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The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
'Life' stays afloat in a sea of weirdness
Writer/director Wes Anderson ("Rushmore," "The Royal Tenanbaums") has always produced strange films with rich characters and a little bit of heart. His fourth and latest adventure, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," is no exception, but it is his worst to date.
We begin at a European film festival where Steve Zissou (Bill Murray), a washed up leader of sea-faring documentary filmmakers, is showing off his latest film, "The Jaguar Shark Pt. 1." The film looks like an old documentary you'd watch in elementary school because the teacher was feeling lazy.
Zissou is on his last leg as a professional and is desperate for revenge. While shooting his latest film, his best friend was killed by a mythological shark. To exact his revenge, he plans to take his diverse crew out once again and film the shark's demise.
Meanwhile, Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson), is a young pilot for Air Kentucky that approaches Zissou with the notion that he may be his son. Ned's mother has recently passed away and he only has rumors that have guided him to Zissou.
The motley crew is comprised of several fine actors, including William Defoe as a German "engineer," and Angelica Houston as Zissou's brilliant wife. Jane (Cate Blanchett), a reporter, also joins the trip so she can write a cover story on Zissou and provide a love interest for Steve and Ned.
Overall, the film is a slow-moving oddity that immerses us into another world. Rather than attempting any realism, Anderson and co-writer Noah Baumbach, have created an alternate universe where pirates are still attacking ships and the fanciful fish on display are computer animated. I enjoyed the unique sets and inventive atmosphere, but I did not care much for the thin story.
For much of the first half, the audience is given the idea that a deeper plot might bubble up, but it never comes. The film treads water for the last half, slowly sinking into its shallow waters. In compensation, the audience is provided with developed characters.
Anderson decided not to focus on story so much as developing his leading man. Zissou is an ambitious asshole who always has a frown on his face. Like many other Anderson characters, Zissou is a flawed protagonist who learns a lesson or two about life.
Thankfully, Murray's great performance makes the film better. Murray characterizes Zissou so well that we feel like we actually know him at the film's end. If 2004 had not been so saturated with good acting performances, Murray would likely be up for an Oscar.
Wilson also provides a notable performance, where he's not allowed to be the smart aleck he usually plays. Ned is a quiet side-kick who thinks before he speaks and somehow Wilson manages to pull it off.
Also enhancing the movie is the great soundtrack. Anderson has always had a knack for selecting pop songs that match his movies' moods. In "Life," many David Bowie songs are sung in Portuguese, providing dreamy music that cannot be completely understood.
"Life" is a full-fledged Anderson movie and anyone who has enjoyed his previous efforts will likely like this one. Anyone who hasn't liked Anderson's films should stay far, far away. The film requires a lot of patience, but sticking around until the end makes the movie more than the sum of its parts.
It appears that Anderson is so hell-bent on being different from his predecessors that he has lost some of his magnificent charm. He used to have his head in the clouds, but now he's lost in outer space. Let's hope Anderson can come back down before Hollywood makes him walk the plank.
In Good Company (2004)
Good 'Company' features heart and smarts
In an era of mega-mergers and cutthroat business buy-outs, it is time for a movie that attacks the inhumane practices corporate America endorses. Writer/director Paul Weitz ("American Pie," "About a Boy") has answered the call with "In Good Company," an unusually good-natured comedy that questions these practices through an enjoyable story.
After the buy-out of a company, 26-year-old Carter Duryea (Topher Grace) becomes the head of ad sales for Sports America magazine. He takes the job from 51-year-old Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid), who actually worked his way up to the job. Instead of firing him, Carter allows Dan to be his "wing-man" to show him the ropes.
Dan has been thrown off-guard not only by his demotion, but also by the news that his wife is pregnant with their third child. Losing his job is not an option, so he assists Carter, whose goals are to raise revenue and tighten up the staff by firing people.
After Carter gets his promotion, his wife (Selma Blair) leaves him because of unavoidable differences. He loses his direction and clings onto his co-workers because he has no one else. Sometimes he's even found sleeping in his office on the couch.
After Dan inadvertently invites Carter over for dinner, Carter begins to fall for Dan's older daughter Alex (Scarlett Johansson). Their romance is kept a secret from Dan, but Dan is not stupid and begins to notice something different in both of them. Thankfully, the romance is the sub-plot and not the focus.
What is emphasized, however, is the bond between two men who slowly accept each other. Carter envies Dan's family and life while Dan copes with the fact that his boss is half his age. Somehow, they overcome their obstacles while becoming closer.
The person to watch in the film is Grace, who lays down the best performance of his career. It's hard to imagine that Eric from "That 70's Show" is actually a good actor, but it's true. He's been touted by Hollywood as a young Tom Hanks and this movie is proof.
Quaid also does a reliable acting job, with traces of the good-guy father figure he played in "The Rookie" and "Frequency." He uses his face to convey his varied emotions and when he cries, we feel it.
Not only is the film quite good, but it is also one of the most accessible movies to come out in years. Grace and Johansson attract the young crowd, while Quaid and Marg Helgenberger, who plays Quaid's wife, attract a more mature audience.
That's not to say that everything in the film is perfect. The third act of the film, which features a monologue about losing humanity to corporate greed, seems like a compromise between Weitz and the studio. In addition, the romantic comedy aspect weakens some of the more focused jabs at corporate America.
"Company" is a film that will invigorate your interest in the movies and give you hope for future of comedies. This is good "Company" indeed.
Inside Deep Throat (2005)
'Inside' excites cinema lovers
In 1972, a cheaply made pornographic film named "Deep Throat" shook up the United States. It featured the then-unknown Linda Lovelace giving oral sex to Harry Reems so she could pleasure herself. The film clocked in at 62 minutes and was the first of its kind to be marketed at couples rather than shady old men in trench coats.
"Deep Throat" supposedly made $600 million at the box office and was produced for only $25,000, making it the most profitable movie of all time. The money to make the film came from the Columbo crime family in New Jersey and those ties made it even more notorious.
Now we have "Inside Deep Throat," a sharp, stimulating documentary that explores the making of the "Deep Throat," its effects on society and the implementation of obscenity laws in United States.
Co-directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, whose last film was "Party Monster," take viewers back to a time when porn could be seen only at seedy downtown theaters. They present us with interviews from numerous unattractive people in their 50s and older who experienced the events first hand. The interviewees range from trivial talk-show hosts to the man who prosecuted Harry Reems.
Through this series of interviews and porn clips, a slightly one-sided narrative develops that makes the moral-seeking right look more flawed than the film's supporters. The film would have been better with a little more balance.
The audience is first introduced to "Deep Throat" director Gerard Damiano, a hairdresser-turned-filmmaker who believed hardcore porn would slowly integrate into mainstream cinema. He is presented as a regular guy who took chances in the newly developing pornographic film industry and cared more about art than profits.
After delving into the film's problematic production in Florida, "Inside" shifts its focus to the film's success and persecution by the government. The government picked the highly popular "Deep Throat" as its example in a larger battle against obscenity. The publicity, however, only fueled more demand.
The film was narrated by Dennis Hopper and produced by Brian Grazer, who has credits including "8 Mile" and "Friday Night Lights" to his name. This should give you the idea that isn't an average, boring documentary. "Inside" takes an entertaining MTV-like approach to the important subjects of censorship and government intercession and, surprisingly, pulls it off.
Although I wish the film had dug even deeper into the personal lives of Lovelace and Reems, it is a perfect length, 92 minutes. This is more than just a dirty documentary; it's a short history lesson for those who weren't alive in the 1970s and a reminder of how little the social climate concerning sex has changed in 30 years.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Powerful 'Rwanda' sends sobering message
Some films hold importance because they shed light on a world that most of us will never know or comprehend fully. "Hotel Rwanda," the true story of a hotel manager who saved the lives of 1,268 men, women and children in Kigali, Rwanda in April of 1994, is the most important film of 2004.
A decade ago, the African nation of Rwanda became a place of mass genocide. The two dominant tribes, the darker skinned Hutus and lighter skinned Tutsis, began a civil war. After 100 days of fighting and over a million casualties, the U.N. finally interceded.
We follow the story of Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed by the excellent Don Cheadle, who has never troubled himself with the affairs of the people. He is a businessman and manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines, the most luxurious hotel in Rwanda. Over the years, he has become friends with important people by providing cigars and expensive Scotch in meetings with them.
However, Paul's world goes from heaven to hell when the civil war begins. The Hutu militia walks the streets killing any Tutsi they can find, including helpless children. The militia wants to kill every Tutsi to wipe the slate clean of their kind.
Paul himself is a Hutu, but his wife is a Tutsi and his three children are mixed. The welfare of his family is his priority throughout the film. In addition, Paul helps other refugees by housing them in the hotel and bribing the Rwandan army (who has sided with the Hutu militia) with money, beer and other items to protect the hotel.
Some have hailed the film as an African "Schindler's List." This is right in the aspect of a heroic businessman protecting innocent people from their death. However, "Schindler's List" is better-made film because of the unflinching portrayal of the Holocaust and Steven Spielberg's powerful direction.
"Hotel Rwanda's" only major flaw is toning down the violence to make this a family oriented piece. Director Terry George cleaned the image of war up so the film could receive a more commercial PG-13 rating.
Still, even though the violence is not accurately portrayed, the film is simultaneously haunting and heartbreaking. In one scene, Paul and an associate drive down a foggy and unusually bumpy road, only to stop the car and realize they are actually running over hundreds of dead bodies. It's a scene that will stay with you for weeks.
One key factor that makes the film work is Cheadle's performance. It has been nominated for an Academy Award because it is flawless and Cheadle has never been better. We really believe Paul's plight because of Cheadle's perfect Rwandan accent and ability to convey conflicted emotions.
Also worth noting is Sophie Okenedo who plays Paul's wife Tatiana. Okenedo has been doing small television roles for most of her career, but after this film, it wouldn't be surprising to see her more often on the big screen.
Although "Hotel Rwanda" sometimes has an overly sentimental feel to it, it still succeeds in commemorating Paul Rusesabagina and shaming the world for not helping stop man's inhumanity toward man.
Hitch (2005)
'Hitch' follows the formula to love
Will Smith has been an action hero ("Independence Day"), a cool cop ("Bad Boys") and a boxing legend ("Ali"). Now it's time for Smith to play something he's been primed for ever since he was the Fresh Prince a romantic comedy lead.
In "Hitch," Smith plays Alex Hitchens, a "date doctor" that can transform a guy from an awkward, sweet geek to a suave, sophisticated gentleman. Alex teaches guys what they need to know to get the attention of a girl and how to succeed on three dates. Supposedly after that, they have the girl.
However, Alex's world is stirred up when he falls for Sara Melas (the lovely Eva Mendes), a gossip columnist at a New York Post-like newspaper. Following the unwritten rules of a romantic comedy, Sara is cynical toward love and if a guy wants to get close to her, he has to be extraordinarily original.
Alex does everything he can to follow his own rules and play it smooth. Yet, through bad luck and timing, he can't be the dream man he teaches others to be. In one scene, he takes Sara jet skiing, only to have his motor die in the middle of the Hudson River.
A parallel plot to Alex's attempts to acquire Sara's love tells the story of Albert (Kevin James), who desperately wants to date a particular beautiful, rich heiress. Please keep in mind that this is a story set in movie-land, where almost everyone has good intentions and a chubby, clumsy nerd can woo and win over the nearly unobtainable woman.
Alex gives Albert tips on everything, from where to touch a woman for the first time (the middle back) to how to dance. Just watching Smith deliver his lines about "making all the right moves" is entertaining. His observations about a women's' perceptions of a man are devilishly clever and I wouldn't be surprised if some guys took notes.
Director Andy Tennant doesn't do anything strikingly interesting, but lets his actors mold the film. He also captures an excellent city vibe while shooting on location in New York. It might be the upper-class part of the city, but this is a movie and homeless people are not part of this reality.
What makes "Hitch" a little bit better than your average romantic comedy is not its plot. Watching "Hitch" is like eating your favorite meal at a fast food restaurant you've eaten it several times before but it still tastes good going down.
Surprisingly, the performances of Smith and James are what make the film work. Although the preview of the film ruined some of the best bits, I laughed out loud several times at their antics and unforced comedic bravado.
This movie was released just before Valentine's Day and if you didn't see it with your special someone then, be sure to take him or her to see it before it leaves the theatre. "Hitch" is a predictable, breezy film that makes for a sweet, enjoyable date.
The Pacifier (2005)
'Pacifier' chokes
In 1990, Arnold Schwarzenegger played a tough police officer that is softened up by the love of children in "Kindergarten Cop." It was decent movie that allowed Schwarzenegger to parody the "Terminator" image he had established up to that point. After 14 years, it's time for Disney to recycle that premise and now that Arnie's the governor of California, they've hired Vin Diesel to take his spot.
"The Pacifier" begins with Navy S.E.A.L. Shane Wolfe (Diesel) leading a rescue operation to save the life of an important computer scientist, Howard Plummer. The operation goes wrong, leading to the death of Plummer and disgrace to Wolfe.
Plummer had been working on a computer program that can shut down missile defense systems on demand. The government suspects that the program is inside of a safe deposit box in Europe, so Plummer's wife Julie (Faith Ford) heads there and Wolfe is assigned to protect her five kids.
The five children are: punk-rocker Seth (Max Theriot), frilly drama queen Zoe (Brittany Snow), sweet and occasionally lewd Lulu (Morgan York), rambunctious toddler Peter (twins Keegan and Logan Hoover), and baby Tyler (twins Bo and Luke Vink). In the most usual turn of events, Wolfe doesn't like the disorder of the household and the Plummer children don't like him. Wolfe also clashes with the European nanny.
After the nanny quits, making sure the kids get to school on time and changing the baby's diapers become another of Wolfe's tasks. Wolfe uses his military training and know-how to instill some discipline on the children. In return, the kids teach him a thing or two about life.
Lauren Graham plays the role of school principal and former naval officer, providing Wolfe with a love interest. I guess "Gilmore Girls" wasn't doing enough for her career.
Unfortunately, the movie is not much better than the lame plot. Writers Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant, who brought us the Jimmy Fallon bomb "Taxi", must have thought of as many clichés as they could to stuff into this film. I guess they thought including a duck that acts like an attack dog would cover the originality aspect.
Director Adam Shankman ("Bringing Down the House") doesn't bring anything to the mix either. The situations that are put on screen are occasionally funny, such as one involving Lulu and her girl scout friends beating up malevolent boy scouts using some newly acquired Karate skills. However, most scenes that could have had these kinds of laughs fall short.
The acting in the film is mediocre at best. I think Diesel might be better than the material. (I actually thought he did a decent job in "The Chronicles of Riddick.") The kids aren't too bad either. York, playing Lulu, delivers a small punch in her lovable role.
"The Pacifer" is one of those movies that anyone over the age of nine will feel insulted after watching it. Just because a movie is intended for a family audience doesn't mean it has to stink like a baby's diaper.
Guess Who (2005)
'Guess Who' fails to remake a classic
"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," released in 1967, examined racial tolerance with a story about a young woman bringing home an African-American male to her parents and requesting marriage to him. It was a groundbreaking feature that was a little trite, but ultimately important.
The new film "Guess Who" takes its name from the original, as well as its central plot point (a woman brings home a man of different race.) However, 38 years after the original, interracial relationships aren't uncommon enough to be a daring subject for the screen. In turn, the producers decided it should be a homogenized racial comedy instead of a social commentary piece.
Boring and frequently unfunny, 'Guess Who' is an uninspired trip in familiar territory. Having much more in common with "Meet the Parents" than the original movie, "Guess Who" takes the unfriendly in-laws approach.
The story unfolds under simple pretenses. New Yorkers Theresa (Zoë Saldaña) and Simon (Ashton Kutcher) have recently decided to get married. They're young, happy and of two different colors. Although they receive foul comments from people about their relationship, they've decided to stick it out. Only one thing is left before they can get married: Simon has to meet Theresa's parents, Percy (Bernie Mac) and Marilyn (Judith Scott).
Theresa decides to bring Simon along to her parents' 25th anniversary party, where they will be renewing their vows. A big problem arises from the fact that Theresa didn't tell her family Simon was white. Her sister and grandfather have their own comments to say about it, but Percy seems the most taken aback.
To make matters worse, Simon has just quit his job as a stockbroker, but in an effort to impress Percy and Marilyn, he pretends as if nothing has happened. This little fib eventually leads to more complications.
You can see where this going. "Guess Who" is startlingly predictable, leaving nothing for the viewer to guess.
The screenplay, credited to David Ronn, Jay Scherick and Peter Tolan, is just too tame to evoke many laughs. It tries to incorporate the comic subtleties of "Meet the Parents," but each joke tries too hard, creating a reverse effect.
Thankfully, Mac, one of the best black comedic actors around, ensures that the movie is not a complete failure. His charismatic presence on the screen adds a few laughs, even when the dialogue is lacking. Although, when he is not on the screen, the film suffers.
In addition, there are a few great moments when Simon and Percy begin to acclimate to each other. The two drink vodka, play indoor football and practice the tango together, creating an unusual bond.
It appears director Kevin Rodney Sullivan ("Barbershop 2") was trying for a "love triumphs over color" film with comedic moments to smooth out the edges. However, it doesn't work as well as it should.
It's not as if the film doesn't try to do something with its subjects of race and in-law acceptance, it just doesn't do enough of it.
Fever Pitch (2005)
A average, good-natured 'Pitch'
Peter and Bobby Farrelly, the goofy directors who made us never think the same way about hair gel, have officially dropped the ball on gross-out comedies. Their last two movies, "Stuck on You" and "Shallow Hal" were goofy, PG-13 romps that mixed heart and sight gags.
The Farrelly brothers' latest is "Fever Pitch." Featuring very little of their trademark coarse comedy, this pitch leaves their usual playing field and heads into unfamiliar territory: a good-natured romantic comedy.
Based on a book by the same name by Nick Hornby, best known for his books "About a Boy" and "High Fidelity," the film's screenplay takes little from the pages. Hornby's book was a partial autobiography of his life, revealing his crazed love of soccer and how he fit his obsession into his life.
Instead of centering on a crazed soccer fan, the film takes the Americanized route and centers on Ben (Jimmy Fallon), a die-hard Red Sox fan. He has been infatuated with the Sox since he was 6 years old, when he attended his first game.
Now Ben is a 30-year-old teacher with season tickets to the Sox each year. When he takes some of his Geometry students to see math in action at a business, he meets Lindsey (Drew Barrymore.) She's an attractive, ambitious businesswoman that holds her work above most everything else.
On a whim to date someone that's not "just like her," Lindsey decides to take a chance with Ben. However, romantic entanglements have always been a problem for him because of his devotion to the Sox. The two meld great in the off-season, but when spring rolls around, Lindsey begins to question whether Ben can really be the "one."
The film follows the 2004 Red Sox season and ends with their climactic win over the Cardinals in game four of the World Series. The screenwriters didn't anticipate that outcome and even had to rewrite the ending after the Sox won the American League pennant.
Surprisingly, "Pitch" is a small step up from the Farrelly brothers' last two films. It sticks to the romantic comedy formula, but is laced with good intentions instead of toilet humor, creating a sugary take on how sports aficionados can find a balance between their obsession and romantic lives.
Unexpectedly, Barrymore does a fine job with the role of Lindsey. This is her best performance in a film because she doesn't try to be someone unusual, but a kindhearted woman feeling the strains of being 30 and struggling to find the perfect man to complement her.
Fallon, on the other hand, fails miserably. He doesn't have the acting range to make us believe his troubles. It's also his fault that Ben and Lindsey's chemistry is severely lacking.
While the film runs about 15 minutes too long and has few redeeming values, it's a breezy chick flick that can attract male viewers with the appeal of sports. This is a must-see for Red Sox followers and will probably satisfy baseball enthusiasts. That is, unless you're a Yankees fan.
Mean Girls (2004)
An hysterically funny surprise
I went into "Mean Girls" with low expectations because Lohan is the lead (just look at "Confessions of a Teenage Bordom Queen" for my rationale.) I came out of the theater on my toes because I was so pleasantly surprised with the end result.
"Mean Girls" is the story of the new girl at a high school, Cady Heron (Lohan), who becomes friends with the wrong crowd, called the "Plastics." The only thing is that she's not a bad girl; she's smart and nice. When she starts turning into one of "them" and becomes the "Queen Bee," everything goes haywire in the school.
The talented and sharply funny Tina Fey of Saturday Night Live fame wrote this stinging high school satire. Her writing shines and translates better than one could have imagined. Fey admits to having a "Mean Girl" high school life, so she writes from experience.
This is the best SNL film that's been made yet because it doesn't come from an SNL skit. "The Ladies Man" and "A Night at the Roxbury" were lame attempts at humor. "Mean Girls" transcends above standard SNL shlock and gives hope to all those SNL losers out there like Tim Meadows. Meadows is at his best as the principal of the high school. He feels out of place in the atmosphere, but that makes it more funny.
All in all, the movie is hysterical and every high school student with a sense of humor should see it. It bites hard, it makes you laugh and even your parents will enjoy it as long as they aren't too strict about language and crass humor.
---8/10
21 Grams (2003)
Exceptional acting + strange approach = knock-out
****slight spoiler alert****
21 grams is a knock-out of movie which only succeeds because of it's incredible cast. Sean Penn, who has done his best acting ever this year in both "Mystic River" and "21 grams," heads off the amazing cast. Niaomi Watts, playing a woman who has just lost her husband and daughters, deserves an Oscar for her performance (but will probably lose to Theron for Monster). Del Toro, playing a man who believes Christ has betrayed him, is very dark and convincing.
The director's (I can't pronounce his name so I'm going to avoid writing it down) approach of putting the scenes in a random order makes your head hurt a little bit. Although, the puzzle of a movie works because you understand the gist of it, which makes you able to connect it all together.
I left the theater in wonderment and wondering what new things have we not done in film to make our head spin. I can't wait for another movie from this director and screenwriter. But, please, make another American film, instead of "Amores Perros" again. (No offense, I love "Amores Perros," but I like "21 grams" more.)
Go see this if you want a completely different movie going experience.