Movies I’ve recently seen…
Youth in Revolt (2010) B-
I was very unsure at how enjoyable “Youth In Revolt” was going to be, just based on the very lackluster and awkward beginning scenes to this movie that’s based on the novel by C.D. Payne. I was ready to write it off as uninteresting and not entertaining, but thankfully director Miguel Arteta and screen play writer Gustin Nash was able to make the film progressively get better, as situations in the movie becomes crazier and crazier. The story really kicks into gear once Michael Cera‘s character Nick Twisp creates his alter persona Francois Dillinger, all in the hope that he can get the girl that he wants; Sheeni Saunders as played by Portia Doubleday. From that point on, the comedy starts working with all the outrageous moments this movie starts throwing at us, as well as all the different funny characters that we are introduced to. While there were many moments that completely defied logic, I was completely on board to see how it all plays out to the end. “Youth in Revolt” isn’t really a comedy for everybody, but I did enjoy it enough to recommend checking the movie out.
The Lovely Bones (2009) C+
Based on the Alice Sebold novel of the same name, “The Lovely Bones” is a drama about Susie Salmon, a teenage girl who is murdered by someone in her neighborhood, and then as a spirit in the after life proceeds to watch her family grieve. Balancing this dark story with the fantasy can’t be an easy task to do, and unfortunately I felt that director Peter Jackson wasn’t exactly up to that challenge. Although I admit that the last third of the movie wasn’t that bad at all, the rest of it were simply all over the place in tone, pacing, and writing. There were many moments and directing choices that were very questionable, like adding unnecessary comedy relief or simple general plot holes. The fantasy aspect of Susie’s “personal heaven” also tried to be this visual tour de force of amazement, but I really thought it wasn’t. Fortunately Saoirse Ronan as Susie and Stanley Tucci as her killer were both excellent actors in this, and definitely warrants some attention. “The Lovely Bones” may have a very fascinating story to tell, but this movie definitely needs another treatment to be better than what it turned out to be.
Sherlock Holmes (2009) B+
For a lot of people, this particular movie incarnation of the classic Arthur Conan Doyle character “Sherlock Holmes,” is going to feel and look…. different. The combination of director Guy Ritchie, American actor Robert Downey Jr as the title character, and Jude Law as Dr.Watson, isn’t exactly what many fans of Sherlock Holmes expect. This particular version brings to light Holmes’ more eccentric nature and his fighting prowess, as opposed to just focusing on his detective skills (which this movie brilliantly demonstrates as well). While people may complain that the directing style for this Sherlock Holmes film can be too excessive at times, I personally found it to be quite fun to watch. Robert Downey Jr’s performance alone is worth the price of admission to see this movie, his “bromance” on-screen chemistry with Watson is very entertaining to see, and the addition of Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler works really well. The mystery itself and the villain of the story however weren’t as interesting as they probably should have been, but it still worked well enough. Despite some few flaws, Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes” was good enough for me to hope for several more sequels to this film.
Red Cliff – U.S. edit (2009) B+
If there’s only one reason to watch “Red Cliff” as directed by John Woo, it’s to see the beautiful battle sequences in this epic Chinese tale. Based on the “Three Kingdom” story of ancient China, it actually assumes the viewer has some knowledge of the tale, as there are many plot and character elements that aren’t completely explained in the film. Although that might be a problem to some, I thought the story and characters were self-explanatory enough in the movie’s context that it really isn’t that much of an issue. The movie itself mostly consists of excellent scenes where plans and steps are made to try and out smart the opposing army. With an excellent direction by John Woo, and an asian cast that includes Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang, etc, this epic war movie has high quality written all over it. I thought Tony Leung in particular was excellent in his role as Zhou Yu, the very formidable and respected military strategist. “Red Cliff” was originally released as a two parter in Asia, but watching the U.S. edit that combines both movies together seems to have worked well enough for me, even if it did remove a lot of content to meet a 2 1/2 hours time limit.
The Karate Kid Collection
part One (1984) A-
part Two (1986) A-
part Three (1989) B-
The Next Karate Kid (1994) C-
Rewatching all four Karate Kid movies, I’m reminded by how much I love this franchise. The character of Mr. Miyagi as played by Pat Morita, plus the trials and tribulations of Daniel Larusso as played by Ralph Macchio are simply modern legends in cinema. It’s the classic tale of a teenager feeling alone in a place where he doesn’t belong, who meets a wise old man that helps him become a better person and helps finds his place in life, while in the process try to be with the girl he loves, all while learning the art of Karate. That plot formula is very enjoyable to watch, but of course I’m referring to the first two movies, which I love very much. The third film in particular isn’t that bad of an addition to the overall franchise, however the story for that one was just so… dark in theme, that it becomes too far a departure from the light hearted charm of the previous installments. Then there’s the introduction of Julie Pierce; played by Hilary Swank, as the “next” Karate Kid that Mr.Miyagi mentors, which tries to bring back the charm of the original, but fails at doing so, making this fourth installment completely unnecessary. Overall though, The Karate Kid story; in particular the first two movies, will definitely live on as must-sees.
