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Reviews
Extract (2009)
Sometimes, Life Just Sucks
Jason Bateman is a great actor, perfectly able to capture the "every-man" feel and a bumbling lack of self-confidence. Mike Judge is a great writer and director, best known for capturing the aspects of life that might be considered awkward, quirky, and thoroughly realistic. They seem like the perfect people to work together. But, as has been very common recently, the combination of two seemingly perfect-for-each-other talents does not elicit the fireworks I expected. There are sparks, but only occasionally; "Extract" has a solid set-up, a supporting cast of heavy-hitters (especially "Saturday Night Live"'s newest MVP, Kristen Wiig, and the always-wonderful J.K. Simmons), and characters that we like...but, ultimately, it is spinning its wheels for much of its runtime. When it focuses on one particular plot, "Extract" achieves almost everything that it sets out to, but it spends much of its time meandering around various subplots that never pan out.
Avatar (2009)
Visit Their World...Join Their Adventure
In 1997, James Cameron fascinated audiences with "Titanic", his blockbuster epic that went on to sweep the Academy Awards. Now, so many years later, he returns and brings with him a film of such hype and magnitude that it is almost incomprehensible. Being that it is a standalone film with no already-popular franchise to boost its support, "Avatar" earned its early buzz for...well, I suppose, being a real pain in James Cameron's butt to get made. Having had the idea for years, Cameron felt that only now was the technology sufficient enough to capture his specific vision; made for a massive budget (with some rumors placing it at approximately $300 million) and strategically marketed using hugely-popular sneak peeks, "Avatar" is finally out for mass consumption. One might think that such early hype could only lead to disappointment...but I simply can't imagine anyone being disappointed with this final product, no matter how high their expectations were.
Read My Full Review Here: www.thechrisclarkblog.blogspot.com
All About Steve (2009)
A Speed Bump For Bullock And Cooper
2009 has been a great year for both Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper. For the first time since 2000, Bullock has been nominated for a Golden Globe award...wait, two Golden Globes for two hugely-successful films ("The Proposal" and "The Blind Side" have each grossed over $150 million domestically). Cooper made the leap into leading man territory with his starring role in the mega-hit comedy, "The Hangover" (which grossed a staggering $277 million domestically). "All About Steve" has these two stars uniting their talent and box-office pull together for what should have been a sure-fire hit. But, in a rather shocking turn of events, "All About Steve" flopped with both critics and audiences, garnering only $33 million domestically and earning the following remark from one critic: "One of the leading candidates for worst film of 2009." The good news for Bullock and Cooper is that that critic was wrong; "All About Steve" is not even close to one of the worst films of the year. The bad news is that it isn't all that good either.
Read My Full Review Here: www.thechrisclarkblog.blogspot.com
Cabin Fever (2002)
Tales From The Horror Genre #3
Just as I am impressed when a film transcends a problematic low-budget and becomes an effective piece of cinema, I am dismayed when a good film is hindered, however slightly, by such a budget. "Cabin Fever" is Eli Roth's loving nod to the horror genre; Roth, a well-spoken man whose defense of this genre on Fox News is perhaps the best I've ever heard, loves films and understands a fact that many are resistant to admit: there are few ideas that have not already been done to death, especially in horror. Rather than attempt (and, no doubt, fail) to reinvent the genre he knows and admires, he is paying homage to it here; connections to such films as "Night of the Living Dead" and "The Evil Dead" are rampant, and Roth uses them with an aura of gratitude rather than thievery. It is unfortunate that such a good film is kept from being great due to the limitations of its decidedly small budget.
Read My Full Review Here: www.thechrisclarkblog.blogspot.com
Black Christmas (2006)
Tales From The Horror Genre #2
I feel almost bad about not giving this film a favorable review
almost. I have these feelings because, when the lead characters begin to die, "Black Christmas" becomes a relatively effective slasher flick. Unfortunately, that comes all too late and lasts for only a short time, with most of the characters being killed off in a twenty minute interval. Certainly, when they do die, they die with enough sprayed blood and creativity to make even the most jaded gore-hound wince, but that cannot make up for the fact that the rest of this film's runtime is dedicated to some of the worst flashbacks in recent memory and a lot of under-developed drama between our soon-to-be victims, as well as a lifeless whodunit that is never entertaining or compelling. The remake of a rather ingenuous little slasher flick of the same name, "Black Christmas" had a large legacy to live up to and, though it might be passable to some, it stumbles in its forefather's shadow.
Taking Woodstock (2009)
All You Need Is Love
There is something profoundly whimsical and yet starkly important about "Taking Woodstock", a film that, despite being set in 1969, is perhaps as relevant to today's society as it was to the time of peace, love, and rock and roll. At its heart, it is a study of the culture of the sixties and of the characters who fought intolerance and violence with music; on the surface, it is a colorful comedy with spot-on comedic timing. Its humor, sometimes loud but usually subdued, is meticulously planned, but seems consistently off the cuff. Oscar winner Ang Lee directs this film with the same careful precision he brought to "Brokeback Mountain" and "Lust, Caution". When he wants a scene to be funny, it is. When he wants one to be dramatic, it is. When he wants one to capture the unexpected beauty of Woodstock, it certainly does. I was not alive when the first Woodstock occurred
but, for the first time in my life, I can honestly say that I wish I could have been there. In fact, after seeing this film, I feel like I was. It captures the very essence of the event.
The Other Man (2008)
A Battle Of The Witless
What do you get when you combine two Oscar nominees, one Golden Globe nominee, an up-and-coming young talent, and the director of the brilliant "Notes on a Scandal"? Apparently, to my intense surprise, you get a lifeless and poorly-crafted thriller...well, a thriller in name only, since there are no thrills and no compelling story to speak of. To call it a disappointment would be one of the year's gravest cinematic understatements. "The Other Man" is not merely disappointing; it is rather a travesty, as we are essentially watching three great actors and one great director flounder in a film that is simply bad in just about every aspect. Starting from the ground floor, the screenplay is spineless and unappealing, attempting to tell a potentially intriguing story in a lazy and clumsily-executed way. It rarely calls for the characters to do anything more than go through the motions and talk about insignificant things for extended periods. When it unveils its two big twists, it does so with a fizzle rather than a bang—an arduous, painful fizzle.
The Hangover (2009)
A Day In Vegas To Remember
I love Las Vegas. For an entertainment buff like me, a city designed specifically to entertain its millions of tourists is my own personal heaven. I never experienced Vegas as the characters in "The Hangover" did...in other words, I didn't get totally hammered, steal $80,000 from a vicious Chinese gangster, kidnap Mike Tyson's tiger, lose my best friend on the eve of his wedding, or marry a stripper. But, given what I know about the so-called "Sin City," I wouldn't be surprised if it was possible. Like the city that never sleeps, "The Hangover" never ceases to be entertaining. It is funny from the set-up to the conclusion and never has any of those dreaded moments when the comedy dies down. The performances are spot-on, the humor is appropriately raunchy, and the writing is witty. Capturing both the glamorous and low-rent sides of Vegas rather perfectly, "The Hangover" is, without a doubt, one of 2009's funniest and most competently-made comedies.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
The Magic Continues To Mature
I have yet to see a "Harry Potter" film that didn't impress me; that holds true with "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", the most mature of the lot and perhaps the best written. Continuing with the trend begun in "The Goblet of Fire", people will die, Voldemort's army of Death Eaters will make huge strides, and the courage of Harry Potter will be stretched to the limit. The result is another installment that continues to take this nearly perfect film franchise into darker and darker territory. The magical world that was once so whimsical and inviting has become home to unspeakable evils; on screen, this translates to a more realistic and gritty universe, drawing even more relevant comparisons to our own world than the previous installments. Some might be offended by the lack of the glitzy magic tricks that worked so beautifully before; I, however, believe that they would have felt out-of-place here. The magic presented here, more subdued and dramatic, is exactly what "The Half-Blood Prince needs". It is a clear sign of the series' maturation.
Black Christmas (1974)
Tales From The Horror Genre #1
With Christmas season in full swing, it seems appropriate to look back at one of the best holiday-themed horror films of all-time. Beginning with the ring of a telephone and ending with that same ring, a sure sign of the effectiveness of "Black Christmas" is revealed when you reflect back upon how this familiar sound changes over its duration. It starts as harmless background noise and, by the conclusion, becomes an ominous sign of horror lurking just upstairs. Olivia Hussey, Andrea Martin, and Margot Kidder star as sorority sisters plagued by increasingly threatening phone calls and eventually a mysterious and brutal killer. Though the film is utterly simple and lacks any thorough explanations of the killer's identity or motive, it is surprisingly effective in how it takes just a handful of elements and combines them to create an undeniably frightening film. In the end, it doesn't need to unmask the person committing the murders, and for very good reason; what he does is far more horrifying than who he is.
The Cove (2009)
When Evil Doing Comes Like Falling Rain
When will some people learn that the environment and those that inhabit it are not here for our exploitation? I am not referring to the big T-bone you might have just eaten or those chicken fingers you had for lunch; if a shark can eat a fish and it be considered natural then, as fellow animals, so can we. No, I am referring to the murder of approximately 23,000 dolphins and porpoises in Taiji, Japan. Murder is a strong word, but that is exactly what happens in a highly secretive event that occurs from September to March on an annual basis. Just as upsetting is the essential poisoning of great numbers of Japanese people who, unaware that they are being fed intentionally mislabeled dolphin meat, are unknowingly ingesting toxic amounts of mercury. Risking everything to expose these atrocities, filmmaker Louie Psihoyos and his highly-skilled team of diverse experts illegally venture into the forests surrounding the home to the brutal massacre and secretly film what occurs there. Their findings will shock and horrify you
and perhaps they will inspire you to take action.
Julie & Julia (2009)
365 Days, 524 Recipes, and Julia Child
Julia Child redefined American cooking, just as Meryl Streep has redefined acting. Can you imagine a woman well into middle age who takes up cooking as a hobby and turns her talent into an unmatched art? How about a woman well into middle age who is still a financially-viable thespian with more Oscar nominations than any of her male counterparts? As you can see, Julia Child and Meryl Streep have a lot more in common than you would originally suspect. Thus, it seems natural that Streep should be the one to bring such a culinary icon to life; of course, it is my belief that Streep could and should bring every character to life at least once, including the likes of James Bond and Edward Cullen. She is just that good. Unsurprisingly, she mesmerizes as this colorful character, clenching at least an Oscar nomination and thrusting herself into the lead for the big prize. The same cannot be said for Amy Adams, unfortunately, who does everything she can with Julie Powell, a character that just isn't as fascinating as someone as brilliant as Julia Child. It really isn't the fault of Adams, a very talented actress.
Public Enemies (2009)
America's Most Mediocre
With Michael Mann directing and a variety of A-list actors starring, "Public Enemies" should have been one of the top contenders for the 2010 Academy Awards, arriving next March. On top of the credentials belonging to the talent in front of and behind the camera, its source material, the last year of notorious bank robber John Dillinger's life, should have been enough to clench a nomination for "Best Picture." Unfortunately, its likelihood of garnering such attention has been diminished by its undeniable mediocrity. Johnny Depp, portraying Dillinger, is very good in this role, and Marion Cotillard simply steals the show as his lover, Billie Frechette; but the rest is flat and surprisingly lifeless. For a film that had the fuel to come out swinging and deliver a showstopper of a gangster drama, it instead limps out with a mild whimper and never gains the momentum necessary to keep us interested and involved. We are left feeling like we are stuck in the doldrums.