Films I Watched - Late June / July, 2006
Submitted by lbangs on Tue, 06/20/2006 - 06:35
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- 6/19 - Brick - The idea sounds like another horrible Hollywood high concept destined to run the rails - attempt another neonoir, but meld it with the trendy teen genre by letting the tangled dark doings go down in a southern California high school. Instead of a Frankenstein monster of mishmashed parts, Rian Johnson's mad scientist genre transplantation proves ingeniously exhilarating. After the shock of the jarring juxtaposition, the world of lockers and classrooms proves the perfect setting for a contemporary crime caper, with its polished upper crust dependent on a shady underworld for its kicks, its multi-tiered social system, and its susceptibility to stylized conventions and fast speech. It is an insightful splicing, and it jazzes this well-written mystery with a zippy juice the direction refuses to let go to waste. The ending will surprise no fan of the genre, and on a rare occasion, the attempt to walk the wire between earnestness, tribute, and humorous takes a perilous dip, but this low budget affair deliciously delivers the goods in a truly wired, wild, and witty way. This is bizarre beast is one of the more elusively delightful and exciting films of the decade. ****
- 7/16 - A Scanner Darkly - In a near future, Richard Linklater breaks with his typical style and subject matter to craft a science fiction movie (!) interpolatedly rotoscoped into a trippy cartoon crawling over the skins of real honest-to-goodness famous actors(!!). Wait, that's no future! It is the here and now, and only a confused and belated attempt at depth and a slightly lackluster plot with twists any fan of the genre will see coming a mile away keep this firmly on the wrong side of masterpiece. Still, the results are engaging, strangely entrancing, and certainly worth a few bucks and a couple of hours.
*** - 7/18 - Wordplay - A Spellbound ripoff, and like most Xeroxs, one a bit fainter and less bold than the original. This one does add some fun celebrity interviews, but the contestants cannot live up to the quirky spelling bee kids, and while this is breezy fun, it ain't moving hearts or minds anywhere. ** 1/2
- 7/21 - A Prairie Home Companion - It won't shock anybody, but like all sub-masterpiece Robert Altman films, this movie is a mess. A few characters are hardly there, a subplot or two misfires, and at least a couple of scenes are meandering and mystifying. Luckily, though, like many family reunions or holiday get-togethers, this is a warm, cozy, inviting mess. It is also one of the most joyful, lively ruminations on death you'll ever encounter. Garrison Keillor does a fine job playing Garrison Keillor, and Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin are nearly as much fun as they were on the Oscars last year. Kevin Kline is a great actor, but he seems to miss the flavor of the film, acting like an actor instead of an organic character Altman films demand, but it is always nice to see L.Q. Jones. The show-stealers, however, are Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly as the bawdy singing cowboy duo. Just as impressive is the look of it all; this is one gorgeous film that demands to be seen on the big screen! In the end, the movie is a meatloaf mishmash, but every bit as smooth and soothing as the best comfort food. ***
- 7/22 - Cars - Pixar knows how to crank these puppies out. Even in this somewhat uninspired feature, the gear teeth all lock into place to make a fun film. Yes, the story, while well-paced, is less than novel or thrilling, the obligatory cute sidekick (Larry the Cable Guy’s huckster tow truck) sucks, and the animation is a little less eye-popping and wow-generating than usual, but this movie is still loads of fun to watch, and Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, and the lovely Bonnie Hunt are a joy to hear. It starts slow with a boring car race, but once the plot kicks in, this family flick proves surprisingly engaging. With the exception of Monsters, Inc., it is the weakest film this studio has cranked out, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the better big-budget extravaganzas of the season so far. *** 1/2
- 7/22 - Superman Returns - The results are in, and this film is the last bit of evidence we need to realize that Bryan Singer should have directed the third X-Men movie. Instead, he did this, an extremely frustrating film that suffers from the same lameass curse that afflicts most first installments of superhero franchises - this movie feels like a huge setup for a sequel without often justifying its own existence. The story continues the standard plot with some great twists - especially the fact that Lois has a son and is engaged to a great guy who is Perry White’s relative - but the central crisis is boring and uninvolving, leaving only the drama generated by the central love triangle to captivate the audience. It does, luckily, but let’s face it - Superman is not the most exciting comic book character around. Routh is okay trying to bring this guy to life, but he can only do so much. This film tries to correct that central flaw, and the seeds planted for the next film are very tempting, but like the first X-Men and Spider-Man movies, this is one big setup, and while it is more entertaining than either of those first parts, it is nowhere near matching either of the second flicks in those franchises. It is a slightly above average first date, mildly keeping one’s attention while promising greater glories down the road. ***
I don't think Kline himself is to blame for what you pointed out. My guess is they intended him to be a "movie character" instead of a realistic character. I mean, c'mon, his name is Guy Noir. I'm not too familiar with Garrison Keillor's work but I think I heard they combined two of Keillor's programs to make the film, taking Guy Noir out of a noir-parody radio show and making him the security guard for the Prairie Home Companion show, which would explain why his character seems out of place, and my guess is that the filmmakers intended his character to be a different style than the country/western singer scenes. Which is an idea you may not like anyway, but I don't think it was Kline's fault.
You may be correct, but yes, I felt the acting style clashed with the rest of the film. I love Kline, but this was not his chance to shine...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Very happy to see these reviews you'd only mentioned tangentially elsewhere! Finding them was one of the nicer things about returning from vacation.
You've had an interesting mix of nearly very good movies since loving Brick. I'm very happy you liked Cars, as I was wondering if that one would grab you or not. How do you rank the Pixar movies? My latest thinking is:
What a remarkable run.
I was thinking about this too, but I was indecisive as usual. I think the best of Pixar is represented by the Toy Story movies and Finding Nemo, but to rank those three, I'd probably have to watch the Toy Story movies again. I'm sure I'd probably pick up on more stuff now; I bet some of the jokes that were more for adults probably went over my head when I was 8 or 12. I think A Bug's Life is my least favorite of the lot (sorry, lbangs). I haven't seen Monsters Inc., and I would put The Incredibles and Cars, both great films, in the middle. When I first saw Cars, I thought it was better than The Incredibles, but I've started to have doubts. Still, while I liked The Incredibles a hell of a lot, I can't say I liked it as much as you (or some other people).
The big question is, whatcha waitin' for on Monsters, Inc.?
Toy Story was at the top of my Pixar heap for the longest time, but a bunch of rewatches later The Incredibles hasn't gotten old at all. That may be because I don't have as many rewatches for that one under my belt yet. It always interests me how rewatches (esp. numerous ones) affect my personal rankings. The Iron Giant, for example, started high, has been inching up my animated movie ladder for years, and is now the top rung holder.
I never saw Monsters Inc. in theaters because a friend of mine told me he thought it was very kiddie, lacking the jokes that both adults and kids would enjoy. By now I see its popularity has certainly held up in the past five years. I might check it out at some point, but I feel like there are other movies higher on my priority list.
You're forgiven.
:)
It is a lonely road I walk...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Is it the only one that you have ever known?
You know what time it is...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs (always ready with a Newsradio quote...)
I'm glad you noticed the reviews! I'm trying to get back into the swing of things...
Brick was wonderful.
My Pixar rankings? Hmmm. Something like this, I reckon...
1) A Bug's Life
2) Toy Story 2
3) Toy Story
4) Finding Nemo
5) The Incredibles
6) Cars
7) Monsters, Inc.
With the flat-out WOW! cutoff being after number five. On any given day, four and five might switch places in my mind...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I certainly hope we see more of you (and me, for that matter)!
I can't believe we don't match at any slot! Cool, though.
My flat-out WOW! cutoff goes after #4, but I love 'em all (it's just conditional love for those bottom three).
I hope to see both of us round here more often as well!
I note we both tend to shuffle Cars and Monster, Inc. toward the bottom though. Many people on other sites have let me know in subtle ways (*cough*) that Monsters, Inc. rank with their favorites. :)
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs