Hello all! It's been a few months since I posted anything relating to movies, and with this being Friday, I thought it made sense to give my faithful readers (all two of you) an update on movies I have seen lately. I have seen myriad films lately, though nothing of exceptional noteworthiness. While I still utilize the free DVDs and videotapes available from the public library system, I have also had the pleasure of going to the actual theater recently. A few times even! The frequency of this activity wavers quite a bit, depending on a variety of factors (such as cash flow, what movies are playing, etc.), but lately I’ve been in somewhat of a cinematic splurge. It’s been quite fun. While the movies themselves have not been overly wonderful, it's nice to be out on the town, munching on popcorn and smuggled candy bars and licorice. With that being said, let's get to the movies!
In Good Company – ***
This is certainly the most enjoyable film I’ve seen recently. It’s a bit long, but the two leads (Dennis Quaid and Topher Grace) make it a worthwhile trip. Quaid stars as a man whose new boss, played by Grace, is young enough to be his son. That’s the gist of the conflict, but it’s not nearly as lame as it sounds. Don’t expect too much of an all-out romantic comedy—it’s not a film of the sappy and/or goofy nature. Neither Hugh Grant nor Adam Sandler would be right for the film, so if that’s your cup of tea, you’re in the wrong tearoom. In fact, the romantic element is not nearly as dominating as the advertisements would like you to believe. Still, if you’re in the mood for a comedy with romantic elements, this should easily satisfy.
White Noise – **
This horror film stars Michael Keaton as a man whose recently deceased wife seems to be reaching out to him via EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena). In other words, her voice shows up on his answering machine, his TV, etc., kind of like a transwordly static interference. The movie, taken scene-by-scene, is enjoyable enough, but it certainly isn’t that scary. The biggest problem, however, is that it doesn’t explain anything whatsoever in the end. And it’s not that it’s supposed to end mysteriously, it just doesn’t bother making sense of anything. If you’re truly set on seeing this one, I urge you to wait for the dollar theater.
The Ring – **½
Most people have seen this movie by now, so I don’t suppose my comments will be all that useful. Anyway, I watched it on the same night as White Noise, attempting to have a little bit of a scare fest. As is a common enough problem, I think the hype ruined this one for me. In fact, up until now I have purposely been avoiding the film, scared that it would scare the you-know-what out of me. Well, it didn’t scare me one bit. The majority of the film is more of a mystery than a horror film. There’s not really anything spooky going on most of the time. The videotape within the movie is admittedly weird, and I admit that weirdness can often be the scariest thing of all (like when you have dreams that don’t make any sense). However, I certainly don’t understand how this movie could make a grown man scared to go to sleep for a week (although I know someone who claims such). Perhaps I just wasn’t in the mood.
Sideways – ***
This independent movie has received much critical praise, has won several awards (including Golden Globes for Best Picture and Best Screenplay), and is up for several Oscars as well. While I enjoyed it rather well, I certainly don’t see it as one of the best films of the past year—unless the movie industry was really in a rut this past year! In a nutshell, the movie is about two somewhat detached friends who go on a trip together. One is about to be married and is intent on livin’ la vida loca, while the other is a divorced, depressed, and as-of-yet-unpublished writer. There really isn’t that much more to it. It felt a bit long and wasn’t as deep or as insightful as I assume it was meant to be. The transformation of the main characters was underplayed to the point of obscurity, making it difficult for the film to pack much of a punch. What I can admit, however, is that it certainly had the funniest bit of full-frontal male nudity that I have ever seen. I guess that’s worth something.
Saved! – **
Another small-time flick, this one (co-produced by the lead singer of R.E.M.!) slipped out of theaters too quickly for me to catch it before recently hitting DVD. It’s a comedy about an evangelical Christian high school student who, in an attempt to “rescue” her friend from homosexual tendencies, gets pregnant. Naturally, the movie centers on the issues of self-acceptance, self-reliance, and fitting in. It’s caricaturized religiosity—which is admittedly the main reason I wanted to see it—is a shameless gimmick that serves its purpose well—salvaging the film from utter cinematic banality. Even so, the comedic thrust tapers all-too-quickly, and the main characters are extremely two-dimensional. Minor characters are either so lethargic (à la Macaulay Culkin and Patrick Fugit) or so inconsequential (à la Heather Matarazzo and Elizabeth Thai) that the movie hardly warrants their existence. I recommend this one only if you fit the following description: you are between the ages of 12 and 30; you are not a Born Again Christian but you know several Born Again Christians; you have two hours to kill; you have a few dollars to spare; you are not in the mood to think hard. Enjoy!
Love the links.
ReplyDelete