Factory Girl

Factory Girl. I like Sienna Miller a lot, so a while ago I added a few of her movies to my Netflix Queue and Factory Girl arrived last week. It looked interesting, and I wanted to learn more about Andy Warhol, so why not?

A biography of Edie Sedgwick, briefly popular model and socialite, this movie at least chooses subject matter which has not been supersaturated. The film sometimes feels like it is more focused on Andy Warhol, but this is partially due to Guy Pearce's terrific portrayal. Pearce has been in a couple of bad movies in the past, but I don't remember him ever turning in a bad performance. He really shines in Factory Girl.

This is a fairly boring biography, but it still managed to keep my attention throughout. I hope it was an accurate representation of Andy Warhol, because if not I now dislike him quite a bit for no reason. Hayden Christenson is good as 'Musician' reputedly a composite of real people including Bob Dylan. I always like Jimmy Fallon, and he shows here he can play something other than a doofus who's always cracking up at inappropriate times.

If you're bored on a Sunday(as I was) and don't expect to be blown away, it's at least worth a watch. If you can't stand slow movies or really really annoying people I'd say steer clear.

We Own the Night

We Own the Night. The previews looked interesting, the movie stars Marky Mark and Joaquin Phoenix. I wanted to see it when it came out, I finally did tonight. Unfortunately it suffers from those high expectations, and a lot more. A whole lot more.

We never really understand where everyone fits, and characters aren't sufficiently introduced. The action is weak, and too sparse. The night club is strange and unrealistic, and there is never any chemistry between Phoenix and Eva Mendes.

We Own the Night takes itself too seriously, and never takes time to really get us into the story. Relying on star power just isn't enough these days. I'd say pass on this.

Michael Clayton

Michael Clayton. I have mixed feelings going in. I don't really know too much about the movie, but it's a movie, so I'm interested. I like George Clooney in general, but Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck both lost my interest quickly and kept it away. He isn't directing, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

A quick note about the very beginning. It's soooo easy to make the credits interesting(or at least not terribly boring). Make them a part of the movie. Show something before you hit us with them. Make them small and over some action they don't distract from. Sounds easy, right? Far too many movies make way too big a deal out of the credits, acting like we should give a crap who these people are. Making them an event in themselves. It's like an awards show for awards shows, pretentious crap celebrating itself. Michael Clayton actually has an interesting opening. They hook you with loony ravings from 'Artie'(Tom Wilkinson). He has a terrific voice, and the audience immediately starts wondering what the heck he's talking about. Well done Tony Gilroy(director), he had me at hello.

The opening was interesting, so was the rest of the movie. Well drawn characters, good dialog, good casting and high production value. Clooney is very good in the lead, and his way-too-worldly son isn't annoyingly precocious(which is a feat given his part). The story flows and keeps you listening even if it doesn't really go anywhere. While I didn't particularly empathize with any of the characters, I wanted to see what happened next.

Unless you're really sick of Clooney or suspense-y movies, I say check it out.

The Invasion

The Invasion(of the Body Snatchers). This is the Nth version of a classic scary tale. It's been a movie a few times, each time with a slightly different take. I saw the original('53) one a long time ago but I can't remember it; I'm just going to review this one as a standalone movie. I was waiting for trivia to start(we got second place!), and the movie length seemed to work.

The movie opens with Nicole Kidman franticly looking for pills at a pharmacy, mumbling to herself and looking all crazy-like. Then we snap back to how this all started. The problem seemed to come from outer space, and begins to spread to people all over. Kidman's ex husband Tucker(Jeremy Northam) is good as 'changed', he could play that role without changing. Daniel Craig is good as Kidman's boyfriend, I first remember him from Layer Cake and I don't remember not liking him in a film. He's so much a better Bond than Pierce Brosnan.

The kids are creepy, the pace moves. It fits with the recent rash of outbreak movies, and holds up fairly well. I wouldn't pay to see it in the theaters, but I think it's worth watching on TV or maybe renting.

**I have a confession to make. Yesterday I reviewed the movie having watched all but the last 10 minutes. I was in a hurry, I'm sorry. the last 10 minutes are so ridiculous/horrible I have to withdraw my recommendations. Seriously. They were more in a rush to finish this picture than I was to review it yesterday, just shameful.

2 Days in Paris

2 Days in Paris. I must have put this in my Netflix a while ago and forgotten about it. Cute little french Indie flick, written/directed/produced by/starring Julie Delpy. Co-starring her good friend Adam Goldberg. A slow, 'real relationship' movie, we have a peek into the trouble an international couple can have while traveling. Issues are exacerbated by Adam not speaking the local language, and both characters having major commitment issues.

I was all ready with a rant about how both of these actors can't play anyone but themselves. I have liked Adam Goldberg since Dazed and Confused and Friends(he was briefly Joey's crazy roommate). His neurotic craziness is sometimes charming, and often funny. But besides The Hebrew Hammer(which I liked) he always plays himself. Which can get old.

While poking around IMDB for this review, however, I realized that Delpy isn't so one dimensional. She has played a lot of different roles, things I hadn't remembered. I guess I remember her most from Before Sunrise and Before Sunset each of which star Delpy as herself. Rant averted.

The movie is slow, but cute. It can get boring at times, and Delpy's character annoyed me so much it kind of ruined watching it for me. I don't think this is that common of a reaction though, so if you want a short, relationship Paris movie, check it out.

Fast Food Nation

Fast Food Nation. First a disclaimer: I understand that it was very different from the book. As are many many movies. I'm not someone who reads the book then watches the movie(in general). Most of the books I read aren't made into movies. I'm not sorry for this. So I'm reviewing this as a movie, not as an adaptation of a book.

We open with some folks sneaking over the border into the US, then we have a board meeting of a large(fictional) fast food company. Throughout the movie, we see jerky executives, struggling illegals, and disenfranchised youtts. They are all tied to the fast food industry, and float on its ebbs and flows. We're supposed to be disgusted at the procedures and contents of food, but we've become desensitized. Watching the Food Network and being informed ruin the shock value. Greg Kinnear is ok as a morally challenged mucky muck, and Wilmer(yo momma) Valderrama is terrible as a factory worker.

Slow and fairly boring, maybe watch this movie if it's on TV and you can do something else while it's on. We do get to see another Growing Pains actress all growed up though.

**I'm sorry I haven't been updating much lately. I've been busy and tired lately, and frankly I'm passing the suffering on to you. I'll try to be better this week/weekend.

Busy weekend

I had quite a busy weekend, so I'll write about the whole thing. Friday after work I went to Boston Billiards again, where I converted another friend to the buffalo chicken wrap. Our waitress, who I hadn't seen in weeks was less than surprised at my order. This is one of a few places I could walk into and ask for my usual, and have 90% of the staff know what I want.

Pool was killing time until the main attraction of the night, comedian Bobby Kelley. The opening act was funny, but Kelley really showed why he is headlining now. He was hilarious. Saturday morning was frisbee practice, and I'll share a science lesson from my playing. When an elbow meets a nose, the elbow wins. Or more specifically, the nose loses. On an unrelated note, my nose is killing me. Friends visited from NY, and we all went out to Wagamamas, the noodle place from Europe that has now trickled into Boston. Delicious noodles, then onto Finale. If you know me, you know I'm not a dessert guy, but I had molten chocolate cake, gelato, and sips of my friends' ice wine. I'd do it all again! Three couples came home to our place, and we played Newleywed Game(the board game). Now, the movie.

We watched a DVD of mine, Green Street Hooligans. Originally I watched it alone, and really liked it so I bought it. Elijah Wood plays the impressionable follower well, and Charlie Hunnam is fantastic. Good movie about soccer and hooligans, tho my friends and Mugs didn't love it.

Sunday morning, we watched another of my DVD's. This one I haven't seen before. Korean gangster/drama flick called A Bittersweet Life. Slow, violent, and sometimes funny, it was about what I expected. Throw in some weird torture methods, and this movie is worth watching if you don't mind it being verrry slow.

Sorry for the brevity, but I have another review to crank out in a minute

The Kindgom

The Kingdom. I was intrigued by this movie when it came out. Never made it to the theaters to see it, but I avoided learning more about it because I like to be surprised by movies. It came from Netflix this week, and on my third attempt to watch, it finally happened.

Janie Foxx can be annoying, but I really liked him in Jarhead, so I was ready to see him portray another military type. I wasn't disappointed, he really does the tightly-disciplined guy well. Chris Cooper is good in another 'that guy' role. Jennifer Garner is surprisingly whimpery for a tough girl, and Jason Bateman seems a bit out of place, but makes up for it by being himself. Ashraf Barhom is terrific as our Saudi protagonist. Delivering intensity and some comic relief.

The movie has some real excitement in the beginning, then starts building and building towards a 30 minutes or so of nearly non stop action near the end. I think all of those things are really well done. Peter Berg might not be a terrific actor, but I like his directing style. I can't really talk about the cultural things in the film, that would take a book or so, but I'd be happy to talk to you in person about it.

Good acting, beautiful shots, genuine action and excitement. I am going to buy this DVD when I get a chance.

Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd. The Demon Blade of Fleet Street. Sounds like an interesting story, and I like Johnny Depp. Tim Burton seems to be pretty hit or miss, and my impression of him seems overly influenced by how much Kevin Smith hates him. Hearing details about this story and who's directing it, I can't imagine anyone other than Depp and Bonham Carter being the leads.

The movie is a dark, sad tale. Depp shines as the star, and Sacha Baron Cohen has a nice little piece as a rival barber. In general it feels like a play, which makes sense because the story comes from the stage. The music, however, does get a little annoying for me. I don't have a problem with Musicals per se, but this was bad music IMO. I was also wondering, how much they enhanced the movie by making it a musical... There are admittedly a number of people who aren't influenced one way or another, but I feel like making the movie a musical will lose more on-the-fence viewers than it will gain. Maybe that's just me.

Overall, it was a good enough movie. I am glad I didn't pay money to see it though. One funny note, every time This Guy came on the screen, Margo said 'hey, it's Keira Knightly'.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Yes this movie looks stupid, and no one seemed to like it, but you know the drill. I have adoring fans to please.

Wow, lets see if I can recount what just happened to me. As far as I can tell, a baby monkey wiped his excrement on some movie film, then dragged a few more reels through mud puddles and various sections of the jungle. Shortly thereafter, the monkey found financial backers and a distribution company, ported his footage to digital and edited down to ~80 minutes. Next the Monkey found me, and made me watch his travesty while the whole monkey family beat me in the head with sticks and rocks. I need a minute to recover.

...

Ok, so I've thought it over, and I may have been spared the monkey beatings, but I'm pretty sure the rest happened. That's all I can say about Craporium.

Beowolf (2007)

Beowolf. I was skeptical from the start for a number of reasons.

a) It looks pretty stupid
b) It's like the fourth Beowolf film made in the last few years
c) I don't like overdone movies

But I'm home, Margo is working, I have a few hours to kill and a DVD. Most importantly, I have a movie blog to entertain. Shall we dance?

After all that, Beowolf is actually not a bad movie. While the animation is mildly annoying, the action is pretty good. Using animation allows Robert Zemeckis to use legitimate good actors for the male leads instead of Nordic looking pretty faces. Ray Winstone does well as Beowolf, and imo Brendan Gleeson(of recent Harry Potter fame) steals the show as the stalwart sidekick Wiglaf. Anthony Hopkins obviously has terrific Voice talent in addition to his acting chops.

Here is my problem with the movie. IT IS NOT BEOWULF. It should be an adventure story, another line entirely. Why call it Beowolf when it is probably 40% based upon the original story? This was my main problem with Miami Vice(the movie). Well, my main problem was that it was terribly done trash. But my other problem with Miami Vice is that it wasn't about Miami Vice. It was a random story about two cops. Not based at all upon the original. So here we are with this other way overblown hyperbole. Is there an avid following of the classics that makes it profitable to loosely follow old stories? Why not make it a new story? I honestly don't understand.

Final Answer : not a bad movie, just ignore the title.

**Edit** I forgot to mention two things yesterday
Though Angelina Jolie is on the cover of the movie, and seems to be in all the previews she has about 5 minutes of screen time. Admittedly she does look quite amazing animated, but this is a bit silly
Secondly, how in the world is this movie PG-13? There are people graphically being ripped in half, and we have a naked woman grabbing a naked man's business. Adult 'themes' like the dreaded homosexuality garner an 'R' in one second, crap like this is really PG-13?

Poolhall Junkies

Poolhall Junkies. This is a movie I've loved and owned for a while. I owned it, lent it to someone and never saw it again. Then I re bought it, lent it to someone, then never saw it again, again.
I own it now for the third time, and it's not leaving my house. I try to show it to my pool playing friends cause they tend to appreciate it.

Basically, it's a pool movie kind of similar to Rounders but it doesn't take itself as seriously. Mars Callahan writes/directs/stars in this little niche gem. There's some good pool action, and some very cool Christopher Walken. He gives one speech that I think anyone should listen to before a sporting event. It might give you chills. Evil Chazz Palminteri and a weirdo Rick(y) Schroeder are icing on the cake.

Anyhoo, I watched it with my friend Dan, hoping it would make us want to play pool. It did. So we decided to check out another new(to us) pool hall. Corner Pocket(yeah I know another awful web site), in Waltham is very close to my house. We forgot the directions but made out way over there. Fairly large pool hall, tables were fine. it was pretty expensive though, and the food/bar area is separate. Separate ordering, separate checks ... For just pool it would be ok, but nothing has unseated Boston Billiards as the venue of choice yet.

(in case you're wondering he kicked my butt with a house Cue)

Confessions of a Super Hero

Confessions of a Super Hero. Billed as a documentary about celebrity character impersonators and their pursuit of fame, I was intrigued. I like slice of (strange)life documentaries like Starbucking, and Cowboy Del Amor. I also like super heroes so I gave it a shot.

We focus on four main people, a Superman, a Batman, a Wonder Woman, and an Incredible Hulk impersonator, all of whom hang out in front of Mann's Chinese Theater taking pictures with people for 'tips'. The Superman seems to be completely obsessed with Christopher Reeve and Superman in general, and his life is dominated by the impersonation. The other three seem to be looking for other acting jobs and achieving extremely mild success.

The documentary does a great job of neither mocking or glorifying the life, and really shows their outside life well. Three of the four are married(The Hulk isn't) and they talk about their lives before their alter-egos and what pushed them into that life. I was never bored, and was even a bit touched. I was so interested I watched all of the DVD extras to squeeze out all I could. If you like documentaries at all, please check it out.

Hitman

Hitman. I love Tim Olyphant. I liked him before Deadwood, but since then I can prolly be considered a fanboy. I'd pay good money to have him stomp around my apartment looking mad with his jaw clenched. Anyways, Hitman was a moderately interesting video game, now made into film starring one of my favorite actors. Am I going to miss this movie? If you said no, you obviously don't know me :)

We open with a training/indoctrination montage, that reminds one of the training Spartan boys received to make them killing machines. Then we get into Olyphant and the killing. This is what I'm watching the movie for. Running around, acting badass, wearing cool outfits, killing fools. This is what #47(where I came from, they don't give us names, they give us numbers) does. And he does it well. At times this movie reminds me of Leon(which was one of my favorite movies).

The female lead is Olga Kurylenko, who I've never seen before. If you can get past the choppy English, she does a great job. Indignant, then moving to a more Stockholm Syndrome-ish attitude, Olga provides legit eye candy. She's actually going to be a bond girl in 2008. The main Interpol guy is a little annoying, but his sidekick is kind of cool. We have a nice four-way bald headed fight, and overall the movie delivers what it promises. Some light hearted fun and a lot of action. If you like the game, Olyphant, or lots of killing, check it out.

The Ten

The Ten. I remembered seeing like one preview for this a long time ago, then it disappeared completely. It just came from Netflix, so I threw it in the DVD player two days ago. When it was time to watch a movie, Mugs and I both wanted to watch 'The Kingdom' but we both hate getting up to change the disc. So we watched The Ten. Maybe tmi, but oh well.

This movie was the baby of David Wain, and Ken Marino. Two actors from my favorite sketch comedy show ever, The State. The movie opens with some Paul Rudd silliness. I find him funny, and he seems to be the face of Angst for his generation. However, he seemed to be a little too much like his character from Knocked Up here. That annoyed me slightly.

The stories start off well. There's a lot of craziness, over the top comedy. If you liked the State, you should definitely like this movie. Stories don't go where you'd expect, and they kept me laughing the whole time. Ken Marino is great, Winona Ryder is terrific, and looking great. Oliver Platt killed me as an Arnold impersonator. Jessica Alba has a small, and disappointing part for someone with top billing. I always like to see Liev Schreiber in a comedic role.

Basically, if you don't mind profanity and nonsense, with a few very inappropriate jokes and comments thrown in, check it out. Fun-Ne


(The Kingdom is coming soon)

The Great Debaters

The Great Debaters. So I was at work, waiting to go to trivia, so I decided to watch a movie. I was thinking Denzel Washington(correct), short movie(incorrect), light fare(also incorrect).

I actually liked this movie more than I expected(it to be terrible). However, it seems to have an identity crisis. Heavy racial issues in Texas in the 30's, and a fluff piece feel good team story. It has both. I like one of those, I don't like the other. You can guess which is which.

Big stars in this movie. Denzel Washington. Forest Whitaker. A Cosby girl, and um Denzel Whitaker. Really? One of the main actors in a movie with Denzel and Whitaker is named Denzel Whitaker? Weird, I say. I'm going to call the little one DW for now, I don't want to write out both names. Anyways, (the)Denzel is himself. Righteous, smirking, wiser than you. Honestly it's getting old. If he wasn't a terrific actor I think I'd start swearing every time he appeared on screen. Show some god damned range, please. Forest tho. He's my man. I love that droopy eyed bastard. Maybe it's because when I get tired my left eye half closes. Maybe it's because he has been innovative and diverse for his whole career. From Fast Times at Ridgemont High to Good Morning Vietnam to Ghost Dog to Last King of Scotland to Great Debaters. And the man is an opera singer !!

Forest is great. Denzel is mediocre, but the story is good at times. The first time Cosby girl debates, I was moved by her speech. The young male lead is pretty good, and there's some 1935 southern grit. Boston is painted as a beautiful place, which I like. If you're not expecting a great movie, check it out(tho I wouldn't pay for it).

Jillians Boston

Jillians Boston. I didn't watch a movie last night, I went out and played pool. I try to go once a week with my friend Dan. Dan is a better pool player than me. When we play for money, I usually find a way to win, but when nothing is on the line I can't find my motivation.

Usually we go to Boston Billiards Club(holy crap is that a bad web site). Good pool tables, easy parking (if you know where to go), the most amazing Buffalo Chicken wrap I've ever had(I eat it with no tomatoes) and comfort. We know the waitresses, we know the managers, we know the players. We know almost everyone there. There's plenty of space and light, it's a known quantity.

We decided to try something new this week. Jillians Boston. I used to go there a lot with my friend Scott, before the format change. I remember good tables, good food, good intangibles. Now, it's a bowling alley. They have a few pool tables, in terrible shape. Ours had a huge "***" stain all over it. The lighting was atrocious (we had to hold the menu over the table to read it) and there was Zero atmosphere. The food was fantastic tho. If I want to go bowling some time, I want to go there and eat. But for pool? I'd stay away.

Had a good or bad experience at either place? Lemme know by commenting. Thanks

Cloverfield

Cloverfield. I, like many people, have been intrigued by this movie ever since the strange, informationless previews started hitting the public. I have a couple of people at work who can't seem to not talk in explicit detail about movies I want to see. Even when I ask them again and again not to. It's a holiday weekend, a theater near my house is playing it, how can I NOT go see Cloverfield?

No intro, no opening credits. I like it so far. I had heard that the handheld-camera style shooting can be disconcerting at first. Correct. I also heard that one gets used to it. Mostly correct. We open with a silly Dept. of Def. looking stamp, like this film is evidence of an incident. Trying to lend authenticity I guess, tho it's not like this is Blair Witch or something.

The first real shots we have are a couple hanging out, then people preparing a goodbye party for "Rob". I got most of the characters mixed up at first, cause white people really do mostly look alike. The only actor I recognized in this movie was TJ Miller. From the TV show Carpoolers, in which he plays the exact same character. In small doses it's quaint, funny even. He did get some laughs in the film. However, for a whole movie, it grates on nerves like Jar Jar Binks. I spent a lot of the movie hoping he would die, just so I wouldn't have to listen to his horrendousness anymore.

There's a ton of action, legit scary scenes. Some 'make-you-jump's and NYC getting the crap beat out of it. Like "I am Legend" I don't really understand how this movie was PG-13. There were a lot of kids at this movie, many of whom were scared poop-less at certain times. They also seemed to love talking during the movie. I don't imagine the people reading this are the people who do it, and if you are I don't imagine that this will change your habits. But please, SHUT UP during movies. It aggravates me to no end when people are making stupid comments loudly during movies. If you don't like it leave. Or don't go in the first place. There's a social contract, to respect the other people who spent a lot of money to be there. Civilized people wait in lines, use turn signals, and don't talk during f-ing movies.

So... I liked the movie a lot, and I'm glad I saw it in the theater. Fun movie, and pretty exciting. You'll even get to see a preview for an upcoming Star Trek movie.

TV Update

As I've mentioned, it's a long weekend, I watched/caught up on some TV. I have a lot of shows set up in my DVR, and I don't want it to fill up, so I knocked some out.

Threshold. This is an interesting looking show, Sci-Fi based. Aliens are invading. Very slowly :)
Since the DVR only saved 7 episodes, I saw the first 4 and last 3. Out of 13. That was enough. It started out well, interesting premise, good actors. Carla Gugino, Data, Peter Dinklage, and this guy. The crazy crazy technology stuff gets old though, and the show was cancelled before the story was over. A hasty ending ruined the last couple of episodes, I can't really recommend it as a whole.

Pinks. Sounds dirty, but it's a show about car racing. It's pretty cool, if you like cars I'd definitely recommend it.

The Wire. I wrote on this before. But after a couple of more episodes, I want to say this : When I watch The Wire, I am praying it doesn't end. I'm afraid to look at a clock for fear of acknowledging the passage of time and the impending finish of this episode.

Breaking Bad. New show on AMC, starring Bryan Cranston(the dad from Malcolm in the Middle). After one episode, I like it. Quirky, funny, and well made. I hope it sticks around for a bit.

Football. During the season, Football is a large part of my TV schedule. Pats are 18-0 and heading to another Super Bowl. Where they'll meet the Giants. Pats fans have been solid throughout the season. Always talking about how great this season would be. Sticking with Belichick during the scandal. Now we're ready to be crowned the Best Team Ever. Giants fans hid all season. Complained about Eli, whined about everything. Now they're all coming out of the woodwork. Praying the Giants can beat the Pats, almost to redeem their beloved Yanks who have been far surpassed by the Sox. Their biggest accomplishment of the season according to most experts was losing to the Pats. Lets hope it stays that way.

Spartan

Spartan. I can't remember when I added this to my Netflix Queue, but it's starring Val Kilmer and has Kristen Bell in it, so that's win win in my book. I found out later that it was written and directed by David Mamet, whom I enjoy in general.

The story is loosely set around some special ops soldiers(Kilmer) trying to rescue a politician's daughter(Bell). There are a few twists and turns, some training, some ops. Val Kilmer being his crazy self. I like it how he completely immerses himself in a part, though I hear it makes him insufferable on a set.

Ed O'Neill and William H Macy play small but meaningful parts, as well as Derek Luke. Not an amazing movie, but well acted, and it knows what it wants to do and does it. Kilmer delivering Mamet lines is worth watching for me. Small review, small movie. Hasta pronto.