November 13, 2008

  • Movies I've seen recently...


    Recount (2008)  A-

    I never would have guessed that a movie about counting votes would be so entertaining to watch, but that's exactly what "Recount" is. The movie chronicles the voting fiasco of the state of Florida on the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, and although we already know that George W. Bush became the 43rd U.S. President, it's incredibly fascinating seeing how close the race actually was. The decisions, strategies, mistakes, and overall tenacity as shown in this film by both the democratic and republican parties demonstrates what politics is all about, and this case will go down in history as one of the most significant. Director Jay Roach and writer Danny Strong have filmed one of the best movies about politics and it's made even better by the great cast, from Kevin Spacey, Tom Wilkinson, Laura Dern, Bob Balaban, Denis Leary, Ed Begley Jr., Bruce McGill, and so many others.


    W. (2008)  C+

    I gotta say that "W." is not one of director Oliver Stone's best work, and it's partly because of the haphazard pacing of the film. The movie jumps around a little too much between the younger George W. Bush, him already as the 43rd U.S. President, and the dream sequences, that it was a little bit of a memory overload keeping up with the narrative. The main reason to watch this film though is to see Josh Brolin in a very strong and successful role as George W. Bush, and he deserves all the accolades he should get for his work in this movie. Interesting and fascinating to watch, but by the end of the film, I couldn't help but feel unfulfilled by what I've seen on screen.


    Eagle Eye (2008)  B-

    As a modern science fiction action thriller, director D.J. Caruso's "Eagle Eye" works pretty well. While the concept of a "big brother" that can see and hear everything you do isn't the most original around, there is a slight twist to the premise that keeps things interesting. The last third of the movie did require quite a bit of suspension of disbelief though, but it should still keep you intrigued enough to see how it leads to the eventual expected conclusion. Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan as the protagonists were both great in this, as well as Billy Bob Thornton who is the guy in charge of capturing them. "Eagle Eye" may not be a classic by any means, but I thought that it was still a fun film to watch.