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rob-clement
Reviews
Peep World (2010)
Not Too Bad
This movie about a dysfunctional family being torn apart by a book published by the youngest member of the clan, Nathan, is a decent way to spend an hour and twenty minutes.
Of course, with its TV-bred cast, (Judy Greer, Michael C. Hall, Rainn Wilson, & Sarah Silverman), narration and short length, this film comes off more like a middle episode of a sitcom. In itself it is not extremely satisfying, though it has some good moments both of humor and drama.
And that's important. The trailer may not make this seem like a movie with any dramatic weight, but it is. There are some funny moments, but the more dramatic ones overshadow those. This is a dramedy that is trying to market itself as comedy. That said, these actors handle the dramatic moments incredibly well, especially coming from such comedic backgrounds.
Don't expect this to be the film adaptation of Arrested Development some people are making this out to be; though it has some funny moments (really genuinely laughable things), it's not the laugh-riot you'd expect an Arrested Development movie to be.
So yeah, in a nutshell, this movie is a well-done (if but slightly average) dramatic movie with good comedic moments.
Quantum of Solace (2008)
A Poorly done, disappointing sequel
This James Bond movie came out right after Casino Royale, so you'd expect it to be excellent, but it's not. Quantum just lacks too many essential elements of a good James Bond movie: the clean-cut fight scenes being the most noticeable of these missing elements. The Q character, the gadgets, Miss Moneypenny... etc. It's like they're abandoning the old formula. This is an honorable idea, but it just doesn't work. M needs a hot secretary James can flirt with! He needs the gadgets!
One of the most important things that Quantum of Solace lacks that I think is most necessary is clarity. James Bond is not supposed to be difficult to understand, you aren't supposed to have to think too hard while watching it. In Quantum, you basically have to figure out the villain's plan by yourself. In most movies, James is the captive audience of the villain as the villain explains his plan to him. The action sequences are also supposed to be clean and easy to view, not in the rough, jerky cinematic style that has been adopted by most filmmakers for action movies.
I do have to admit that the James Bond villain this time around was well written, and Dominic Greene was a good character. And he was clever in his plan, once the audience figured it out after the third time watching it. And the bond girls are good, too. Strawberry Fields was sort of a throw-away character with a forgettable role in the film, but she is well balanced by Camille, who is a very strong, headstrong woman with a plentiful history of her own. She is certainly a memorable bond girl.
Overall, I like it half and half. 5/10.