Did you know that one home is foreclosed every 7 1/2 seconds in the United States? Or that millions of unsuspecting Americans have secret life insurance policies taken out on them by the very companies they work for? If you didn’t, Michael Moore is here to tell you all about it in his new film Capitalism: A Love Story. So sit back and prepare for history class…
It’s been 20 years since Michael Moore burst onto the film scene with his first documentary, Roger & Me. Although his films have gotten bigger in budget and broader in scope, one thing hasn’t changed: Moore’s decisive uphill battle to point out what he perceives as the ills which face this country, and possible ways to correct them. All of this dedication comes to the fore in Capitalism: A Love Story, which details not just the history of capitalism itself, but how much the dream has changed from an idealistic vision that could have allowed us to live in a financial utopia, to a nightmarish quagmire that threatens to collapse our economy at any moment, based on the insatiable avaricious behavior of the 1% rich that unfortunately hold power over all of us. (more…)
To Hollywood’s credit, there’ve been a lot of female-focused thriller/horror films coming out lately. It’s almost as if production studios in La-La Land have suddenly realized there’s a feminine demographic they could cater to/exploit. Unfortunately for the ladies, studios still think that they can just throw anything at audiences and get away with it, which is why so many of the recent “girl power”-type films have been lousy.
The new horror/comedy Jennifer’s Body, written by Diablo Cody (instantly famous for penning the brilliant Juno) and directed by Karyn Kusama (AEon Flux and Girlfight, the latter of which bestowed upon the world the dubious gift of Michelle Rodriguez) is without a doubt the best of the bunch to come along thus far, although given its surprisingly uneven narrative, that’s not saying much.
First off, for those of you who are wondering: yes, Kusama kept in the scene where the two leads Jennifer (Megan Fox) and her oddly named best friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried) share a “controversial” lesbian kiss. It’s in close-up, it’s almost two minutes long, and for those who are attracted to such, it’s a very satisfying scene. Not since Susan Sarandon got it on with Catherine Deneuve in 1983’s The Hunger have two women looked so good together. Sorry to spoil it for you though, Fox and Seyfried only almost end up in bed together. (more…)
Before we begin, a brief warning to all parents considering taking the wee ones to see Focus Features’ latest, 9. Be certain that whatever kids you’re taking are stout of heart, because there are some creatures within this film–and the actions they take against the main characters–that may seriously frighten younger children. The film’s rated PG-13 for a reason, so consider yourself duly noted.
As for 9 itself–only the second animated film from Focus following their highly successful Coraline–the movie is amazingly entertaining and visually striking. In spite of its ending, which left me sort of flat, it’s very possible this film might make it onto my Top 5 list at the end of the year.
9 takes place in a not-too-distant future, wherein humanity has been betrayed and destroyed by the highly intelligent machines they’ve built. Any similarities to the Terminator franchise end there however, immediately upon the introduction of the titular hero (voiced by Elijah Wood)–a stitchwork figure only inches tall, brought to life by an infusion of part of the very soul of its creator…the scientist who created the machines’ A.I., ironically to usher in an age of peace. The peace has been achieved, all right: the peace of the grave, brought to vivid life via scenes of ruined landscapes and brief glimpses of dead bodies, among them a mother still clutching her child. (more…)
I’ve been dying for Inglourious Basterds to reach its official release date, so I could finally talk with you about this movie.
When reading a review, everyone always wants to skip right to the point: Is it any good? Should I spend my hard-earned money to go see it?
Well, let’s cut to the chase then with a nice, small hint: Not only will Inglourious Basterds make my Top 5 Best Films list at the end of this year, but I’m already looking forward to buying the DVD whenever it comes out, so I can revel in the brutal playground of director Tarantino’s semi-historical revenge flick over and over again! So, yes…go see it.
The new “comedy” Post Grad has just opened, and unhhhh…
Sorry…almost dozed off there, a degenerative side effect from watching this movie. It seems almost impossible that with such notable successes under the belt of director Vicky Jenson (Shrek, Shark Tale), and having assembled such a talented cast as Alexis Bledel (GilmoreGirls, Sin City), Michael Keaton (Cars, Jackie Brown), J.K. Simmons (I Love You, Man, Â the upcoming Jennifer’s Body) and Carol Burnett (Annie, Friendly Fire), that a movie so typical, bland, sluggish and almost sleep-inducing could ever be crafted.
Yet here we are, with Post Grad.
Written by Kelly Fremon (only prior credit: the short film Streak), Post Grad follows one Ryden Malby (Bledel) as she jumps fresh out of college and into the job market, having followed her lifelong plan of doing well in school, staying healthy, and dutifully pursuing her major in English Literature, so that she can land a coveted job at a major publishing firm. (more…)
Thirst, the new film by director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Moon is the Sun’s Dream), has two firsts going for it which set it apart in the vampire genre: It’s the first vampire film ever made in Korea, and it’s the first Korean film to feature full-frontal male nudity by its lead (Kang-ho Song — No. 3, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance). For a vampire film, it’s an impressive undertaking. As a film overall…let me get back to you on that.
Father Sang-hyeon (Song) is a devout man of God who gives freely of his time at the local hospital, caring for the patients there. Yet he confides in Father Noh (In-hwan Park), the blind priest and mentor, that he has grown increasingly dispirited, due to the sad fortunes of the patients hanging on by a thread, and with the world in general. Looking for a way out, Sang-hyeon volunteers for a dangerous medical experiment to cure the dreaded EV virus. Almost 500 people have died from the treatment, but after a hasty blood transfusion from unnamed sources, Father Sang-hyeon is back to normal. Better in fact, because he quickly comes to realize that all his senses have improved dramatically, the only drawback being that he now craves human blood to survive and keep the virus at bay. When he’s reunited with sickly childhood friend Kang-woo (Ha-kyun Shin) and his beautiful yet restless wife Tae-joo (Ok-vin Kim), the wife and the priest begin coming up with a way to exploit his newfound abilities to rid her of Kang-woo so they can live happily ever after.
Thirst succeeds on several levels, most obviously in its serious treatment of the vampire genre. There are no suspiciously well-coiffed heartthrobs here as there are in Twilight. Sang-hyeon looks like a real person, and his powers fall well within the established annals of vampire lore, and director Chan-wook does an excellent job of introducing us to them, especially during a uniquely shot scene of Sang-hyeon jumping from rooftop to rooftop with Tae-joo in his arms, showing off his powers to her. The visceral nature of the horror of vampirism is there as well, as the director pulls no punches—literally—when it’s time to show how fragile mortals are as compared to what a vampire’s strength can do. The R rating is also well-earned due to a couple of very intense sex scenes. It also helps that the film is carried by an extremely talented group of actors. (more…)
The highly anticipated film District 9 is opening today, all set to make a killing at the box office—and it certainly deserves the reward. It’s a well-crafted film, both in tone and tale, and brings to the screen the most authentic-looking aliens I’ve seen in quite a while. The question remains, though: is District 9 truly the be-all and end-all of science fiction films that critics have been raving about for the past month? The answer, quite simply, is no. While being a highly original film for the most part, the story does closely resemble the 1988 sci-fi film AlienNation, which starred James Caan and Mandy Patinkin, right down to one of  its central themes. In fact, one could say that District 9 is in many ways just a more updated, adult version of Alien Nation, only with better effects.
District 9’s main premise is that nearly 30 years ago, an alien ship entered Earth’s atmosphere and took up a holding pattern above Johannesburg, South Africa. After three months without contact from the beings inside, a military force finally cut their way into the ship and searched, only to find hundreds of malnourished aliens living in squalor. At this time, humanity rose to the challenge of proving itself capable of displaying what’s best in our species by treating the aliens, caring for them, and providing shelters for them in a segregated area known as District 9, when it became clear the aliens were incapable of returning home. (more…)
Funny People, the latest film by writer/director Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) has been advertised as being a comedy, when in fact it is more of a dramedy, which happens to contain many moments of true hilarity. It is Apatow’s most mature film to date (this in spite of the director’s need to talk about penises every 2.5 minutes in each of his films), and certainly the most mature work Sandler (Big Daddy, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan) has ever done in his life. While it’s not proof that either man will ever truly grow up, it’s a testament to the fact that both are maturing in their approach to the material they work on.
Sandler plays George Simmons, an amazingly successful former standup comedian-turned-actor, who has sold out his principles for a big mansion and a hefty cut of his movies’ box office grosses. He’s still good to his fans though, stopping to pose for pictures and crack jokes in order to make sure they crack a smile. However when George gets some tests back from his doctor, stating that he has an extremely rare blood disease and his chances are grim bordering on hopeless, he begins the slow path through self-absorbed grief to introspection and ultimately makes an earnest attempt to right the wrongs of his life.
At a comedy club one night, George happens to cross paths with Ira Wright (Seth Rogen, who also served as an executive producer on the film), a barely funny funnyman whose own friends at work and his roommates at home continually tell him how unamusing he is. Perhaps it’s the fact that Ira’s giving his all that one night, or George is too lost in his own self-pity to notice fully, but some of Ira’s material strikes a chord with him as having promise, and George hires Ira to write jokes for him. (more…)
This is the story of how Hal Jordan became the greatest Green Lantern of them all. It’s also about the fall of a once-great man, how heroes are unintentionally made, and the salvation of the universe.
Green Lantern: First Flight (rated PG-13 for its blood and violence) is the latest in DC’s ever-improving line of direct-to-DVD animated films. It doesn’t exactly surpass their previous outstanding release, Wonder Woman, but it does match it in terms of animation, intelligence in its storytelling, allowing its audience to deal with mature themes in a “comic book flick” and pure, overall enjoyment. (more…)
I’ll admit, first and foremost, that I’ve been more a fan of the Harry Potter films than I have the books. While I admit the books are enjoyable (I’ve read the first four), I find them rather repetitive and not quite as fleshed out in some ways as I think they could be–which is saying something, considering the epic lengths at which they mark off.
I’ve enjoyed the films more, I guess, because I can appreciate the fact that while they are more condensed versions of the books (every film has to have some type of limit before audience members begin laying across other seats in search of a brief respite in dreamland), they are still the most faithful cinematic adaptations of the material that will ever exist, and it’s just a fun experience to watch Daniel Radcliffe (My BoyJack, December Boys) and the other young actors in the cast bring J.K. Rowling’s characters to full-fledged life. It’s also beginning to make me feel a little old, in a bittersweet way, to watch these kids grow up before my eyes as the series has progressed. Like all of you legitimate diehard Potter fans, I’ve come to feel an affinity for this cast, and in some ways feel like a proud parent, watching these talented young actors mature so gracefully. (more…)
Did you know that one home is foreclosed every 7 1/2 seconds in the United States? Or that millions of unsuspecting Americans have secret life insurance policies taken out on them by the very companies they work for? If you didn’t, Michael Moore is here to tell you all about it in his new film Capitalism: A Love Story. So sit back and prepare for history class…
To Hollywood’s credit, there’ve been a lot of female-focused thriller/horror films coming out lately. It’s almost as if production studios in La-La Land have suddenly realized there’s a feminine demographic they could cater to/exploit. Unfortunately for the ladies, studios still think that they can just throw anything at audiences and get away with it, which is why so many of the recent “girl power”-type films have been lousy.
Before we begin, a brief warning to all parents considering taking the wee ones to see Focus Features’ latest, 9. Be certain that whatever kids you’re taking are stout of heart, because there are some creatures within this film–and the actions they take against the main characters–that may seriously frighten younger children. The film’s rated PG-13 for a reason, so consider yourself duly noted.
I’ve been 
The new “comedy” Post Grad has just opened, and unhhhh…
Thirst, the new film by director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Moon is the Sun’s Dream), has two firsts going for it which set it apart in the vampire genre: It’s the first vampire film ever made in Korea, and it’s the first Korean film to feature full-frontal male nudity by its lead (Kang-ho Song — No. 3, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance). For a vampire film, it’s an impressive undertaking. As a film overall…let me get back to you on that.
The highly anticipated film District 9 is opening today, all set to make a killing at the box office—and it certainly deserves the reward. It’s a well-crafted film, both in tone and tale, and brings to the screen the most authentic-looking aliens I’ve seen in quite a while. The question remains, though: is District 9 truly the be-all and end-all of science fiction films that critics have been raving about for the past month? The answer, quite simply, is no. While being a highly original film for the most part, the story does closely resemble the 1988 sci-fi film Alien Nation, which starred James Caan and Mandy Patinkin, right down to one of  its central themes. In fact, one could say that District 9 is in many ways just a more updated, adult version of Alien Nation, only with better effects.
Funny People, the latest film by writer/director Judd Apatow (
This is the story of how Hal Jordan became the greatest Green Lantern of them all. It’s also about the fall of a once-great man, how heroes are unintentionally made, and the salvation of the universe.
I’ll admit, first and foremost, that I’ve been more a fan of the Harry Potter films than I have the books. While I admit the books are enjoyable (I’ve read the first four), I find them rather repetitive and not quite as fleshed out in some ways as I think they could be–which is saying something, considering the epic lengths at which they mark off.