New Site

I've moved my blog off of blogger and on to a site of its own. The new site has all the reviews posted here, plus about 150 new ones that I had written prior to starting this blog, as well as other features.

The new site can be found at: http://www.moviefodder.com

Raising Victor Vargas

Release Year: 2002
Review: A nice coming of age story about a teenager living in the Lower East Side learning to deal with his ego, family and girlfriend, despite the challenges of living in a in poor neighborhood and a difficult family situation. Using unknown actors and filming on location in New York, there is a real authentic, gritty feel which makes it more believable and easier to connect to the characters. Unfortunately the story just didn't go anywhere. The conflicts felt lacking and plot lines just seemed to die without really fleshing themselves out. 'Raising Victor Vargas' has a great feel to it, but lacks anything else that would raise this above being an average coming of age story.
Rating: 3/5

12 Rounds

Release Year: 2009
Review: '12 Rounds' is meant to be an all out, in your face action movie, but is more a low-rate bore. Danny Fisher, played by John Cena accidentally arrests a criminal mastermind who then seeks revenge on Cena by kidnapping his girlfriends, forcing him to play a 12 round game to win her back. The plot sounds an awful lot like a 'Die Hard' movie, and that is exactly what this film is trying to emulate. Cena is hardly Bruce Willis, and the games challenges are uninspired. It's a sparse plot that is badly acted which tries to save itself with explosions. Save yourself the time and just watch any of the Die Hard movies again.
Rating: 2/5

Interiors

Release Year: 1978
Review: Woody Allen's first completely dramatic film, about the struggles of a family coping with a controlling mother who is going through a mental breakdown. Allen takes a decidedly different tone than in any of his previous work. Gone is the familiar silliness and playfulness that viewers of Allen's work are accustomed to, replaced by a very frigid, somber, and unabashedly serious film. The writing is crisp, and Allen's wit and philosophy shine through, but there is very little to laugh at. The lack of humor is not a problem, but the sheer bleakness and steady onslaught of emotion filled tirades are a bit draining and I feel some of the meaning is lost in this almost over calculated and sterile drama. The movie is, however, wonderfully acted, and paired with Allen's talent with dialog, individual scenes are profound and work perfectly in isolation. As a whole, I felt as though Allen was trying too hard to make a purely dramatic film and it suffered for it.
Rating: 3/5

Funny People

Release Year: 2009
Review: I was able to see an early screening of this film, so my review is based on a cut which may be different than the one that is released. 'Funny People' is one of those comedies with a heart. So often lesser comedies just go with the obvious joke, immature physical humor, or anything else for a quick laugh. Judd Apatow has been among a few filmmakers changing the expectations of comedies, elevating them to more than just mindless entertainment. With this latest film Apatow continues to push the bar higher, turning in one of his best films yet. About Ira (Seth Rogen), a struggling young comedian just starting out befriending the aging, disenchanted star George Simmons (Adam Sandler). After coming down with a rare, terminal, illness George is forced to reevaluate his life and the choices he has made. The film toes the line of becoming sappy, but it never gets too sentimental. It remains hilarious throughout and filled with some of the funniest people in the industry showcasing what they do best. Rogen breaks from his normal routine and plays a different kind of character much more akin to his role in 'Freak and Geeks' than anything he has done since and Sandler delivers what is probably his best performance ever. This is a nicely rounded comedy, which is full of original humor, genuine heart and believable acting and it puts most other comedies released this year to shame.
Rating: 5/5

Inkheart

Release Year: 2008
Review: A surprisingly imaginative and entertaining family film, 'Inkwell' blurs the real world with fantasy by allowing book characters to be read into the real world by 'silvertounges'. Unbeknownst to him, Brendan Fraser's character Mo, is a silvertounge, who accidentally reads a villain out of the book 'Inkwell' and inadvertently reads his wife into the book. The adventure to correct this mistake ensues, which features cameos from an assortment of characters from famous literary works. It's quite possible that I like the source material more than the movie, but I must admit I had never heard of the book the film is based on. It's not at the level of the best fantasy films, but 'Inkwell' is a solid movie, that is both fun and original.
Rating: 4/5

What Happens in Vegas

Release Year: 2008
Review: As so many romantic comedies repeatedly remind us, to the point of noisome, "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas", and in like all the rest of the dime a dozen comedies, this movie proves that that this just isn't the case. Nothing is original in this predictable comedy. The premise is idiotic, the characters loath-full and the jokes nearly non-existent. It's not that this is a completely terrible comedy, what brings it down is its tired, familiar, plot and its inability to try anything new.
Rating: 2/5