Movie Reviews

Project Nim - a documentary about a chimpanzee raised with a human family as a science experiment. Nim learned to sign and lived a pretty good life until the experiment ended. Then he went to a lab doing animal drug testing. This was the first time he was with other apes but his human handlers realized he was different and learned some signs from Nim! Then there were trials and a rescue farm that was a debatable rescue. Interesting story, well told, and crazy 70s science.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - was pretty respectful of the original films. It delivered classic lines in new ways much as the latest Star Trek film did. But wow, did it fail on characterization. Andy Serkis as CGI Caesar and John Lithgow as an Alzheimer's addled father were the only good performances. Franco was less believable as a biologist than Portman was as an astrophysicist in Thor. Freida Pinto was gorgeous but empty. And as usual, the problem was with the script. There are some clever ideas here, but the people in this film are really stupid. See Project Nim instead. It's surprising how similar the two films are. An ape, raised from birth in a human house, by remarkably naive scientists, learns sign language, gets violent as he gets older, and is removed to an abusive caged environment, his first time with other apes. The only difference is one ends with a big battle on the Golden Gate bridge. The original is perhaps my favorite Sci-Fi film of all time, and I hated the Tim Burton remake, so I was going into this with low expectations. But characters really do help a film.

Buried - James Franco was good in last years 127 Hours about a man trapped for almost a week, alone, in a ravine. Buried was the other film from last year focusing on one trapped man. Ryan Reynolds is a contractor in Iraq who wakes up buried alive in a coffin. The whole film takes place in the coffin. That could be a very limited film but he does have a cell phone. At the time I heard critics saying this was better than 127 Hours but I don't think so. He's obviously legitimately panicked on the phone but he's still a little too much of an asshole. I blame the script more than the actor. It takes a few too many easy plot turns.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2 - I haven't read the books but I have seen all the films. I'm still surprised that part 1 hadn't be re-released in theaters or even on cable. It would have helped to refresh some things, particularly as this film has no summary of the first film (for no acceptable reason). It worked, there were big battles, the kids grew up. I still don't understand some motivations or plot points. It seems destroy a piece of Voldemort's has no effect on him other than making him yell for a moment. Shouldn't he get weaker? And he just stands on a hill for a long time while Harry goes through three different missions. Then it's get Harry, then wait for him and then go get him. I don't know why so many wizards were following evil Voldemort. At least in Lord of the Rings Saruman grew the Orcs. It was fine, but felt more like going through the scripted motions rather than an immediate danger (though I did wonder if Harry would live at a few points).

Captain America: The First Avenger - A pretty good superhero movie, set in the 1940s. The first half is the origin story and that works very well, particularly at making it clear that it's not the powers but the person that makes the hero. Chris Evans makes a good Cap (much better than his human torch) but the supporting cast, including Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci, and Hugo Weaving really help. The second half a war montage leading up to the fight with the big villain that ends Caps role in the war. If you're a comic book fan, they did a great job with making small changes but keeping the important elements there and including lots of easter eggs (the cover of Captain America #1 had him punching Hitler, the various costumes over the years, Bucky, the Howling Commandoes, even the Original Human Torch). It got the 40s set design, costumes and tone right. I think comic fans would like this more than Iron Man (I did) though non-fans would like Iron Man more (it's funnier).

Cowboys & Aliens - It had all the elements it wanted but it didn't come together. Daniel Craig was doing his Clint thing but he came off as aloof rather than cool. I had heard this was Harrison Ford's best role in a while, but he played the same cranky old guy he's played in everything in the last decade. Olivia Wilde was ironically more human than either of them but remained too mysterious to have much of an arc. Scenes went on too long so the two hours felt bloated. It did better on plot than I expected but I still got caught up in the details of the final battle. Why did the aliens give up on the range weapons (or even handheld ones) in favor of hand-to-hand combat. Would people in a castle stop shooting arrows to go out and fight invaders hand-to-hand?

Beginners - After Ewan McGregor's mother dies his 75 year-old father, Christopher Plummer, tells him he's gay. He also finds out he has terminal cancer. The film alternates between Plummer's remaining years and shortly after his death. Plummer comes out and begins an affair with a much younger Goran Visnjic, though he still manages to keep secrets. McGregor in cleaning up his father's affairs meets foreign actress Mélanie Laurent who might be his first serious relationship. As the title suggests, this film is about people starting over. I left thinking I just shared some intimate moments with these characters but still don't know who they are. I'm sure that was deliberate and a commentary on relationships. It's not a great film but it manages to get the comedy/drama balance right. It's a fine summer anti-blockbuster.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. - The critics' reviews I first heard were mixed. Most said the main story between Steve Carell and Julianne Moore was unfocused and the secondary story between Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone was really good. Then a number of friends told me they saw this and really liked it. I mostly side with the critics. Gosling and Stone were very good (I've liked virtually all of their films). They felt like real people and shared some intimate moments and were very funny. Oddly it was Steve Carell that I thought was completely wrong in this film. The film opens with Moore saying she wants a divorce. Carell completely shuts down, not communicating at all. Instead he throws himself out of a moving car, moves out and hangs out in the local pickup bar acting like a pathetic loser. That's fine for a movie but I never bought the character. It's the same awkward out-of-place character he always plays (e.g., 40 Year-Old Virgin, Dinner With Schmucks, Evan Almighty) but without the charm (even worse than in Date Night). I don't see what Moore ever saw in him. This film is more drama than comedy and in that situation his awkward schtick really didn't fit for me. It was fine in Get Smart but not here.

The Trip - played at IFFBoston this year and while the reviews were good, it conflicted with other things and I skipped it. I'm glad I did. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play what I assume are fictionalized versions of themselves on a week long tour of Britain's finest (country) restaurants. So it's a road film and mostly about the two of them talking. That's fine, but I didn't find them funny. Rob does imitations and Steve thinks his are better. That's about all I know about Rob. Also Steve is a womanizer. We don't see him actually doing anything that would effectively seduce someone, but we see him meet them and see them leave in the morning. And Steve complains about things. There were a few scenes I smiled through (the first tasting dinner) but I only laughed out loud twice. If you've seen a comedy (or even a drama) with me, you know that's not good. I know others that really liked it, but I found it was all smug setup without punchlines.

The Help - I haven't read the book but understand the movie is a faithful adaptation. It must be a good book because I enjoyed the film a lot. It's long, 146 minutes, but it went by quickly. This is the story of African American maids in Mississippi in the 60s. Even though they are raising the children of the households they're working in, they are treated like second class citizens. They cook the food but can't use the same bathroom or even door. Emma Stone is Skeeter a young forward thinking journalist that decides to tell their story in a new book. The performances are all good, particularly Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer but also Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Chastain. I've read a number of complaints from the African American community about the film (and book). The first is that it sugar coats the racism, things were much worse in real life. I agree a bit and thought it wrapped things up too neatly in the end, but it's still pretty effective in making it clear this was completely unfair to the maids and the white women were completely in the wrong. The other complaint is that the author was white woman and the community doesn't need her to tell their story. I'm less sympathetic to this. She grew up in this world and if someone else wants to tell the story, let them. Similarly there are complaints that the story involves a white woman, Skeeter, rescuing the black women, which is a stereotypical cliche. Again, I say get over it, it's fiction. And it's good fiction. In fact, I think it's the best drama of the year so far.

Jaws - I've seen Jaws several times, but this summer I saw it in a theater on a big screen I think for the first time. It's great. The story is great, the (lack of the) shark is scary, the characters are fully realized, the performances are great (particularly Robert Shaw), and the music fun. It's the best film I saw this summer and probably the second best film I saw this year (I watched Inception again in April).

The Tourist - This got horrible reviews last year and I waited until it was on cable. Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie vehicle set in Venice (and like The Town it had some great helicopter shots). I had thought it was a spy film but it's more like a crime thriller-romance with a Hitchcockian mistaken identity. Maybe it was trying to be To Catch a Thief but it failed. While there were some good lines, there was too little dialog. I just didn't buy the romance between the two of them. I also saw the ending coming from a mile away.

How to Steal a Million - is an Audrey Hepburn film I hadn't heard of. Her father, Hugh Griffith is an art forger. He puts a copy of a statue in a museum and Hepburn and Peter O'Toole must steal it back before it's found out. It's just a fun little caper. This might have been the film The Tourist was trying to be. Rent this instead.

George Washington Slept Here - is a Jack Benny comedy similar to Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, though made 6 years prior and based on a play. Benny's wife, Ann Sheridan gets them evicted from their New York apartment because of her dog. She buys a country home where Washington is said to have slept. The problem is it's completely dilapidated and she did it without city boy Benny's knowledge. Bandings is better, but this was fun.

Departures - The 2009 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar winner from Japan. A somewhat unsuccessful violinist returns home and takes a job as a mortician. This is apparently not a respected position in Japan and his wife has issues with it. Nice small town drama as people realize what's important and what's not.

Good Neighbors - is a pretty fun dark comedic crime thriller. It follows three neighbors in an apartment building in a Montreal neighborhood. Louise is the single waitress on her way to becoming a crazy cat lady. Spencer is her friend recently confined to a wheelchair who doesn't leave his apartment. Victor is the new neighbor who talks too much and is annoying friendly. And there's a serial killer in the area. It's got that indie comedy vibe and maybe it tries to hard, but it worked for me.

Skidoo - I have a TiVo wishlist setup for Otto Preminger films. This one popped up from 1968, starring Jackie Gleason and Groucho Marx! Also in the cast were Frank Gorshin, Burgess Meredith, and Cesar Romero. A Batman reunion! Add in Frankie Avalon, Mickey Rooney and Carol Channing and how could I not watch it? Well it's not very good. IMDb says "Ex-gangster Tony Banks is called out of retirement by mob kingpin God to carry out a hit on fellow mobster "Blue Chips" Packard". But that doesn't do it justice. Instead, this is a 60s hippie farce and everyone mentioned above trips on LSD. But, this film has the best credits of all time, sung by Nilsson: