All About My Mother: Todo sobre mi madre (1999)

I'm getting tired of foreign films with either transvestites or Penélope Cruz, or both. This one had both. A film that takes its name from "All About Eve" a movie that in the opening scene Manuela and her son sit down to watch over dinner. The son aspires to be a film writer and after a tragedy the mother goes in search of his father.

There are some sad moments, I have to admit that I watched this in more than a few portions, but I felt disconnected from the characters. When things went wrong I didn't really care that much for those affected. Cruz plays a nun, and like all of her movies turns out to be a little slutty, which gets really annoying. Just like the last film I reviewed, I apologize to my readers for watching another bad film after a long break.

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185125/

Share:

Read More

The Blue Bird (1918)

Not exactly the film readers were dying to see after my vacation. This is based on the fairytale "The Blue Bird of Happiness" and was added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry archive in 2004. Its significance is because of the director Maurice Tourneur. A historically significant director who uses many creative filming devices in this silent film.

The fairytale itself is ok, but the film is really really boring. This same story was reused in The Blue Bird (1940) starring Shirley Temple, a film I probably would have found more entertaining. The film stock had definitely been restored in the version I watched. There are several parts were it becomes difficult to even see what is going on because the film is so bad and faded. The best part about watching it is that I'm done with it.

You can find it on youtube if you are interested in watching even a clip of it. Not recommended.

Vote: 5/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0008891/

Share:

Read More

Bronson (2009)

This is a very strange film about a criminal in Britain who is sentenced to 7 years in prison for robbery and becomes the country's most violent inmate. He takes on an alter-ego and calls himself Charles Bronson.

This was a waste of time, I'm not sure why I got it in the first place because I fully expected it to be this bad. I guess I was hoping for a better storyline and bad acting. It just happened that the storyline was awful and the lead character was placed very well... for whatever that is worth.

I tend to like jail films Escape from Alcatraz, Shawshank Redemption, and The Great Escape. So I guess I'll stick to prison break movies and not inmate character studies. Just not a good film.

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172570/

Share:

Read More

World's Greatest Dad (2009)

Robin Williams plays a high school poetry teacher that aspires to become an author. He is a single father with a very strange son. Daryl Sabara plays Kyle, his son, an actor best known for his role in Spy Kids. Lets just say this isn't a Disney performance. He plays a perverted high school kid who has no more interest than looking at [sick] pornography.

When Robin Williams character is put in a tragic situation I thought he handled it very well. Up to this point the film wasn't all that bad, the tragedy was acted really well and as much as I hated Kyle it was some really good acting from Sabara.

The movie took a sharp turn for the worse at this point. Morgan Murphy was not good as Williams girlfriend, and the entire student body couldn't act at all. The movie got unrealistic and boring. When the credits rolled and I saw that this was directed by Bobcat Goldthwait a lot started to make sense.

Not a good film, definitely not for kids, and nothing I would want to watch with my parents, you are waiting for an awkward moment. Just go ahead an pass on this one, a lot of other people also did...

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262981/

Share:

Read More

The Cove (2009)

Having watched Food, Inc. I knew this was the other documentary of the year that I had to see. Bottom line, from the start, I liked Food, Inc. better. Could this have been my favorite against last years Oscar nominations? Absolutely.

There is a reason this is favored, and there is a reason this is a two film race. Both were great. Food, Inc. of course did what I expected from a great documentary, they delivered a message and proposed a solution. I felt this film was a little too short, went off course for about 10 minutes near the end, and came back with too little footage at the finale. Minor issues, but the reasons I would have it second on my ballot.

So what is this film all about?

You are probably fully aware that Whaling in Japan was a big issue 50 years ago. Now it is dolphin killing. They are herding them in, picking a few to sell to amusement parks, then slaughtering the rest.

The documentary talks about how they are hiding it, why the dolphin meat can't really be eaten anyways, and what they expect this to result in. Their solution is basically to join them... which is kinda unrealistic. But the message of this film is loud and clear. There are some very exciting parts, and some very sad parts.

Watch two documentaries this year, and make this your 2nd.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1313104/

Share:

Read More

Mary and Max (2009)

I completely understand that I was hypocritical saying that I don't like sites pushing a movie they haven't seen (e.g. The Last Truck). In my most on The Secret of Kells I said that this indie film should have been nominated if the committee wanted to take the unique path they sometimes show.

So I was able to get through this film pretty quickly, it is a cute little dark comedy, that just like the Secret of Kells, is not for children. There is death, criminal acts, near suicides, etc. that you just don't need to expose to them, and might be the ultimate reason it was passed over.

The story is about a girl named Mary who lives in Australia. She is not very popular and has a strange family. One day at the post office she decides to randomly pick someone out of the New York City phone book to send a letter to. That person is Max, a paranoid 40-something that leads a strange life and they become pen-pals.

I really liked the animation style and the characters. It was a great story and a quick watch. I would happily watch it again... but not around children.

Vote: 8/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0978762/

Share:

Read More

Broken Embraces: Los abrazos rotos (2009)

This Drama/Romance is about a blind writer who tells his young friend [who helps him] about his past. A story that goes back 14 years to when he was a director and fell in love.

The film is famous only for its star Penélope Cruz. It moves very slow and just isn't that interesting. It was nominated for a Golden Globe and thankfully didn't even make the Oscar short list.

A 6/10 is very generous for a boring film that I just didn't really connect with or get into at all.

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0913425/

Share:

Read More

Thelma & Louise (1991)

Everyone knows about this Ridley Scott film and the famed ending. When watching this film you are just waiting for the events to unfold that will lead you to the conclusion you expect.

Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon star in a film about a couple of women who get away for the weekend and find themselves on the run. Through bad luck and bad choices they slowly get in deeper and deeper. With Brad Pitt in one of his early roles and Christopher McDonald in one of his typical over the top roles, e.g. Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore, the males all play the bad guys.

The film shows men as pigs, and women as victims which perpetuates the feeling that you should side with these criminals, and you should, given the circumstances. It is an entertaining film, slow in parts, and some bad acting in parts which keep it from being a film worth watching again. It is the highest rating for "Just Average" and something I would watch clips of, or leave the tv on for a little while, but I wouldn't want to watch it again in its entirety.

Vote: 7/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103074/

Share:

Read More

The Secret of Kells (2009)

To understand the premise of this movie you need to understand what the Book of Kells is about. This was a book transcribed in the 800's by Celtic monks that contains the four Gospels of the New Testament.

This Irish animated film follows the life of the man behind the famed book, from boyhood through completion of the book. This film was the surprise of this years Oscar Nominations and more than likely took a nomination from either Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs or Ponyo. Therefore, I expected this to be good since it basically bumped out a film I enjoyed very much [Cloudy...].

The animated film uses a lot of straight lines, the characters are simply drawn which does make the writing on the book look that much better, but it also gives the film a sense that you are watching a kids television show. For the most part it was not very entertaining, and from the first 45 minutes this could have easily been a 2 or 3 out of 10 rating. The final stages of the plot and the conclusion redeemed it a bit, but it was frustrating to see a film this bad take a nomination for more than a few better films. If the Oscars wanted to go indie and look smart they should have picked the highly acclaimed Mary and Max. A film that I will be watching in the next 4-6 weeks, and had rave reviews, I'll be sure and comment whether that film is deserving shortly, but the director Adam Elliot already won a animated short Oscar for Harvie Krumpet in 2003 and this film uses the same styling. I'll diverge, and leave you with this, it was just not a very good film...

Vote: 6/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485601/

Share:

Read More

A Serious Man (2009)

A film like this really divides people. The leading character is a Jewish man with a lot going on in his life [pretty much all bad]. If you are like me you want him to stick up for himself and it will pain you to see that he just doesn't.

For some this is considered a thought provoking film. For most [including myself] it was painful to watch, directionless, and meaningless. Nothing is resolved, there doesn't seem to be much point in this film at all. It caters to a Jewish demographic that would find "some" humor in the sons actions at Hebrew school, but I just didn't get it.

It is hard to say much more than that, because I fear I might be considered racist for hating this "slice of life" film from the Jewish community in what appears to be the late 1960's. I don't think I would have liked it regardless of the religion however, it could have been a Catholic school with pointless scenes and I would have disliked it just the same. The opening sequence doesn't make sense and does not fit in with the rest of the movie... don't worry you rented the right film if it is subtitled and not what you expected.

Not worthy of a best picture nomination and makes me question why we needed 10 films for best picture, are there really 10 good movies every year?

Vote: 3/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019452/

Share:

Read More

The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (2009)

Most "short" films are not worthy of their own post. For this film I made an exception for two reason, 1. there is plenty to talk about, and 2. it is the favorite to win the documentary short film category at the Oscars next month.

First off, I think websites that project who they think will win without watching the film create false hope and hype around a mediocre [at best] film. I think the subject matter alone makes you want to see this film, at least I really wanted to see what it was about, and is probably the reason for its favoritism so far.

For readers of the blog that might not know, I worked in a semiconductor fabrication facility ["fab" for short] for almost two years. I went to college and came in as a supervisor of a team much like the one documented here. So when the gentleman in the bar speaks of the "college kid that comes in and tried to run the place" he is talking about someone much like me [negatively I might add].

So the documentary starts by giving a little background on why the factory is closing. By this I mean about 5 minutes... or less than you would get from 60 minutes, 20/20, or probably the CBS Evening News. It then spends about 35 minutes interviewing people. And this is the part that really gets me. They interview people that worked in the plant, but did not interview supervisors or any type of management. It was almost like they just hung out in the parking lot for a week interviewing anyone that wanted to complain about the situation. The comments were very skewed, and you can expect, and they completely disregarded the fact that the supervisors were also being laid off.

The almost took pity on them, but when they admit that they hated their jobs until they realized they were disappearing [much like some of the people that worked for me] it frustrated me. They placed the blame on the management and not the union or the economy which happened to be very large factors.

Take this film with a grain of salt, I have not seen the four films this is up against, but this is the worst I've seen from this category in several years.

Vote: 4/10

IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1487120/

Share:

Read More

Library of Congress: National Film Registry (2)

Part Two of a collection of sort films that I watched over the last week. Here are 20 more films from the registry, this time I sorted them by "Worth Watching", "Just Average", and "Avoid Watching" just like the feature length review throughout this site.

Worth Watching:
Precious Images (1986) [10/10]
This is a fantastic short film that actually won an Oscar as well. It is a compilation of 100's of clips from the last 100 years of American Cinema. It has a wonderful soundtrack and is an amazingly well put together film.

Gerald McBoing-Boing (1951) [9/10] [Right]
This is an Oscar winning animated short taken from the Dr. Seuss story of a little boy who can only talk through sound effects. A cute animation good for all ages.

Powers of Ten (1977) [9/10]
You probably saw this in science class when you were growing up. It is a science video that starts on a couple in the park and zooms out a power of ten every 10 seconds going all the way out to the Milky Way and then goes in reverse all the way to a man's molecules. Very neat.

Tell-Tale Heart, The (1953) [8/10]
I'll have to watch this again around Halloween on a bigger screen. This 8 minute short is a great animated rendition of the Edgar Allan Poe story.

Tulips Shall Grow (1942) [8/10] [Right]
This is an anti-Nazi propaganda film from Denmark that was made during World War II. The first 1-2 minutes threw me off, I thought it was going to be crap, but wow it took a dark turn fast and has a great little plot. Check it out if you can find it.

Just Average:
Lambchops (1929) [7/10]
This is basically a stand-up comic routine featuring George Burns and Gracie Allen. It was pretty funny but nothing special. Just watch a Marx Brother movie instead...

Porky in Wackyland (1938) [7/10] [Right]
If you watched Looney Tunes growing up you will be surprised to find you have already seen this. You have to have some Looney Tunes in the Film Archive, just not sure you need to go watch this right now.

Magical Maestro (1952) [7/10]
This is another cartoon from Looney Tunes that was added to the archive. I vaguely remembered it from my childhood. Not sure you need to run out and see it.

Popeye Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936) [7/10]
So at least one Popeye cartoon needed to be in the archive, so I get it, just not something you need to go watch.

Duck and Cover (1952) [7/10] [Right]
This is almost something I would say you should see. It is the video shown in classrooms across the country telling kids to "Duck and Cover" if the A-Bomb is dropped. Not sure it needed to be 8 minutes, but funny nonetheless. If you have never seen a clip of this, scan it in youtube.

Little Nemo (1911) [6/10]
Another very very old animation. would have been better if the version I found didn't have some much filler. Skip the "silent movie" leading up to the animation and this is very very short.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse (1940) [6/10] [Right]
Who knew that wind could cause harmonic motions in bridges that would cause them to collapse? Some amazing footage. Just a little dull really.

Free Radicals (1958) [6/10]
This black-and-white experimental film is just lines bouncing around on the screen. Now that I think about it again maybe 6 was too high... oh well.

Avoid Watching:
Let's All Go to the Lobby (1957) [5/10] [Right]
This was just the commercial the movie theater ran before features telling you to go to the lobby to buy some snacks.

Gus Visser and His Singing Duck (1925) [5/10]
A minute and a half clip of some guy getting his duck to sing along with him. Not even worth looking up.

Jam Session (1942) [5/10]
I'm not sure why some jam session of guys playing the Blues needs to be in the archive. Or why I would want to watch this...

Frank Film (1973) [5/10] [Right]
This really wasn't that bad, I almost bumped it back up to 6 but then I remembered how it just about gave me a headache. There are two running soundtracks at the same time as Frank tells his autobiography while using what looks like newspaper and magazine clippings to make the video. Interesting but kinda painful to watch.

OffOn (1972) [5/10]
This is a strange little avant-garde film with a big blinking eye on a blue screen. I fast forwarded a little because it was really boring.

Sex Life of a Polyp (1928) [2/10] [Right]
A stupid discussion on what appears to be a joke of content. I didn't get the joke and was really really bored. Why is this in the archive?

Glimpse of the Garden (1957) [2/10]
It is exactly what the title says. The camera flying around a garden to music. You can get more from a home and garden magazine...

Seriously though, check out the top film on this post on youtube, liking 25% of what I watched here is actually pretty good compared to the general population of film I watch right now. Another round of 20 will be out next week.

Share:

Read More