#9 Jarhead

12:40 PM | By Robert Jay Moore

Directed by Sam Mendes, Screenplay by William Broyles Jr. Universal Pictures, 2005. Color, 2 hours and 3 minutes.

I am not usually one for military movies, but I really enjoyed this. Jarhead is less about the action and the killing, and much more about the camaraderie, the journey, and the descent into insanity. It also deals briefly with the assimilation of marines back into American society, and in one shot, the never-ending aspect of war.

All around, the performances were amazing (Peter Sarsgaard was poorly cast, in my opinion, but he did a good job). Jamie Foxx was great to watch and very easy to love and hate simultaneously. Jake Gyllenhaal may not have been covering any new ground here, necessarily, but he did it very well. His cabin fever had shadows of Donnie Darko, but definitely became a character specific to the film.

Even though a desert can be pretty boring, Mendes does a great job of keeping every shot exciting to look at, and does well to rely more on the emotional bonds between the men and the character development than the visual aesthetic (there's only so much you can do in a desert, after all). He also uses music in very interesting ways to communicate the sarcastic, dark humor in the beginning of the film.

Not a lot of action like you would expect from a war film, but a lot of fun and a lot of thinking.

Four out of Five Stars.

#8 Desperado

11:45 AM | By Robert Jay Moore

Written and Directed by Robert Rodriguez. Columbia Pictures, 1995. Color, 1 hour 44 minutes.

With this sequel to El Mariachi, Robert Rodriguez employs a similar storyline on a higher budget. El Mariachi, this time played by Antonio Banderas, comes into a town and tries to kill the drug lord. There isn't a mistaken identity in this one, but he still ends up falling for the drug lord's girl and sleeping in her upstairs apartment.

With the bigger budget comes better special effects, better acting, and better looking, higher quality shots. Also, the film isn't dubbed, so for viewers who aren't totally fluent in spanish, like myself, that's a plus.

Rodriguez proves he can make a great action movie just like the best of them, the gunfights are incredible, the explosions exciting, and the tension pretty darn tense. What this outing misses of the heart and soul of the original (probably communicated by the passion needed to make such a low-budget film), it makes up for with the high action and big names (great performances by Steve Buscemi and Quentin Tarantino). Not to mention the big twists at the end that will keep you guessing.

Over all, this movie is very exciting. It is a little strange to see the lead role replaced, especially when the actor who played El Mariachi in the first film has a cameo in this one, but it is definitely for the better. Not saying the original actor was bad, but Banderas is a lot more fun to watch, especially back in his earlier days.

Four and a Half out of Five Stars.

#7 The Boondock Saints

8:48 AM | By Robert Jay Moore

Written and Directed by Troy Duffy. Franchise Pictures, 1999. Color, 1 hour 48 minutes.

Wow. My least favorite part about Boondock Saints is the fact that it took me so long to watch it.

Sure, it had a ton of language, and yes it was pretty violent. But in a mob film set in Boston, what can you expect? The "saints" do a fantastic job of bringing about their characters (kind of makes me wish I was just a little more Irish so I could be such a BA), and Willem Dafoe is incredible as the cross-dressing FBI agent. Duffy does an amazing job of making you sympathize and side with the vigilante justice. These guys may as well be the foul-mouthed, sloppy version of Robin Hood and his merry men. The character of Rocco "The Joker" is just like that goofy friend that everyone has, in my case, the roommate, and the sarchastic Detective Greenly is just like that other friend everyone has that no one really invites, he just shows up with his stupid comments.

My favorite part about the film, though, is the device of playing with time. We rarely see any action as it actually happens, and it is all rehashed by Dafoe, Rocco, or someone else piecing together the puzzle. In some scenes there is even crossover between present time and past. This was probably a lot more acceptable to me since I had just finished watching the last two episodes of LOST, but I still think that it was genius.

I don't have anything else to say, except if you haven't seen this movie, you are as stupid as I was. Go see it right now.

Five out of Five Stars.

#6 Fletch

1:20 PM | By Robert Jay Moore

Directed by Michael Ritchie, Written by Andrew Bergman. Universal Pictures, 1985. Color, 1 hour 38 minutes.

Nothing like a good 80's mystery flick to entertain while doing laundry. I love Chevy Chase, and it was really fun seeing him in a film that probably wouldn't have been a comedy if he wasn't the star. Chase as the wise-cracking investigative journalist Irwin Fletcher never lost my attention for a second.

The mystery was a little convoluted (I'm still not sure what Stanwyck really had to do with the drug conspiracy), but Chase's humor and earnestness makes those little details seem irrelevant. It's no wonder this film has been deemed a Cult Classic, it's campiness and fun, as well as the ever-illusive mystery, keep it constantly entertaining. I would highly recommend it for a laundry night, or maybe even a date-night-in.

Four out of Five Stars.

#5 El Mariachi

1:02 PM | By Robert Jay Moore

Written and Directed by Robert Rodriguez. Columbia Pictures, 1992. Color, 1 hour 21 minutes, English Dubbed.

This is the film that puts other independent features to shame. For just $7,000, Robert Rodriguez made an exciting, suspenseful, action-filled shootout of Western proportions.

The story of mistaken identity may be frequently used in it's roots, but Rodriguez crafts a tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat and engaged apart from the cheesy dubbing (at least in the copy I watched). This was especially appreciated after the last four movies I watched that didn't have very many original ideas.

Yes, the special effects can be pretty cheesy at times, and yes the acting can be pretty campy, but it's way better than one may expect from such a low budget. And the characters are so well developed and identifiable, it's very easy to imagine Clint Eastwood walking into this drug-owned town with his guitar case. I greatly enjoyed this movie and cannot wait to watch the sequel.

Five out of Five Stars.

#4 MacGruber

12:28 PM | By Robert Jay Moore

Directed by Jorma Taccone, Written by Will Forte, John Solomon, and Jorma Toccone. Rogue Pictures, 2010. Color, 1 hour 28 minutes.

I know, I know. Four movies, four comedies, it's getting old. I feel you. Things will change. But first, MacGruber.

On my last day at AMC, I caught the midnight show of this. I have been awaiting this film with high anticipation since I first saw the trailers a few months ago. MacGruber has been one of my favorite SNL characters, and I am a big fan of The Lonely Island boys, particularly their music videos, and one of my absolute favorite comedies, Hot Rod (which starred Jorma and Andy Samburg, and was directed by Akiva Schaffer).

This time, however, Jorma made his directorial debut. And it was a flop. I felt the same leaving the film as I would if I just sat and watched Will Forte masturbate for an hour and a half. The film was a self-glorifying spoof of territory that has already been beaten to death. The claims that this is the best SNL movie since Wayne's World is grossly misstated and must have been started by someone working on the film. The character of MacGruber didn't exhibit a single aspect of the character from the SNL skits, aside from the end when Vickie is shouting how much time he has left until their inevitable doom. Not to mention there was way too much of Forte's butt. The humor was crude, gross, and immature, and the characters had nothing redeeming about them.

I admit, there were many times that I was laughing out loud - the only reason I am giving it more than one star, but the ends did not justify the means in my opinion. Don't bother spending any money seeing this in theaters, you will greatly regret your decision. If you really want to see it, wait until it comes out on DVD and get it from the $5 bin at Walmart.

Two out of Three Stars.

#3 Big Fan

5:28 PM | By Robert Jay Moore

Written and Directed by Robert D. Siegel. Independent, 2009. Color, 1 hour 28 minutes.

I don't know why all the movies I have watched and reviewed for this blog have been comedies. I guess I've just been in a good mood since I graduated and such. This film also is categorized as a comedy, but it is quite dark. I don't think there was a whole lot of scenes that I laughed at, but the story as a whole was pretty great.

The film follows "Staten Island Phil," played by Patton Oswalt. Think George Costanza with a crazier family and more of a loser. Phil is a huge New York Giants fan, specifically linebacker Quantrell Bishop. He can't afford to get into the stadium to see the Giants play, so he and his buddy watch from the parking lot on a TV hooked up to their car battery. Unfortunately, Phil's love for the Giants and "QB" goes so far that he follow his hero through New York and witnesses what can only be assumed is a drug deal. He mentions it to QB after he stalks him to a strip club, and the enormous athlete beats the crap out of him, landing Phil in the hospital.

Phil is then faced with the moral dilemma: Let justice be served, or stay true to his team? The lengths Phil goes to to preserve the integrity of his beloved Giants is hilarious, as well as unnerving. Oswalt plays the dorky part to perfection, keeping you on the edge of your seat in the climax.

The production value of this film made the last Indie Film I saw look like a high school production. Of course, Siegel is no stranger to working on critically acclaimed films.

Don't be fooled by the presence of Oswalt, even though this is classified as a "dark comedy," it's not the laugh-out-loud dark style you see in his stand-up. Some parts dragged on for too long, or were honestly kind of boring to watch. But maybe that was just a comment on Phil's pathetic lifestyle. Overall, though, this movie was really entertaining if you give it a shot.

Three and a half out of Five.

#2 The Village Barbershop

8:42 PM | By Robert Jay Moore

Written and Directed by Chris J. Ford. Independent, 2008. Color, 1 hour 39 minutes.

When I was in college - way back, oh so long ago - I had a professor who would always complain about myspace. He said myspace was destroying the music industry because so many bands were becoming popular without record labels noticing them, which meant that to find music you actually liked, you had to sift through all the crap first. I never really agreed with him because I have always been a fan of independent music, films, art, etc.

After seeing this film, however, I can see where he is coming from.

I will keep this entry short because I am tired and have to work tomorrow. But I'll sum it up by saying if you want to see a movie about a crotchety old man who is afraid of change who meets a youngster who turns everything around for the better, bypass and just rent Up. This movie employs terrible lighting, terrible shot framing, and terrible acting. It feels like a bad credit report website commercial on local cable. The best acting award definitely goes to John Ratzenberger of Pixar fame (the voice of the piggy bank in Toy Story, among others). That being said, Ratzenberger should definitely continue doing voice-overs and stay out of the gaze of the camera from now on. And he was the best. Don't even get me started on Shelly Cole's utterly failed attempt at being the cute, adorable, spunky, Juno-esque pregnant girl. This movie was a waste of my 99 minutes, and just goes to prove that if you have the money to make a full-length movie, that doesn't mean you necessarily should.

One out of Five Stars.

#1 Date Night

12:32 PM | By Robert Jay Moore

Directed by Shawn Levy, Written by Josh Klausner. 20th Century Fox, 2010. Color, 1 hour 28 minutes.

With stars like Steve Carrell and Tina Fey, one would expect this movie to be laugh-out-loud funny at every turn. I think this is why most people were disappointed with the film. Carrell and Fey do have their signature comedic moments, but most of them have already been revealed if you have seen the trailer. Instead, this feels almost like a family movie. A family movie with strippers, thieves, and crooked politicians.

The un-friendly parts of the movie, however, are so stereotypical, that they don't seem that raunchy. There doesn't seem to be a lot of uncharted territory, and it seems all Levy knows about the vices of New York City, he learned from other goofy movies.

If you can get past the fact that this movie is not The Office or SNL humor we're used to from these stars, the movie isn't that bad. Predictable, cheesy, cliche, but not bad. The story is about a couple who tries to break out of the day-to-day routine and spice up their marriage. They just happen to get caught in the middle of a blackmail scandal in the progress. It is a feel good movie that follows suit with Levy's other films. Although most of his other movies are "family movies," this seems more like a family film for adults. I'm sure it would be a lot more funny and appreciated by married couples with young children, or anyone who has been in that stage of life.

Probably the main reason this film did not fall well upon critics is the casting. It breaks our comfort zone to see Fey and Carrell as boring, married parents. Their comedy is too subdued, and the funniest parts and most familiar laughs are during the blooper reel in the credits.

Three out of Four stars.

Oh No!

9:49 PM | By Robert Jay Moore

I know, I know. Today was supposed to be the first day of my 500 movie project. Unfortunately I worked 14 hours and am in the middle of unpacking. This whole progressing through life thing is more complicated than I thought. Don't worry though, I am still counting today as day one. Hopefully I will be able to post something tomorrow.

Great Books

6:56 PM | By Robert Jay Moore

Here is the first in what I don't imagine will be many personal posts. But you know, things don't always turn out how you think they will.

I mentioned one of these books in my last post, but here are some great books that I turn to when I'm looking for a movie to watch.

The New York Times, Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made

Written by The Film Critics of The New York Times, Edited by Peter M. Nichols. First published 1999, Updated and revised 2004 by The New York Times Company.

This book is great, it has all the original reviews from 1,000 movies from all over the world. It also indexes all the films by category and country of origin. I got this book after Christmas last year, and have had barely enough time to crack it open, but every time I have it's been really helpful in suggesting potential rentals or helping me decide whether or not I really want to watch that one movie. Highly recommended for any film lover.

The 100 Best Films to Rent You've Never Heard Of: Hidden Treasures, Neglected Classics, and Hits From By-Gone Eras

Written by David N. Meyer. Published 1997 by St. Martin's Griffin, New York.

I have had more opportunity to read this book, and the reviews are great. Meyer gives just enough information to tantalize, while giving a clear understanding of the mood of the piece. His Mood Guide is great when looking for a specific type of movie, but not knowing where to turn too. True, a lot of great, unknown films have come out since 1997, but most of the films covered in this book are from previous eras anyway. Above all, the films he chose to include are great, at least from the ones I have seen. Meyer also recommends other related films after each review that may be of interest, bringing the total count of films covered far beyond just 100. I imagine a great number of the films reviewed on this sight will have been at least mentioned in this book.

I highly recommend both of these books. True, they aren't necessarily up to date with films that have come out in the past 5-10 years, but good movies don't have to be new. There are plenty of treasures out there that go unnoticed by most of the people in my generation. If you enjoy movies and perhaps want to broaden your tastes, or simply want ideas for films to rent, you should definitely pick up one or both of these books.

Rififi

5:54 PM | By Robert Jay Moore

Rififi

Directed by Jules Dassin, 1956. French with English Subtitles. Original Title: Du Rififi Chez Les Hommes. B/W

I watched this film in my European Cinema class on Friday. For the class I had to turn in a two-page free-written response. This is not a review or summary necessarily, but here is my response to this film. There is also a review of the film in The New York Times, Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made which was originally published June 6, 1956. The book is great, a database of film reviews and I use it when looking for a good movie to watch.

Rififi is a low-budget film noir directed by Jules Dassin in 1956. The story follows a group of criminals who decide to break into a jewelry store. Their plan is perfect, and they would have gotten away with it if it were not for the short-sightedness of some of the members of the gang. Dassin did a lot that seems inventive even to a modern audience. The thirty-minute robbery sequence with no dialogue kept a class of twenty-somethings on the edges of their seats. The dialogue in the other three quarters of the movie is in both French and Italian, based on character and situation. Death scenes happening off camera heighten the suspense of the plot. All these combined make Rififi a thrilling noir that has transcended time and language.

I think the most interesting thing I got out of my recent viewing of the film, however, was the attitude towards the women in the movie. In 1949, Simone de Beauvoir wrote The Second Sex, a major work of feminist literature, and not her first. Feminism in France and America would not emerge very strongly until later in the 60’s, but Beauvoir’s writings sparked many feminists to action.(1) Also, the Civil Rights movement was starting to take place right around the time this film was made, and the McCarthy hearings were going on.(2,see page 391) Dassin, born in Connecticut, was himself blacklisted during the McCarthy hearings, causing him to move to France to try and revive his career. Rififi was the first film he made in Europe, writing, directing, and acting in the role of Cesar le Milanais.(3) Dassin was a victim of a world that did not think women, blacks, and communists deserved any rights. It is because of this that I find Dassin’s treatment of women in Rififi so interesting.

In typical film noir movies, there is a femme fatale character who is idealized and sexualized, particularly by soft lighting and mysterious portrayal. Typically the femme fatale is the character that launches the protagonist into the conflict of the film, and usually ends up as the antagonist herself. In this film, however, there is no real femme fatale character. It could be argued that Tony decides to rob the jewelry store because of his rejection by Mado, but Tony’s motivation seems to run deeper than that. Cesar’s need to shower Viviane with gifts is what leads to the gang getting caught, but she is not smart enough or conniving enough to be a classic femme fatale. The only character that seems to fit the previous description would be Tonio, Jo’s son. It may be safe to assume that it is because of Tony’s desire to dote on Tonio, as well as Jo’s need to protect and provide for his family is what drives the two men to perform the heist. Later, the kidnapping of Tonio is what ultimately leads to the death of both Tony and Jo.

Since there is no strong, female character, we see a lot of submissive women in this movie. True, Mario’s wife is sexy and independent, but she will do anything for her man. Jo’s wife is very submissive to him. Mado explains how she needs men to rely on before Tony beats her with his belt. And Viviane sings a song titled “Rififi” in which she says she loves when her man treats her rough. So why, when minorities were just starting to become empowered in the US and France, did Dassin portray so much masochism? I researched feminism in Rififi, but I could not find any reference that explained Dassin’s decisions or his idea in making the film. I would be really curious to know if he supported or opposed this view towards women. Perhaps it was just to convey the story; perhaps it was Dassin subliminally putting in his attitude. I think it is an interesting idea that warrants further exploration.

Introduction

8:38 PM | By Robert Jay Moore

Hello, just a brief introduction.

My name is Robert Jay Moore. I am a senior graduating from college with a bachelor's degree in Theatre and a minor in Film Studies. I love everything about films, from their conception to their dvd release.

After I graduate this year, I will be working to save up money to get an MFA in Screenwriting. I am afraid, however, that while I am working at an everyday, unimaginative job, I will lose the momentum that my academic studies have created. I don't want to give up my dream while I settle for a brief term of monotony, so for that reason, I have decided to embark on an ambitious quest.

Starting the day after I graduate from college, I will watch 500 movies in 365 days. That's right, 500 movies in one year. And for each movie, I will write a review/analysis of it on this blog for you, my wonderful reader, to enjoy, debate, tear apart, what have you.

When you read the reviews I write on this blog, I will break my posts up into categories. Genre of movie, and method of viewing. Genre should be self-explanatory, and will hopefully help you narrow down your search if you are looking for a review of a movie to watch immediately. Method of viewing will sort the films into how they are currently viewed. I work as a projectionist in a small theater, so I am frequently able to watch movies for free while they are in theaters. These will be denoted by the "Currently Playing" label. Occasionally, I am able to procure advanced screenings of films, whether it be for the higher-ups in the theatre to preview a movie, or whether I'm just checking the print for scratches, dust, etc. These will be labeled as "Special Preview." I also have a subscription to Netflix (which I highly recommend to any fellow film lover) so those movies will be labeled either "Netflix DVD," or "Netflix Instant." Finally, there will occasionally be films from my "Personal Collection" and other "MISC" sources.

Again, I will not start my official endeavor until May 16, 2010. Until then, I will warm up by writing on all the movies I see. I look forward to sharing this adventure with anyone who is willing to read it!

-RJM