November 18, 2009

• Most recent movies I've seen...

  
  2012  (2009)  C+

  It's been said that "2012" is just a noisy disaster flick that's all flash and no substance. I can't fault that statement, because in many ways it's true. Director / co-writer Roland Emmerich isn't exactly known for his ability to tell subtle character based dramas, as we look at him for his big summer movie extravaganzas. "2012" is no different. Sure it has plot holes that question the logic of how this world is going to experience this foretold catastrophic disaster. Yes it relies on movie cliches and coincidences, like our protagonists being able to out run an earthquake, or the obligatory "dog survives disastrous fate" angle. I definitely could have lived without the last moments of crisis in the final act (long movie). THE only reason you should go see this movie is if you want to see spectacular visuals of huge catastrophes like the city of Los Angeles collapsing into the pacific ocean. You keep all these in mind, and you should have a blast enjoying this disaster flick, flaws and all. I did find the more somber moments when the movie shows loved ones saying their good byes to each other, knowing that they will most likely perish, to be very effective scenes. While "2012" isn't exactly a movie that is technically considered a great quality film, I still have to give it props for being a great entertaining film.

  
  The Box  (2009)  B

  The thing that I really enjoyed about "The Box" is that despite all the weird things that director / co-writer Richard Kelly shows us, the main thing is that this is primarily a solid morality tale. As a story based on the Twilight zone episode "button, button," it still has the primary query as to if you are willing to allow somebody you do not know to die, if it means that you will receive a large monetary reward. Kelly takes this concept much further than I expected (definitely much further), and ended up making a very compelling film, that raises a ton of new questions that you will probably be wondering about after you see the film. Some can argue that the mysteries in the movie can be frustrating to watch, because some characters do certain things that seemingly seem out of the blue, and some events that defy explanation just happen... just because. The three primary actors, Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, and Frank Langella are also very good in this, and well worth watching this movie for. "The Box" is overall a solid good movie, but the way the story is told and directed by Richard Kelly may not necessarily be for everyone.

  
  A Christmas Carol  (2009)  B-

  Once again with Disney's "A Christmas Carol," director / co-writer Robert Zemeckis is continuing to do another fully CGI-animated film, with the actors being motion captured into their characters. It's been argued time and time again that there's just something unnatural about the way Zemeckis' character designs look (particularly the eyes), and this movie continues that problem. The animated look is sort of like a pseudo-realistic, yet clearly cartoony in nature that it can be off-putting enough to possibly distract from the overall experience of the movie. Thankfully the main character of Ebenezer Scrooge; excellently voice acted by Jim Carrey, was given the most attention in production, as his portrayal completely comes to life here. This adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic is more or less faithful; bar some added action adventure sequences, with all the pathos carried over well to the audience. Any critic to the story, is pretty much criticizing Dickens. That's the main strength of this movie, the story. It's a classic, through and through, and Disney's "A Christmas Carol" is just another entertaining adaptation of it. At least see this for the 3D movie experience.

  
  Paranormal Activity  (2009)  B

  A movie like "Paranormal Activity" relies a lot on the viewer having a good imagination and who also believes in ghosts. If you do not fall into that category, then I'm not sure if this movie is going to be that scary at all. However the one thing that I don't think can be denied is that this is a very creepy film. The subject matter of a house being haunted, and then actually having footage showing the odd things that happen when the characters are sleeping at night is quite unnerving. Director/Writer Oren Peli does a great job of making everyday things be scary. A bedroom door left open. Bumps in the night. Unknown shadows. All that and more are taken advantage of here in trying to scare you. This movie honestly does not have a lot of jump at you moments, but the feeling of dread of not knowing what's going to happen at any given moment is the strength of what can make this frightening to watch. The downside here is that the characters are just stupid. If there is physical evidence of a haunting, I would get the hell out of that house. Also, the characters need to understand that when you hear a loud bump in the night, you really should turn on all the lights, and should just drop the camera and at least carry a weapon of some kind if you are going to investigate it. Either than those glaring flaws, I thought "Paranormal Activity" deserves to be a new horror classic.

  • 9:02 pm
  • 2 Comments