2009 ~ The Larsen Film Review

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I need a local link for this...

So was this supposed to be a movie for teenagers or college kids? I'm still unsure of the target audience. The main character (Jesse Eisenberg from The Village and Roger Dodger) finished his undergrad and is preparing for graduate school. He is still a virgin and acts like he is fresh out of high school.

He has never had a summer job and has no references, so he can only find work at the local amusement park (i.e. Adventureland). The entire film is based around this one summer job.

He falls in love with Em (Kristen Stewart from Twilight and New Moon) and when she isn't ready for a relationship because she also likes Mike (Ryan Reynolds), the married maintenance man at the park, the typical romantic story starts to fall in place.

This film was a lot better than I expected it to me. Making it on a top 10 list of 2009 was a little much for Roger Roeper... but whatever. I honestly expected to give this a 5, I gave it a 7 because it exceeded expectations which isn't saying much. I could see how some demographics would like this film, just a little better than average for me though.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1091722/

Salma Hayek plays Frida Kahlo a famous Mexican painter. The film starts with Frida as a teenager and follows her entire life. The entire film is in English, which was a big surprise to me as I was preparing for a Spanish film. Also, Hayek is the only actress to play Frida in the movie [e.g. there are early childhood scenes using a child actress].

The story was interesting, the acting was a little above average. There was quite a bit of nudity since her husband Diego (Alfred Molina, Doc Ock from Spider-Man 2) is a womanizer. Also Hayek herself has her love scenes.

There are some very interesting animated clips in this film, mainly when Frida is in a coma. These were the most interesting parts to me and for the most part out of the blue. Plus the few times we got to see some of her later artwork made me actually pause the movie to get a better look. I found most of the content that was centered around Diego was boring. There is a surprise appearance from Edward Norton, another small scene with Antonio Banderas, and she tangos with Ashley Judd at one point, so lots of stars.

I just don't see myself wanting to see this again, it wasn't very memorable, but it wasn't bad.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120679/

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Chris, a high school hockey player born to a wealthy family. He has a beautiful girlfriend and is daring. The opening scene sets the pace for the entire film, and we catch up with Chris some years later working in a bank. His roommate is Jeff Daniels (best performance since The Squid and the Whale) a blind man, and Chris works the janitor night shift at a bank. He makes some shady friends and develops a relationship with Isla Fisher (awful in Confessions of a Shopaholic, good as April in Definitely, Maybe).

The mystery of the plot is one of the reasons I loved this film and why my synopsys is vague and choppy, I don't know how to tell you about this film without telling you about it. If that makes any sense. Gordon-Levitt is excellent once again, I need to stop being surprised when he produces a good performance, I just can't get past his days as on 3rd Rock from the Sun.

This crime/thriller is an easy watch, has some really good performances, and is one of the overlooked films of 2007. Check this one out.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427470/

A fantastic film about the realities of wanting to become a professional athlete. This documentary follows the lives of two high school basketball players from the summer before their freshman year to starting college.

One player has an easier path, better family life, made varsity at a private school but is plagued with injuries. The other has a rough family life, spends a majority of his high school career in a public school and struggles to get on to the next level.

It is a very interesting movie, showing just how hard it is and how raw talent isn't always enough. Definitely worth watching and more of a documentary than a sports only film.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110057/

Harold Lloyd plays "The Freshman," a nerdy kid who just wants to be popular at college. Lloyd is one of the lesser known comedians from the early ages of cinema. He has a famous scene when he is hanging from a clock in Safety Last!. This is probably his only other well known film.

Lloyd does everything he can to become a football star and win friends at school. The antics ensue as he addresses the school, hosts a party, and joins the football team.

A well paced silent film.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015841/

Gerard Butler (better known as King Leonidas from 300) is on death row, but there is technology now allowing these people to be part of a video game. If they die, they die, if they can survive 30 rounds then they get pardoned. No one has done it.

The concept isn't too bad but the director is awful. Hell, even Butler is pretty good. Michael C. Hall is annoying and Logan Lerman is just a kid in a bad role.

This is just a bad movie, I'd rather not review it any more, if you want to know more about this POS film check out imdb.

Vote: 1/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034032/

It can be hard to decide whether to give a film a 2, 3, or 4 and I usually spend the majority of the review bashing a film to justify how it got there.

First off, the plot is horrible, it is boring, and the only part that makes you think is what some would consider a "twist" at the end. I see it as a boring director trying to be witty after churning out a crappy film.

Enid (Thora Birch best known for American Beauty) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) just graduated high school and have no aspirations of going to college. It has been Rebecca's dream to have her own place so she gets a job at a coffee shop to afford to move out. Enid thinks she is the most unique person on the world and that no one gets her, reality is she doesn't get herself and just hasn't grown up. She has to take summer school to graduate and spends her free time with Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a lonely man she torments then likes.

The acting is bad and the film is boring, you might like this if you are in high school and don't fit in...

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162346/

I debated whether this was a romantic comedy or just a comedy and I'll explain why. The central focus of this film is the relationships between Jane (Holly Hunter) and the two men in the newsroom Aaron (Albert Brooks) and Tom (William Hurt). This is a battle of handsome vs. smart. Aaron has been friends with Jane for years, he graduated high school at age 15 and is very witty. Tom is the new news anchor and accepts that he is not as smart as Aaron but good at his job.

Most romantic comedies would make Tom out to be the bad guy, only wanting to bed Jane and only concerned with his career. But he isn't. He happens to be very humble [or is he...] about his successful career and Aaron turns out to be the immature one.

There are some very funny moments in this film. Jane is incredibly annoying to me. Her attitude that it is not real news unless it is politics or death is exactly what I think it wrong with the evening [bad] news. She clearly doesn't understand balance when it comes on what to report on.

There are better and more current films to watch instead of this one. Once was enough for me, and since it was good I will give it a 7/10.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092699/

I need to be clear from the start, this is a sports movie, not a Biography of Nelson Mandela. If you happen to be someone that knows very little about South Africa you will learn something from this film other than their rugby team.

So the film's focus is on a time frame where Nelson Mandela played by Morgan Freeman has just taken office as the president of South Africa. There is a lot of fear in the Caucasian community that things are about to change for the worst and Mandela has to keep the power balanced. For example he will not dissolve the rugby team and will instead keep the captain, Francois Pienaar played by Matt Damon, in charge and instead support them fully.

This was a very fun sports movie. It does not have overly emotional scenes, and Damon and Freeman are both excellent. Clint Eastwood once again shows that he is a great director, but unlike Million Dollar Baby which is more of a Drama than a sports movie... this is a sports movie. Don't going into it looking for more and you will enjoy it.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1057500/

Make no mistake Steve McQueen was the man. I remember him best in his role as Capt. Hilts "The Cooler King" in The Great Escape where he jumped a fence with a motorcycle to escape a WWII POW camp. This film he performed his own stunts including a high speed chase with Robert Duvall.

This is just a fun movie about a San Francisco cop who has to protect a witness for an upcoming mob trial. You know things are going to go wrong and make damn sure McQueen is going to fix them.

I gave this a 7 because I don't see myself watching it again. Make no mistake it is a great 60's action movie. But action has evolved over the last 50 years and most of these films are only worth one watch. McQueen died pretty young so he doesn't have a lot of good films to watch. Put this on your list right behind The Great Escape though.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062765/

This is a film that follows the life of Reinaldo Arenas played by Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) who was born in 1943 in Cuba to a very poor family. It goes through his childhood quickly and focuses on his life as a writer.

He is an openly gay individual and if you though Brokeback Mountain and Milk were hard to watch then you will have a lot of trouble getting through this one.

The communist party in Cuba does not like homosexuals and through his anti-Communist writings and publishing's he is sent to jail where he meets a cross-dressing Johnny Depp in the role of Bon Bon. Who manages to smuggle an entire book for Arenas in portions through his anal cavity... yuck.

Arenas eventually escapes to America and continues to write and speak out against the Cuban government, until his eventual death (from AIDS).

It is a pretty good story, Bardem was a little early with this movie when it comes to acceptance of gay films. This is probably why it was not up for any awards. It had some scenes I really could have done without. You don't have to prove people are straight by showing sex scenes, why do you have to do this for gay people in film now?

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0247196/

If you are like me and think that Will Ferrell is hit-or-miss, then you will think this one is a miss. With sidekicks Anna Friel (basically unknown) and Danny McBride (Pineapple Express, Drillbit Taylor, and Superbad), this is a silly remake of a once popular children's tv show.

The problem is that the show really wasn't that good, not a lot of people remember it, and the cast does not match up with the old cast. The humor of the Sleestak is hard to get unless you have seen [and remember] the tv show.

There are a few funny moments by Ferrell but overall this is just an awful film. There is a lot that is not funny and there is not much substance to the film. The only thing I will remember about this film is the feud with Matt Lauer. That was pretty funny.

Just find a clip of Lauer being in the film on YouTube and skip this one.

Vote: 2/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457400/

This was by far the worst film I have seen in quite some time. The concept of the film is that it is all filmed on a sound stage. So what does this mean? Well you get the feel of a real movie from the sounds and music, but it is like you are watching a play with chalk outlines on the ground to denote the buildings. All of this wouldn't be that bad if it wasn't a film that centered around Nicole Kidman for three hours. Mind you, they do not leave the set for the entire film.

There are some smaller Hollywood names you might recognize, such as Paul Bettany (A Knight's Tale and The Da Vinci Code being his most recognizable roles) and Lauren Bacall, and James Caan, and some recognizable faces. All do good jobs, but remember this is all about Kidman.

The pace is slow the acting is not bad, but the editing is awful. There are several moments where I felt like I was watching a 1920's film where scene takes were cut in the middle and you can clearly see people shift on the set instantly. It makes me think that they rushed filming this for some reason.

Add this one to the collection of awful Kidman films like Birth.

Vote: 1/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0276919/

This musical will make you laugh at how cheesy it is. The story starts with the oldest brother going to town to get some supplies... oh yeah, and a wife. He manages to find a beautiful wife and get married that day!

She returns home with him to find he has six rude and crude brothers, who all decide they now need wives. Luckily, they now have a woman around to give them all the advice they need... along with some wrong but successful advice from the oldest brother.

The axe scene is just over-the-top bad, and the sets are as well. The songs are entertaining, and the acrobatics at the barn raising are excellent. This is a timeless musical, one that I'm sure my children will be watching some day... so it looks like I probably will watch it again some day as well.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047472/

I was really excited about watching this film. My mom read this to me as a little boy, and the 40-year-old classic book had a lot of potential for being a great movie.

However, Spike Jonze did not impress me here. The story is about Max, a wild imaginative boy who acts up and is sent to his room where he uses his imagination to go to an island and becomes king. The movie in some aspects makes Max the victim, either his sister and her friends being mean to him or his mom on a strange date while the kids are still up. Max acts out and runs away... he never goes to his room, which was a pretty big change for me.

So lets skip ahead to the island with the monsters. They are scary! Don't take little kids to see this movie! Of all the things to nail why did Jonze only get this part right? They are however, very very fake. When running around they very well could have been Barney and friends. The suits look like their are people in them, [fine you didn't use CGI] but don't make them walk like monsters and play like people in costume... it just didn't work for me.

I was very sad about all of this, but the worst part was that it was just boring. My wife fell asleep for part of it dvand I got distracted reading a d player manual at one point because it was just not going anywhere.

I guess that is what happens when you take a great children's short story and try and make it an hour and a half movie.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386117/

Let me start by saying that, personally, I strongly dislike movies that have you confused from start to finish. It is one thing to leave you clues and make the viewer put things together, but over complicating things is incredibly annoying to me.

For example, I loved Heist and hated Ocean's Eleven. I wasn't even excited about watching this film until Julia Roberts was nominated for a Golden Globe... still not sure why exactly. Clive Owen is hit or miss (Sin City and Children of Men vs. crap like Shoot 'Em Up), and Paul Giamatti is excellent (see Sideways).

This was a fun spy movie at times, but it really felt like it was filmed in chunks, put together in chunks, and that the editor never sat down and watched it all the way through to see if his puzzle pieces ever quite came together. Just average..

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1135487/

The last movie from my AFI 10 Top 10 Fantasy category. This one I have been saving for the holidays, not getting a chance last year to watch it. This year I was able to sit down and get through it while visiting family.

The story is about a little girl who doesn't believe in Santa, largely due to her mothers influence. When the real Kris Kringle begins work at the mothers department store it becomes his personal goal to make them both believe.

It is a fantastic story, people have trouble getting past the black and white but it is great that they still show this one television every year. It was nice to see it all the way through commercial free and if anyone has only seen bits and pieces then I encourage you to take the time next year to see down and watch it before opening presents.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039628/

Written by H.G. Wells, Directed by Byron Haskin, and starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. As an inclusion on the 501 Must-See movies I have been wanting to see this movie for a while. Older Science Fiction movies tend to be very creative in their use of props and special effects not to mention the remake with Tom Cruise came out not too long ago [War of the Worlds (2005)].

Aliens from mars decide that our planet would be most suitable for them than any other in our solar system so they launch an attack. Most people are pretty familiar with the story so it won't be a shock to say that they do not come in peace. Haskin plays a scientist asked to look at the first ship that lands, the robot attacks when he is at a city gathering and the EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) knocks out all of the electronics in the town.

The cool thing about older sci-fi films is that they actually attempt to explain how stuff works. For instance, the scientist shows the townspeople (and viewers) just how the EMP worked. Which is why I love these old sci-fi films. Nowadays they don't even try and stay plausible in their explanations of anything, probably because viewers don't question anything. I will diverge to say that the new film was much more entertaining, however.

The film had some very annoying points as well, just after the EMP "some" of the cars worked just fine, plus the lights in "some" places worked... were they out of EMP range or did we just explain all this just to contradict ourselves. Sylvia (played by Robinson) was a very annoying character. She shrieked at everything, whined about everything, and either annoyed you or make you laugh with her over the top acting throughout.

The coolest part for me was to discover that the lead character had a supporting role in the remake 50 years later. But, it was sad to find out that he actually passed away earlier this month. This might have been more fun to watch just before or after watching the remake to be able to compare the two a little more. I don't think I want to watch it again to do this though.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046534/

One of my movie projects has been to watch movies that were once on the imdb top 250 and have since fallen off. If any readers are aware of how this list works, it highly favors new releases due in part to how votes count in the formual and due in part to initial viewers tending to be people who would favor the movie (e.g. someone willing to go to the theater or rent a film will tend to like a movie more than someone who waits to watch it for free through borrowing or television viewing)

So this is a film that upon initial release was highly favored but has since dropped. I remember this coming out and did not know anything about it, honestly I though it was a kids [family] movie.

The story starts out emotionally as a mother gives birth to twins but the second one does not make it and complications take her life as well. The twins were a boy and a girl with the girl being the survivor. We learn that this is a family with the bloodline of the Maori tribe in New Zealand and that the boy would have been the next ruler of the tribe.

We flash forward to her childhood and the story centers around her relationship with her grandfather who can't seem to cope with the loss of his grandson. It is an emotional story and not one I would suggest for small children. It was a bit boring and predictable for me, I don't know what I wanted out of the movie but I left it only getting emotional from the opening scenes.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298228/

This is based on the true story of Michael Oher, a current player for the Baltimore Ravens and former college All-American. Michael had a very difficult life growing up and this heartwarming [and tear-jerking] story is about how he came to love football and find a family. This is all I am going to tell you about the plot, JUST GO SEE IT.

There were some great performances in this film, starting with Quinton Aaron, who played Michael, Sandra Bullock playing Mrs. Tuohy, and believe it or not, Tim McGraw as Mr. Tuohy. Bullock's success this year has been widely spoken of, but McGraw has now shown he can act. With Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, and Four Christmases already under his belt, this film is his best yet.

It was interesting to me to read that Mr. Oher is not a fan of this film, he was unhappy about them blowing some things out of proportion and I don't think he wants the attention he has been getting. This is a testament to me believing Quinton did a great job in his role as a humble, honest man.

One of the best films this year, it is not just a sports movie, it is much much more.

Vote: 10/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/

This film was on both Richard Roeper's Top 10 of 2003 and on the IMDB Top 250 up until 2005. It is a film about phase of a little person's life. Finbar (played by Peter Dinklage, Elf & The Chronicles of Narnia) is a train enthusiast who repairs model trains alongside his friend Henry.

When Henry dies he wills him a train depot in Newfoundland and Finbar decides to retire early and move. The majority of the story is about the relationships he builds with Joe (Bobby Cannavale) and Olivia (Patricia Clarkson).

I was really into this film for the first 45 minutes. It was very interesting to watch these characters interact and see how Finbar cooped with his new home. However, what started out as an 8/10 or 9/10 quickly dropped to a 7/10 as it gets a little boring at the end, and honestly didn't wrap up the plot as much as I wanted. Which was also disappointing because it was only an hour and a half film.

Don't get me wrong this was a good movie. Something that if you desired to see I would encourage, but I would not openly suggest this as a great comedy to watch. It was barely a comedy and leaned toward biography or drama most of the time. Don't expect to get a lot of laughs from this film.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340377/

Oh how I dislike Woody Allen films... with so many to watch I try to get over how much he annoys me but it can be hard sometimes. This is basically two stories running parallel through the entire movie cutting back and forth between the two. One follows Cliff (Woody Allen) while the other follows Judah (Martin Landau).

The film is basically about how these two married men handle falling for a different woman. One committing a crime the other committing a misdemeanor. The mix of drama and one-liner comedy is not new to Allen's style, it is almost as if they are mixing a dramatic story and a comedic story between the two, which didn't really work for me.

It takes a lot of his films to impress me, none have broken a 7/10 for me yet, so as you can expect I didn't rate this one high either. If you like Woody Allen you will like this film, that simple. If you have never seen one of his films then start with Manhattan and not this one.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097123/

It is very clear to me that Quentin Tarantino works on a completely different level than most directors of our time [e.g. Michael Bay]. 50 years from now some of his films will still be revered by critics. He has a very unique editing style where he mixes animated title freezes with interesting audio and a number of film school techniques that would show how little I really know about film if I tried to convey them here.

This is a films about a fictional group of American soldiers called "The Basterds." Brad Pitt once again proves he is pretty good at comedy following up a good performance in Burn After Reading. Everybody seems to want to work with Tarantino because B.J. Novak (Ryan from "The Office") and Zachary Quinto (Sylar from "Heroes" and Spock from Star Trek) along with a wide cast of familiar faces are in this film.

One of the most notable performances came from Christoph Waltz (as Col. Hans Landa or "The Jew Hunter") for which I expect an Oscar Nomination and of course Diane Kruger as Bridget von Hammersmark which are just a few of the memorable performances.

This was not my favorite film however, it was very long and very gory, the long part being Tarantino's style like Kill Bill and Grindhouse. I almost rate Tarantino against his other works rather than all of the films I see in general, but with this one I struggled to say I would suggest it to everyone. Just be prepared to want to look away from the screen more than a few times.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361748/

Doing voice work in animated films [that bank] must be really profitable for actors because there are some good actors and actresses working for this film. Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson (Dwight from "The Office"), Ed Helms (Andy from "The Office), Renée Zellweger, Stephen Colbert, and John Krasinski (Jim from "The Office"), all lend their voices to this film.

I have never seen a movie in 3-D, I really really think I would have enjoyed this more if I would have gone to the theater to enjoy it. This is something I have been missing out on and there is so much about this film were the angles of the shots are right at the screen and I could see how if would have been fun.

The story itself is very basic and for the most part predictable, there is no need to go into it because the title and poster tell you just about everything you need to know. It is definitely a kids movie, they do not attempt to entertain the adults seperately for with double meaning jokes. If I were able to see this in 3-D I could see rating it higher than I did.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892782/

Kevin Costner used to make some really good movies: Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and JFK. Something went terribly wrong in this man's career in the mid-90's with awful movies: Waterworld, The Postman, and 3000 Miles to Graceland.

However, Mr. Brooks in 2007 was one of my favorite films of the year and one of my few 10/10 films. So I had to give his next performance a chance.

Swing Vote is about a [below] ordinary guy who's vote will decide an election. With Nathan Lane, George Lopez [can't act], Willie Nelson, Kelsey Grammer, and a number of recognizable actors and actresses this is somewhat entertaining film.

Going from slapstick to serious as he realizes the task at hand I'm sad to say that Costner did an pitiful job playing a drunk trailer park character. He was fake, annoying, and comically bad for a large portion of the movie. If you can make it to the end... because this film is almost two full hours and should really be about an hour and a half given the very short script... you will find the ending emotional... then very annoying.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1027862/

This is now the 4th film by Hayao Miyazaki that I have seen. The other three being Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi [Spirited Away], Hauru no ugoku shiro [Howl's Moving Castle], and Mononoke-hime [Princess Mononoke]. This is the oldest of the four and I plan on watching Gake no ue no Ponyo [Ponyo] later this month.

To me this was my least favorite of the four. Before working on feature films Miyazaki did Anime series [TV Series] and I find them to be very annoying. The wide mouth shreaking of kids gives me a headache and reminds me I am just watching a cartoon. Much like listening to a band's first album before they get signed to a major record label I felt that Miyazaki had yet to come into his own unique style.

I highly suggest the three earlier mentioned films and I expect a lot from Ponyo, but this film was short and really just suited for kids. Not a bad thing but not a great film. I am now nervous about watching Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta [Castle in the Sky], the film he release just before this one, I expect it to be another youth themed film.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096283/

I like to think that I am not an argumentative person, and I strongly dislike watching movies about people just arguing. If you are a fan of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, a film where Elizabeth Taylor and her husband argue the entire time then you might like this film.

This movie captures a Christmas family get together for the family of Henry II (played by Peter O'Toole, little did I know he also played Henry II in Becket). The queen "Eleanor of Aquitaine" is played by Katharine Hepburn, and the sons are played by Timothy Dalton, Anthony Hopkins, and John Castle.

This film is a game of chess between the King, the Queen, and his sons and they are all trying to take control of the empire. You get the feeling like every family get together is kind of like this one for the family, and it is a completely different take on a historical film.

Interesting, but not my cup of tea, arguing throughout a film makes me uncomfortable.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063227/

Trying to write a review on this film has given me writers block. I just don't know how to summarize a film that I was not looking forward to, didn't like, and don't want to write about. So this may contain spoilers since I just want to get through it and onto the 4-6 movie reviews that I am now behind on.

Nicole Kidman plays Virginia Wolf the author of a book "Mrs. Dalloway" which from what I can tell is semi-autobiographical as the book is about a homosexual woman who would rather commit suicide than go on living a lie. Julianne Moore plays Laura Brown in what looks like the 1950s, she is living the same lie and reading Mrs. Wolf's book. Meryl Streep plays a current woman dealing with the same issues.

The story is very depressing since it is a look at how different generations of women deal with this lie, the latter being more accepted and the suicide factor is the focus of the film.

As a straight male [accepting of this lifestyle] I did not feel moved by this film. I wasn't interested in it at all even while watching it, and if it wasn't for a GREAT performance by Ed Harris I would have given this a 4 or a 5. There are some supporting roles from Jeff Daniels and Claire Danes, two actors which have all but fallen off the face of the earth lately, both characters were good but nothing more.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0274558/

This is basically nine short films with minor interconnections between a central theme and characters. It is told in 9 different 12 minute [approx.] stories that focus on a single woman each and the issues she is dealing with in her life.

Personally, I am a big fan of short films and watch about 50-100 a year but do not blog about them. The Oscars feature 15 nominations a year across documentary, animated, and live action categories [5 each] and I try to find and watch all of them, the documentary are almost impossible to find and the animated can usually be found on youtube pretty easily.

There is not a high demand for short films because plots cannot be developed and people are not content with fragments and if the story is good they want more. The Oscars feature shorts usually by up and coming directors and animators which eventually turn their stories in to feature length films, Cashback [short] and Cashback [feature length] is a good live action example and 9 (2005) and 9 (2009) is a good animated example.

When I watch a collection of fragments in a feature length film I expect them to be tied together in some way at the end, or at least to have a final story that closes the central theme. This film didn't have that. There was a very good performance by Robin Wright Penn (Jenny from Forrest Gump), but the performances by Sissy Spacek and Dakota Fanning were short and undeveloped. Amanda Seyfried is a very pretty girl, but 8 minutes of her walking back and forth across her house is not interesting to me.

A film that I overlooked 4 years ago and I didn't miss anything.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420015/

"Tradition!" This is a wonderful musical about the a changing world in pre-revolution Russia. The story revolves around a Jewish community and a father struggles to see his traditions broken by his daughters.

The beauty of this film is that if you extract the song and dance it is a very well scripted storyline and entertaining in its own right. The songs feature some unique Russian dancing and good singing. My qualm with most musicals is their lack of storyline and songs so frequent that you feel you are just watching choreographed dubbed songs and not a movie.

This is one of the best musicals I have ever seen, with a well timed intermission this was easy to break up over two days and was well worth the time commitment.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067093/

Voted #4 in the American Top 10 Gangster list right behind Godfather Pt.1, Pt.2 and Goodfellas. A very high rank for an older film. Having seen James Cagney in The Public Enemy just a few short weeks ago I was hoping for and expecting a lot more out of this one.

This is not the type of Gangster film I was expecting, it is less Mob Gangster and more Cops and Robbers Gangster. The film starts with Cagney's gang holding up a train. He manages to get away and fesses up to a lesser crime he didn't commit across the country. Hoping to serve his 1-2 year term and get away with a crime that would have sent him to the electric chair. Meanwhile, the cops plant someone in the prison to find out where he hit the money and get information on the crime he really did commit.

This is a fast paced cops and robbers movie while a great cast and great acting. I felt it deserved the high ranking by the AFI and highly suggest this film.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042041/

This is a musical about the final night of the American Radio Show "A Prairie Home Companion." I actually remember hearing this show once or twice growing up, it is an interesting idea. A radio show that you can actually attend live, there is a host who narrates stories and reads commercials between musical performances. With an all-star cast of Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Kline, John C. Reilly, Meryl Streep, Lindsay Lohan, and Lily Tomlin you would think this film would be more entertaining.

It exemplifies exactly why the show was being cancelled. It was too slow for entertainment, it has been replaced by television variety shows and radio shows that are easier to produce.

I don't think this ever needed to be made into a movie, and the cast was better than the roles they were given. Small roles, big performances... not worth your time at all, I passed on watching this for over 4 years and should have passed completely.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420087/

To think I just about skipped this film... it gave me what Up could not. The great think about this movie is that you understand that it is fantasy right off the bat. Maybe that sounds silly when talking about an animated film, but I think in the age of CGI and Pixar films there is a tendancy to make everything somewhat plausible. Not plausible when it comes to talking animals, but in physics and adult content, you know the adult jokes that are still funny for kids even though they don't really get the double meaning.

I found myself laughing out loud more than a few times, as the crackpot inventor ran around his lab working on his inventions. The funniest to me was him explaining his actions as he threw things together "welding! painting! sanding! powering!"

This was a very cute movie about an inventor trying to do something BIG. Kids loved this film and adults can actually be a kid and not hunt for attempted double meanings.

Vote: 9/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844471/

Movies that break the 3 hour mark tend to distract me to wonder how I am going to find the time to finish them. They also suffer from having to be broken up by most viewers, and stopping at exactly the intermission can be hard.

This film simply put is about the rise of Communism in the United States and why Americans became so afraid of it. The movie is set around 1912 and follows the on and off relationship of John Reed (Warren Beatty) and Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton), and includes supporting roles from Jack Nicholson and Gene Hackman.

To review an epic movie without spoiling it can be hard. There is so much going on and to give you an idea of what this is about I have to give you some information. Reed is a radical with strong ideas about how workers do not need politicians and leaders, and that if the workers banded together we would all be living in a wonderful utopia.

Inspired by the actions of the Bolsheviks (the Social Democratic Labor Party in Russia), he decides that he can make more of an impact actually going to Russia. The movie follows the rest of his life and his struggles as he learns that this utopia is unrealistic and that political change can be very bloody.

I felt like I learned a little bit about some of the things happening in Russia at the turn of the 20th century and a little more about why Americans feared Communism. In the end I do think this movie could have been condensed a little, the length alone will probably turn some potential viewers away. This was not Beatty's best performance, I didn't feel like his reactions were sufficient and while struggling in the bitter cold on his way to Norway he was a little ridiculous. Other than that Hackman and Nicholson provided some good performances and Keaton was at her best.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082979/

There are some bold claims made by the marketing team for this film. "The Greatest Mafia Movie Ever Made" at the top of the movie poster. Other posters claim it to be a "Modern Classic" and the "Best Since City of God." It wasn't that I saw these claims before watching this and expected more, I actually didn't see this until I was looking for a picture to add to the blog.

The film gives no background, no location, no date, no explaination, it just starts... not a bad thing... but 3-4 minutes later you are now following a different main character, and every 3-4 minutes you jump around, again and again. After an hour I was able to figure out we were following five different storylines, and it wasn't until I paused and looked online that I found out what country we were actually in [Italy if you were curious].

So I've been here before, Pulp Fiction & Amores perros are some great examples of films that jump around and put the pieces together in the end. The key difference is that these films draw you in, you stop caring about how it will come together and enjoy the acting and the film itself. When it comes together it is great! However, when a film jumps around and you are constantly asking "what is the point of this?" and "where is this going?" and "who was this guy again?" You really stop caring if it will come together and just hope it will end.

So in the end does it make sense, well, not really, that is why you should avoid this one... yuck...

Vote: 2/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0929425/

If I would have watched this film first than I would have rated The Public Enemy even lower. Both of these came out in 1931 and this is by far the better film. If you want to see an old fashioned gangster film with matching lingo, this is a easy watch and pretty short an only 1 hour and 18 minutes.

It follows the rise and fall of gangster Rico a.k.a. Little Caesar (Edward G. Robinson). The quickfire script and fast storyline make this a more enjoyable watch than The Public Enemy. Robinson must have been an inspiration to Al Pacino in Scarface in his fearless [and careless] rise to the top.

The American Film Institute voted this the #9 American Gangster Film of All-Time. I have yet to see Scarface (Shame of a Nation - 1932), but I would easily recommend this at a great gangster classic.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021079/

Starring Warren Beatty (Bonnie and Clyde) and Julie Christie (Don't Look Now), this film was voted by the American Film Institute as the #8 American Western of all-time. The story is about the growth of a small mining town which centers around the dichotomy of the brothel and the church.

McCabe strolls into town and with the help of Mrs. Miller they start a brothel, meanwhile the town is building a church, McCabe with no moral standards even intices those working on the church to come to the brothel. The mining corperation catches wind of the brothel and tries to buy McCabe out. The true battle between corperation and little business man is at the forefront, but I truly think the director was trying to project that the real battle here was between the morality of the town. This can't but fully understood or explained without me ruining the movie, if you watch this film ask yourself who really won in the end and was there a hero in the collective of the townspeople.

Mrs. Miller is a much more boring character than I expected, how Christie got an Oscar nomination is beyond me, and the real star of the film is only McCabe. The book was originially titled just "McCabe" so I think the director/producer wanted to add the Mrs. Miller for marketing reasons. I'm very split on recommending this film because they are so many other westerns that are just better. The best part of the film, however, was the soundtrack. It gave it an epic film feeling while being while also being very unique, much like one of my favorite soundtracks from Gangs of New York.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067411/

Wow! I loved this movie. I watched it for the first time this summer and watched it again after a trip to Blockbuster with the family.

The plot is simple, his daughter has been kidnapped and he has to get her back before it is too late. Pierre Morel does a great job directing this film with non-stop action, I will be sure and catch his next film From Paris with Love next year with John Travolta.

Liam Neeson plays the bad ass dad out to get his daughter back. Maggie Grace (Shannon from "Lost") plays the very minor role of Kim the daughter who is kidnapped. If you watched Lost you know she plays a spoiled girl pretty well.

There is not much more to say than, "watch this film". You have enough of the storyline, and you should like Neeson already. I just wish the Bond series would hire Morel.

Vote: 10/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/

I expect this will be on next years Golden Globe nomination list. Meryl Streep plays Julia Child, and Amy Adams plays Julie Powell in a story intertwining the life of Julia Child and the project of Julie Powell.

Julia Child and her husband Paul Child, played by Stanley Tucci (you would recognize him from a slew of very minor roles through the years, this is most significant supporting role and by far his best thanks to working alongside Strepp), they live in France and Paul works from the US Government. Julia learns to cook and eventually starts writing a cookbook.

Flashforward 50 years and Julie Powell with the encouragement of her husband decide to start a blog, "The Julie/Jula Project" (http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/) and she sets out to cook all 500+ recipes in Julia Child's book in one year, while blogging about each one.

As a new blog writer I completely share her excitement when you get new followers, people post comments, and your site gets more hits. It is easy to feel that you are writing to yourself, and confirmation that someone cares means a lot.

There are a few parts of the story I felt they left out, for instance I don't know if the two women ever met. Overall it was a fun movie, for a potential awards movie it was good, not too long, and had some strong supporting actor/actress roles. This is worth watching.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1135503/

As a kid christmas was easy, the entire family came to our house, all I had to do was to the church and be patient for the present openings. There was very little travel, usually just a 20 minute drive across town every other year. Now that I live 5 hours from my family and my parents are divorced I personally have three christmases. Mine aren't nearly as colorful as the stars of this film, but it definitely gives me a perspective on their travels.

So the storyline is that Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon have been avoiding travelling to visit their families for three straight years. This year they have to visit the families, both of them have divorced parents so they have four stops to make in one day.

With parents played by members played by Robert Duvall (Apocalypse Now), Sissy Spacek (Carrie), Jon Voight (Varsity Blues), and Mary Steenburgen (The Proposal).
Other family members include Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, and Kristin Chenoweth.

This was a very fun slapstick comedy about dealing with families during the holidays, and worth watching as you plan your next holiday trip. Expect the same character from Vaugh you are used to and he will find a way to wear a hawaiian shirt at some point also.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369436/

The #10 American Western as listed by the American Film Institute on last years 10Top10 list. This is the type of western movie that as a kid made me ask, "why does anybody like westerns?" There is a barn dance, over-the-top bad acting, silly fights and some awful country singing during the jingles that narrate and tie all the scenes together.

The star of the film is Jane Fonda, in one of her earlier roles, who plays the role of Catherine 'Cat' Ballou. I have managed to avoid just about any film or television show with Fonda, and not exactly by coincidence. Her roles in Monster-in-Law alongside Jennifer Lopez and Wanda Sykes is just one of those I've avoided. However, I had no idea how beautiful she was when she was younger. She is definitely the only reason to watch this film.

One of the more significant supporting actor roles comes from Lee Marvin as a gun-slinger hired by Cat. This is the first of his films I've seen as well, but I do however have more than a few of his on my list The Dirty Dozen, The Professionals, and Hell in the Pacific.

With this slapstick storyline, and a pretty entertaining cast this is a western that probably earned a PG rating, personally I'll stick with the shoot'em up westerns like The Wild Bunch and anything with Clint Eastwood.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059017/

One of the first James Cagney gangster films and voted the #8 American Gangster film by the American Film Institute in 2008, and based on the novel Beer and Blood by John Bright, this gangster film in prohibition era Chicago features the famous grapefruit scene in the pre-Hays Code era.

The movie follows the rise of Tom Powers (Cagney) and Matt Doyle (Edward Woods) from kids in Chicago do small jobs like pickpocketting to becoming bootlegging gangsters. Jean Harlow plays the sexy girlfriend Cagney picks up on the street after smashing a grapefruit in his soon-to-be ex-girlfriends face at the dinner table.

Being a 1930's film they are very clearly on a set throughout the film. Many of the props are visually fake, and the supporting actors are very fake and scripted as well. I think the AFI was struggling to come up with 10 good gangster films. They should have pushed Scarface up, added American Gangster, and dropped this film.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022286/

The foreign film Oscar winner from 2003, this is a film about the final days of a dying father. The father is in an over populated hospital in Canada with four people to a room and people lining the walls in the hall, meanwhile the floor below is empty. The son is a millionaire who has made it rich off of oil money and who does not get along with his very socialist professor father; through bribery he is able to secure his father a freshly furnished room on the empty floor and all of the necessary cancer testing.

He finds out his cancer is terminal and the son scores him some heroin to ease the pain. He then manages to gather up all of his fathers friends to see him through his final days. The film has a very light mood considering the plot. The gathered friends talk about life, love, and everything they miss from being young. The scoring heroin and assisted suicide at the end are all treated very lightly, which I found very shocking [and I don't feel telling you this ruins the film since we find out the cancer is terminal in the first 10 minutes]

I don't think this is a timeless classic by any means. I expect it will slowly slip out of the minds of those that put it on their "top" lists and motivated me to watch this in the first place. Just an average film.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338135/

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