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

You Don't Mess with the Zohan

Release Year: 2008
Review: What Adam Sandler was thinking with this film is beyond me. 'You Don't Mess With the Zohan' is an uninspired, unfunny and altogether train-wreck of a movie. It was as if it were an exceptionally bad SNL skit went on for two hours. The character's were not funny and were pretty detestable all around. The jokes were immature and obvious, the physical humor childish. There is very little to say that is positive about this film. It seemed like there was no effort put into it at all. It was a complete waste of time.
Rating: 1/5

Up

Release Year: 2009
Review: 'Up', Pixar's latest picture, only furthers the almost unfathomable string of truly remarkable films that the company somehow turns out. Every year I expect Pixar to slip up and not be able to live up to their previous greatness, and every year I'm left in awe at the quality of film they are able to produce. 'Up', like all other Pixar films, is on a different level than any other animated features. They have mastered the perfect blend of humor, heart and humanity that exude from all of their films and make each one enjoyable to an audience of any age. Going into 'Up' I wasn't excited by what seemed to be a pretty dull premise, but it turned out to be a very sweet, honest and uplifting film. More than just being a kids movie, it takes a serious look at life and how you spend your time in it. While this message might be lost on young kids, there is plenty of fun to be had for them as well, with talking dogs and a flying house. This is Pixar's magic. Their ability to create quality films that transcend genres and that are both meaningful and entertaining is astounding.
Rating: 5/5

Baby Mama

Release Year: 2008
Review: 'Baby Momma' brings the welcome change of having two women as the leads in a comedy, and while it was a good effort, the movie felt too generic to be anything memorable. There was a lot that could have been done with the premise of surrogacy, but it always felt like they went for the easy joke rather than really pushing any boundaries. Amy Poehler tries too hard as the white trash surrogate mother, and is more annoying than funny. It was good enough to make me look forward to Tina Fey's next film, but I'd hope that this was just an awkward first film and not indicative of all her future work.
Rating: 3/5

Swing Vote

Release Year: 2008
Review: 'Swing Vote' tries to parody the election process and the value of a politician's word by pinning the results of the election on the vote of one everyday American. Unfortunately what could have been an interesting plot with an endless supply of political humor is stifled by thin characters, safe jokes and a very generic feel. Kevin Costner's character, the average, blue collar worker is nothing but a low life who I can't imagine much of America would identify with, or embrace as they did in the film. Just as bad, is the Costner's daughter, who is supposed to balance out her simple father by being the voice of reason, but just comes off as annoying. Nothing is really said about politics and there wasn't that many laughs. It felt like this was a comedy just going through the motions.
Rating: 2/5

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Release Year: 2009
Review: The sixth installment in the JK Rowling's wizard franchise. In preparation for watching the movie I read through all the books again and watched all the movies. It was probably a mistake to read the books again since the films should be viewed as a separate entity, and missing parts in the movie from the book seem glaring if you have just read them. None the less, this was the best of the Potter movies thus far, viewing it strictly from a movie perspective. It told a cohesive story with just enough humor, action and suspense. The acting of the young wizards, while still not up to par with the greats cast in the adult roles, has improved vastly since the first films. Above all the other improvements is the cinematography, done by Bruno Delbonnel (who also did Amelie), which is absolutely stunning. As I've said for all the other films, the Potter franchise still isn't at the top tier of fantasy films, but its getting closer with each installment.
Rating: 4/5

JCVD

Release Year: 2008
Review: A completely unconventional heist movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as himself. JCVD basically plays a fictional version of himself, although everything leading up to the events of that day could be biographical. The aging, washed up and broke action star finds himself in the middle of a very real bank hostage situation. The juxtaposition of reality and Hollywood fiction are an important theme throughout the film. Credit is due to French director Mabrouk El Mechri for rooting JCVD in a very realistic character. While the film is shot very stylistically, everything seems very natural and realistic. JCVD is nothing more than a man, not a super hero like he is in the movies. He is flawed, he can get hurt and above all he doesn't try to be the hero. To Van Damme's credit he plays the role very well. Even though he is playing himself, the role allows him to show that he is a decent actor and can play a different kind of role. The film isn't without its flaws, but even without the intrigue of JCVD playing himself, the movie holds up as a compelling thriller.
Rating: 4/5

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix

Release Year: 2007
Review: The best in the franchise to date, 'The Order of the Phoenix' is the first of the films which feels comfortable being an entity in of itself. While missing a lot of content from the book, the movie still manages to feel complete and has a satisfying story arch. The best aspect of the film is the introduction of the Order members who are all played by talented actors, easing the acting load on the younger and far less talented school age wizards. It's still not at the top level as a stand alone film, but its a step in the right direction for the series and certainly does the book justice.
Rating: 4/5

The Promotion

Release Year: 2008
Review: With a familiar plot, The Promotion, relies on its two stars Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly to turn the battle for the promotion into a fresh comedy. Unfortunately the director Steve Conrad fails miserably. The talents of both Scott and Reilly are squandered in this borderline narcoleptic mess. The 'battle' for the promotion is little more than a slap fight and the comedy muted by refrain, as this film to takes no chances. Very little is funny, and nothing new is tried. This was an odd case of a film starring two of the top comedic actors working feeling like it should have been straight to DVD and forgotten about.
Rating: 2/5

Whatever Works

Release Year: 2009
Review: This film is pure, unadulterated, Woody Allen. Every single one of Allen's favorite motifs are crammed into this little gem of a comedy. Oozing with his signature style, Allen has gone back to his roots filming in Manhattan and proving to all the doubters that he still, unquestionably, has the comic genius that he had when he began his career four decades ago. Perhaps the days of Allen acting out his neurotic, self-deprecating, pessimistic character are over, but he has found the perfect replacement in Larry David who carries the torch admirably. Some of the acting seemed a bit stiff, and the entire film felt more like a theater production, but it doesn't matter. It's all about the dialog and the wit, intelligence and cynicism with which Allen writes penetrates through and dominates. It's as if all the philosophy Allen has ever tried to convey about love and life in his past works was all tied up in a neat little package in this film and it can all be boiled down to 'Whatever Works'.
Rating: 5/5

Year One

Release Year: 2009
Review: I had high hopes for this film for a long time seeing as it matches the great comedic director Harold Ramis with two of the most enjoyable actors working today in Jack Black and Michael Cera. I was disappointed when I heard such negative reviews, but I decided to go in with my new, lowered, expectations and give this movie a fair viewing. I'm glad I did. It's by no stretch of the imagination a great comedy, nor is it a terrible one. The plot is almost non-existent, but that isn't really the point. Many people tried to make comparisons between this film and 'Life of Brian' or 'History of the World: Part I', but really this is trying to be a completely different film altogether. The entire premise of taking place place in the year 1 AD is completely negligible, its simply a vehicle for Cera and Black (and many other funny people in smaller roles) to do their shtick in a slightly different setting then we are used to. Both Cera and Black have very clearly defined personalities and acting styles and they really don't try anything new here. If you don't like them, you will not like this movie. Some of the jokes might fall flat, but if you do like watching Cera and Black just do their thing, its an enjoyable film.
Rating: 3/5

Smart People

Release Year: 2008
Review: Smart People is a film about a college professor who is too self absorbed and pompous to make any sort of connection to his students, girlfriend, family or anyone else. The film takes a decidedly depressing tone and is relentless in it's onslaught of bleakness. There was nothing new in its approach or plot and the execution left me with the feeling that this was a cheaper knockoff of similar 'indie' films. There is scarce character progression of a person who is so miserable that it drags the entire film down. There is not much to the film. It starts of bleak, it remains depressing and at the last second tries to pull up from its nose dive into despair, but comes up woefully short.
Rating: 2/5

Marley & Me

Release Year: 2008
Review: Based on a book of the same name, 'Marley & Me' is a sweet story about a man and his dog. I haven't read the book, so while I had a general idea of where the story was going, I was going into the movie fresh. More than being about the relationship between the man and his dog, the film seemed more like a story about a man's everyday struggles of life and raising a family that just happened to also have a problematic dog. For the most part the film was austere, not funny or charming. The movie features a dog, so of course there were some adorable moments, but it didn't quite offset the often uncomfortable tone set throughout the movie. Also inescapable throughout the film is the impending ending which anyone who has ever owned a dog dreads, and the film doesn't soften the blow at all, almost reveling in the inevitable heart-wrenching ending. The tender moments in the film are rewarding, but overall depressing feeling this film doesn't quite make them worth it.
Rating: 3/5

Rescue Wings (Sora e: Sukui no tsubasa resukyû uingusu)

Release Year: 2008
Review: A Japanese film based on an Anime series about the first woman rescue helicopter pilot. While its a recent film, I couldn't help but feel that what I was watching was a bad 80's action adventure television show. There was very little to the plot. It was simply a very dull film. There was little emotion and the only action was helicopter rescue missions which all looked exactly the same and got old quickly. Unless you suffer for insomnia and are looking for a new treatment, I'd skip this one.
Rating: 2/5

Get Smart

Release Year: 2008
Review: It was an admiral attempt at a reboot, but wasn't anything that pushed expectations. The film always seemed to be teetering on the brink of the absurd and corny, but managed to maintain itself just enough to be a moderately enjoyable action comedy. Steve Carrel did a fine job of playing the oddball agent without putting too much shtick into the performance. Get Smart certainly didn't perform well enough to make me look forward to a sequel but delivered a, completely mediocre, but overall enjoyable movie.
Rating: 3/5

Hotel For Dogs

Release Year: 2009
Review: A tried and true family movie starring dogs. It's hard for a dog movie to be absolutely terrible, and this one certainly wasn't. It also wasn't anything special. The same tired plot points and obstacles that are in countless other family movies are prevalent in the film. The entire film felt tired, forced and lacked any imagination. I have a hard time believing even young children won't be bored by the stale story. Hotel For Dogs is peddling cheap knockoff family entertainment and is void of any heart. It is an exploitation film for children and little else. The dogs are cute though.
Rating: 2/5