12:40 PM
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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.
11:45 AM
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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.
8:48 AM
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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.
1:20 PM
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By Robert Jay Moore
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.
1:02 PM
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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.
12:28 PM
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By Robert Jay Moore
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.
5:28 PM
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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.
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.
8:42 PM
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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.
12:32 PM
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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.
9:49 PM
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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.
Directed by Sam Mendes, Screenplay by William Broyles Jr. Universal Pictures, 2005. Color, 2 hours and 3 minutes.
