April 11, 2010

  • movies i've seen recently...

    Greenberg (2010)  B

    Several dialogue scenes in "Greenberg" have subtle but poignant tells that encompasses the overall theme to this story about how life can be very "directionless," especially when life seems to just pass you by. Co-written and directed by Noah Baumbach, this movie isn't exactly perfect or a traditionally told story, but it was done in a way where it effectively felt like I was a fly on the wall to what the characters on screen were doing or talking about. The movie intimately follows a period of time in the lives of the two primary characters, which are Greta Gerwig as the mid 20's kind but flawed Florence Marr, and Ben Stiller as the 40 years old grumpy somewhat sociopath Roger Greenberg. Kudos to both Gerwig and Stiller, who are really good in these roles. This movie focuses a lot on uneventful events like lunch dates, old friends reuniting, a party, to writing a complaint letter; which may seem slow for some to watch, but these small events are actually pretty huge and important to these character's lives. Well written and artistically directed, "Greenberg" is simply a good film about people and life in general.

    How To Train Your Dragon (2010)  A-

    Based on the Cressida Cowell book of the same name, "How To Train Your Dragon" excels as a very well made animated film. The story is about a viking boy named Hiccup as voice acted by Jay Baruchel, who is a social outcast among his peers, but befriends the exact creatures that his people usually try and kill. Dragons. This is the main charm of the film, Hiccup learns more about and relates to these dragons who are pretty misunderstood creatures (like himself). Hiccup becomes close to one particular dragon that he named "Toothless," which has got to be one of the best animated characters around. Just the way this movie as directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders was able to make Toothless so believable is a huge achievement. Despite the typically predictable plot, and the somewhat forgettable supporting characters, this movie is very enjoyable to watch. From the well paced story, the excellent animation that is able to bring incredible flying sequences on the screen (watch this in 3D if you can), to the simple but effective and heartwarming "boy and his pet" aspect of the film, "How To Train Your Dragon" is a definite must-see.

    Clash Of The Titans (2010)  C-

    Director Louis Leterrier was in charge of this "Clash Of The Titans" remake, and what we got here is an overall very pedestrian film. This has the typical uninspired but serviceable story, the unremarkable but known characters, and the obvious CGI effects. It was as if they wanted to do a high budget "B" movie, as a sort of homage to the original film from 1981. Unlike that film though, this remake lacked any kind of charm to make it really worth watching. They tried to make this feel epic in scope, but I didn't get that at all. The action also wasn't that great either. They tried to add some humor in this, but the comedy fell flat. At one point in the story, they even added a "Chewbacca" type character to the group of adventurers, which I thought was a ridiculous attempt at some fun. Even actors I wanted to see, such as Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Gemma Arterton were all wasted in their poorly written roles. "Clash Of The Titans" may as well have been a TV movie that was playing on the background while you're doing something else. Mildly worth the time to watch.

    Alice In Wonderland (2010)  B-

    I've always been a fan of the original Lewis Carroll tale that "Alice In Wonderland" is adapted from, and at the hands of director Tim Burton, I was expecting something absolutely off-kilter with imaginative imagery. That's what I imagined an Alice In Wonderland movie should be, and the results of this film kinda lived up to that expectation. Many characters and plot turns in this movie are pretty random and nonsensical, which might come off as overbearingly too odd, even though that is the theme and spirit to this direction of the story. Because of that however, this movie is most likely not for everybody to enjoy. Mia Wasikowska as Alice is very good here though, playing a character that acts unsurprised by the bizarre events of the film, because she believes it to be a dream. As the story progresses, she embraces her situation in this world and her character learns a valuable lesson. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter were also fine in this. "Alice In Wonderland" should be seen more like a thrill-ride more than anything, because to try and make sense of this direction will just be a mistake.