Latest Oscar bait update: Colin Firth is heartbreaking as a man grieving the loss of a lover in A Single Man (A-). In his directorial debut, fashion designer Tom Ford tailors a great character study similar in texture to Gods & Monsters. I finally see why Firth has such a following, and one of my faves Julianne Moore has a wonderful small part.
“Avatar” (2009) Presents Immersive Effects for Flimsy Story
Suppose you created a gorgeous CGI world with breathtaking 3-D vistas and amazingly life-like aliens, and then you drop in a formulaic story, wooden actors and snooze-worthy dialogue? You get James Cameron’s Avatar (C), and I want my three hours back. Actually much of the action is rousing and many of the creative sci-fi effects engrossing, but the epic polish largely conceals that the emperor of the world is sporting a threadbare ensemble.
Lars von Trier Directs Disturbing “Antichrist” (2009)
Lars von Trier’s Antichrist (C-) is a well acted and supremely disturbing art house horror film ostensibly about the grieving process by a couple for their deceased child and ultimately a bizarre requiem summoning imagery from the Biblical fall from grace at Eden through the mistreatment of women in Salem. Some of the metaphors and mystery are spellbinding and others less revelatory than Trier may have intended. Despite conjuring fearless performances by Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainesbourg and maintaining an eerie slow burn of mounting imagery of dread and isolation, the iconoclast filmmaker can’t get out if his own way to make sense of muddled themes and mixed messages. The NC-17 rated film is full of graphic imagery and is not for the faint of heart.
Found Footage Film “Cloverfield” Frustrating
Matt Reeves’ Cloverfield (C) is a mash-up of found footage horror movie and a Godzilla action film, but the you-are-there format fails to impress, and the lizard fails to scare. It just feels a little tedious and cheap and is better remembered for its pre-release hype and buzz campaign. A game cast including Lizzy Caplan and T.J. Miller doesn’t have much to do as young New Yorkers start off celebrating a friend’s farewell and then fleeing for their lives. There are a few passable action sequences and occasionally some nice camera trickery, but it doesn’t add up to much. We want to exclaim, “It’s alive…” but really it’s just ok.
ABBA, Dabba, Do! “Mamma Mia!” Gets Blockbuster Movie Treatment
Phyllida Lloyd’s film adaptation of her theatrical hit Mamma Mia! (B) is largely a joyful confection, taking its cues from the music catalogue of Swedish hitmakers ABBA to playfully chronicle how the plucky young female descendant of a 1979 “dancing queen” cavorting with three summer boyfriends on an exotic Greek isle endeavors to discover the identity of a dad to walk her down the wedding aisle. Central to the charm of the film is the relationship between Meryl Streep as the mom and Amanda Seyfried as her inquisitive offspring; each has a natural warmth and pleasant singing voice. Some of the supporting subplots and singers (ahem, Pierce Brosnan) are a bit atonal or adrift. The musical numbers are lovely and limber, and the locale adds enchantment to the affair, as if something vaguely mythological is afoot. It’s a rom com within a rom com with karaoke moments to punctuate every Big Emotion. It’s frisky, fun and recommended.
“The Incredible Hulk” (2008) Gets its Action Footing
Rebooting the legend after Ang Lee’s esoteric flop five year before, Louis Letterier’s The Incredible Hulk (B) reminds viewers from the opening frames that this is an action movie, pure and simple. A parkeur-style chase across rooftops is just the beginning as the film winds through a global adventure wuth Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/THe Hulk in full enraged scientist mode. Liv Tyler and Tim Roth provide ample support for this solid action film that brings Hulk closer into the Marvel canon in time for Avengers activity.
“Iron Man” a Superhero Delight
Jon Favreau’s Iron Man (B+) is a giddy, inventive adventure that gives talented actor Robert Downey Jr. the role of a lifetime. As genius Tony Stark who refashions himself as a magnificent flying machine, Downey carries the high-flying comic book adventures on his shoulders. Quick with a quip and fast with the action, he grounds a new franchise with supporting help from Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard.
“Milk” a Trailblazer
Gus Van Sant’s Milk (A) is a stirring biopic, faithfully recreating a San Francisco of the 1970’s and, as embodied by Sean Penn, giving a star turn of an American hero in Harvey Milk. The film blends personal and political triumphs, with a touching performance by James Franco as Milk’s love interest. The sometimes avant garde Van Sant minimizes his grittier aesthetic for a wide canvas Hollywood epic, and the result is a soaring triumph.
“Dark Knight” a Wonderful Batman Movie
Buoyed by a brilliant performance by Heath Ledger as criminal mastermind The Joker, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (B) is a complex superhero movie that posits that people dressed as bats and harlequins could really be in the realm of political theater and then asks what would happen if they were. The addition of Aaron Eckhart as Two Face, a villain #2, causes Christian Bale’s hero to recede a bit from prominence, and that always hurts a Batman movie in my book. The political machinations are also not quite as interesting as Nolan would like to believe. Still, it’s a pretty good drama that just happens to be a superhero movie. The part of Katie Holmes is now played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, and I still don’t know what that character does.
Animated “WALL-E” Peaks Early
Andrew Stanton’s WALL-E (B) is a fantastical futuristic fantasy in which the earth is filled with garbage and a tiny, adorable clean-up robot is awakened from his drudgery by a beautiful girl droid and a chance to blast off into adventure. The lyrical earthboard sequences are far superior to the latter ones, but this is another Pixar original that will have something to offer both kids and adults.
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” a Low Point in Saga
Can we pretend the Indy films were just a trilogy? Because from the opening moment when the prairie dog pops his head out of the ground to the sequences with young sidekick Shia LaBeouf swinging from trees with monkeys, I found Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (D+) stomped on many elements this franchise held sacred. Harrison Ford gives a truly haggard performance opposite Cate Blanchett as a Russian villain, also phoning it in. There is also a survivable nuclear blast and a UFO visit. And surprisingly, there’s not one interestingly staged action sequence. There are cameos from past movies, and then those characters are given nothing interesting to do. This is the only film in the series in which the quest isn’t well articulated, in which the characters are lazy and cynical and in which there’s little joy or continuity from scene to scene. A 19-year hiatus between films should have yielded better than this. It’s an epic misfire.
Bigelow Gives Big Heart to “Hurt Locker”
Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker (A-) focuses on Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie as soldiers who dispose of bombs during the Iraq War and how they get deeper and deeper into their mission. Told with stunning authenticity and reverence for the work of the military, it’s a highly dramatic and exciting film as well as a technical marvel.