Not Happening
June 27th 2008 05:29
Some filmmakers, like actors/actresses, have a way of making me want to believe in them. To hope for the best, you know? So, it's all my fault, really. Deep down, I knew The Happening would leave me cold (not unlike how I felt going into The Air I Breathe, or Virgin Territory). So when is it time to stop calling someone a promising filmmaker, and start using my/your head when making film-going choices? I made excuses for Lady In the Water (and reviewed it far more kindly than most did), but I can't for this. I wholeheartedly recommend that you do not see this movie.
See how bored they look? They're partying like it's 1999 compared with how I felt watching this one. Somehow, in less than 90 minutes, this film manages to be dull while showing a disaster of epic proportions. That's some kind of feat, no? Don't be lured by any of it, not the director, not the actors, and certainly not by the highly-touted "first R-rated film!" banner. I'm sure the rating is more for tone than for anything else - the few acts of violence that are actually shown will be far from enough to satiate your inner gorehound. I know I'll be back, M...but that's only because I'm too dumb to learn even the simplest of lessons.
(3/10, depending on the level of alertness you're able to maintain.).
The remedy?
In Bruges
should fit the bill. If it'd been made a few years ago, I imagine it would have been dismissed as another Tarantino knock-off. It's far better than that, though. The story of two hitmen sent to Bruges to cool their heels after a particularly messy job is funny, sad, disturbing, and exciting all at once. I really loved it, and I think you will too, so I won't spoil a minute of it for you. (8/10, add one if you're partying with a little person while watching)
I also liked Be Kind Rewind
more than I thought I would. Sure, the re-staging ("sweding") of classic movies after they're inadvertently erased isn't always as fresh or funny as you'd like it to be, but there's something there, something toward the end...something that, if you love movies as I do, will move you. Director Michel Gondry again spins a yarn just outside of reality, and for me, it worked. (7/10, if you're a great big sap like me)
Sorry for the brevity this week, but I'm headed out of town.
Hmmm? Ohio, thanks for asking.
Before I go, I have to say, I have noticed the slight up-tick in traffic here, and I appreciate it. The handy info Orble provides me with notes that, unsurprisingly, some of it is due to Google Images searches for Laura Ramsey. Somewhat disturbingly, there are also folks that land here searching for "Laura", "Ramsey", and a word that starts with "p-" and ends with "-orn".
Welcome. You dirty-minded bastards.
That's from The Covenant, which sucks a lot more ass than The Ruins, out on dvd 7/8.
See how bored they look? They're partying like it's 1999 compared with how I felt watching this one. Somehow, in less than 90 minutes, this film manages to be dull while showing a disaster of epic proportions. That's some kind of feat, no? Don't be lured by any of it, not the director, not the actors, and certainly not by the highly-touted "first R-rated film!" banner. I'm sure the rating is more for tone than for anything else - the few acts of violence that are actually shown will be far from enough to satiate your inner gorehound. I know I'll be back, M...but that's only because I'm too dumb to learn even the simplest of lessons.
(3/10, depending on the level of alertness you're able to maintain.).
The remedy?
In Bruges
should fit the bill. If it'd been made a few years ago, I imagine it would have been dismissed as another Tarantino knock-off. It's far better than that, though. The story of two hitmen sent to Bruges to cool their heels after a particularly messy job is funny, sad, disturbing, and exciting all at once. I really loved it, and I think you will too, so I won't spoil a minute of it for you. (8/10, add one if you're partying with a little person while watching)
I also liked Be Kind Rewind
more than I thought I would. Sure, the re-staging ("sweding") of classic movies after they're inadvertently erased isn't always as fresh or funny as you'd like it to be, but there's something there, something toward the end...something that, if you love movies as I do, will move you. Director Michel Gondry again spins a yarn just outside of reality, and for me, it worked. (7/10, if you're a great big sap like me)
Sorry for the brevity this week, but I'm headed out of town.
Hmmm? Ohio, thanks for asking.
Before I go, I have to say, I have noticed the slight up-tick in traffic here, and I appreciate it. The handy info Orble provides me with notes that, unsurprisingly, some of it is due to Google Images searches for Laura Ramsey. Somewhat disturbingly, there are also folks that land here searching for "Laura", "Ramsey", and a word that starts with "p-" and ends with "-orn".
Welcome. You dirty-minded bastards.
That's from The Covenant, which sucks a lot more ass than The Ruins, out on dvd 7/8.
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