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Reviews
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
Why was this movie made?
First of all, for all the hoopla by some critics and film festival types this is not a very good movie. It really isn't.
The script lacks even the slightest insight to how relationships really work, but still tries to have its cake by having the Tom character make a big speech at the end of the film about how movies and pop songs screw up everyone's expectations of what love is.
I'll tell you what love isn't. An emotionally stunted man-boy trying to have a relationship with a girl who is most likely has a borderline personality disorder.
The film was not without it's charms, Gordon-Levitt was a very likable and engaging, the soundtrack was pleasant to listen to and the film had a handful of sitcom style "funny" lines. But if you've ever watched an episode or two of How I Met Your Mother or Big Bang Theory you've heard them all before.
Fortunately for the filmmakers, the festivals types who eat up this drivel refuse to watch popular television on principal and they will therefore think this film is original and clever.
But overall, the film dragged on forever, Zoe Deschannel (who I adore) looked old in the film and had almost nothing to do, and the little quirky visual bits were straight out of the Sundance film festival handbook.
Fox Searchlight will probably score a minor hit with this nonsense, but in ten years no one will remember this slight, immature little flick.
Wendy and Lucy (2008)
The end of independent film! The worst movie of 2008.
I find it very funny that there are two types of User Comments for this film. One set that seem to be written by either the film's publicity staff and a few other people that must have seen it at film festivals. Who all give it glowing reviews.
Then those of us who are either Michelle Williams fans, read some of the glowing reviews or both. We all hated it!!! Hated it!!! Films like this one are the very reason why the Independent film scene is quickly bottoming out. Produced with the help of "Indie" stars like Todd Haynes (who I love by the way) and directed by film professor from NYU and Bard it obviously got special treatment by the film festivals and quickly celebrated by the film critics who spend all of their time attending these festivals. Which might be why they think this piece of tripe is "realistic". Because they have never lived outside of their own little specialized world.
This film has so many problems but the biggest one is the stupidity of the lead character. It is hard to feel any sympathy for a character who doesn't do one single thing that makes sense. Only someone mentally impaired or an addict/alcoholic would do the things Wendy does in this film.
But it is obvious that the filmmakers do not want to go down that road. They want to paint Wendy as some kind of "every woman" and so the eschew any kind of back story that would explain Wendy's behavior. But that's a cop out. Its bad story telling and worse yet lazy and dishonest.
All you have know is that Wendy is on a budget and yet she's driving to Bellingham, WA north of Seattle, to get to Alaska from Indiana. And yet, she drives through Salt Lake City and ends up in Oregon.
I'm from Seattle and when I told my Mom about this film she stopped me mid-diatribe and said "Why is she driving south to go north?" Exactly!!! And that's not even the half of it. Every decision Wendy makes is flat out dumb and illogical.
Now I thought that the filmmaker who was from New York just plain didn't do her research, but one of the Comments describes the director speaking at Cannes and saying she did extensive research and drove all over with "Lucy" her dog. That tells me she wanted to film in Oregon for other reasons and just abandoned her character to the whims of where she wanted to film. Lazy, sloppy, bad film-making! Arrogant and insulting towards the audience as well. I could go on and on about how dumb this film is, but others have already done it.
What really bugs me though is the film critics who have raved about this film. And what bugs me even more is the many, many critics who claim this film says something about how America treats people on the margins of society and the Bush years.
There are people who have it tough in America. But this film has nothing to say about that. Those people are at the Jobs Centers across the country waiting to use computers to get jobs. They're spending a day in line to register for Food Stamps to feed their families.
A person as stupid as Wendy would have a tough time living in Denmark and it is a disservice to compare this stupid fictional character to those who really are struggling. Wendy is that girl at a Widespread Panic show who spent all her money to make cheese sandwiches for sale and then leaves them unattended while she plays hacky sack and a raccoon family eats them all.
Stupid, lazy, crappy movie. A total waste of film.
United States of Tara (2009)
This was horrible and another sign that the Sundancification of Hollywood must stop.
After watching the pilot of the United States of Tara I felt I had to write a review.
This is horrible! And the fact that some "indie" fans on IMDb are applauding it is just sad IMHO. More and more a small minority of pretentious people are getting to call the shots in Hollywood and the results have been a disaster.
Showtime which was making some inroads against HBO by producing some good shows seems to now want to imitate them and the results for Showtime will be the same as for HBO. Cult fans for shows that regular people realize are stupid, low ratings and a lack of profits.
Fey, silly, quirkfests that rely on phony unrealistic story lines are the style that comes straight from crappy mostly unwatched Sundance films. Big on the festival circuit, BO flops when they go wide.
And yeah, I know Juno and Little Miss Sunshine were hits. I also know Chumscubber, Hamlet 2 and Eagle Vs. Shark had straight to DVD numbers when they were released.
Toni Collette is awful in this show. It was like watching a bad actor's exercise. John Corbett was likable, but could have just as easily been playing the new boyfriend on an episode of The New Adventures of Old Christine, the 20 year old that is playing a 15 year old was ridiculous because she plays much older, maybe that's why I wasn't creeped out about the teen sex until they said she was 15 in the show and then I just thought - "no, no, no!!!" another Diablo Cody creepy storyline that is so phony its ridiculous - and then there's the young boy - everything about him was phony - the kid in Two and Half Men is more realistic than this "kid" - a total writer's indulgence - And that's not even getting into the stupid "storyline" and the "goth kid" straight out of a 1980's John Hughes film - unbelievable -
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
Good fun.
I don't usually post comments but I had to write one for this fun film.
I saw this and totally enjoyed it. No, it wasn't a deep head scratcher but I never looked at my watch once. It was fun, had a couple of surprises in in it and best of all no one was mailing it in. Most of all, it was a good children's film with some nice educational touches.
I see a lot of films, from art-house fare like Choke to blockbusters like Batman and comedies like Pineapple Express and to be honest I enjoyed Beverly Hills Chihuahua better than any of those.
I'm sure this will get me called out by the IMDb inquisition but it is true. I personally judge a movie on whether it succeeds in pleasing the audience and this one did. I also think films should be an enjoyable experience and this one does that as well.
Factory Girl (2006)
it's a bad movie
Guy Pierce was okay, and Hayden Christensen was not as terrible as one might think - they problem with both performances was that the script is terrible - it is hard to know if either of them could embody their roles when both men are only asked to portray very shallow caricatures of warhol and Dylan - forced to utter ridiculous dialogue that neither man would have ever said in 100 lifetimes - and stuck in a by the numbers lifetime movie about addiction - with all the insight that a television movie could muster (maybe even less insight, actually) i think Dylan does have a reason to sue - although i'm not sure it is the wisest approach - i think we just have to hope there is a special place in hades for people who make slanderous films about famous people because it is so hard to sue - and i think his suit will probably sell tickets - especially from what i could see at the screening i went to today - there were quite a few people for a late afternoon screening (1/2 to 2/3's full) - compare that to diane arbus's family which ignored fur and watched it disappear from theaters almost immediately after its release - as for sienna, she's in all of her acting class glory, looking cute in the first half of the movie and bedraggled in the second - i'm sure she and harvey were fishing for an award - but if you watch angelina jolie in gia and then watch miller in this you will see what a lightweight performance it truly is -
Idiocracy (2006)
it isn't great but it's funny and it's mike judge
It is sad that fox refused to release this film.
(Yes - i know it played a handful of theaters and "technically" got a release).
Mike Judge is someone who is at least trying to make films that are different and original.
I didn't love it, but i laughed a lot.
I wasn't bored - and in this day and age that says a lot.
And now here are my other five lines.
1. Go see it. 2. Write to Fox. 3. Tell your friends. 4. Boycott Starbucks. 5. Buy a Buck Owens CD.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Why Hollywood is falling apart.
I went to see this film last night after reading a few favorable reviews and having had several people told me that they were surprised that they enjoyed it. (Reasons for going - Had to - the GF wanted to see it. It was the only film playing at the time we were there. Wanted to get out of the heat and sit in the air conditioning. etc.) The simple fact is that The Devil Wears Prada is a lazy, sloppy effort by a lot of professionals who know the "basics" of film-making and shot more like a long form music video than an actual film. There is no dramatic tension at all, and in the case Anne Hathaway's character no discernible character arc at all (and it's her story). Unless you consider Anne's Andi character starting out nice and ending the film being really nice.
The sad thing is there are so many chances to torn this film into something really entertaining but it seems like everyone was so concerned with making everyone look good that they just avoided it. And the critics who have been raving about Streep's performance are either A. In denial B. Paid off by the studio or C. Drinking the Kool-Aid. Seriously, I guarantee there were probably ten people on the production crew who were scarier bosses than Streep's Miranda. Most people would kill to have a boss as nice as Streep is. I mean really, she's impatient about her coffee order and takes Andi to big shows and a trip to Paris. Ooooow - scary! The bottom line is this - if you watch Gap ads on TV and wished they could go on for an hour and a half - then this movie is for you. Hathaway is a pretty young woman and she looks good in high end clothes. I'm still not sure if she can act, but then I can't tell if Adrien Grenier can act either. And it isn't their fault - it's the script and the director.
The thing is - this is one of the best films Hollywood put out this year - and it isn't very good. And worst of all - they didn't even try to make it good. Because it wouldn't have been that hard to do. It just would have required a little effort.
Slaves to the Underground (1997)
Nice fun film.
I got this film from Netflix and it was a nice surprise. I don't know what film the other poster saw, but it wasn't this one. Having spent time around the indie music scene for a number of years I can personally attest to the fact that this film is anything but naive.
It hits the nail right on the head. The music from obscure Ben Lee songs to Ani DiFranco are not only dead on (the film was shot back in the nineties)for the scene but the way the kids act - young and impulsive shows that the filmmakers knew their subjects and refused to make a film that imprinted the ideas and beliefs of 40 year old wannabe film critics.
The closest film I've seen to this one is probably Penelope Speeris' wonderful film Suburbia from back in the 80's.
Two Headed Cow (2006)
a great film about art and survival
I saw this film at Athfest in Athens, GA. An simply amazing film about the power of an artist to survive.
It has a lot in common with some other films that have come out in the recent past (The Devil and Daniel Johnston being the closest) but there is one significant difference. The subject of the film Dexter Romweber has wrestled with his demons and fought his way back to the other side. He was at the screening and his eloquence and determination showed through not only in the film but at the Q & A session as well.
Find out where this film is playing next and run - don't walk - to see it.
Crash (2004)
whoa - what city does this take place in?
LA - isn't like this at all - I've lived there and this is the silliest most unbelievable flick I've ever seen. These Hollywood folks need to come down out of the hills and live in the city if they want to document. Completely ridiculous. And then I watch the interviews and see Thandie Newton talk about how realistic it is - really Thandie - is like Autralia where your from? Cause it ain't like LA.
LA is 50% Latino and yet there is one minor Latino character. The other major minority groups - Armanians, Koreans and Thais are also not represented. And no Jewish people either. What the heck is going on?
And maybe the Hollywood folks live in fear and carry guns. No one else does.
And most ridiculous of all - Ludicrous drops Chinese immigrants off in Chinatown??!!? LA's Chinatown is filled with art galleries and restaurants. If you dropped a bunch of Chinese immigrants off there - the hipster kids would notice what you were doing and ask what the f- was going on? Just like I did watching this ridiculous movie.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005)
Wish they would hire some writers -
Good cast, fun characters. decent dialog but no stories.
You can see everything coming five miles away in this show. And they rely on screaming scenes waaaayy to much. It often looks like an acting class sketch instead of an actual show. I hope they hire some real writers for next season. This show could be really good. I know they try and save money on these shows but really actors aren't writers despite what their agents think.
TV will continue to lose viewers until they start to to broaden the base. And these cable shows are getting better but they aren't up to the quality of network shows, yet.
The Room (2003)
I still don't know what to think -
But this film was definitely something. The crowd is amazing. I loved several of the audience participation parts, although I did think a couple of people were trying too hard. (one guy sitting behind me thought he was a lot more funny than he was.)
Definitely a must see. And this is a film phenomenon made entirely by it's fans. Anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot. It isn't really a Rocky Horror for a new generation because it certainly isn't of that quality, although the audience interaction is key to the experience. It is more of an Ed Wood film with a little soft-core porn thrown in.
At any rate, I advise everyone to go see this film. You might not know what to think of it, but you certainly won't forget it anytime soon.
Laurel Canyon (2002)
crap
This movie is the kind of indie garbage that gives right wing conservatives the moral high ground.
I'm sorry, but if your Mom and her boyfriend are even starting to diddle your fiancé there is a problem and no amount of next day apologies are going to make it right. Seriously, what is the filmmaker trying to say? I know she thinks this is cutting edge, but really it is just sick.
And one more thing. If the movie is about Americans - how about casting a few - I am so sick of all these Aussie and Brit actors playing Americans - aren't there any good actors in this country or what?