Previous batch of my movie reviews is getting stale so here are some recent arrivals from my Blockbuster Online Q.
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead – crime, family drama, murder, childhood trauma -everything is mixed in this movie. The storyline jumps back and forth from past to present to reveal the background of the crime. I always liked Phillip S. Hoffman, and I am a big fan of Albert Finney for his role in Big Fish (rent it). Add in Marisa Tomei undressed and this movie becomes a “must see”. Without Marisa it’s probably an above average crime/family drama.
Lars and the Real Girl – in the beginning this movie feels really odd. A guy who is very shy, bordering on clinical, who is always pressured about his personal life buys a silicone sex doll and acts as if it’s his girlfriend. He invents the background story, talks about her feelings, takes her on walks, etc. At first you probably will identify with his friends and family who think that the poor guy finally crossed the line into being crazy but slowly his family and the whole town he lives in start playing along to help him resolve his issues. The movie has elements of dark comedy, but is very touching at the same time. The movie is slow-going so if you are into action you probably need to skip it, otherwise I recommend it. At the least, the premise is very unusual and the acting is pretty good.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford – despite being long and very slow this movie wasn’t bad. Many people were turned off by the length of this movie, which may have been reflected in the longest title ever. However, this movie has it’s own rhythm, if you get into it, it seems to flow and tell the story of jealousy and betrayal. The title also reveals the premise of the movie – Jesse James is the hero despite being a murderer, and his killer Robert Ford is a coward. I liked the movie but I realize that it’s not for everyone, if you like Westerns with more drama than action – try this one.
We Own the Night – is like Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead about brothers and family relationships. In this movie one brother is a cop in charge of the war on drugs in NYC, the other brother if not directly tied in but is certainly close to the Russian mafia – the main supplier of said drugs in the city. I liked Joaquin Phoenix since his depiction of Johnny Cash in Walk the Line and he is very good in this movie. Other notable actors are Robert Duvall, Eva Mendes and Mark Wahlberg. The movie is totally believable, many Russian-speaking roles are played by Russian-speaking actors, such as once-famous Yelena Solovey who used to look like this and now doesn’t. The ending is predictable but dramatic, although I am not sure if this can happen in real life. If you are looking for a crime thriller with violence – try this one.
Cyrano De Bergerac is a French movie which doesn’t naturally lend itself to subtitles. A viewer can hear that the actual French dialog is poetry in many scenes and subtitles try to convey that but not very effectively. The movie stars Gérard Depardieu – one of the few contemporary French actors known in the USA and he is at his best, playing a role of a 17th century soldier and poet who carried his love to a woman throughout his whole life. To American audience this story is known from the movie Roxanne with Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah, however, the American movie is a comedy, while the French movie is a tragedy. Cyrano De Bergerac, while talented and brave, is so self-conscious of his big nose that he is unable to express his love for his cousin Roxanne. She finds his secret in the last moments of his life and finally realizes that it was he who she loved, albeit too late. The story of my life. Even with subtitles this movie is great and highly recommended.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets – this is just a fun fast-moving action movie which hits just enough on various conspiracy theories that make it seem conceivable. Is there a secret “for the President’s eyes only” book that has answers to the Area 51 and the JFK murder? What’s behind Mount Rushmore? Can one kidnap a President? While I liked the first National Treasure better, if another one is coming out – I am there.
Semi-pro – there were always actors whose participation in the movie would make it “their” movie. These movies are written for them (sometimes by them), directed for them and attended by their fans. There were John Wayne movies, Marylin Monroe movies, Adam Sandler movies and Will Ferrel movies. Except that Will Ferrel sucks and doesn’t deserve his own movies. He wasn’t funny on the SNL, and he didn’t get any better since. Will Ferrel can pull of a supporting role once in a while but when he is playing the main character, the movie is always the same. This one is not much better or worse than his previous attempts, but with much funnier comedies like Superbad competing for your DVD dollars, this one doesn’t compare that well.
Waitress – I liked this movie, somewhat a fantasy but with real-world reflections, abusive relationships, dreadful jobs, life in a small town, love. Probably more of a chick-flick, but not unbearable for a guy to sit through. Andy Griffith is in it too. On a sad note, the film’s creator Adrienne Shelly was murdered before the movie debuted at the Sundance.
As I said before, I order many of my movies based on the recommendations found on the internet, sometimes I like them, sometimes I don’t. I am not Ebert-skiy here, but I do what I can to point out movies that you might have missed otherwise.
Waitress is a friggin turd.
Ive been meaning to see the jesse james movie, and Before the devil….
If you havent seen it, check out Ride with the Devil. Civil War era set in Mo. and Ks.
MM:I added it to my list, thanks.
I liked Lars and the Real Girl because I like weird crap like that. I mean I like weird movies, not those Real Dolls. Well, okay, maybe I like the Real Dolls too.