64 posts tagged “theatrical review”
Released: April 11, 2008
Director: David Ayer
*****
"Street Kings" asks the audience to define corruption. Is a cop who
goes outside the system to bring criminals to justice corrupt? How
about a police department full of officers who watch each other´s backs
in an off-the-books investigation when one of their own is killed? Is a
commander protecting his subordinates when they get out line
corruption? These are the questions the film poses to the audience and
asks us to navigate as the characters work their way through a web of
deceit and, yes, corruption.
*****
Street Kings Review
Released: March 28, 2008
Director: Robert Luketic
*****
Card counting is not illegal. That point is made several times, quite
pointedly. So when Ben eventually gets found out (please, it´s not a
spoiler…anyone who´s seen a movie knows it´s going to happen) and
subsequently gets beaten up, a thought ran through my head: how is this
legal? It can´t be, quite simply. A law suit would boil down to "he
said, she said" most likely and bring undue media attention to the
participants; as the movie tells us, though, it´s not illegal
to count cards. Holding someone against their will, not to mention
beating them up, has to be. It´s really the one false note in the film.
*****
21 Full Review
Released: March 18, 2008
Directors: Jimmy Hayward, Steve Martino
*****
On the surface, "Dr. Seuss´ Horton Hears a Who!" is a fun, decently
paced animated adventure based on a 1954 book. Dig deeper, as some
groups and critics have, and a whole new side to the story comes to
light: the oft-repeated "a person´s a person, no matter how small"
seems to suggest an anti-abortion approach by the good "doctor," not to
mention a more ethical debate about standing up for the little guy.
Seuss´ widow, Audrey, has maintained there was no political motive in
creating the story, just the desire to create an entertaining read.
There is one inalienable conclusion, regardless of the story, when it
comes to Dr. Seuss on the big screen: stay away.
*****
Horton Hears a Who! Full Review
Released: March 7, 2008
Director: Roland Emmerich
*****
I can´t quite decide if "10,000 B.C." is a rich man´s "Pathfinder" or a
poor man´s "300." Or maybe an ancient version of "The Lost World:
Jurassic Park." How about an even older "Dances with Wolves"…only
except wolves, woolly mammoths and saber tooth tigers roam the
countryside. Whichever previous film director/co-writer Roland
Emmerich´s latest takes its cues from, it still ends up being as
tediously boring as the name suggests.
*****
10,000 B.C. Full Review
Released: February 22, 2008
Director: Pete Travis
*****
At a terrorism conference in Spain, the president of the United States
is shot. Television cameras capture the attempted assassination. At a
terrorism conference in Spain, the president of the United States is
shot. A group of assassins put a plot into motion. At a terrorism
conference in Spain, the president of the United States is shot. A
vacationer captures footage on a video camera. At a terrorism
conference in Spain…oh hell, you get the idea.
*****
Vantage Point, the full review
Released: February 14, 2008
Director: Doug Liman
*****
See, nothing much makes sense in "Jumper" and the story doesn´t much mind. It doesn´t mind to explain the teleportation mutation or anything about Roland´s organization…outside of a small mention of jumpers being against god´s plan. That´s where the film should have spent most of its time: exploring the history of jumpers and their pursuers, how the mutation develops and the like. If this is to be a franchise (based on the ending, Fox clearly has designs on making more "Jumper" films), the first installment has to explain the universe, bring the audience into it and deliver a standalone story.
*****
Jumper, the full review
Released: January 18, 2008
Director: Anne Fletcher
*****
When a movie comes along in a tired genre, say the romantic comedy for
instance, it´s too much to expect the story to bring us something new.
After all, according to convention, we know how the main character,
usually a heroine, is going to end up with the right guy for her. We
know him from all the other males by excessive screen time and an
adversarial relationship with the heroine. They find their way towards
one another through the film; some sort of manufactured drama comes
between them before the eventual happy ending. Almost without fail,
this is how romantic comedies run. Shockingly, "27 Dresses" doesn´t
deviate from the formula, yet feels fresh, thanks mostly to Katherine
Heigl and James Marsden.
*****
Read the full review of 27 Dresses.
Released: February 2, 2008
Directors: David Moreau, Xavier Palud
*****
Here are some words I never thought I´d utter about "The Eye," a remake
of a Hong Kong film in the same vein as "The Grudge" and "The Ring":
it´s not half bad. I mean, there´s nothing in this Jessica Alba
thriller which is going to reinvent the genre, breathe new life into it
or get it an Oscar nomination. But it´s never offensive to the
intelligence nor is it as gleefully gory as the "Saw" series.
*****
Released: January 25, 2008
Director: Gregory Hoblit
*****
"Untraceable" feels half baked, a good idea buried in 30 minutes of filler story material. Diane Lane and the rest of the cast do as good a job as they can be expected to do, considering the holes in the story. She presents herself as a take charge woman unafraid of battling anyone over any issue. In the tender moments with her daughter (of which there are too few), she manages to balance intensity with genuine love. The directing isn´t even a problem, though if we had to see another aerial view of Portland, I was going to scream. One is enough for any movie, but we have at least two, if not three. Long, nearly nauseating looks at downtown Portland, seemingly downtrodden and broken.
The full review: Untraceable.
Released: January 18, 2008
Director: Matt Reeves
*****
With a viral marketing campaign hot on the heels of "Snakes on a Plane," the movie formerly known only as "1-18-08" sent internet fan boys into a tizzy. Websites, clues, checking background details in the promotional footage…an independent observer would have thought these people were nuts. But it is easy to understand the obsession: produced by "LOST" guru J.J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard of the same program, there was a possibility the amateur-looking trailers were merely a tantalizing glimpse at something more than an American "Godzilla." Sadly, it doesn´t even live up to that low bar.
*****
The entire review: Cloverfield
