The Men Who Stare at Goats
Starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey
Directed by Grant Heslov
Rated R for language, some drug content and brief nudity
Appropriate for ages 17+
Ewan McGregor is a reporter from Ann Arbor who discovers a secret branch of the military that deals with expanding their paranormal abilities. When he meets an operative (Clooney) in Kuwait that belongs to this branch, he follows him to Iraq where they get in and out of trouble and have to rely on powers of the mind to get to safety.
I’ve had several days to think about this film and I’m still not sure what this one is. There are some good laughs throughout, but I wouldn’t call it a comedy exactly. Then again, it doesn’t really work as a political commentary either. It’s not a thriller. Not an adventure. Not a drama. And it’s not so good that it rises above traditional genre. What I’m getting at is that the film doesn’t work because it has no place to belong. And the attempt at being clever, such as the casting of the father of all Jedis (McGregor) in a film that discusses Jedis throughout, gets old really quick.
I’ll admit that the film opened with some good promise. I liked the idea of a branch of the military dealing with these things and tying this to real-life leaders and situations is a fun concept. But it felt like either the ideas quit flowing, or the story wasn’t very good to begin with.
Even though the film didn’t work well, the acting, especially by Clooney and Bridges, is as good as you’d expect. They both did a terrific job building their characters and both were a pleasure to watch. Also, Kevin Spacey plays a very good villain and the more smug he gets, the more enjoyable his performance. C
This Is It
This Is It
Starring Michael Jackson
Directed by Kenny Ortega (High School Musical 3)
Rated PG for some suggestive choreography and scary images
Appropriate for all ages
I was in grade school when Michael Jackson’s hit album Thriller hit the scene and for years he was it. We all wanted to be like Mike, and not the basketball player. We wore the glove, donned gaudy zipper-laden red leather jackets, and butchered the moonwalk. From that point on he was known as the King of Pop and he earned the title.
But then things got freaky. Since I graduated from college, I buried all the good MJ memories, and the thoughts of chimps and child molestation were all I could muster up until his recent death. At the time of his death I didn’t even think it was tragic I was so cold to the thought of him.
So needless to say, I wasn’t looking forward to seeing this movie. I was not going to be one of those folks that jumped on the sadness bandwagon, bought more of his music just so I could have a better-sounding version, and start wailing at his rendition of Smile. I did not want to like this movie. But as the Rolling Stones once sang – you can’t always get what you want.
I’m not quite certain that this movie was ever meant to be a movie. It feels more like the special features section of a DVD, but that being said, I firmly believe that is what makes the film work so well. Were it just a concert video, showing the finished product, you would get to see the Michael Jackson that he and his people wanted you to see – polished and show-ready. What we get instead here is an intimate look at what he was really like. And all of the negative thoughts just seemed to float away as I was brought back to why I liked Michael so much in the first place: he was one hell of talent. The guy worked on a level that was saved for the most brilliant of history’s musicians.
Watching him backstage preparing for what were going to be 50 sold-out London shows, you get to see a side of Michael that he probably didn’t want to show many people, and on only a couple of instances during the course of the movie was I reminded of his strange eccentricities.
So what really works here is that this isn’t Michael at his best, but rather Michael showing what it took to be the best. And now I must admit that I do miss him a little bit. A-
Amelia
Amelia
Starring Hillary Swank, Richard Gere, and Ewen McGregor
Directed by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding)
Rated PG for some sensuality, language, thematic elements and smoking
Appropriate for ages 10+
In the 1920’s and 30’s daring female pilot Amelia Earhart (Swank) attempted to break several flying records including a trip across the Atlantic and a journey around the world from which she never returned. This film attempts to chronicle her life, loves and struggles.
As expected, this film is beautiful to look at with stunning cinematography by Academy Award nominee Stuart Dryburgh (The Piano). To add to the sweeping landscapes is the lush score by Academy Award winning composer Gabriel Yared (The English Patient). From start to finish, there is no doubt that the production of the film is first rate all the way.
And the acting from Swank is exactly what you would expect. She looks the part exactly and she was very convincing in the role. If only she had a better script to work from.
There was something off about the story that I couldn’t exactly put my finger on. Many will say that the film is just boring, and I do think that the pacing and directing could have been better, but I think with a better script we would have been a much more satisfied audience. First off, I never got the importance of Amelia’s trips. I know why she said she wanted to fly across the ocean or around the world, but I never felt or understood it. I never got into the heart of the character. I don’t blame this on Swank, but rather on the writing failing to bring me in touch with the heroine. So what happens when the audience gets disconnected? They get bored. They lose focus. In a two hour movie this can be devastating.
There were other faults throughout, such as a failure to fully explain the love stories and the suddenness of the drinking problem of the navigator, but those little things can’t bring down a film like an audience that can’t cheer for its heroine, even if they know she’s going to die in the end. C-
Where the Wild Things Are
Where the Wild Things Are
Starring Max Records, Catherine Keener, and James Gandolfini
Directed by Spike Jonze (Adaptation)
Rated PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief language
Appropriate for ages 10+
Based on Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s story, Wild Things follows an unruly little boy named Max that runs away from home one night and ends up on an island inhabited with dangerous but lovable monsters that at first want to eat him, but then choose to be ruled by him.
Under the control of a more normal individual this film would have been a cute and fuzzy little picture with zero vision and very little life. After all, when imagining a movie of this story, most would automatically think of an animated film, but Spike Jonze saw something completely different. That is why author Sendak allowed him to make it where he forbid so many before him. To create such life-like monsters in such a beautiful manner and put them in a world where each new step is an unprecedented adventure is exhilarating. The choices of style, music, costumes, facial features, and every other little detail make this one of the most breathtaking productions I’ve seen all year.
What impresses most though is that the spirit of the film truly represents that of a wild little boy. It’s almost as if Jonze himself has not grown up and is able to represent those crazy feelings in sight, sound and emotion on screen. Just like a little boy, the film is a little annoying at times, but you are always kept on your toes.
One of the biggest questions I have gotten is how acceptable it is for children. I’m not sure if I would let small children into this one, especially if they were mine. That being said, there were a lot of little kids at my screening and they were enthralled. I was worried that there would be a lot of crying and “daddy I’m scared” talk, but instead it seemed like the kids were having more fun than me. Go figure. A-
Capitalism: A Love Story
Capitalism: A Love Story
Directed by Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine)
Rated R for some language
Appropriate for ages 13+
Documentarian Michael Moore is back in this whistle-blowing look at what the banks and our government are up to while we aren’t paying attention. While the main focus of the film deals with the infamous bailout that took place late last year, he also finds a huge amount of sins committed against those with less by those with more.
Some of the scariest findings are the “dead peasant” policies that major corporations like Amegy bank and Wal-Mart take out on employees so that they can cash in when they die. Realizing that your average employee is worth more to the corporation dead than alive, they play a twisted game of Life that is so sick it is hard to believe.
Taking an angle he hasn’t used before, he points out the Christian view of capitalism. He interviews several clergy and makes a very convincing argument that Jesus would have never supported our capitalist system.
With Moore’s dry wit and cynical sense of humor, uncomfortable laughs abound. And his style of adding archival footage behind dialogue is as clever as ever.
As usual with some of his movies, some of his arguments aren’t completely convincing. I’m not so sure that pointing a finger at “the man” and putting all of the blame there is completely responsible. Some of the fault has to lie with the people for buying houses they couldn’t afford, even if the government and banks convinced them they could. Maybe Moore should have used this platform to try to teach some fiscal responsibility rather than simply present an “off with their heads” argument.
Also, if he really wanted this film to get out, he should have cut out the couple of F-bombs in it and opened up the movie for a much wider audience.
That being said, I do think that this is an important film. It’s not as vital or well-made as Sicko or Bowling for Columbine, but it shows America in a state of disrepair that is truly horrifying. He says in the movie “I refuse to live in a country like this – and I’m not leaving.” Love him or loathe him, I don’t think you can doubt his patriotism. A-
Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity
Starring Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat
Rated R for language
Appropriate for ages 18+
When a young couple starts to hear noises at night in their San Diego home, the boyfriend buys a camera to film their sleep and check for any disturbances. Sure enough, strange things are afoot in the bedroom while the lights are out and the couple discovers that their is an invisible demon that is after the girlfriend, and the camera at night is capturing everything.
Shot on a shoestring budget, this indie is causing quite the sensation nationwide. By demanding the movie to come to their towns on the official website, www.paranormalactivity-movie.com, audiences are slowly bringing this movie across America, only to be shown at midnight. Houston obviously has some loyal horror fans because the AMC 30 Dunvale got it almost immediately. This is impressive because it’s not showing in most other markets yet. I was lucky enough to catch it at the New York City Premiere last Thursday night at midnight and the line for ticket holders was around the block.
But besides the hype, the real question is – is it as scary as folks are saying? The answer – flippin yes. Sleep is when you are your most vulnerable and to witness this kind of documentary style footage, real or not, told in this context, is as scary as I’ve ever seen. I am getting the chills just writing this review. My head and neck start pulsating every time I tell someone about the film. I was uncomfortably scared for 90 minutes. My saving grace is that my wife and I were staying in a hotel next door to the theater, because our house looks exactly like the one in the film and I don’t think I could have gone home that night. Oooh. Chills again.
So is the movie without problems? No. There is one major logic flaw: if you are haunted by a demon – get your butt to a church! Even Bill Maher would change his tune and kiss the Pope’s ring if a demon was attacking his wife, so why did this couple not at least give it a serious thought? And if there isn’t a good reason for the couple not to try to get some sort of clergy involved, with the exception of the perhaps the world’s only demonologist who happens to be out of town, then go sleep in a chapel for a night. But then again – there probably wouldn’t be much of a film then if this scenario played out, and that terrific ending, which just gave me another chill, would have never been caught on camera. A-
Surrogates
Surrogates
Starring Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, and James Cromwell
Directed by Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3)
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, sexuality, and a drug-related scene
Appropriate for ages 13+
Set in the future, humans no longer have to leave their homes, but rather they project themselves into young-looking robotic surrogates that can live their lives for them, keeping them completely safe from harm and always looking their best. When someone invents a weapon that can kill the human owner through its surrogate, the police, led by agent Tom Greer (Willis) must find how to stop this weapon from killing off not only the surrogates, but all of their human owners as well.
Stealing from films such as Total Recall and The Matrix, the story isn’t entirely original, but none the less still feels like it could have been penned by Philip K Dick himself as maybe one his lesser stories. The tale is a little preachy in regard to trying to show what we could all be like if we stop getting out there in the real world and spend all of our time behind our computers. Then again, maybe the preaching is necessary.
Future theory aside, what most folks will want to know is the quality of the action, and overall, it’s not bad. There’s loads of violence, chases, and other miscellaneous action-junkie fodder. In other words, you won’t need a long attention span to enjoy.
That being said, some of the plot is a bit confusing and/or just doesn’t make sense. But by the time you get to the end, you just want to see how it’s going to go down and how they are going to get to the great trailer moments you’ve already seen (shame on them).
The biggest problem with the film is that Bruce Willis seems miscast. Maybe it’s because he was trying to act tired since he was used to using a surrogate, or maybe because he was tired since he can’t do these types of roles the way he used to. I like him in the action roles, but this one just didn’t feel right. It makes me wonder what the film would have been like with a Vin Diesel or a Hugh Jackman in the lead. B-
The Informant!
The Informant!
Starring Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, and Joel McHale
Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven)
Rated R for language
Appropriate for ages 15+
When Mark Whitacre (Damon) starts lying to protect himself from crimes he has committed at work, he volunteers to serve as a star witness to the FBI against his company in order to protect himself.
There’s a whole lot more to the film than that last statement, but I’d hate to give anything else away because it’s all just too much fun to discover for yourself. To think that this film is a true story is absolutely amazing.
The story itself isn’t that excitement. A whistle blower from an agricultural company works with the FBI to have his company investigated for price fixing. Wow. Yawn. So what makes it fun? Matt Damon. Damon brings a life to this character that I’m sure the real life character could have never given off. He narrates the film so that we as the audience know exactly what is going on at all times, but then his inner monologue goes off on tangents like a dog being distracted by a squirrel. So even when there is some serious stuff going down on screen, you hear him getting distracted and off subject and you can’t help but wonder what the heck he is going to say next. As a character he is one of the most entertaining I’ve seen in years. He had me in stitches from start to finish. As a performance, his is the best I’ve seen this year – by far. I don’t know if that will be my final synopsis in December, but nine months out of ten ain’t bad.
Directing-wise, this is Soderbergh’s best work since Traffic. The film is well-paced and well-crafted. Of course it helps when you have a script of this quality from Bourne Ultimatum writer Scott Z. Burns.
So consider yourself informed – you gotta see this movie! A
Whiteout
Whiteout
Starring Kate Beckinsale and Tom Skerritt
Directed by Dominic Sena (Swordfish)
Rated R for violence, grisly images, brief strong language and some nudity
Appropriate for ages 15+
Based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka, Whiteout follows U.S. Marshall Stetko (Beckinsale), haunted by her own demons, as she tracks a killer in Antarctica just before the sun is about to set for six months.
The first few minutes of the film start out with a Russian plane that crashed fifty years ago. All the audience knows from the opening is that the plane was military and they were carrying something very valuable that will play into the story somehow. Not a bad opening.
Then Beckinsale walks in to her modern day Antarctic lodging, takes off all of her clothes in a very sexy manner, and gets in the shower. After that, it’s very hard to take the film seriously. OK – it’s impossible. The basic premise itself is pretty good and I can see why Warner wanted to put a lot of money behind it, but the script is just laughable. At first I thought they were trying to do a film noir thing with the dialogue, but then I realized that it was just bad writing made worse by horrendous line delivery.
Then there’s the action scenes. Most of the big scary scenes are done outside where the wind and snow are blowing so hard that they can kill you if you aren’t attached to a rope. The problem is that everyone is moving so slow that it’s hard to get excited or scared. Again, just laughable.
From start to finish, this film turns out to be nothing more than a failed experiment with lousy execution from the production team. D
Extract
Extract
Starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, and Ben Affleck
Directed by Mike Judge (Office Space)
Rated R for language, sexual references, and some drug use
Appropriate for ages 17+
Extract plant owner Joel (Bateman) has a severe crush on his new con-artist employee Cindy (Kunis), but won’t act on it because he is married. After his best friend (Affleck) gives him Special K instead of Valium, he makes the decision to hire a gigolo to seduce his wife (Wiig) so that he won’t feel guilty when he cheats on her. As you can imagine, things go downhill from there.
One talent writer/director Mike Judge has is inventing original characters, environments, and situations and making you feel like they are the mundane. This film has a lot going for it in regards to bored people doing irrational and despicable things and making the audience feel very judgmental. I don’t think you can help but cast judgment on every little action and misstep, just because that’s how it’s laid out. Even with this though, the laughs are really big throughout and while dark at every turn, the comedy makes the dark seem not so bad.
As far as performances go, Bateman makes for a great leading man, although I’m not sure if he’ll ever open a film with big numbers. Kunis plays the criminal cutie well, although I have a feeling that many of her scenes were cut to keep the film down to a short running time. Conversely, some of the factory workers are annoyingly bad actors here, such as Beth Grant, who I just wanted to choke, but maybe that was the point.
What I am really surprised about is how amateurish some of the directing is here. I would have thought with all of the experience Judge has had over the years, that the film would have a more polished feel to it, but some of it, such as the lawyer scene with Gene Simmons, looks like a college film. Maybe Simmons is just that bad of an actor, but if that were the case, I think he could have found a different iconic figures to play an attorney.
Overall, Extract is a very funny, but inconsistent film that will leave you kind of hollow inside. It is also not nearly as memorable or as important as his previous two films: Office Space and Idiocracy. C+