Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Dir. Woody Allen (2008)
Menage-a-trois of artsy fartsy Bohemian types.
Woody Allen riffs on material Pedro Almodovar covered long ago.
Dialogue is over-written even by Allen's standards. Feels forced and fakey.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Cassandra's Dream
Cassandra's Dream - Dir. Woody Allen (2008)
Desperate for money, 2 brothers commit murder-for-hire.
Strong performances not enough to elevate this maudlin & mediocre morality play.
Poor man's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.
Desperate for money, 2 brothers commit murder-for-hire.
Strong performances not enough to elevate this maudlin & mediocre morality play.
Poor man's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Vantage Point
Vantage Point - Dir. Pete Travis (2008)
Rashomon if it had been remade by a Michael Bay knockoff (McG, Simon West, I'm looking at you).
Cliched, derivative script full of stock characters tricked out by a gimmicky premise to fool you into believing you were watching something substantial.
Rashomon if it had been remade by a Michael Bay knockoff (McG, Simon West, I'm looking at you).
Cliched, derivative script full of stock characters tricked out by a gimmicky premise to fool you into believing you were watching something substantial.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Never Back Down
Never Back Down - Dir. Jeff Wadlow (2008)
Easy contender for worst movie of the year.
Beautiful, vapid people beating the crap out of each other without a mark to show for it.
Preaches non-violence while glorifying hedonism and unfettered brutality.
Easy contender for worst movie of the year.
Beautiful, vapid people beating the crap out of each other without a mark to show for it.
Preaches non-violence while glorifying hedonism and unfettered brutality.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Step Brothers
Step Brothers - Dir. Adam McKay (2008)
Dewey Cox and Ricky Bobby are overgrown man-children.
Joke could have worked as a series of short SNL skits, but lacks the legs for a feature film.
Shorter run time and quicker pace would have made for a passable comedy.
Dewey Cox and Ricky Bobby are overgrown man-children.
Joke could have worked as a series of short SNL skits, but lacks the legs for a feature film.
Shorter run time and quicker pace would have made for a passable comedy.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Tropic Thunder
Tropic Thunder - Dir. Ben Stiller (2008)
"I'm the dude playing the dude disguised as another dude."
Over-the-top parody of Hollywood big-budget filmmaking.
Unrelenting, nearly bordering on obnoxiousness.
Its more extreme gags work, but no cohesive story to tie them together.
"I'm the dude playing the dude disguised as another dude."
Over-the-top parody of Hollywood big-budget filmmaking.
Unrelenting, nearly bordering on obnoxiousness.
Its more extreme gags work, but no cohesive story to tie them together.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - Dir. Rob Cohen (2008)
Unnecessary continuation of an unnecessary franchise.
Laughable F/X and God awful direction from hack-meister Rob Cohen drag an already terrible film down further.
Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh are positively wasted.
Unnecessary continuation of an unnecessary franchise.
Laughable F/X and God awful direction from hack-meister Rob Cohen drag an already terrible film down further.
Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh are positively wasted.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Doomsday
Doomsday - Dir. Neil Marshall (2008)
Homage or ripoff?
Marshall references Mad Max, John Carpenter, and Excalibur, but adds nothing new to the proceedings.
Fun, but ultimately hollow, action film.
Homage or ripoff?
Marshall references Mad Max, John Carpenter, and Excalibur, but adds nothing new to the proceedings.
Fun, but ultimately hollow, action film.
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