Lost: Season 5
Note: This will NOT be a spoiler-free post.
By now, everyone who watches the TV show Lost has seen the season 5 finale, so I am free to talk about it without anyone telling me I spoiled the show for them. If you haven't seen the finale, please see the opening disclaimer.
In short, season 5 was not their best season. (I give season 1 that honor, the only season to win the Emmy for Best Drama Series.) Turning into territory that will begin to wrap up the show, you'd think that they would answer a lot of questions and bring the whole mystery into perspective. Wrong. This season actually introduced more questions than it answered, making watching it week-to-week very frustrating. The episode where the Oceanic Six got on the plane was particularly frustrating to me because NOTHING was explained, it just all conveniently came together, and explanations just came later. Precious screen time was devoted to answering these questions that we did not care about, ("What lies in the shadow of the statue?" Uhhhh...like we care?) when we would rather see more story and more of our characters.
Last season left off with revealing how the Oceanic Six got off the island, with the boat blowing up with Jin (supposedly) still on board. It also reveals that Locke is the one in the coffin in the future, meaning somehow he will die. Jack is convinced that they must all return to the island. This season starts off only moments later, with Jack teaming up with Ben to find everyone, leading Kate to leave Aaron behind and everyone getting on the plane one way or another. Back on the island, Locke, Sawyer, Juliet, Daniel, Miles, Charlotte, and the rest of the survivors are experiencing flashes that transport them through time at random- forwards and backwards. Sawyer even witnesses Claire giving birth to Aaron. After- surprise!- Jin being found alive, Charlotte's death, and Rousseau's team landing on the island, they are reunited and Locke uses the wheel to leave. After that, they find out they are in the 1970's and they join the Dharma Initiative. Sawyer- who is being referred to more and more as James- takes on the alias LaFleur and leads the security force. Daniel leaves the island in the sub. Flash forward three years, and Locke ends up in the read world (he traveled through both time and space) and finds everyone who left, excluding Sun but including Walt, and unsuccessfully tries to convince them all to come back. Ben finds him and kills him after he gets vital information- the whereabouts of Eloise Hawking, Daniel's mother- and makes it look like suicide. The Oceanic Six return to the island with Locke in a coffin, but Jack, Kate, Sayid, and Hurley vanish and travel back to the 70's to rejoin Sawyer's group. Sun, Ben, and the now-resurrected Locke stay in the present with the new plane crash survivors. Daniel returns to the island and attempts to stop 'the incident,' a legendary Dharma happening that will kill lots of people. He intends to use an H-bomb to do this. He is killed by his younger mother, and Jack takes his place, believing it will change the course of time and reverse everything that's happened. Complications ensue, and Juliet sets off the bomb at ground zero, apparently killing herself instantly. In the present, Locke finds the myserious Jacob, who we see for the first time, and forces Ben to kill him. But, the people outside- in a reveal that copies and mocks the reveal at the end of the fourth season- show everyone Locke's body that was found in the plane, in the coffin. So, either the Locke that's walking around is a phony, or he got a new body. That's where the confusing season ends.
Let's start with the characters, which the producers of the show love to mistreat. Charlotte is killed fairly early on. Not one tear shed. Why? Because no one cared about her. She's one of the very few main characters that never got her own flashback episode. (Libby was another such unfortunate soul.) We never knew anything about her, and the fact that she hadn't been on the show that long made her death just a plot point rather than an emotional moment. Second, where the hell was Claire? Last season, she wandered off into the jungle to follow her dead father and left her baby on a rock. Sounds like something she would do. And she was in maybe one scene this season, just in a flashback. The producers have said they'll bring her back next season and explain what's been going on. Bullshit! They played the same game with Michael, who disappeared for season 3 and reappeared hastily in season 4 only to die a few episodes later. In that instance, his story was not worth the wait of a year, and I don't think Claire's story will be worth that wait either- they needed to explain it immediately, and they didn't. She's an important character and her absense is strongly felt. (Don't even get me started on Walt- the producers practically cut him out of the show after season 1, and he was one of the most interesting characters. Now the actor is too old to go back and film scenes from what happened to him while he was gone.) I like the new side of Sawyer- he did a lot of maturing this season and is a much better leader than Jack ever was- but I hate the Sawyer/Juliet romance. They are complete opposites, and barely interacted before this season. Totally contrived. Also, the one thing most audience members were waiting for never happened: the Sun/Jin reunion. Alas, after the finale, they are no closer to being reunited than they were at the beginning of the season. Even something that was given to the audience turned out to be a disappointment: we finally see Jacob but learn nothing about him, except that like Richard, he doesn't age and has seen the castaways at different points in their lives prior to the island. So, he's the leader and he sought them all out. Why? And why did they cast a young man with blonde hair to play him? He looks like he belongs on a biker gang, not the leader of this magical island. And then he's promptly killed off. How anti-climactic.
The finale was so muddled (and had so little action) that it really doesn't leave much for the final season. I'm a big fan of the show, but honestly, after that, do I really care what happens next? It seems obvious that Daniel was right- whatever happened, happened- and with the dropping of the H-bomb, they just caused the incident instead of preventing it. How did none of the characters see that coming? Most of the audience must have guessed it.
Still, with all its faults and audience-losing techniques, Lost is still great television. Witness: any scene with Hurley is bound to be the best scene in the episode. My personal favorite: when he is caught writing the screenplay to The Empire Strikes Back with improvements. ("Face it, the Ewoks suck, dude.") Its continued use of the cliffhanger ending makes the show addicting, and when it does have an action sequence, it's worth the wait. This season focused more on sci-fi and mythology than it did on characters or action, but the show's strengths still shine through its murky weaknesses.
Season 6- the final season- starts in January. Be sure to tune in, or you'll be lost in the crowd.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Terminator: Salvation ***
Terminator: Salvation
*** out of ****
"I'll be back."
This immortal line is sadly, very true for the Terminator franchise, which, like the evil machines themselves, just won't die. Salvation is the fourth movie in the series, although this one is very different from the original trilogy. For starters, it's the only one without Arnold Schwarzenegger, or any other cast member from the earlier films.
The movie opens in 2003, where a death row inmate signs his body over to science right before being executed. Fast forward to the year 2018, years after Judgment Day, when the machines launched nuclear bombs on humans. Now people are scattered and hiding in the shadows, while the machines grow stronger and the human Resistance is the only hope for mankind. Christian Bale plays John Connor, a high-ranking member of the Resistance that is either looked at as a prophet or as a joke. After a mission that ended badly and left Connor as the only survivor, they discover a radio signal that can turn the machines off, the perfect weapon the humans have been looking for. They devise a plan to use it to cripple the enemy.
Meanwhile, the death row inmate comes out of nowhere, not looking a day older and not knowing what year it is or what has happened in the time since he died. Newcomer Sam Worthington is this inmate, Marcus Wright, the new badass and true hero of the movie. Wright's body was taken by Skynet and he is now a hybrid Terminator, with a human brain and heart, but with a metal skeleton and a computer chip. He has no idea of this and thinks he is simply a human, and tries to help with the Resistance. Wright meets up with a teenage boy, who turns out to be Kyle Reese, and a young, mute girl they call Star. Anton Yelchin (man, what a summer he's had!) plays Reese with determination and a steady head, clearly meant to grow up to be a great warrior. Star is awesome, always knowing when a machine is nearby, and always handy with exactly the right tool needed for a particular job. After a Terminator attack, Reese and Star are taken prisoner, and Marcus meets up with a gorgeous woman from the Resistance, Blair, who leads him to Connor. But when Connor sees what Marcus actually is, he has him chained up even though he just wants to help. Connor decides to enlist Marcus to find Reese, because as anyone familiar with the franchise knows, Reese is actually his father and his survival is vital to the future and the human race.
The extension of the franchise beyond its expiration date was a bad idea to start with, and it made the story less than exceptional. The film has a poor opening, but it eventually gets going and starts loading on the action sequences with several gasp-inducing moments. Its main flaw is supposed to be its greatest asset- Bale plays Connor in much the same way he plays Batman, with a gravelly voice and a reluctant heroism. The film gives us no reason to care about our main character, and he seems to have no layers other than what he yells at his superiors. Worthington is the real gem here (he actually has more screen time than Bale, and much more to do) and he is a worthy replacement for the classic Ahh-nold. His character accepts what has happened to him and quickly takes up the action hero robe, allowing his good looks to be blown to bits in the process.
Like a typical summer film, the story leaves something to be desired, but the special effects are fantastic and the action sequences are breathless. It's a very watchable film, as long as it doesn't try to connect itself with the earlier films, like with a title sequence that mimics the first film's, and the resurrection of the legendary line, "I'll be back." The film isn't bad, but maybe they should rethink that statement of coming back before the franchise ends up terminating itself.
I would recommend this film to everyone who liked the original movies, and who like action films.
You can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcg5t0mT8V4
*** out of ****
"I'll be back."
This immortal line is sadly, very true for the Terminator franchise, which, like the evil machines themselves, just won't die. Salvation is the fourth movie in the series, although this one is very different from the original trilogy. For starters, it's the only one without Arnold Schwarzenegger, or any other cast member from the earlier films.
The movie opens in 2003, where a death row inmate signs his body over to science right before being executed. Fast forward to the year 2018, years after Judgment Day, when the machines launched nuclear bombs on humans. Now people are scattered and hiding in the shadows, while the machines grow stronger and the human Resistance is the only hope for mankind. Christian Bale plays John Connor, a high-ranking member of the Resistance that is either looked at as a prophet or as a joke. After a mission that ended badly and left Connor as the only survivor, they discover a radio signal that can turn the machines off, the perfect weapon the humans have been looking for. They devise a plan to use it to cripple the enemy.
Meanwhile, the death row inmate comes out of nowhere, not looking a day older and not knowing what year it is or what has happened in the time since he died. Newcomer Sam Worthington is this inmate, Marcus Wright, the new badass and true hero of the movie. Wright's body was taken by Skynet and he is now a hybrid Terminator, with a human brain and heart, but with a metal skeleton and a computer chip. He has no idea of this and thinks he is simply a human, and tries to help with the Resistance. Wright meets up with a teenage boy, who turns out to be Kyle Reese, and a young, mute girl they call Star. Anton Yelchin (man, what a summer he's had!) plays Reese with determination and a steady head, clearly meant to grow up to be a great warrior. Star is awesome, always knowing when a machine is nearby, and always handy with exactly the right tool needed for a particular job. After a Terminator attack, Reese and Star are taken prisoner, and Marcus meets up with a gorgeous woman from the Resistance, Blair, who leads him to Connor. But when Connor sees what Marcus actually is, he has him chained up even though he just wants to help. Connor decides to enlist Marcus to find Reese, because as anyone familiar with the franchise knows, Reese is actually his father and his survival is vital to the future and the human race.
The extension of the franchise beyond its expiration date was a bad idea to start with, and it made the story less than exceptional. The film has a poor opening, but it eventually gets going and starts loading on the action sequences with several gasp-inducing moments. Its main flaw is supposed to be its greatest asset- Bale plays Connor in much the same way he plays Batman, with a gravelly voice and a reluctant heroism. The film gives us no reason to care about our main character, and he seems to have no layers other than what he yells at his superiors. Worthington is the real gem here (he actually has more screen time than Bale, and much more to do) and he is a worthy replacement for the classic Ahh-nold. His character accepts what has happened to him and quickly takes up the action hero robe, allowing his good looks to be blown to bits in the process.
Like a typical summer film, the story leaves something to be desired, but the special effects are fantastic and the action sequences are breathless. It's a very watchable film, as long as it doesn't try to connect itself with the earlier films, like with a title sequence that mimics the first film's, and the resurrection of the legendary line, "I'll be back." The film isn't bad, but maybe they should rethink that statement of coming back before the franchise ends up terminating itself.
I would recommend this film to everyone who liked the original movies, and who like action films.
You can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcg5t0mT8V4
Sunday, May 17, 2009
X-Men Origins: Wolverine **
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
** out of ****
Creating lots of sequels, prequels, and spin-offs are the new trend in Hollywood. Often they serve no other purpose than just to extend a big, money-making franchise. Wolverine is exactly that: just an excuse to make more money by using a popular character from a popular franchise.
Hugh Jackman plays the title character (his fourth time doing so) in much the same way as he played him in the original trilogy: as a tough guy who likes one-liners and to stare ferociously. Cue the slow-motion shot of Jackman as a complete badass walking away from a giant fireball. The movie opens with him as a child; we learn his name was James Logan. Less than two minutes in, he discovers his mutant powers- his healing power and his claws made of bone, he accidentally kills his father and goes on the run. (Apparently he didn't know it was his father. Why?) His friend, who turns out to be his brother, Victor, goes with him. So, less than five minutes in, we have problems with story logic. Victor has the power to grow his fingernails out really long, and then kill people with them. Wow, that's...cool? More like gross.
They fight in all the American wars together until they're discovered as mutants and a man named Stryker (a one-note villain played by Danny Huston) recruits them on a mutant team to hunt down adamantium and kidnap mutants for experimentation. Logan doesn't like the work, so he quits, leaving his brother feeling betrayed. He finds a girlfriend, pretty Kayla, and lives in a log cabin with her. Their perfect life is quickly disrupted when Victor finds them and kills her, sending Logan on a revenge quest. To aid him, Stryker makes medical history by infusing liquid adamantium onto his entire skeleton, which makes him indestructible and also gives him metal claws.
The film doesn't have much going for it, so it adds in the usual array of diverse mutants from the comics. Victor eventually becomes Sabretooth from the first movie. Ryan Reynolds plays Wade, who is supernaturally good with samurai swords. There's also Agent Zero, who is supernaturally good with guns. (Sense a pattern?) Kevin Durand plays an indestructible Blob, Will.i.am plays a Nightcrawler-like teleporter except with a cowboy hat, and Dominic Monaghan has a small role as a mutant who can control electricity. A young Cyclops appears briefly in a high school and is captured by Victor. Taylor Kitsch gives an impressive performance as Gambit, the best new character, who can turn a deck of playing cards into deadly weapons. But, the film makes it very clear that none of these guys matter except for Logan and Victor, the two most uninteresting characters in the movie.
Some questions are answered, and a lame ending ties it back to the other films, but the thing is: this movie is completely unnecessary. In X2, Wolverine learns pretty much the whole story from an older Stryker (played as a much more complex villain by Brian Cox) and Wolverine himself decides he doesn't need to know any details because he's satisfied with the life he's chosen with the X-Men. This movie didn't offer us anything new about the character or about the universe, except to die-hard fans. Visionary director Gavin Hood tries hard, but the film just can't be saved.
I have to remind myself that this is just a summer film intended mainly for kids and young teenagers. The story itself doesn't matter; the action does. And yes, it does deliver with several good action sequences, making the film just barely watchable. Sadly, at the end, you just know they're going to make more of these lame prequels just because there is more money in it. (X-Men Origins: Magneto is supposedly in the works.) If they wanted to make a successful origin movie, it simply needed more of the X-Men.
I would recommend this film to fans of the X-Men movies and comic books, and people who like simple action films.
You can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPmbGzQaOCs
** out of ****
Creating lots of sequels, prequels, and spin-offs are the new trend in Hollywood. Often they serve no other purpose than just to extend a big, money-making franchise. Wolverine is exactly that: just an excuse to make more money by using a popular character from a popular franchise.
Hugh Jackman plays the title character (his fourth time doing so) in much the same way as he played him in the original trilogy: as a tough guy who likes one-liners and to stare ferociously. Cue the slow-motion shot of Jackman as a complete badass walking away from a giant fireball. The movie opens with him as a child; we learn his name was James Logan. Less than two minutes in, he discovers his mutant powers- his healing power and his claws made of bone, he accidentally kills his father and goes on the run. (Apparently he didn't know it was his father. Why?) His friend, who turns out to be his brother, Victor, goes with him. So, less than five minutes in, we have problems with story logic. Victor has the power to grow his fingernails out really long, and then kill people with them. Wow, that's...cool? More like gross.
They fight in all the American wars together until they're discovered as mutants and a man named Stryker (a one-note villain played by Danny Huston) recruits them on a mutant team to hunt down adamantium and kidnap mutants for experimentation. Logan doesn't like the work, so he quits, leaving his brother feeling betrayed. He finds a girlfriend, pretty Kayla, and lives in a log cabin with her. Their perfect life is quickly disrupted when Victor finds them and kills her, sending Logan on a revenge quest. To aid him, Stryker makes medical history by infusing liquid adamantium onto his entire skeleton, which makes him indestructible and also gives him metal claws.
The film doesn't have much going for it, so it adds in the usual array of diverse mutants from the comics. Victor eventually becomes Sabretooth from the first movie. Ryan Reynolds plays Wade, who is supernaturally good with samurai swords. There's also Agent Zero, who is supernaturally good with guns. (Sense a pattern?) Kevin Durand plays an indestructible Blob, Will.i.am plays a Nightcrawler-like teleporter except with a cowboy hat, and Dominic Monaghan has a small role as a mutant who can control electricity. A young Cyclops appears briefly in a high school and is captured by Victor. Taylor Kitsch gives an impressive performance as Gambit, the best new character, who can turn a deck of playing cards into deadly weapons. But, the film makes it very clear that none of these guys matter except for Logan and Victor, the two most uninteresting characters in the movie.
Some questions are answered, and a lame ending ties it back to the other films, but the thing is: this movie is completely unnecessary. In X2, Wolverine learns pretty much the whole story from an older Stryker (played as a much more complex villain by Brian Cox) and Wolverine himself decides he doesn't need to know any details because he's satisfied with the life he's chosen with the X-Men. This movie didn't offer us anything new about the character or about the universe, except to die-hard fans. Visionary director Gavin Hood tries hard, but the film just can't be saved.
I have to remind myself that this is just a summer film intended mainly for kids and young teenagers. The story itself doesn't matter; the action does. And yes, it does deliver with several good action sequences, making the film just barely watchable. Sadly, at the end, you just know they're going to make more of these lame prequels just because there is more money in it. (X-Men Origins: Magneto is supposedly in the works.) If they wanted to make a successful origin movie, it simply needed more of the X-Men.
I would recommend this film to fans of the X-Men movies and comic books, and people who like simple action films.
You can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPmbGzQaOCs
Friday, May 15, 2009
Star Trek ***1/2
Star Trek
***1/2 out of ****
Let me start out with a disclaimer that I know is instant death to me if anyone reads this who is a true Trekkie: I am a Star Wars fan.
When I heard there was going to be a new Star Trek film, I didn't care and didn't want to see it. Even when I heard it would be directed by J.J. Abrams, the mastermind behind Mission: Impossible III, the best in the series, and the guy who jump-started Lost, my favorite show, I still remained skeptical and didn't feel like wasting my time.
I have never seen any of the previous Star Trek films, or any episode of any of the series. I have, however, seen all of the Star Wars films- multiple times- and thought that any other sci-fi epic taking place in space was merely a wannabe of George Lucas' films. I forgot that Star Trek came first. And that liking Star Wars and Star Trek doesn't have to be mutually exclusive.
Abrams has rebooted the franchise in the same spirit that made Batman Begins and Casino Royale such big hits and so unique to their respective franchises. It's not necessarily a prequel to the original series, as it promises new adventures for the future of the franchise- and there will be another franchise, believe me. Work on a sequel has already begun.
The movie opens with an attack on a Federation ship by a giant Romulan mining cruiser, killing its captain. One George Kirk steps up and saves the lives of most everyone on board by making them evacuate. Among those evacuated was his wife, who was in labor delivering their son, the legendary James T. Kirk. We see brief scenes from both Kirk's and Spock's childhoods and then fast-forward to Kirk being convinced to join the Starfleet Academy, instead of being a genius bum on the road in Iowa. Fast-forward another three years, and Kirk and Spock are bitter rivals at the Academy. Kirk cheated on the simulation that Spock programmed, and Spock- he of no emotions but a galaxy's worth of logic- believes there is no way the little punk kid could ever be a captain.
But a Romulan attack on Spock's home world of Vulcan puts Kirk's court martial on hold, and soon everyone is beaming up to ships- all of the important characters onto the brand-spankin-new U.S.S. Enterprise- and warping off into deep space. Kirk realizes this attack is the same as the one that killed his father and warns the captain. When they arrive at Vulcan, they find the same giant Romulan ship attempting to destroy the planet, in a method far more ingenious than the Death Star's methods of destroying planets (point and shoot). Giving away anything after that would be spoiling.
The casting for this film deserves a special Oscar, as it is simply genius, down to the last extra. It's more than just re-casting these legendary roles with younger actors. They've reinvented the entire characters and made them much more real. Newcomer Chris Pine (who IS this guy?) plays Kirk as a smartass with a thing for the ladies that doesn't evoke the slightest essense of William Shatner. Zachary Quinto plays the ultra-logical Spock like he was born for the part, letting the difficult dialogue tumble out of his mouth effortlessly. Zoe Saldana plays the sexy-smart Uhura, who surprisingly, has a thing for Spock and detests Kirk. Karl Urban is Dr. McCoy, Kirk's friend at the Academy, who has a fear of space travel despite working in space. John Cho and Anton Yelchin play Sulu and Chekov, respectively, the two pilots who take lots of crap from Spock and the captain. Simon Pegg plays Scott, later Scotty, as the Scottish (haha) engineer genius who, frankly, should have had more screen time as he is by far the funniest part of the movie. And Eric Bana plays Nero, the Romulan villain bent on revenge against Spock for a mistake he has yet to make. Bana is the perfect villain for a movie like this- creepy, cool, and genuinely evil.
The cast is also sprinkled with unknowns and big stars, all who serve their purpose and make the screen sparkle. Look for Winona Ryder as Spock's mother, Tyler Perry as an admiral at the Starfleet Academy, and of course, Leonard Nimoy as an older Spock, playing the part that made him a legend with grace and dignity.
Star Trek was always imaginative; it was always successful in telling good stories; and it was sometimes successful in wowing the audience with its visuals. But it has always been something that has been incredibly dorky, something to be mocked, and something that often should have been better. This new movie has given the old stuff a boost of hip and cool, with a lot of amazing special effects and a healthy dose of humor all the way through. With its almost non-stop action, you will quickly forget this was something you used to laugh at. I hate to say it, but this reboot is better than all three Star Wars prequels combined.
The film isn't perfect, of course. It skips over three years of our charcters at the Academy, that we wish we had seen at least a little bit of. It has a time-traveling subplot that actually could have been more complex. And Yelchin, with his thick Russian accent, seems to be overacting a bit, but who cares? The flaws are there, but its strengths far outweigh its problems. My main concern is making sure the sequels and TV shows that follow are just as good as this movie.
I would recommend this film to Star Trek fans on any level, from hard-core Trekkie to mildy interested; and fans of sci-fi and action films.
You can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w4vk5OZmn8
***1/2 out of ****
Let me start out with a disclaimer that I know is instant death to me if anyone reads this who is a true Trekkie: I am a Star Wars fan.
When I heard there was going to be a new Star Trek film, I didn't care and didn't want to see it. Even when I heard it would be directed by J.J. Abrams, the mastermind behind Mission: Impossible III, the best in the series, and the guy who jump-started Lost, my favorite show, I still remained skeptical and didn't feel like wasting my time.
I have never seen any of the previous Star Trek films, or any episode of any of the series. I have, however, seen all of the Star Wars films- multiple times- and thought that any other sci-fi epic taking place in space was merely a wannabe of George Lucas' films. I forgot that Star Trek came first. And that liking Star Wars and Star Trek doesn't have to be mutually exclusive.
Abrams has rebooted the franchise in the same spirit that made Batman Begins and Casino Royale such big hits and so unique to their respective franchises. It's not necessarily a prequel to the original series, as it promises new adventures for the future of the franchise- and there will be another franchise, believe me. Work on a sequel has already begun.
The movie opens with an attack on a Federation ship by a giant Romulan mining cruiser, killing its captain. One George Kirk steps up and saves the lives of most everyone on board by making them evacuate. Among those evacuated was his wife, who was in labor delivering their son, the legendary James T. Kirk. We see brief scenes from both Kirk's and Spock's childhoods and then fast-forward to Kirk being convinced to join the Starfleet Academy, instead of being a genius bum on the road in Iowa. Fast-forward another three years, and Kirk and Spock are bitter rivals at the Academy. Kirk cheated on the simulation that Spock programmed, and Spock- he of no emotions but a galaxy's worth of logic- believes there is no way the little punk kid could ever be a captain.
But a Romulan attack on Spock's home world of Vulcan puts Kirk's court martial on hold, and soon everyone is beaming up to ships- all of the important characters onto the brand-spankin-new U.S.S. Enterprise- and warping off into deep space. Kirk realizes this attack is the same as the one that killed his father and warns the captain. When they arrive at Vulcan, they find the same giant Romulan ship attempting to destroy the planet, in a method far more ingenious than the Death Star's methods of destroying planets (point and shoot). Giving away anything after that would be spoiling.
The casting for this film deserves a special Oscar, as it is simply genius, down to the last extra. It's more than just re-casting these legendary roles with younger actors. They've reinvented the entire characters and made them much more real. Newcomer Chris Pine (who IS this guy?) plays Kirk as a smartass with a thing for the ladies that doesn't evoke the slightest essense of William Shatner. Zachary Quinto plays the ultra-logical Spock like he was born for the part, letting the difficult dialogue tumble out of his mouth effortlessly. Zoe Saldana plays the sexy-smart Uhura, who surprisingly, has a thing for Spock and detests Kirk. Karl Urban is Dr. McCoy, Kirk's friend at the Academy, who has a fear of space travel despite working in space. John Cho and Anton Yelchin play Sulu and Chekov, respectively, the two pilots who take lots of crap from Spock and the captain. Simon Pegg plays Scott, later Scotty, as the Scottish (haha) engineer genius who, frankly, should have had more screen time as he is by far the funniest part of the movie. And Eric Bana plays Nero, the Romulan villain bent on revenge against Spock for a mistake he has yet to make. Bana is the perfect villain for a movie like this- creepy, cool, and genuinely evil.
The cast is also sprinkled with unknowns and big stars, all who serve their purpose and make the screen sparkle. Look for Winona Ryder as Spock's mother, Tyler Perry as an admiral at the Starfleet Academy, and of course, Leonard Nimoy as an older Spock, playing the part that made him a legend with grace and dignity.
Star Trek was always imaginative; it was always successful in telling good stories; and it was sometimes successful in wowing the audience with its visuals. But it has always been something that has been incredibly dorky, something to be mocked, and something that often should have been better. This new movie has given the old stuff a boost of hip and cool, with a lot of amazing special effects and a healthy dose of humor all the way through. With its almost non-stop action, you will quickly forget this was something you used to laugh at. I hate to say it, but this reboot is better than all three Star Wars prequels combined.
The film isn't perfect, of course. It skips over three years of our charcters at the Academy, that we wish we had seen at least a little bit of. It has a time-traveling subplot that actually could have been more complex. And Yelchin, with his thick Russian accent, seems to be overacting a bit, but who cares? The flaws are there, but its strengths far outweigh its problems. My main concern is making sure the sequels and TV shows that follow are just as good as this movie.
I would recommend this film to Star Trek fans on any level, from hard-core Trekkie to mildy interested; and fans of sci-fi and action films.
You can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w4vk5OZmn8
Sunday, May 3, 2009
The Soloist ***
The Soloist
*** out of ****
It is fitting that a movie about music is really all about sounds. The streets of L.A. come alive with cars honking, people muttering to themselves, and the lone musician playing his sad song on a two-stringed violin.
Robert Downey, Jr. plays Steve Lopez, a writer for the Los Angeles Times whose head is constantly filled with the sound of his own voice writing and re-writing stories to put in the paper. After a nasty bike accident that messes up his face, he meets a homeless black man playing the violin in front of a statue of Beethoven. This man is Nathaniel Ayers (by the end of the movie, you WILL learn how to spell his name), played beautifully and with complete realism by Jamie Foxx, the man who also brought Ray Charles to life. Nathaniel is the classic definition of a crazy bum, as he's dressed like he's onboard an alien spaceship, has a greasy slab of hair combed too tightly, and talks non-stop nonsense reminiscent of Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. The thing that sets him apart from the other bums is his incredible musical ability. He has a need to play constantly to keep his mind at ease and has an obsession with the works of Beethoven. Through flashbacks we learn he went to Julliard and dropped out after he developed schizophrenia- supposedly- and was tortured by the voices in his head. Music was the only thing he could concentrate on. He ran away from home and lived on the street, where the never-ending noise of the city kept the demons at bay.
Steve thinks he can help Nathaniel and writes a story about him. From there, their friendship takes off, with the expected laughs and pitfalls along the way, ending happily as it should. It is at time cliche and at times very unique, one of the latter being when Nathaniel declares that Steve is his God.
The film is rarely silent: it is always filled with orchestral music, overlapping background noise and dialogue, or just the buzz of the air. This aspect roots the film in reality and gives the director (Joe Wright, Atonement) lots of opportunities to fill the audio with whatever he wants. This is also the film's weak spot, as it often goes for the overly weird and symbolic, including a Fantasia-like sequence with just colors representing the music notes. At the end, the movie seemed to be more about music and what we hear on a day-to-day basis than it is about the two men and their story.
Regardless of the film's focus, it is still very watchable, with many funny and touching moments, vignettes from the supporting players as a diverse group of homeless people, and incredible performances from Downey and Foxx. In fact, there isn't a single member of the cast who doesn't do an amazing job with whatever screen time they have. The two leads would have surely been nominated for Oscars had the film opened in November as originally planned. Sadly, it was delayed due to financial reasons (it's not just homeless people feeling the recession; it's affecting big movie studios too) and by the time Oscar season rolls around, this film will be a distant memory.
Maybe that's the way it should be, because the film itself plays out like a complex memory; it's erratic, skips back and forth, and focuses only on the important parts.
I would recommend this film to people who like simple dramas, lovers of classical music, and fans of the stars.
You can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrrLJT4YS9I
*** out of ****
It is fitting that a movie about music is really all about sounds. The streets of L.A. come alive with cars honking, people muttering to themselves, and the lone musician playing his sad song on a two-stringed violin.
Robert Downey, Jr. plays Steve Lopez, a writer for the Los Angeles Times whose head is constantly filled with the sound of his own voice writing and re-writing stories to put in the paper. After a nasty bike accident that messes up his face, he meets a homeless black man playing the violin in front of a statue of Beethoven. This man is Nathaniel Ayers (by the end of the movie, you WILL learn how to spell his name), played beautifully and with complete realism by Jamie Foxx, the man who also brought Ray Charles to life. Nathaniel is the classic definition of a crazy bum, as he's dressed like he's onboard an alien spaceship, has a greasy slab of hair combed too tightly, and talks non-stop nonsense reminiscent of Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. The thing that sets him apart from the other bums is his incredible musical ability. He has a need to play constantly to keep his mind at ease and has an obsession with the works of Beethoven. Through flashbacks we learn he went to Julliard and dropped out after he developed schizophrenia- supposedly- and was tortured by the voices in his head. Music was the only thing he could concentrate on. He ran away from home and lived on the street, where the never-ending noise of the city kept the demons at bay.
Steve thinks he can help Nathaniel and writes a story about him. From there, their friendship takes off, with the expected laughs and pitfalls along the way, ending happily as it should. It is at time cliche and at times very unique, one of the latter being when Nathaniel declares that Steve is his God.
The film is rarely silent: it is always filled with orchestral music, overlapping background noise and dialogue, or just the buzz of the air. This aspect roots the film in reality and gives the director (Joe Wright, Atonement) lots of opportunities to fill the audio with whatever he wants. This is also the film's weak spot, as it often goes for the overly weird and symbolic, including a Fantasia-like sequence with just colors representing the music notes. At the end, the movie seemed to be more about music and what we hear on a day-to-day basis than it is about the two men and their story.
Regardless of the film's focus, it is still very watchable, with many funny and touching moments, vignettes from the supporting players as a diverse group of homeless people, and incredible performances from Downey and Foxx. In fact, there isn't a single member of the cast who doesn't do an amazing job with whatever screen time they have. The two leads would have surely been nominated for Oscars had the film opened in November as originally planned. Sadly, it was delayed due to financial reasons (it's not just homeless people feeling the recession; it's affecting big movie studios too) and by the time Oscar season rolls around, this film will be a distant memory.
Maybe that's the way it should be, because the film itself plays out like a complex memory; it's erratic, skips back and forth, and focuses only on the important parts.
I would recommend this film to people who like simple dramas, lovers of classical music, and fans of the stars.
You can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrrLJT4YS9I
Sunday, April 26, 2009
2009 Summer Movies
Some famous critic once said something like, 'Springtime at the theatre is where bad movies go to die.' This is certainly true for this year, as it is for most years: our spring films have been mixed with mediocre comedies, lame action pics, and a few weird animated films for kids. Nothing has been truly great and worth seeing.
Well, all that changes on May 1. Thus starts the summer with the opening of the first big film of the season, the Wolverine prequel. Everything from there is big popcorn movies and lots of fun. Not all of the movies will be good, but this is the time of year when people go to the movies, regardless of their tastes. Here is an analysis of what to see this summer, week-by-week.
Friday, May 1
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
This film will be the Iron Man of this year: a big, highly anticipated superhero movie to kick the summer off with a bang. It doesn't look very good, but it will attract a large audience despite critical reviews. The most popular character of the X-Men films gets his own movie, complete with unnecessary backstory and a horde of new characters, including Gambit from the comics.
Friday, May 8
Star Trek
My pick for the film to beat this summer: Following in the footsteps of Batman Begins and Casino Royale, this film presses the restart button on an ancient franchise to lure back old fans who got bored and new, young fans who will see sequels and TV shows in the future. This film tells how James T. Kirk got to be the captian of the starship Enterprise. J. J. Abrams directs his first theatrical film since Mission: Impossible III, and it looks amazing.
Friday, May 15
Angels & Demons
The Da Vinci Code was a huge hit, and this sequel has been highly anticipated, but since it's sandwiched in between such heavy competition, this film will probably go largely unnoticed by moviegoers. The reunion of Ron Howard and Tom Hanks should make this film worthwhile, though, and the fact that it's also based on a book by the same author should make it as complex and as intense as the first film.
Thursday, May 21
Terminator: Salvation
The show may get cancelled, but the franchise is still alive and well in the multiplex as the series begins a new trilogy (the studio hopes). A new director and a new setting- McG and an apocalyptic future overrun by bloodthirsty machines- gives this a burst of adrenaline. In place of Arnold Schwarzenegger, we have newcomer Sam Worthington as the human face of the Terminators, and in place of Edward Furlong and Nick Stahl, we have the potty-mouthed Christian Bale as the legendary John Connor. The film shows how Connor got to be so legendary.
Note: This is for adult moviegoers. For kids, go see Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, the kiddie sequel with Ben Stiller, out Friday, May 22.
Friday, May 29
Up
Everything Pixar touches turns to gold (usually Oscar gold), and audiences are expecting nothing less than an amazing experience from the studio's tenth feature film, and their first in 3-D. This film is about a grumpy old man who escapes from society by lifting his house up off the ground with thousands of balloons and travels to South America. A young, annoying Boy Scout (or the fictional equivalent) tags along, bringing comic relief. They find some kind of adventure there, but as always, Pixar is being very secretive about the specifics of the plot. Can't wait.
Friday, June 5
Land of the Lost
Will Ferrell's new comedy looks better than a lot of the films he's done in the last few years as it also adds a lot of science fiction to the laughs. Ferrell and two others travel back in time (or is it forward in time?) to a lost world with dinosaurs, cavemen, and very slow-moving reptilian creatures. It's based on a TV show that's way too old for anybody in our generation to remember; but I'm sure we won't need any kind of background knowledge. Looks very funny.
Friday, June 12
The Taking of Pelham 123
A remake starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta. (Their first film together!) Travolta plays a terrorist who hijacks a subway car and threatens to kill innocent passengers. Washington is the public service workman who is forced to negotiate with him on the radio. Looks like a good old-fashioned action film. You know, the kind without the CGI.
Friday, June 19
Year One
Unlikely comedic duo Jack Black and Michael Cera play lazy cavemen in the year- you guessed it- 1. Not historically accurate in the slightest, this movie follows them on a road trip to supposedly save a girl from slavery. Looks pretty funny, even if it may not make sense. Michael Cera is a really good actor; is he capable of playing other characters besides the awkward shy guy?
Wednesday, June 24
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Story? Nope. Logic? Not in the slightest. Explosions? You better believe it. This sequel from mega-director Michael Bay has really big Decepticons attacking Earth, supposedly taking revenge for all the bad guys that were killed in the first film. The heroic Autobots have to protect Shia LaBeouf and hottie Megan Fox from destruction. The huge success of the first film guarantees that this one will be a hit. Buzz about LaBeouf's broken hand being in the movie will boost its audience.
Wednesday, July 1
Public Enemies
This film takes the spot of the prestige film of the summer. Johnny Depp plays the legendary true-life bank robber John Dillinger and Christian Bale (in his second big film this summer) plays Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent who took him down. Michael Mann directs this big action/drama pic that will lure more mature audiences to the theatre and may actually score Oscar nominations for Depp and Bale. Bale needs one; he's a huge star with a lot of talent.
Note: This film will be for the older folks. For kids, go see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, out the same day. And preferably in 3-D.
Friday, July 10
Bruno
Sacha Baron Cohen is back with a sort-of spin-off of Borat, based on another character he played on Da Ali G Show. (Expect an Ali G movie to come out in another three years to complete the trilogy.) Bruno is super-gay and super-trendy and makes real people super-uncomfortable. Shot in the same faux-documentary style as its predecessor, this film doesn't look as good as Borat, but it will definitely be worth watching for anybody who was a fan of the movie, or the original show.
Wednesday, July 15
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Finally! This film was set to open by last Thanksgiving and was delayed because of the long-terms effects of the writer's strike and the economy's downfall. This highly-anticipated film is based on the second-to-last book in the series, but it may not be the second-to-last movie. (Deathly Hallows may be split into two films. Nothing is certain yet.) This one has Harry and Dumbledore diving into memories to discover Voldemort's past so they can find out how to defeat him, and also has further adventures of him and his friends dealing with romance, Quidditch, and classes. This one looks very dark but with a breath of fresh air in comic relief, very welcome after the dreary first couple of films. Sure to be a huge hit.
Friday, July 24
The Ugly Truth
Not much opening this week. This romantic comedy is the best pick, starring Gerard Butler as a sexist jerk put on a dating TV show to boost ratings, and Katherine Heigl as the show's unapproving producer. They hate each other at first; something tells me they'll end up falling in love.
Friday, July 31
Funny People
A very fitting title: Adam Sandler joins the Apatow gang, alongside Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann, in Judd Apatow's third movie, following the enormous success of The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. Sandler's character is very much like himself, an aging comedian who became very famous, except he's dying. No, not like the audience isn't laughing: literally dying. Rogen, a younger fellow comedian, is a big fan and is taken under his wing during his final months. When it turns out he may not be dying after all, he tries to get is ex-wife Mann back. Except she's married to a tough Australian guy played by Eric Bana. (This is Bana's second of three films of the summer, after playing the villain in Star Trek and before playing a time traveler in The Time Traveler's Wife.) Looks like a very funny and a very moving return to the director's chair for Apatow.
I don't really consider August to be a summer month since school starts sometime in that month, but some big films are still coming out at the back end of the biggest season in film. Some highlights: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, based on comic books/animated TV shows/action figures follows an elite team of soldiers headed by Dennis Quaid; Taking Woodstock, a dramatic film by Ang Lee starring Demetri Martin and Emile Hirsch about putting together the legendary music festival; Inglourious Basterds, the latest Quentin Tarantino film about a group of American soldiers during WWII sent into Germany to terrorize and brutally kill Nazi soldiers, headed by Brad Pitt; and The Boat That Rocked, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman as a music pirate in a boat out in the ocean around the UK illegally broadcasting popular music to thousands of eager listeners, and the officials' attempt to shut them down.
See you at the movies this summer!
Well, all that changes on May 1. Thus starts the summer with the opening of the first big film of the season, the Wolverine prequel. Everything from there is big popcorn movies and lots of fun. Not all of the movies will be good, but this is the time of year when people go to the movies, regardless of their tastes. Here is an analysis of what to see this summer, week-by-week.
Friday, May 1
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
This film will be the Iron Man of this year: a big, highly anticipated superhero movie to kick the summer off with a bang. It doesn't look very good, but it will attract a large audience despite critical reviews. The most popular character of the X-Men films gets his own movie, complete with unnecessary backstory and a horde of new characters, including Gambit from the comics.
Friday, May 8
Star Trek
My pick for the film to beat this summer: Following in the footsteps of Batman Begins and Casino Royale, this film presses the restart button on an ancient franchise to lure back old fans who got bored and new, young fans who will see sequels and TV shows in the future. This film tells how James T. Kirk got to be the captian of the starship Enterprise. J. J. Abrams directs his first theatrical film since Mission: Impossible III, and it looks amazing.
Friday, May 15
Angels & Demons
The Da Vinci Code was a huge hit, and this sequel has been highly anticipated, but since it's sandwiched in between such heavy competition, this film will probably go largely unnoticed by moviegoers. The reunion of Ron Howard and Tom Hanks should make this film worthwhile, though, and the fact that it's also based on a book by the same author should make it as complex and as intense as the first film.
Thursday, May 21
Terminator: Salvation
The show may get cancelled, but the franchise is still alive and well in the multiplex as the series begins a new trilogy (the studio hopes). A new director and a new setting- McG and an apocalyptic future overrun by bloodthirsty machines- gives this a burst of adrenaline. In place of Arnold Schwarzenegger, we have newcomer Sam Worthington as the human face of the Terminators, and in place of Edward Furlong and Nick Stahl, we have the potty-mouthed Christian Bale as the legendary John Connor. The film shows how Connor got to be so legendary.
Note: This is for adult moviegoers. For kids, go see Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, the kiddie sequel with Ben Stiller, out Friday, May 22.
Friday, May 29
Up
Everything Pixar touches turns to gold (usually Oscar gold), and audiences are expecting nothing less than an amazing experience from the studio's tenth feature film, and their first in 3-D. This film is about a grumpy old man who escapes from society by lifting his house up off the ground with thousands of balloons and travels to South America. A young, annoying Boy Scout (or the fictional equivalent) tags along, bringing comic relief. They find some kind of adventure there, but as always, Pixar is being very secretive about the specifics of the plot. Can't wait.
Friday, June 5
Land of the Lost
Will Ferrell's new comedy looks better than a lot of the films he's done in the last few years as it also adds a lot of science fiction to the laughs. Ferrell and two others travel back in time (or is it forward in time?) to a lost world with dinosaurs, cavemen, and very slow-moving reptilian creatures. It's based on a TV show that's way too old for anybody in our generation to remember; but I'm sure we won't need any kind of background knowledge. Looks very funny.
Friday, June 12
The Taking of Pelham 123
A remake starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta. (Their first film together!) Travolta plays a terrorist who hijacks a subway car and threatens to kill innocent passengers. Washington is the public service workman who is forced to negotiate with him on the radio. Looks like a good old-fashioned action film. You know, the kind without the CGI.
Friday, June 19
Year One
Unlikely comedic duo Jack Black and Michael Cera play lazy cavemen in the year- you guessed it- 1. Not historically accurate in the slightest, this movie follows them on a road trip to supposedly save a girl from slavery. Looks pretty funny, even if it may not make sense. Michael Cera is a really good actor; is he capable of playing other characters besides the awkward shy guy?
Wednesday, June 24
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Story? Nope. Logic? Not in the slightest. Explosions? You better believe it. This sequel from mega-director Michael Bay has really big Decepticons attacking Earth, supposedly taking revenge for all the bad guys that were killed in the first film. The heroic Autobots have to protect Shia LaBeouf and hottie Megan Fox from destruction. The huge success of the first film guarantees that this one will be a hit. Buzz about LaBeouf's broken hand being in the movie will boost its audience.
Wednesday, July 1
Public Enemies
This film takes the spot of the prestige film of the summer. Johnny Depp plays the legendary true-life bank robber John Dillinger and Christian Bale (in his second big film this summer) plays Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent who took him down. Michael Mann directs this big action/drama pic that will lure more mature audiences to the theatre and may actually score Oscar nominations for Depp and Bale. Bale needs one; he's a huge star with a lot of talent.
Note: This film will be for the older folks. For kids, go see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, out the same day. And preferably in 3-D.
Friday, July 10
Bruno
Sacha Baron Cohen is back with a sort-of spin-off of Borat, based on another character he played on Da Ali G Show. (Expect an Ali G movie to come out in another three years to complete the trilogy.) Bruno is super-gay and super-trendy and makes real people super-uncomfortable. Shot in the same faux-documentary style as its predecessor, this film doesn't look as good as Borat, but it will definitely be worth watching for anybody who was a fan of the movie, or the original show.
Wednesday, July 15
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Finally! This film was set to open by last Thanksgiving and was delayed because of the long-terms effects of the writer's strike and the economy's downfall. This highly-anticipated film is based on the second-to-last book in the series, but it may not be the second-to-last movie. (Deathly Hallows may be split into two films. Nothing is certain yet.) This one has Harry and Dumbledore diving into memories to discover Voldemort's past so they can find out how to defeat him, and also has further adventures of him and his friends dealing with romance, Quidditch, and classes. This one looks very dark but with a breath of fresh air in comic relief, very welcome after the dreary first couple of films. Sure to be a huge hit.
Friday, July 24
The Ugly Truth
Not much opening this week. This romantic comedy is the best pick, starring Gerard Butler as a sexist jerk put on a dating TV show to boost ratings, and Katherine Heigl as the show's unapproving producer. They hate each other at first; something tells me they'll end up falling in love.
Friday, July 31
Funny People
A very fitting title: Adam Sandler joins the Apatow gang, alongside Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann, in Judd Apatow's third movie, following the enormous success of The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. Sandler's character is very much like himself, an aging comedian who became very famous, except he's dying. No, not like the audience isn't laughing: literally dying. Rogen, a younger fellow comedian, is a big fan and is taken under his wing during his final months. When it turns out he may not be dying after all, he tries to get is ex-wife Mann back. Except she's married to a tough Australian guy played by Eric Bana. (This is Bana's second of three films of the summer, after playing the villain in Star Trek and before playing a time traveler in The Time Traveler's Wife.) Looks like a very funny and a very moving return to the director's chair for Apatow.
I don't really consider August to be a summer month since school starts sometime in that month, but some big films are still coming out at the back end of the biggest season in film. Some highlights: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, based on comic books/animated TV shows/action figures follows an elite team of soldiers headed by Dennis Quaid; Taking Woodstock, a dramatic film by Ang Lee starring Demetri Martin and Emile Hirsch about putting together the legendary music festival; Inglourious Basterds, the latest Quentin Tarantino film about a group of American soldiers during WWII sent into Germany to terrorize and brutally kill Nazi soldiers, headed by Brad Pitt; and The Boat That Rocked, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman as a music pirate in a boat out in the ocean around the UK illegally broadcasting popular music to thousands of eager listeners, and the officials' attempt to shut them down.
See you at the movies this summer!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Observe and Report *1/2
Observe and Report
*1/2 out of ****
Seth Rogen has always been a love-him or hate-him guy. Before this film, I definitely was in the former club. The crudeness and sweet honesty that worked so well for him in films like Knocked Up and Zack and Miri Make a Porno turns him into an ugly brute in Observe and Report. In his other films, he always plays his characters so that no matter how badly he acts, no matter what sludge comes out of his mouth, he is always somehow likeable. This is certainly not the case for this film.
Rogen plays Ronnie, an inept and egotistical mall security guard that still lives at home with his alcoholic mother. He takes his job way too seriously. His co-workers, Dennis, played by Michael Pena with a lisp, and the Yuen twins add to his enormous ego. He has a stalkerish crush on Brandi, a makeup counter girl and obvious ditz played by Anna Faris, a good actress who always hides her talent by taking roles in films like this. When a man starts flashing women at the mall, including Brandi, Ronnie is determined to catch the guy to fulfill some epic quest of his to be a mall hero. Ray Liotta plays a police detective who keeps coming back to the mall, despite being easily annoyed by Ronnie. The plot is extremely cliche and many of the jokes fall flat.
The strange thing is, this movie actually starts off promising. The first ten or fifteen minutes have funny gags and make all the characters instantly loveable. Then, as the movie progresses, the jokes start becoming repetitive and Rogen's character gets less and less likeable, until we are all convinced he is insane and doesn't deserve to get what he wants. The ending is predictable, and also very implausible.
People who see this movie and love it will say that it was not supposed to be a great film, that it is simply cheap entertainment. Well, my argument is that this film was only minimally entertaining. The director is as inept as his main character if he thinks constant repetition of the line 'Fuck you' is the height of hilarity and that excessive and bloody violence belongs in a silly comedy like this. The film promised cheap comedy and failed to deliver.
I would only recommend this film to Seth Rogen fans.
You can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekAQzff95E8
*1/2 out of ****
Seth Rogen has always been a love-him or hate-him guy. Before this film, I definitely was in the former club. The crudeness and sweet honesty that worked so well for him in films like Knocked Up and Zack and Miri Make a Porno turns him into an ugly brute in Observe and Report. In his other films, he always plays his characters so that no matter how badly he acts, no matter what sludge comes out of his mouth, he is always somehow likeable. This is certainly not the case for this film.
Rogen plays Ronnie, an inept and egotistical mall security guard that still lives at home with his alcoholic mother. He takes his job way too seriously. His co-workers, Dennis, played by Michael Pena with a lisp, and the Yuen twins add to his enormous ego. He has a stalkerish crush on Brandi, a makeup counter girl and obvious ditz played by Anna Faris, a good actress who always hides her talent by taking roles in films like this. When a man starts flashing women at the mall, including Brandi, Ronnie is determined to catch the guy to fulfill some epic quest of his to be a mall hero. Ray Liotta plays a police detective who keeps coming back to the mall, despite being easily annoyed by Ronnie. The plot is extremely cliche and many of the jokes fall flat.
The strange thing is, this movie actually starts off promising. The first ten or fifteen minutes have funny gags and make all the characters instantly loveable. Then, as the movie progresses, the jokes start becoming repetitive and Rogen's character gets less and less likeable, until we are all convinced he is insane and doesn't deserve to get what he wants. The ending is predictable, and also very implausible.
People who see this movie and love it will say that it was not supposed to be a great film, that it is simply cheap entertainment. Well, my argument is that this film was only minimally entertaining. The director is as inept as his main character if he thinks constant repetition of the line 'Fuck you' is the height of hilarity and that excessive and bloody violence belongs in a silly comedy like this. The film promised cheap comedy and failed to deliver.
I would only recommend this film to Seth Rogen fans.
You can watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekAQzff95E8
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