Source Code- Duncan Jones scores again (definitely enjoyed his first feature, 'Moon') with an even better and original effort with the use of a more generic plot line. What could be described as a rehash of plot lines for the movie 'Deja Vu' with Denzel Washington, Jones quickly turns it over its head with more complicated theology, and a much more thrilling adventure. From minute one, the viewer sits at the forefront of excitement, and from train explosion one, it doesn't really let go until the end. The idea of parallel realities may have been hard for some viewers to concentrate on, but Jones figures his viewers will either be the kind to shrug off his film, or analyze it enough to understand it. And while the idea of nothing in the film technically taking place in the reality it originally began in can stump the reward of a 'real' happy ending, it has more truth based in it than most hollywood films and there is merit in that. It's that copout ending, there's a happy ending in some universe, even though ours doesn't have it… Wait… that really hasn't been done before to that extent. Like I said, Original.



- Jeff Bassin

Wednesday August 3, 2011

Quest for Camelot- A thoroughly generic attempt at a disney styled hand drawn film and proof that if it's hand drawn, it doesn't have to be mind boggling. It's not terrible, just not eventful. It's completely predictable, not in the least successfully comedic, nor are the songs catchy (though there is one duet I liked). The movie is overall just more of a pamphlet of how to make a generic animated film. Re-watching this as a 19 year old instead of whatever age I was when I saw it in theaters makes me wonder what I originally thought of it. Curious, how a good film can become bad film with years added to the equation.



- Jeff Bassin

Tuesday August 2, 2011

Bridge to Terabithia- This was a great family film, one that practices what it preaches, and ultimately leaves the audience (adult and child) pretty emotionally involved. Josh Hutcherson (Jess) and AnnaSophia Robb (Leslie) give out great childish performances and have good chemistry, and it's fairly well directed by Gabor Csupo to a level that really respects the novel. It's a movie about opening your imagination and carrying the ideas of possibility into the youth. While some elements of the film are too childish, such as the bullies and how they transition into the magical realm of Terabithia, its all in good fun and doesn't take away from the emotionally impacting moments such as the forming adolescent love between the two protagonists, the death of the Leslie, the sequence where the Jess finally receives the love from his father he always wanted, and when Jess finally brings his sister to share in the world of Terabithia. So go ahead and give it a shot if you are looking for something to view on the PG family friendly line of things.



- Jeff Bassin