Movie Reviews

When one thinks of Guy Ritchie, several stylish embellishments come to mind, particularly Madonna, witty Londoner dialogue, frenetic camera movement, and an eclectic choice of modern and classic rock oddities blaring on the soundtrack. Ritchie got his start with the cult hit Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels back in the late 90's and solidified the "Guy Ritchie" style in 2000 with the star-studded Snatch. Many could argue that these films were almost twins, as the hallmarks of Ritchie's work were exhibited loud and proud in both. 2008's RockNRolla wasn't much different, proving that Guy still had the slick Richie sheen, even after a torrid marriage with a pop star, kids and a really lame romantic comedy starring his at-the-time wife.

But Guy Ritchie's first post-divorce film seems to shed nearly all the shortcomings of his previous work. Sherlock Holmes, while quick-witted, fast paced and slathered with occasionally hyperdynamic cinematography, doesn't fall into the traps of the "Guy Ritchie formula". Of course, one could argue that the subject matter itself, that of a scholarly-yet-misanthropic detective and his well-groomed, stately sidekick solving crimes in Ye Olde London could easily counteract Ritchie's pubescent action boner storytelling methods.

The script is top notch, featuring an engagingly wild premise that follows a black magic Illuminati member being resurrected from the dead, hell-bent on taking over the government of not only Britain, but the United States as well. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson are drawn as younger, hipper versions of their former selves, with Holmes being a pompously likable loose canon genius with a penchant for bare-knuckle boxing, and Watson being the dashing, dapper, straight man doctor with a soft spot for his colleague and roommate. Their living situation adds humor to the mix, portraying them as a bickering odd couple rather than stodgy dicks of Scotland Yard. There's also Irene Adler, an old flame of Holmes' who just so happens to be a master thief, the pseudo-bumbling Inspector Lastrade, who tolerates Holmes' infractions only because the job gets done, and Lord Blackwood, the mysterious statesman who returns from the grave.

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After nearly 15 years of waiting, Avatar has finally hit the screen. Was it worth it?

Mostly, yes. If you look at it from the point of view that the film has been in development for that long, it may tarnish the accomplishments of Cameron and company a bit, but taken out of context, Avatar is an impressive achievement.

For the first time, I was sucked into another world. The effect was so convincing that I never doubted Pandora existed. I saw the Comic-Con footage, and wasn't that impressed, but that was probably because I was only seeing snippets of the film on a sub-standard screen that wasn't designed for optimal 3-D viewing. in IMAX 3-D, the effects are perhaps the most convincing committed to film thus far.

While the Na'vi characters are still clearly CGI, they move and express emotion so well that you forget you're watching something that is entirely fabricated through circuitry. Zoe Saldana puts forth an excellent performance as Neytiri, the main love interest, and that transitions well to the animated character. Without the technical mastery Cameron and WETA have put forth here, Neytiri's emotions would not sell nearly as well.

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Clint Eastwood's Invictus tells the story of Nelson Mandela's attempt to unite apartheid-torn South Africa by having the national rugby team, the Springboks, win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Morgan Freeman stars as Nelson Mandela, and his intense preparation gives us a nearly perfect rendering of the man on celluloid. Matt Damon plays Rugby Captain Francois Pienaar, who is tasked with carrying out Mandela's challenge.

The film is a rather by-the-numbers inspirational sports movie, but instead of a personal or team victory hanging in the balance, it is the future of a nation. Mandela realizes that the all-white Springboks, who are hated by the blacks of South Africa to the point where the crowds cheer for opponents, are the key to bringing the segregated nation together. This makes for an interesting premise, and rightly so, due to the fact that it's a true story, but it doesn't make for the most riveting of sports dramas.

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Up in the Air is a rather unique film. Part romantic comedy, part witty social commentary, part coming-of-age drama, it manages to tell a compellingly original story for three quarters of its runtime, only to get a little generic at the end.

George Clooney stars as the white-collared Ryan Bingham, whose job is to basically fly from city to city just to lay people off. Normally, such a character wouldn't be so charismatic, but you've got to remember, this is Clooney. And it's the writing too. The filmmakers manage to portray Bingham in a way that allows the character to do some pretty crappy things in ways that actually endear him to the audience.

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After a lovely Thanksgiving dinner, doesn't it sound nice to go to the cineplex and see a film starring a bunch of Academy Award-winning actors? Yeah, sounds great!

The Road, however, is the exact opposite of the warmth that is Thanksgiving. Unless you're a cannibal.

If you've seen a trailer for The Road, you know how bleak it looks. It does not disappoint in that regard.  And with that bleakness comes something the advertisements don't tell you- this dark future is populated by human flesh-hungry predators. No, we're not talking about the mutated CGI monsters from I Am Legend, we're talking about normal human beings. Well, normal except for the fact that they hunt and devour other humans.

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Three years from now, we're screwed. The world will tear itself apart because of a solar flare causing a polar shift and yada yada yada we should have known because the Mayans have been warning us forever. That's the idea behind 2012, Roland Emmerich's latest pyrotechnics display. Watching the film, it would seem we don't have to wait until 2012 to get screwed: paying to see Emmerich's new movie can be done today.

The plot is simple: several groups of people claw their ways out of crumbling cities to survive the mass destruction and make their way to what is basically Noah's Ark for the 21st century. Among our survivors is John Cusack, a failed novelist who moonlights as a limo driver in LA, who must get his estranged family to safety, and manages to do so while constantly looking like one of the Reservoir Dogs in his black suit with a skinny tie. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a government scientist who discovers the oncoming disaster and warns President Danny Glover, while trying to evade Oliver Platt, who is only interested in saving wealthy people. Woody Harrelson is also sprinkled in there as the wily conspiracy theorist radio DJ, because Roland Emmerich loves to stick to formula.

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Let me start this review by saying I love Donnie Darko. More specifically I love the theatrical cut of Donnie Darko. I was unpleasantly surprised to find that not only did Richard Kelly excise my favorite song on the soundtrack (Echo and the Bunnymen's Killing Moon) from the director's cut of the film, but the added scenes and pages from the time travel book actually over-explained what was happening and removed the element that I was so fond of- being able to apply your own philosophy to the ending. In short, too much Richard Kelly made the movie worse.

Then we have Southland Tales, Kelly's follow up to Darko, a movie which is an absolute train wreck by all standards. It's got an interesting cast, a compelling premise (if you can even figure out what it is amongst the sprawling, unfocused mishmash), and some great moments, but it never adds up to much. Definitely way too much Kelly in there. But, as that was his second outing, and just about every filmmaker is subjected to what has become known as "the sophomore slump", a general phenomenon whereby promising young filmmakers with one fantastic feature under their belts get too high on their horses and produce a steaming turd as a result, it was only fair to give The Box a solid chance.

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Every once in a while, Hollywood gets a boner for zombies. And why shouldn't they? Zombies rule. Everyone loves zombies, right? I know I do. But I also know that most zombie movies are total crap. 1980's rip-offs of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead were lame enough, but this decade unleashed the digital revolution on us, and we've had to suffer through absolute dreck like Days of Darkness, Deadlands: The Rising (not the video game!), and Automaton Transfusion. After saturating my brain with such hopelessly empty and inept films as those, I was concerned about the future of the zombie film. So, it was with great trepidation that I stumbled into a preview screening of Ruben Fleischer's Zombieland. Turns out, I was rewarded with one of the funniest Zom-Coms ever made.

Zombieland focuses on four survivors of the zombie apocalypse as they trek through the continental American wasteland, their destination: a Los Angeles amusement park that is rumored to be infection-free. We're first introduced to Jesse Eisenberg's character, a squirrely virgin nerd with irritable bowel syndrome who has managed to survive because of his skittish nature and play-it-safe rules. He's on his way to Columbus, Ohio to see if his family has survived.

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The only thing more predictable than The Ugly Truth is the fact that Katherine Heigl will return next season on Grey's Anatomy.

This is a romantic comedy that is neither funny nor romantic. Instead, it focuses on the totally original concept that - gasp! - opposite attract! Please. Paula Abdul taught us that years ago.

The plot is basic: Abby (Heigl) produces a morning show; Mike (Gerard Butler) is the star of it, a seemingly chauvinistic man that promises he can show Abby how to land a guy.

How so? By showing her the "ugly truth" behind the dating world, of course. As you'd expect the characters wind up in an escalating series of preposterous events and situations. They aren't remotely believable as real individuals.

Are the hinjinks occasionally amusing? Yes. But no more so than the average sitcom. And that doesn't cost $10 to watch.

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Upon first glance Humpday would appear to have a lot in common with Zack and Miri Make a Porno.

That is, the film would seem to be nothing but an attempt to shock. After all, it's premise that a pair of straight friends take a dare and make a gay porno... together.

But the comedy aims higher; it's not just about making viewers squirm (though that's certainly accomplished, as well), as stars Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard make a statement about friendship and male bonding with their performances.

This turns out to be one of the observant and intelligent movies ever about relationships between men that we've ever seen.

It's ironic that the movie opens opposite Bruno, as the films tackle a similar subject. Naturally, Bruno has received a lot more publicity, but Humpday is a far more impressive effort. It's funny and sweet, while also being rather offensive. A great combo all around.

Overall, Humpday uses it seemingly ridiculous premise for maximum comic discomfort. Trust us: this approach will have audiences unable to look away... unless viewers are doubled over in laughter.