Change Your Image
vctesse
Reviews
Stand Up Guys (2012)
Loved it so, so much.
Over the years,Christopher Walken has become a National Treasure. No matter what he is in, the moment he shows up on the screen you know entertainment will be had. Pacino, on the other hand, not so much. But this movie is the best work he's done since Godfather II. And both of them should get Oscar nominations. Even Alan Arkin, whom I've never really liked is excellent. Though the story is a simple one, it's told with such subtlety and humor, that the multiple tragedies of waste and loss don't hit one until the movie's over. Don't 'sleep on' this picture, because once you see it, you'll want to see it again almost immediately. A real keeper.
Looper (2012)
Mad Max Beyond Terrible
First of all, forget the plot. There isn't any, just a bunch of half baked, overdone, derivative ideas flung at the screen in the laziest piece of film writing I've ever seen. Visually the picture steals from Mad Max, Blade Runner, Witness, the Matrix, Carrie and another half dozen, better movies. But the most unforgivable thing it does is de-charm Joseph Gordon Levitt. One would not have thought this possible. Also in resurrecting the tiresome, bullet headed Bruce Willis, it reminded me of why I've always hated that guy. (His scenes with the Chinese broad were particularly excruciating.) All in all, a horrible mess that doesn't even have the guts to follow through on its set-ups.
War Horse (2011)
Oh, dear.
I knew that this couldn't be good when I'd heard that it was 2 hours and 40 minutes long because the book on which it was based was a nice little Young Adult novel clocking in at about 160 pages. Boy meets horse, boy loses horse, boy gets horse. But the whole story is told from the horse's viewpoint which was rather intriguing. Had the movie been done this way like say 'Babe' for instance where we view the action through the horse's eyes and hear his thoughts, it would have worked. The humans' conversation and actions could have been downplayed and we as the audience would easily be able to figure out what was going on. Instead we have this overpadded, overlong, overlit and very boring mess.Furthermore whole scenes were added that were not in the book and not necessary. And the young man was all wrong, bland and whiny. The part called for someone with real spunk. Jamie Bell comes to mind, but he's now too old. Do yourselves a favor and read the book. It's a much, much better way to spend 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Warrior (2011)
Well, I'm a woman and I loved it!
I read recently that this movie didn't do well because women didn't go to see it. Ummm, when did women become the barometers for all things great and small? Just askin'. Anyway, I'm a woman, although one admittedly with a soft spot for Nick Nolte, and I really liked this film--much better than the similar 'The Fighter' which most people seemed to think so great. My only quibbles were that I didn't quite buy Joel Edgerton physically as a fighting machine and that the Tommy character would have been able to go AWOL so easily. That being said, I liked the way the movie stayed on point, the way it showed ever character's motivation and most of all, the way it brought in the everyday realities of You Tube, the Iraq War, and underwater mortgages to move its story along in a satisfying manner. One of my favorite scenes was when Edgerton is talking to his 'friendly banker' who can't remember his sick daughter's name. "So many stories", he sighs.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Love him. Hate it.
I'm glad this movie is a hit because I'm all for anything that's good for James Franco. But the fact is he is WAAAAY TOO GOOD to be in cheese like this. I found the plot ridiculous, the CGI ho-hummy,the dialog excruciating, that Indian gal a real drag and the best scenes in the picture to be the work between Franco and Lithgow. That being said, I'd like to continue this review in the form of an open letter to JEF: Honey, honey, honey you are WAAAY TOO GOOD to be in cheese like this. Any movie that tamps down your natural charm, wit, spunk and intelligence is NOT for you. You should be the star of Moneyball, but instead we have to watch the WAAAY- less- talented -than -you Brad Pitt smirk his way through what looks, from previews, that it might be really entertaining. Until you get offered scripts like that, stick to your independent work and pop up wherever you want to as the wise cracking, picture stealing sidekick (You were the best thing in the Green Hornet by the way). And if you want to get serious, you'd also be marvelous as Nikola Tesla or James Mont. Neither of those stories has ever been brought to the big screen. Look them up. As ever, Your fan and champion, Anne
Howl (2010)
James Franco's performance is as lovely and amazing as he is himself
When I read two years ago, that James Franco was going to play Allen Ginsberg in a movie I thought, what the hell-who cares about Allen Ginsberg? I for one didn't. By the time I was cognizant of the Beat Generation, it had become somewhat of a joke. Also I remember trying to read Howl in college to impress some guy I liked who said it was his favorite poem , tossing it aside after a few pages and thinking 'if this is your favorite poem, we have no future'. Yet there was no way I wasn't going to see it. Franco's my boy and I've got to support him. So there I sat, representing but trepidatious and five minutes into the movie, I was hooked. People have said that the film is all over the place but I thought the five parts, i.e. first reading, animation, interview, flashbacks and trial hang together and the whole thing just bustles along, anchored of course by this astounding performance. It really seemed that I was watching and listening to Allen Ginsberg and I began to feel for this little shlub who though burdened with guilt (when he spoke of his mother tears came to my eyes), and self doubt displays a steely determination to come to grips with his life and the world around him. And to think, Franco does this without once pulling out the heavy artillery, that is, Them There Eyes, obscured as they are by Ginsberg's Coke bottle lenses. The animation is a little over the top, but it does help to illuminate and clarify the poem. The cinematography, set design and score are all first rate. My only quibbles are with the trial scenes, although it was a treat to see Treat Williams. I thought Bob Balaban telegraphed his punches and David Straithirn should have played the defense attorney. Having seen Jon Hamm in this and the execrable The Town, let me tell you, he had better hang onto Mad Med with all four feet because ,unlike James Edward Franco, he is no movie star.
Shutter Island (2010)
Oh, oh, oh .No, no, no
The best thing you can say about this film is that it was true to the book--overwrought, predictable and talky. The second best thing you can say is that DiCaprio never dogs it, no matter what stupid mess he shows up in--Gangs of New York, anybody? And now this. He always comes to fight. The previews really made things look exciting, but ten minutes into the movie and anyone could see where it was leading. DiCaprio looked twitchy and unreliable from the start, and Ruffalo's snide tone when addressing him was a dead giveaway. So once again, we have the deluded murderer who constructs another life because he can't live with what he's done--and a whole bunch of histrionics. Plus rats! And Nazis! This is the kind of thing that Alfred Hitchcock and Norman Lloyd would have knocked out in 26 minutes.--In fact, I believe they did. It was called 'Premonition' and starred John Forsythe. Look it up.
A Single Man (2009)
A turkey with all the trimmings
My what a dreadful waste of time. Artsy, predictable, boring, there was simply no excuse for this thing. Colin Firth acts like he's in a vacuum, he has no real chemistry with ANYBODY in the picture but himself. His 'woe is me' persona gets old fast and frankly, I couldn't wait for him to end it all--and when he doesn't well, I wanted to suck on a gun myself. Also, what the heck was Julianne Moore supposed to be doing? Her character was almost as tiresome as his. Add to it all, the total creepiness of this English professor allowing one of his students to hit on him. And lastly, how IS that kid going to explain that dead body to the cops, his parents, anyone? Sorry, it took me a while but NOW I know why I hated this film so much. The scene near the end of the movie where the kid is dressing Firth's wound was a blatant ripoff of the best scene in 'Milk'--you know the one where James Franco is stealing the picture with the back of his head. Now Lord knows, 'Milk' had its problems but Penn and Franco burned up the screen and made you believe that those two people were crazy about each other. Furthermore, I was really pulling for that relationship to work and when it fell apart, I felt badly. Firth and Goode, on the other hand, are couple of waxworks going through the motions and were incapable of making me feel anything.
Public Enemies (2009)
All flash, no cash and completely unnecessary.
Ever look forward to something only to find out that it blows in ways you never thought it could? Did the producers think that all they had to do was stick a tommy gun in Johnny Depp's hands and they'd have a gangster movie? Depp gives an adequate performance as Dillinger but it is a selfish and self enclosed one. Christian Bale is at his most insufferable playing Melvin Purvis as dour dolt. And everybody else, particularly Giovanni Ribisi and Billy Crudup, is simply hung out to dry. If you're interested in Dillinger then track down "Dillinger " with Warren Oates and Ben Johnson. If you want Depression era gangsters then it's "Bonnie and Clyde" or even "Road to Perdition". All of these movies have more excitement, humor and grit in any twenty minutes than "Public Enemies" has in its entirety.
Milk (2008)
Yes and no
12/8/08
I sent scouts out to see 'Milk'. Their job? Report back to me exactly how much James Franco I was going to get to warrant my having to put up with two hours of Sean Penn, as sorry to say, Sean and I are not on the best of terms. Both said that while I would not be getting all the James Franco I would want, Sean Penn for once would not annoy me. So this weekend, I saw 'Milk' and yes, they were right. Sean Penn is very believable in the role. The script does a fine job of showing how he develops into this compleat political animal who, had he not been killed, wouldn't have stopped until he reached the White House. It's all very clear, how he operates, makes these alliances, works with people, pushes his agenda. You are never at a loss as to what's going on and that is rare in a political drama. The interweaving of real footage with the film is extremely well done and the story of Proposition 6 certainly deserved to be retold..
However, after a strong start, the movie begins to falter badly as a personal drama. In the delightful scene in which Scott throws everyone out of the apartment and threatens to stab Harvey with a fork, Harvey promises that if he loses this 3rd election, he would call it quits. He breaks that promise and Scott leaves. But the whole thing is handled so callously that it doesn't make any sense. You let the love of your life walk out the door without so much as a 'keep in touch.' ? Furthermore by showing the Scott character no sympathy at all, the script wastes the opportunity to really explore the universal plight of the campaigner's partner who is simply worn out with it all. Then the movie really jumps the rails and never gets back on track with the introduction of Diego Luna. Let's just say, all of that coloratura should have been left on the cutting room floor.
The film had a chance to redeem itself with the telephone call Harvey makes to Scott, but the dialogue is nearly unintelligible and Harvey never says the one thing that would make it work which would be something along the lines of I never stopped loving you. Whatever happened to script doctors? Showing the reactions of Harvey's friends to news of his death could have worked well. Also, at the very end why don't Scott and the campaign manager know anything about the candlelight vigil? All in all, my verdict is yes and no. Penn is sure to get a nomination but the Oscar still goes to James Franco for Pineapple Express.
Anne Siebenhoven Flushing, NY vctesse@hotmail.com
Pineapple Express (2008)
Such a sweet, funny movie.
I just love this movie so, so much. I've seen it like, nine times and in my long movie going career, this is a first. Each time I've gone, I've laughed 'til I wept (the fight at Red's house (and everything leading up to it) has got to be the funniest 20 minutes ever put on screen. But it's James Franco that really makes this movie something special. He just brings it. In this day and age when comic performances largely consist of being able to deliver a snarky one liner or mug a camera, he gives us a fully developed comic turn as delightful to listen to as it is to watch and nearly Chaplinesque in scope because he let's us see the sadness that this not so simple little pot dealer uses weed to keep at bay. There's a huge hole in Saul's soul that for whatever reason, only big fat Dale can fill. It wasn't until I movie for the fourth time that I saw the connection between that weird conversation about euthanasia he has with Dale earlier and their big argument later in which he vows to become a a civil engineer as soon as soon as his grandmother dies. In other words, as much as he loves his bubbe, he can foresee a time when he might just have to nudge her along so that he can get on with his life. There's a mind at work there, and if you place him in the context of his book, art and collection filled apartment, you can see it's not a dim one.
Slapped, spat on, beaten, stabbed, kicked, shot at, run over, knocked out, blown up, he goes through more physical abuse than Rambo and what with being sold out by one friend and having his heart broken by another, more emotional abuse than Mildred Pierce, yet like the Little Tramp, he is never diminished, never becomes bitter or accusing. And at the end of the film, there he is in that diner, shining like, well silver.
I can't forget the scene where they're in the tree. Dale finally at long last says something nice to Saul and Saul sees this slit of an opportunity to jump in with this little declaration of friendship and when it doesn't elicit the response he'd hoped for, he's just gutshot. Yet he hides it and by the end of the scene, he's pulled himself together. "It's what I do!" Wrenching and funny, it's as delicately directed and perfectly acted piece of film-making as I've ever seen. Here is a character you just take to your heart. And when the awards season rolls around if James Franco isn't rocking at least a second Golden Globe, if not an Oscar, there's no justice.
Anne Siebenhoven, Flushing, N.Y.
vctesse@hotmail.com
P.S., I do wish the film had gone on just a bit longer to show them all sort of vindicated for being instrumental in busting up two major drug rings because my last thought as they rolled the credits, was damn, they're going to jail.
Burn After Reading (2008)
Despicable film about despicable people
What was the point of this film? The universe is indifferent, some people get away with things and others don't? Thanks for the insight guys. While I liked 'Fargo' and 'Barton Fink', I think the Coen brothers are overrated, as well as George Clooney and Brad Pitt for that matter. And none of them do anything here to change my opinion.The normally likable Francis McDormand is ill used here as a woman who would sell out her country for a tummy tuck. And the less said about John Malkovich, the better.
In fact, when I left this movie, I had to sidle next door to see 'Pineapple Express' again just to wash the taste of this scabrous waste of time from my mouth.