Pop Culture Will Eat Itself » Reviews

Mini Movie Review - Tropic Thunder

Sean — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:33:08 +0000

Over the past few days Tropic Thunder has stirred up a fair amount of controversy. It’s offended a lot of people with its handling of race, mental handicaps, and obesity. Setting aside whether the criticisms are valid or the critics are missing the satire, the basic question for me is not how bad this movie is, but rather is it any good? Can Ben Stiller really play a parody of an action star? Can Robert Downey Jr. really pull off playing an Australian playing a black Army sergeant? And most of all, can it live up to the laughs and action that fill the trailers?

Short answer: Yes. It was funnier than I expected. And the action was better than I expected. Despite the huge marketing campaign, it still had a few big surprises. Downey did a great job with his challenging role, but there was a surprise guest who really stole the show (don’t worry, I won’t ruin it). I was expecting big things from the movie, and it exceeded expectations.

So what’s my take on the controversy? I can see what the various groups are getting offended by, and I can see why they see it as offensive, but in general I think they’re missing the point. The movie doesn’t make fun of the mentally handicapped, the fat, or any ethnic group. It’s intent seems to be to criticize Hollywood for its excesses and eccentricities, not to ridicule them. So let’s all just take a deep breath, have a good laugh, and enjoy some actors playing actors playing soldiers, who have to actually become soldiers so they can keep acting.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Mini Movie Review - Pineapple Express

Sean — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:07:08 +0000

I’m a sucker for buddy movies. Especially buddy movies with lowbrow humor as their main focus. Two of my favorite comedies of all time are Dumb and Dumber and Tommy Boy, which both do a great job making you believe the relationship between the characters while simultaneously making you shoot the beverage of your choice out your nose. With that in mind, Pineapple Express should be right up my alley. Could the everyman heroics of Seth Rogan pair with the stoner antics of James Franco to elevate Pineapple Express beyond the typical limitations of stoner movie genre? Or would it sink into drug cliches and tired bong humor?

Pineapple Express is definitely a stoner movie. It’s about two stoners who spend much of the movie high. Much of the humor in the first half of the film comes from drug references. That being said, it’s not Up in Smoke or Half Baked. One reason why is its visual style. It looks like something that was shot in a different era. Another reason is the simple fact that the second half of the film has more in common with Gibson and Glover than Cheech and Chong. It’s a smooth blend of action and humor that brings to mind the Lethal Weapon franchise and the first Beverly Hills Cop. Rogan does a remarkable job at playing the average Joe action hero, making you think that if he can do it, so can you. Director David Gordon Green and writers Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg should be commended for making a movie that embraces the strengths of a genre while simultaneously pushing it into new areas.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Mini Movie Review - Step Brothers

Sean — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:52:50 +0000

What is the true test of a comedy? Should it be well-crafted, have a tight script, and smart humor? Or should it just make you shoot your soda out of your nose? I suppose there’s really no answer to this question, and there are certainly merits to both sorts of comedies. Being a Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly collaboration you’d probably expect more from Column B, and not much of Column A from Step Brothers, and you’d be right. It’s not fine art, and it’s not going to win any awards for Best Screenplay. But it has moments that are ludicrously funny. I walked into the theater in a bad mood and left in a good on. And that’s good enough for me.

One note though: I’d wait to see it on DVD. Not because it’s not worthy of seeing in the theater. Just because I bet there will be a ton of deleted scenes. There was stuff in the trailers that didn’t make the final cut, and almost all of the scenes from the job interview clip aren’t there. Plus for the much of the second half of the movie Ferrell and Reilly wear what look like walkie-talkie watches, but there’s no explanation. I bet it’s a deleted scene, and I’d bet it’s funny.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Mini Movie Review - The Dark Knight

Sean — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:32:05 +0000

The ending of Batman Begins clearly set up a sequel, with Batman’s arch-nemesis The Joker being the villain. Fanboys were skeptical when Heath Ledger was cast as the Clown Prince of Crime. Early reports from the set created a buzz that Ledger’s performance was unlike any previous take on The Joker. Ledger’s sudden and untimely death only heightened the anticipation for the film. Early critical reviews of the movie were glowing, building an Oscar buzz for Ledger. With all of the hype surrounding the film, it seemed unlikely that The Dark Knight could possibly live up to expectations. Would Christoper Nolan’s latest effort set a new standard for both comic book movies or succumb to the standard sequel problem of bigger, louder, more?

The Dark Knight doesn’t just live up to all the hype — it destroys it. It’s not so much a comic book movie as it’s a top-notch crime drama that happens to involve comic book characters. Nolan’s script puts a premium on character development over explosions, and the result is a gripping story, and a greater sense of involvement when the action sequences do start.

With no disrespect to Christian Bale, as he delivers another performance that proves he is the best of the cinematic Batmen, this is Heath Ledger’s movie. From his first moments on screen he is completely captivating. Cesar Romero was someone’s crazy uncle. Jack Nicholson was an over-the-top cartoon character. Heath Ledger is evil incarnate. Where Jack played Jack playing The Joker, Ledger gets completely lost in the role, with no traces of himself left behind. His portrayal joins Hannibal Lector and Anton Chigurh in the pantheon of psychotic and terrifying movie villains. Both Anthony Hopkins and Javier Bardem won Oscars for their iconic villains. Will Ledger join them? It wouldn’t surprise me at all.

I think an appropriate way to look at The Dark Knight is to think of it as The Empire Strikes Back of Batman movies. It’s dark, both in lighting and tone. The good guys have a really tough go of it. And nobody’s happy at the end. It will be very difficult for the inevitable followup to match its intensity and grit, especially without Ledger. But as long as there are no Ewoks I’ll be amongst the first in line to see it.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Mini Movie Review - Wanted

Sean — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:24:18 +0000

Imagine Grand Theft Auto mixed with a comic book and The Bourne Identity and you’ll have a pretty good idea what to expect from Wanted. Angelina is hot. James McAvoy is a decent action hero. And Morgan Freeman is Morgan Freeman, but with a goatee. The cars are fast, the dialogue is cool, and the guns cause major damage. It’s as much testosterone as you can cram into 110 minutes. Don’t think too hard, ignore the big action scene on a European train, and accept that in this world bullets don’t fly straight, and you’ll have a good time.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Mini Movie Review - Hancock

Sean — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:56:18 +0000

Will Smith is the reigning king of summer blockbusters. Over the last few years he’s starred in two Men in Black movies, Independence Day, and I, Robot. His latest offering, Hancock, is a different spin on the superhero genre.

Smith plays John Hancock, a hero with powers similar to Superman, but who lives on the fringes of society. He saves people and stops criminals, but takes little care to minimize damage to property along the way. The public is split in their opinions of Hancock, with some appreciative of his help, and others furious over the damage he causes in the process. When the police decide to press charges against him he must choose: give himself up and try to change the public’s perception of him, or continue fighting crime and pissing people off.

Hancock is a very solid summer movie. The plot is interesting and novel. It’s a new twist on the superhero genre. The performances are good, with solid efforts from Smith, goody-two-shoes Jason Bateman, and super hottie Charlize Theron. Overall it does exactly what a big summer movie should do: it entertains.

For all its entertainment value, it’s not a great movie. It’s a cool twist on the genre, but it’s missing on of the genre’s biggest requirements: a bad guy. The “villain” is lame and feels tacked on. This is a theme that keeps popping up in this summer’s crop of blockbusters. Iron Monger seemed like an afterthought in Iron Man. The Abomination is basically a different version of The Incredible Hulk. And the bad guy in Hancock is a regular criminal who doesn’t even show up until the end of the second act. Hopefully this trend will stop in about two weeks…

Despite the lack of a real enemy for Will Smith, Hancock delivers on what it sets out to do. Plus it provides the best single line I’ve heard in the movies this year. After Hancock saves someone’s life, destroying a bunch of shit in the process, a lady says to him “I smell liquor on your breath”. To which he replies, incredulously, “I’ve been drinking Bitch!”.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Mini Movie Review - Get Smart

Sean — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:06:24 +0000

It’s a recipe for disaster: take a current TV star and put him in a movie version of a classic TV show. It’s sure to disappoint both the star’s fans and fans of the old show. The script will be contrived, stuck between slipping in homages to the original and providing modern audiences with what they expect from current movies. The director is sure to assemble lots of other stars in supporting roles, to bring in audience members who aren’t fans of either the TV star or the original series, and they will end up being completely wrong for their parts. In short, it will be exactly the sort of summer blockbuster shit that nobody actually enjoys, yet somehow makes money.

Except when the star is Steve Carell and the TV show is Get Smart. Somehow it manages to have every one of these flaws, yet somehow ends up being highly entertaining. Carell doesn’t disappoint at all, bringing enough of Don Adams to the role of Maxwell Smart to make the character seem familiar, but not so much as to seem like a parody. The callbacks to the original series are there, but are used skillfully and playfully. The supporting cast works perfectly, never stealing the show from Carell, but never exactly blending in a scenery either. Anne Hathaway managed to be beautiful and kick ass at the same time. Alan Arkin proves that he can still trade quips and punches, even at 74. And Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson manages not to suck, which for him is a major accomplishment. In short, it’s exactly the sort of summer blockbuster that everyone should actually enjoy, and makes money.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Mini Movie Review - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Sean — Tue, 27 May 2008 04:03:19 +0000

I had no idea what to expect going into Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I had seen the trailers and a couple of production photos, but I had avoided all of the early reviews. Typically I don’t mind know a lot going into a movie, but Indy is such an iconic character and a deep part of my childhood that I wanted to be surprised. So, after a 19 year layoff can Indy still deliver adrenaline and one-liners with equal skill? Will Spielberg and Lucas find a good way to restart the franchise? And will the adult version of me be as swept away as the kid was by the first three movies?

Yes, no, and close, but not quite. Harrison Ford manages to imbue Indy with the same charm, wit, and insolence that he’s always had. And he still manages to be a badass, even at the ripe old age of 66! It’s still fun to watch him stay one step ahead of bad guys, to see him use his whip to disarm gunmen and get out of tight spots, and to be the worst possible archeologist. I can certainly think of worse ways to spend $10.

While Indy is in top form, Spielberg and Lucas aren’t. Well, maybe Spielberg is. The film certainly looks like an Indiana Jones film. It has the airplane and map shots, the classic cinematography, and the quick, but not extreme, pacing. So maybe the directing is fine. What’s not fine is the story, for which the blame seems to go to George Lucas (along with Jeff Nathanson and David Koepp).

What’s wrong with the story? A lot. First, the backstory they give Indy to fill the 19 years is fairly ridiculous. Instead of hunting for antiquities, Indy worked with the US military to take down the Nazis and fight the spread of Communism. Um, what? Why would an archeology professor do that? I know he hates Nazis, but come on.

Ok, let’s say you overlook the backstory and decide to just go along for the ride. How’s the rest of the story? Um, not so good. Indy hunting aliens? Really? That’s the best you guys could come up with? I guess the religious artifacts were all found already.

I think the story is the primary reason that Adult Me wasn’t as captivated by this chapter of the Indiana Jones saga as Kid Me was by the first three. Then again, if you think of the plots of the first three movies, they’re pretty far-fetched too, so maybe Adult Me just has a harder time suspending disbelief.

After all this it may sound like I didn’t like the movie. Actually I did. Despite the contrivances I was swept along for the ride, and I enjoyed the mind. It’s a classic summer movie: don’t think too hard and it’s a lot of fun.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Mini Movie Review - Iron Man

Sean — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:54:10 +0000

Iron Man is just about everything a comic book movie should be. It’s funny, it’s exhilarating, and it’s got great characters. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is perfect. Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts is a perfect foil for Downey’s cocksure playboy. The Dude is very good as the menacing bad guy. And director Jon Favreau is so money baby, and he doesn’t even know it. If Iron Man is any indication of what we can expect from this year’s crop of comic book adaptations we’re in for a treat.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Live Music Review - Josh Ritter

Sean — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:20:36 +0000

I just got back from seeing Josh Ritter at The Recher Theater in Towson, MD. This is the second time I’ve seen Ritter in the last few months, and if at all possible it won’t be the last. Ritter commands the stage with almost reckless enthusiasm, sweeping the audience along through his evocative songs. Behind him is one of the tightest bands you’ll ever see, locking the upbeat tunes into a hard groove and subtly adding presence to the ballads.

Highlights of the show included “Snow is Gone”, “Harrisburg”, a solo rendition of “Girl in the War”, the always amazing “Kathleen” (which included a 30 second group slow dance), and a version of “Lilian, Egypt” that ended with a disco sing-along, done in stages that represented major periods in American history from the 1860s to present. It’s hard to explain. I guess you had to be there.

Another high point was Ritter’s solo performance of a new song, which he announced as “Folk Bloodshed”. It was very much a Mississippi blues tune, with lyrics that incorporate the Stagger Lee story that’s so popular in the genre. A great new song.

If Josh and his band are coming anywhere near you, do yourself a favor and go see them. You won’t be disappointed.