Midnight In Paris Movie Review - Rachel McAdams Owen Wilson

For a while, it seemed every NetFlix DVD I ordered had a trailer for "Midnight in Paris."  This probably explained my impossibly long wait to see this film. It took months for it to be released to me from my DVD queue.

Rachel McAdams and Owen Wilson team up again (since Wedding Crashers) as a couple with very different ideas on how to spend their trip to Paris.  She wants to shop and do 'touristy' things while he wants to experience the real romance and history of Paris.


This is whimsical tale to say the least. The year is the present time.  Owen's character, Gil, is a writer. He wants to write a great classic. Walking the streets of Paris alone one night he stumbles across a sort of alternate world in the Parisian past.  Here he meets famous artists Hemingway, Piccasso, Gertrude Stein, Fitzgerald and many others. He loves it. He wants to stay in the past.

The film is easy to watch and doesn't try to make you believe an inch of it. As a viewer you just fall into this tale and go along for the ride.

Owen Wilson is an actor whose style never seems to change but it works.  His mannerisms and personality fit this role.



The film is good fun and not one to be taken too seriously.  If you are a literary buff, you'll really enjoy the film and probably have a better understanding of the personalities behind each artist. If you are not a literary guru, don't worry, the inside-literary-references do not get in the way of the film. If anything, they give this rather goofy Woody Allen tale some unexpected depth.

The film wraps up a little too neatly but don't all fairy tales?

Midnight in Paris is not quite as funny as the trailer makes it out to be. The trailer exploits the best lines to get you to see the film and I fell for the ploy.  I still liked this film.

If you can suspend belief and don't mind Woody Allen-type films, you'll find this movie to be fairly unique, refreshing and occasionally funny.

Check it out.

2011

PG-13

95 Minutes

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Whatever Works - Film Review - Larry David - Rachel Adams

"Whatever Works" is written and directed by Woody Allen and stars Larry David.  Larry David plays a retired physicist, Boris Yellnikoff. He lives in New York City.  He is a tired, neurotic, suicidal, genius and disgusted with just about everything
and everyone one.  He thinks just about everything is stupid.  He is very vocal about his feelings and expresses them through a number of literal and thinly veiled monologues.


In between Yellnikoff's rants he meets homeless Melody (Rachel Evan Wood).  Melody is much, much younger (I'd say by 40+ years). She is bubbly, naive and not so bright.  Improbably, they fall in love and marry.


Whatever Works feels much like a play.  There is no sweep to the film, the scenes are played out in small spaces,  and the dialog is somewhat more animated that you'd see in a typical film.


Larry David is perfectly cast for this film.  Larry David is cynical as ever and there are times when you want to pat him on the back and other times where I wanted to turn off the film because he is so wonderfully depressing.


Rachel Evan Wood plays the naive young woman, Melody. Wood plays her perfectly.  I do not think the character of Melody is easy to play. Melody has fallen off track in life. She is naive and uneducated but she is also eager to learn. This character is a terrific mover and shaker in the film.  Wood's performance reminds me so much of  Amy Adam's terrific and not as easy as it seems role of Ashley in the movie Junebug (my review here).


Supporting cast is very good as well and played by veteran actors.  Notably Patricia Clarkson. Clarkson plays Melody's mother, does a fine job.  I don't think Clarkson has ever played a bad role in her acting career.

The theme of Whatever Works dare I say, is existentialism?  That might be too strong a word but maybe not?  Throughout the film characters are struggling to find what works for them in life.  Basically, if it makes you more happy, it must be good.

Whatever Works is very theatric.  It often feels more like a  play than a movie.

If you like quirky films or Woody Allen films in general, you should check this film out.


2009

PG 13

1 hour 34 minutes
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Men Who Stare at Goats - Army Psychogical Ops Film Review

"Men Who Stare at Goats" is a strange film that is loosely based on true events.  It features an A-list cast of characters portrayed as United States Army soldiers that claim to have psychic and other paranormal. These abilities like invisibility, visions of things happening in far off places and other Jedi mind tricks are used by the US Military against foreign interests.

George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges and Ewan McGregor star in the film.

In spite of the powerful cast of actors and unorthodox script, some of which is supposedly 'true', I didn't find much to like in this film. It wasn't all that funny because it tried to hard to be funny. Perhaps with such odd subject matter, the film could have been played more straight up. A drier, more serious film could have exploited the unavoidably laughable, absurd paranormal training and activities of this (possibly real-life) special forces unit.

I'd skip this film or put it low on your priority list of movies to watch.  Not that is was terrible. It wasn't. I just can think of too many other terrific films to watch.

2009

94 Minutes

Rated R

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Pineapple Express Movie Review - Seth Rogan James Franco

Pineapple Express is a slightly more polished, and I use the the term "polished" very liberally, version of Cheech and Chong.


There is non stop illegal substance abuse through out the film as a heavy smoking process server (Rogan) and his drug dealer (Franco) become witnesses to a murder and, of course, the murders want to kill them.


The film is really funny if you like Seth Rogan-style films.  Rogan is the master when playing bumbling, in-over-his-head, unambitious man roles and carries the film.


What makes Pineapple Express differ from other Rogan films  is how violent it can be at times.  There is a good deal of shooting and blood that is all handled in a matter of fact, comic manner (think Matt Damon in Dogma, only not nearly that dark.)


If you like 1) Rogan's style 2) buddy films like Dumb and Dumber 3) plus a touch of Dogma, you'll like Pineapple Express.


2008

111 Minutes

Rated R

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Super Bad Film Review - Michael Cera Jonah Hill Are Great

When I finally got around to watching Superbad I was thrilled with this comedy.  I had just recently watched Talladega Nights . Talladega was funny enough to get a positive review.  Superbad gets a rave review.




The plot is simple enough and you've heard it a million times.  Unpopular high school nerds approaching graduation want to get to the big party they don't belong in and meet the girls they yearn for.  To get to the party, they must supply the booze and endure the hardships of doing just that.



Sounds cliche but it really isn't.  The comedy and all its raunchiness doesn't feel particularly contrived and the scenes are really funny. Sure, there are predictable moments in the film but they are so well played out I was only minimally annoyed... and found a great laugh or two in the meantime.




Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are a great comedy team.  They pretty much do the old fashioned straight guy , funny guy bit, but it really works.  

The real star of the film is Christopher Mintz-Plasse.  He plays the ultra-nerd. Hapless, dopey, socially awkward, yet he is the only one that is able to obtain the fake ID needed for alcohol. You can image the hilarious possibilities.



Check this film out.  You'll like it.



2007
113 minutes
Rated R


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Talladega Nights Movie Review Reilly Ferrell Are Hilarious at Times

Talladega Nights is a comedy about highly successful NASCAR race car driver Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) whose success on racing scene is threatened when French driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen .... aka Borat ) crosses over from Formula One to NASCAR.


Every Southern-NASCAR and French stereotype is depicted in this film.  Cohen and Ferrell are terrific.  While this is not the best comedy I have seen in a while (Bridesmaids was very, very good by the way), Talladega Nights does get a couple good laugh out loud moments in.



This is the kind of no-brainer comedy that Will Ferrell fans come to expect and that I enjoy very much.


The film felt neither too short nor too long.  The supporting cast was hilarious (John C. Reilly is superb).  The film does manage I'm sure to ruffle a few feathers too. I'm sure some NASCAR fans aren't thrilled with the "southern lifestyle" depicted in this film but it sure is fun.


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Bridesmaids Movie Review Stars Kristen Wiig

I put off watching the movie " Bridesmaids " because I thought it would be a bonefide chick flick.  Yes, the film does focus on women planning a wedding, which smells like smoke in a chick flick fire.   Also, there is no substantial male role in the film. Men are reduced to frustrating peripheral love interests of the women, which, again,is very chick flickish.

That said, this film had humor. It  felt a lot like the classic "Wedding Crashers" movie. Guys will laugh out loud watching "Bridesmaids".  Some of the humor is downright offensive in a great way.  You'll never forget the scene where the bridesmaids are trying on high end wedding gowns and they all suddenly succumb to food poisoning. Yeah, lets just say it gets messy.

Bridesmaids is fun to watch and doesn't follow all the normal cliches.  Kristen Wiig (who also wrote the film)  is perfect as the working class bridesmaid who wants more control over the wedding but struggles against an overbearing, snobbish, more privileged, and more beautiful woman.  It would be so easy to make Wiig's character sympathetic to audiences. It would be easy to make the character more of a heroic underdog who, after huge punishing obstacles, finds redemption in the end.  It doesn't quite work out this way though. She is very imperfect, occasionally annoying and her best intentions often fall flat where her antagonist often shines.  At times I found myself routing for her arch rival.


Bridesmaids was a truly funny film.  Check it out sometime.

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Exit Through The Gift Shop Movie DVD Review

What a terrific documentary. Runner up in 2011 for a best documentary Oscar, this film documents street art. Street art is in essence, illegal graffiti.  The film does a tremendous job of showing the stealth and beauty of this art, as well as the fascinating, eccentric subculture that participates.


"Exit Through the Gift Shop" pulls you right into the film. The film is not judgmental at all. If anything, the film embraces this style of art. It is as if you are stealing the night with the artists themselves. Best of all, these artist are not just simple punks spraying profanity on the walls, they are truly making very profound and prolific art.  


Definitely see this film.  I thought I would be bored or perhaps angry at the film. I felt no negative emotion, although it did at times make me question authenticity or, better stated, sanity of the art world. But isn't that what art is all about? 


Check it out.

Another terrific art documentary is Art of The Steal about the 'theft' of the Albert Barnes, Barnes Foundation art collection. Check out my review here

The Bad News Bears Billy Bob Thorton Movie Review

Angelina Jolie's ex Billy Bob Thornton stars in this 2005 remake of original 1975 The Bad News Bears movie.
Both the remake and the original focus on an alcoholic baseball has been that, out of financial necessity, agrees to coach a team of misfit outcast children in an extremely competitive, suburban little league.
 
I think it is fair to compare both films since the 2005 version is pretty faithful to the original 1976 story.  After all, a remake is intended to take an old idea, reshape it, and make money on it.  I am not against remakes, but they are meant to ride the coat-tails of the original and sell tickets.  Reviewing the 'new' based on how it compares to the 'old' is fair game here.


The 2005 film has some funny moments but often Thorton's brash, profane moments at times feel a little contrived.  In spite of Thorton's off-screen bad boy image, he never really appears natural in the role of the degenerate coach. The original film starred Walter Matthau who is so natural in the role you forget he is an actor. Matthau's character is out of shape, lumbering and and wears a world-weary face beautifully. 

Richard Linklater, the director of the 2005 film, never really seems to nail down the political incorrectness that carried makes the 1976 film a classic.  While there are non-PC scenes where I laughed out loud, most of the political incorrectness felt contrived simply to make a non-PC film.  The original 1976 Bad News Bears had extremely funny, as well as troubling, lines that just flowed beautifully. Perhaps this is because the 1976 film was made, shall I say, in 1976. Drunk driving, abusive language, chauvinism was more accepted then and therefore come off more natural in the original. I'm not suggesting that those activities are the right thing to do but when portraying them in older films, it just comes across more smoothly. 

Greg Kinare, in 2005, never lives up to the tremendous Vic Morrow 1976 performance. Both play the uber competitive , arrogant rival coach.  Kinare's pulls off some funny moments but he comes off as a goof.  Vic Morrow's performance was simply great, dark, deep acting.  Where Kinare's character has to come out and tell you he is full of himself, Morrow's character pulls this off simply in the way he controls his voice and posture.


Overall, I thought Thorton's Bad News Bears wasn't bad.  It probably gained some fans who never even knew the film was a remake.  If you didn't see Walter Matthau's Bad News Bears though, you better check it out.  It is a classic sports film.

2005

Rated R

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Casino Jack Kevin Spacey True Political Film Review

Casino Jack is a completely unveiled look at Jack Abramoff and his wildly bold political scandals while serving as a Washington D.C. lobbyist.

When ever I see a 'true story' or a ' film based upon actual events' it makes me wonder, is the film really all that true?  Sometimes films malign history.  I do not know the extent of the truth told in Casino Jack, but I have to suspect it is largely true.  Why?  Simply because Casino Jack is written with all the actual names of those involved in the scandal. It would simply be too brash to lie and risk the lawsuits, etc.  I could be wrong though.  That said, there are a lot of names thrown around George Bush and  Tom DeLay come to mind as well as a host of other real behind the scenes figures. Their is no hiding the true players involved with the corruption.

The film's trailer is excellent and really made me want to watch this flick. As promised in the trailer, the film moves at the fast pace. A pace typical of most white collar-workaholic films.  Jet set travel, 5 star hotesl, exotic locations and lots of money and back room deals.  

I was let down by Casino Jack because I expected a more funny movie.  Sure, it is a 'true story' and all, and maybe the facts are not that funny, but the trailer had me thinking this would be more of a hilarious romp.  This film couldn't figure out if it was a comedy or a historical story and was unable to hit the mark in between.

Kevin Spacey is good as always but, seeing the real Jack Abramoff on the news, I could not associate Spacey with the athletic, viral looking Abramoff.  Spacey definitely adds a very human side, a side you sometimes cheer, to his amoral Abramoff character but I felt his more comic lines, especially his quoting of movie lines and voice impressions to be slightly cringe worthy rather than funny.

Barry Pepper does a decent job as Abramoffs right hand man Michael Scanlon and is probably the only character that really adds some panache to this flick. His performance is convincing as the arch-typical high speed, free wheeling, amoral soul of ambition but, in spite of the considerable screen time he gets, his role doesn't prop up the film significantly.

The one actor who I thought would save the day was John Lovitz as the shady business partner of Abramoff, Adam Kidan. His role is as goofy, amoral and (intentionally) without class as any he has played. He is corrupt, sloppy and rich.  He does a respectable job but I really thought his part could have really made the film a more fun romp to watch.  Instead, the direction takes this character down a more seedy path that make him look more pathetic that haplessly hilarious.  Of course, again, this is a true film and perhaps the direction of Kidan's partner actually is the way Adam Kidan was.  If that is the case, Jon Lovitz, a normally good comedic supporting character was probably a bit over matched for the part of Adam Kidan.

All in all, in spite of my not so rosy review, the film definitely has value in helping people understand what happened during the Abramoff affair (that is if it is as true as it might be).  Political junkies will enjoy the film and audiences in general I feel will have mixed reviews.  Some will like it and some will not.  

I'm somewhere in between.

Rated R
108 Minutes
2010

Patton Oswalt Kevin Corrigan Big Fan Film Review

The film Big Fan is about a thirty five year old man, obsessed with the New York Giants and still living with his mother.  The man is beat up by the Giants' player he idolizes and it changes the course of his life.

Patton Oswalt, you may know him as a stand up comedian when he's not acting, does a decent job in a film that I didn't find all that funny. There are some funny moments, like a terrific part where his fed up mother rips him while driving in the car, but nothing that really had me roaring.

The ending of the film, I must say, was a bit unexpected so kudos on that, but otherwise the Big Fan depends too much on New York stereotypes and the same old mid-thirties and living at home family-son struggles that you've seen over and over.

2009

Rated R

88 Minutes

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Last Night ( on Earth ) Sandra Oh Movie Review

Ever wonder what the final hours on Earth would be like if everyone knew the world was going to be destroyed?  The movie "Last Night" takes a crack at that very question.
Last Night is a 1998 film starring Sandra Oh.  It also costars Don McKellar. McKellar is also credited for writing and directing the film.  Last Night is set in a Canadian city where everyone has long known that the world is going to end soon at an exact date and time.  You never really know exactly what is causing the world to end but you get the impression, whatever it is, it is pretty hot out all the time and it never gets dark any more.

There are six hours left before the Earth is destroyed and a very diverse bunch of characters cross paths each of who have their own distinct and determined idea of how to spend their last six hours on Earth.

The film has a very deep, dark humor throughout with much irony.  This film is not at all a laugh a minute film but it is not a particularly depressing film either.  The characters don't show any particular melodramatic dread that their end is near. They just stay committed to their final plans.

The acting is pretty low key and effective.  Sandra Oh shows terrific, wryly funny, anguish and frustration at her often thwarted plans to spend her final hours with her husband.  Don McKellar does a decent, understated, acting job himself though I didn't feel as though his character posed any tremendous challenge.

The direction and writing (by McKellar) was excellent and took the movie on a course that I didn't expect.  I loved how he has the world, in its final hours, being rather blasé  toward the world's end.  Sure, there is some danger and chaos in the streets but the film isn't a free for all of suffering and panic. This is a relief and shows that McKellar takes some low key but effective risks in the script.     A great job on the setting.  The Canadian city is wonderfully empty, eerie and calm, yet you know things are not quite right or even safe for that matter.  
This is not the greatest end of the world film ever (and I've been watching a bunch lately) but it does a good job of putting a new twist on the 'world-is-ending' genre.

1998
Rated R
2 hour

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Unstoppable Denzel Washington Movie Review

If you like trains, you'll probably enjoy the movie Unstoppable.  I have never worked for the railroad but I have always had a secret affinity for trains and find Hollywood woefully lacking in train films that actually look at the day to day functions of a modern day railroader.


Not that Unstoppable is an ode to railroading but it does at least talk about the workings of a train and what the responsibilities of a locomotive engineer and a freight train conductor are. Things that other train films merely glaze over.


Unstoppable features gritty Pittsburgh rail yards and working class towns amid beautiful scenery threatened by a lethal runaway train


Denzel Washington was excellent as the jaded, veteran railroad working alongside a rookie freight conductor played by Chris Pine.


As with most action stories based on "true events", this story is a gross exaggeration of the real life events.  It also has all of the usual formulas with evil business executives, reluctant regular guy heroes, and estranged families brought together by tragedy and mended by heroics of the characters.


I could complain more but honestly, it all works.  The Denzel Washington and Chris Pine make do a nice job of acting in a genre that often obliterates the efforts of the actors with overwhelming special effects.

All of the stunts in the film were very believable. There is no Rambo jumping off a cliff and surviving. The impossible scenes result in tragedy and the 'merely' difficult ones are thought out rationally and completed convincingly much as I would expect from the real-world.


This is a film that follows much of the same formula but it never feels contrived or forced.  There is no melodrama, excessive violence and everyone keeps their shirts on.

If you are looking for something just a notch or two above the usual action film check it out.


Rated PG-13

1hr and 38 minutes

2010

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