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spaektor
Reviews
The Lookout (2007)
what a disappointment
the acting is good enough only to carry short sections of the movie. the script is great, and as you watch and wait for the movie to end, you can see how good it could have been. props to Matthew Goode, best performance in this movie. Isla Fisher was good also, not a touch of Stage 5 Clinger to her.
the entire first half could have been sharpened up and seven or eight minutes shorter. what really takes the wind out of it and detracts from the film overall, is a scene that properly demonstrates the desperation and frustration of Gordon-Levitt's character. the scene where he can't open the can just doesn't do it. no yin up front, no payoff later. the back half of the flick is like a never-ending game of Tetris stuck at level one: you know where everything goes, you just have to wait for the pieces to drop.
Bone was lame. why did Daniels' blind character squint in the morning light? the shootout at the bank looked like it was shot on HDV or something. wtf happened to Luvlee? she just blows town? and i can't believe Carla Gugino doesn't reappear; what a waste of talent, and ass to boot. thank god she's on Entourage. and the look into camera at the end, with that god-awful VO? i cringed. i'd rather watch re-runs of 3rd Rock from the Sun.
Minority Report, Malice, Heaven's Prisoners, Out of Sight... all awesome scripts that were stylistically and technically well-executed to deliver maximum emotional punch. well, maybe not Heaven's prisoners. but anyway, the difference to me is clearly the direction. sorry to say it, being a Gaucho 'n all.
The Illusionist (2006)
not nearly as good as i'd hoped
As movies go, it's better than average. The look and feel of the film do an excellent job of transporting the viewer to early 20th century Vienna. The acting is pretty good from all members of the cast. But about halfway through the film, the charm starts to fade, the plot becomes apparent, and the pacing slows to a deathly crawl.
The production value is great. At no point in the film did I feel I wasn't in Vienna in the early 1900s. The color palate of much of the film is a few shades shy of sepia, coupled with soft lighting that, to me, felt a lot like "Somewhere In Time." But it's never overdone.
The acting was good. Norton's accent seemed to fade in and out at times. Giamatti, as always, delivers. Biel surprised me; her accent was consistent and her performance sincere. Though their individual performances were good, there was zero chemistry between Biel and Norton; part of it was the script. For cryin' out loud, how romantic is it that she doesn't recognize him when they're reunited?! Anyway. Sewell plays his role of pompous villain to perfection, but that is no surprise at all; he has great presence and talent. I would just like him to get more roles as a protagonist.
The plot and pace are what killed the movie for me. In the first half it's fine, and necessary to really develop your characters and get the audience to invest in them. But by the time the murder occurs, the pacing hasn't changed at all. We KNOW Giamatti, though ordered to shut Norton down, is a good guy that wants to do the right thing; we KNOW that Norton is talented and ballsy; we KNOW that they are in love; but at the point the film should kick things up a notch. Instead, the audience is treated to a full forty-five minutes of an excruciatingly slow re-hashing of these character and plot points.
The plot itself was pretty transparent. When the camera VERY suddenly switches its POV from Biel's and Sewell's characters to some random butler's line of sight just before the murder, which is never actually shown, it's waaaaaaaaaayyy too obvious that some elaborate plan is in effect. Once you realize that, the rest of the film becomes a potpourri of transparencies. The doctor appears and disappears too suddenly for him to not be a cohort of some kind, reinforced by his insistence that Giamatti leave the body alone; the doctor handily produces a gem that could only be from the prince's jewel-encrusted sword; Biel's body is found in the river, and I'm sorry, but there's no way she could be dead, or Norton's character would be the biggest schmuck ever. I just couldn't buy the second half. And I really hate being the Monday morning QB, but I even saw the ending coming, a la "Usual Suspects." Except the final montage of realization here was a series of disjointed images intercut with Giamatti's visage contorting into some goofy grin. Part of why it didn't work is that many of those "ooooohh, THAT's what he was talking about" moments were taken from private exchanges between Norton and Biel, that Giamatti wouldn't be privy to. And, lastly, if Giamatti were to take another moment, he'd realize that Norton completely used him and basically framed an innocent man, while causing him to commit suicide. Granted, that man is an arrogant, power-hungry and abusive jerk, but ultimately he is innocent. Would the good guys kill for true love? What would Wesley and Buttercup say?
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
classic Will Ferrell, but it's not enough
the laughs i had were isolated moments that weren't woven together in any cohesive sense... it was like a string of a hundred unrelated jokes, and most of them were bad. i did laugh, when Ferrell and Cohen were at their best, and when Ricky Bobby's kids went off. i do admit, my laughter spiked when the little kid threatens his grandpa, "I'm gonna come at you like a spider monkey!" that was good s***.
but the majority of it just didn't fly. the ads were ridiculously overdone, to the point where a full-blown commercial is inserted right at the climax of the final race. i sense that it was supposed to be funny, but it was just really, really annoying. product placement, great, whatever. commercials and multiple undisguised references to bloated, greedy corporations... screw that. i hope Applebee's suffers a consumer backlash, not that i frequent that particular chain.
Ferrell's love interest didn't get enough screen time. when she was on screen, it was painfully obvious that she was just being kept around so that later on the viewer wouldn't be totally disoriented by her reappearance. the wife and the team owner, the "bad guys," didn't have any presence or any good lines; she was just obnoxious, and he had no balls. the Halliburton joke just didn't go anywhere (you guys could've really done something with that).
now that i recall the movie, one thing that was good was the production value. the races really felt like they were happening, which added a lot. so yay, good race scenes. boo, bad jokes.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
priceless, a true gem
hilarious; i laughed so much more at this flick than Talladega Nights, and i love Will Ferrell. i usually reserve this type of movie for rentals, as there are no visuals that must be seen on a big screen. but i'm very glad i went to see it. Kinnear, Collette, Carrell, Arkin and the kids are all awesome. the movie has a lot of heart, and it's all about the cast and the directing. the only distraction for me was the substitution of Santa Barbara for what was supposed to be Redondo Beach, but if you haven't lived in Cali all your life, who cares.
the plot builds to an ending that is very endearing; it makes you love all the characters even more. i was cheering and clapping and laughing like a little girl. with that much emotion and tension going on between multiple characters, it could easily gone astray at so many different times. but it stays on course and weaves deftly around all the pitfalls that befuddle most production teams. kudos to the directors and the writer.
V for Vendetta (2005)
better the second time around
i must have gone in the first time with really high expectations, 'cause i was a bit disappointed. but on DVD at home it was really a much richer experience. i have the say, the subtitling helped a bit -- the dialogue doesn't slow down for people in America, who would definitely have trouble with English vernacular and all the historical references. i'm a life-long Californian and i love it here, but let's face it, the educational standard for mainstream moviegoers is sub-par, at best.
the acting was great. it takes a lot of talent for someone to deliver as much emotional punch as Weaving does behind a mask. his delivery, intonations and gesticulations are masterful. (this assumes it really is him behind the mask at all times.) Portman is also good, but her English accent is forced at times, and makes her a bit stilted. Hurt as the High Chancellor, and Pigott-whatshisname as Creedy are outstanding. Rea as the detective / conscience of the people is great.
the set designs and production value are outstanding. visually it's a very rich film, using a full range of color to emphasize content. my favorite use of it probably was the narrative sequence when Portman is imprisoned and tortured.
i don't usually laud plot points. to me, film these days is much more about character and dialogue. but the plot here is intricate and well thought out, picking up pace at the right moments to keep you engaged. the fervor and maniacal devotion that V has to his goals could only be properly rendered with an equal amount of attention to detail, and the Wachowskis achieve that goal.
the editing wasn't right. there are several moments where a plot point or political concept has to breathe for a moment and sink in. it cuts too quick to the next scene; it's jarring. i'm too lazy to open another tab and find out who it was, but whoever you are, read Murch's book already.
for the people that don't like the domino scene: i didn't appreciate it much either, the first time around. with everything that's going on in the film, you wonder why V takes what must have been a ridiculous amount of time to build an elaborate pattern of dominos. obviously, it's a visual device to tie in with Rea's narration on connectivity. but, again, the second time around, things seem to fit better. i think, additionally, it shows V's obsession with detail, connectivity and coincidence. and it's a great visual to crosscut with Rea's character realizing that everything is linked.
Miami Vice (2006)
better than Collateral, not quite as good as Heat
(FYI I have yet to see "Ali.") One of Mann's talents is that he really takes his time with characters; in Mann-land they are sharp, no-nonsense professionals at the peak of their game, whatever that may be... thief, journalist, dealer, cop. Their movements and speech are continual displays of precision and efficiency. Like Foxx's cab driver in Collateral giving his ETA's down to the minute, and DeNiro in Heat not wasting time with stupid speeches before dispatching his targets. This is, for me, part of the thrill in watching Mann's movies. He creates this hyper-reality that the average person only imagines or gleans from run-of-the-mill crime flicks, builds it with an eye towards authenticity and excruciating detail, and throws in protagonists that live in that world, relying on experience, know-how and balls. If you listen to what they say (which can be hard, 'cause Mann thankfully doesn't slow things down for anyone) and follow their trains of thought, you have to admire them because it dawns on you sooner or later that they are the best at what they do.
All that said, I give this movie an 8 out of 10. The production value was fantastic. The cars, the boats, the planes, the weapons and sets, all top notch... what you'd expect for a $130 million movie. And that slow shot that pans up as you lazily cruise over a set of waterfalls, that was pretty breathtaking.
The plot was a bit slow in the middle. There was one big hitch that didn't sit well with me, and that was Crockett and Isabella being so open with their fling. For God's sake, they're grinding on the floor of her husband's club? At first I thought it was part of some big scheme on Crockett's part, but it didn't go that route. Instead, they're caught dancing on camera and later outed, leading to her exile. It wasn't something two smart, savvy characters would've done. That was the only plot point I had an issue with. Well, that and Crockett suddenly producing a grenade in the meet and greet... did he pull that out of HIS ass or Tubbs'?! But moving on...there's a great payoff at the end. Anyone that got a kick out of the downtown LA gunbattle in Heat should be pretty happy with this finale. Good sound design, and great choreography.
The casting was where this movie really faltered. Gong Li's Isabella was a disappointment. Her chemistry with Farrell's Crockett is almost non-existent. Part of it is his lack of presence... most of it was her delivery. She is supposedly an ice-cold businesswoman straddling the worlds of drugs and murder between Miami, Geneva, Havana and Columbia, but her enunciation of English and Spanish is horrible, and her discomfort when delivering lines is obvious. After being unable to convince myself she belonged in this story, I wondered what the point was for her character to be Chinese-Cuban (which is never explained, btw). Too bad, I would've liked to see an Asian actor with her talent outside the world of concubines, red lanterns and geishas. They should've spent more on a dialogue coach for her. Foxx was great, Harris was great, Rodriguez was sexy and badass to boot (man, that trailer park scene was outstanding). Farrell was just kinda there, needing a haircut and a tweeze job. But hey, Colin, Tigerland was good.
I end it with thanks to John Ortiz, who plays Yero, the guy that has it out for our dynamic duo from Miami-Dade. Within a couple minutes, I realized he was the druggie with the itch in his undies from "Narc," a part that made me laugh, feel sad, then laugh again. His performance here is subtle, authentic, menacing, and his screen presence is on par with, if not beyond, Foxx's. I really hope to see more of him in future films.
Lady in the Water (2006)
Dear Mr. M. Knight, stick to the Amex commercials...
he should be put in director jail and the key thrown away for many reasons, not the least of which is how much screen time he gave himself. directors giving themselves bit parts is a fun game, great for trivia and whatnot, but please, don't go The Way of Quentin.
i'm of Korean heritage, and the supposed myth upon which this plot is based comes entirely from the memories of a Korean-American woman, and translated by her Americanized daughter with a bad, bad accent. i suppose m. knight thought giving her wild hairstyles would be enough to counter the "good Asian girl" stereotype. i wondered where the decision to use the Korean culture came from. maybe he just figured he needed some mysticism, and dipped into whatever culture was handy at the moment. hey, m. knight -- words like "scrunt" and "narf" don't translate phonetically into English; they'd each have three syllables. being a minority yourself, i thought you'd be more sensitive to details like this.
bad stereotypes aside, the premise of a ghostly, Oppie-like Waterworld reject living in the community pool trying to save mankind is retarded. and hey, if she can see the future, what the hell is she crying about? what's weirder than that though, is how readily the building tenants accept all this nonsense, and how much they try to help instead of calling the Loony Police on Giamatti and Howard's characters. having characters that don't question reality alienates the audience, those of us that pay egregious sums of money for good entertainment. that's why Toni Collette's character was awesome in The Sixth Sense: she was freaked out that her son might be insane. so when Paul Giamatti wakes up in his bed and finds what appears to be a pre-pubescent, half-naked teen staring at him, he should freak out and say, "What the f*** are you doing here and who the f*** are you??!", not "Okay, you can stay a while and why aren't I stuttering?" unbelievable characters, boring and unlikely dialogue, highly questionable mythologies of supposedly Asian origin, and the Standard M. Knight Whirlwind of Act Three Revelations To Wrap Up This Cockamamie Plot, are all reasons why you should not see this movie.
so M., please, go directly to Director Jail and turn yourself in. say hello to Antoine Fuqua and Justin Lin for me. maybe if you don't shiv anyone they'll let you do another Amex spot.