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Sebastian_Berlin
Reviews
8th Wonderland (2008)
Up there with the worst of the worst.
I dare say the audience at our local surprise sneak preview theater is a hardened bunch. Yes, some of us have been attending the traditional weekly sneak showing regularly for well over a decade. We have had atrocities like "House of 1000 Corpses" and "Street Fighter" forced upon us. But we still come back every Thursday. Maybe we *do* have a masochistic streak after all.
And today we were served again with this cinematic dud that ranks up there with the worst of the worst. I don't know where to begin. The annoying visualization of "internet chat room", most likely an out-of-the-box Adobe Premiere effect. The fact that *everything* in this movie is conveyed by an unnerving, never ending, multilingual dialog where apparently the idea of quality was sacrificed for quantity. The cheap green screen technology. No characters to identify with. And the whole idea behind the film feels so flat and naive, it's a pain to watch. You could literally feel the audience detach from the movie in disbelief during the first fifteen minutes.
For a student group assignment at a film seminar, this would be a fine work. But it's a long way from there to the movie theater.
An Education (2009)
A movie like a candy bar - great to indulge in, soon forgotten afterward.
One thing this movie excels in is taking you back in time. Back to a time that maybe didn't even exist quite like this - well-composed, carefully picked colors, spotless suits and vibrant jazz joints. But to be honest, us moviegoers don't care whether reality used to be like this or like that. We want to be taken to a magic place for two hours and, with its great photography and the heavenly music, "An Education" does just that. So what more can we want?
I'll tell you what - a story. I like Nick Hornby a lot and I have read most of his novels. All the more, I was genuinely baffled at how an exciting, sparkling beginning developed into a what tasted like a flat drink in the end. Looking behind the eye and ear candy, what is there? Intelligent, beautiful college girl is seduced by what seems to be a dream guy and consequentially flunks high school. Eventually she finds out he's not all he pretended to be and finally manages to straighten up. A plot line that, examined closely, would look pale next to a random soap episode.
This is where I stop nagging because I actually liked the movie. Carey Mulligan is just great to watch and her performance feels like a fresh breeze throughout. Peter Sarsgaard does a solid job although he seems a bit too sleazy at times. Most of all, I enjoyed watching Alfred Molina - decades of acting experience effortlessly outplaying the talented young.
To summarize, my problem with this film is not its lack of intellectual stimulation, because, quite simply, it is entertaining enough to do without. The problem is that it kind of *promises* food for thought in the beginning and doesn't hold up to that promise in the end. Anyway that's how I felt about it. All in all it's a movie like a candy bar - great to indulge in, soon forgotten afterward.
Zombieland (2009)
Lots of laughs, snappy dialog, Harrelson at his best, what more can you want?
As our local cinema was celebrating its 250th Surprise Sneak Preview showing, people were expecting a special movie, fitting the occasion. I was a little disappointed when "Zombieland" came up, because I am not a great fan of zombie flicks. Even the praised "Shaun of the Dead" didn't manage to impress me very much.
But "Zombieland" turned out to be a genuine surprise. Jessie Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson make a great team on screen, playing two starkly contrasting characters. Eisenberg's over-anxious, geeky college kid "Columbus", who relies on a set of fixed rules in order to survive, is put against Harrelson's "Tallahassee", a rough but likable cowboy type with a maniac edge, who likes to kill zombies for fun.
Their chemistry works well and B-movies such as "Tremors" come to mind, where the banter and quarrel between main characters is at least as entertaining as their fight against evil low-budget monsters. Soon, con girls "Wichita" and "Little Rock" join the road trip, and an uncomplicated, straight-forward love story develops. The whole plot is extremely simple, so don't expect twists and turns. I guess that's what makes this flick so likable - its simplicity: just plain, old-fashioned fun. Lots of laughs, snappy dialog, Harrelson at his best, what more can you want? One word about the gore - yes there is quite a lot of blood and violence. Personally, even though I dislike excessive gore, I couldn't take it serious here. For me it was more part of the setting than anything else. Zombies, monsters or giant worms - who cares. Then again, a friend's girlfriend left the theater shortly after the opening credits, so be warned in case you don't appreciate the habitual use of double-barrel shotguns.
Looking for Eric (2009)
Thoroughly enjoyable feel-good movie - maybe not for everyone.
It was "Surpise Sneak Preview"-Thursday again and we were happily anticipating the upcoming movie when Éric Cantona's name appeared in the opening credits. A name that rings a bell, even for those not interested in football*, owing to Cantona's infamous "Kung Fu"-style kick in 1995, against a spectator who racially insulted him. For an exemplary "enfant terrible" like Cantona it was probably inevitable that he would eventually end up being a movie actor.
As we compared our impressions after the movie was finished, a friend of mine explained she didn't enjoy it very much since it was "a movie about football". In retrospective, I really don't agree with that. Granted, football plays a major role in this movie, but I felt it was mainly there to serve as a metaphor. More importantly, Ken Loach lets us partake in Eric Bishop's life, and it's not a very sunny one. Stuck in a shabby apartment, divorced from his second wife, left with two kids who don't respect him, secretly smoking his son's gear, Bishop spends most of his time longing for this one woman he used to love decades ago.
Steve Evets does a great acting job depicting this shattered man, instantly taking us in and making us feel his distraught. This is done so well that I actually thought, oh no, not another "Requiem For a Dream", where all of the characters slowly and painfully disintegrate until the peak of disaster is finally reached.
And maybe this is why I liked the movie so much. It starts out genuinely depressing, but when Bishop's idol Éric Cantona suddenly appears out of nowhere and shares his spliffs with him, Bishop slowly gets his act together and things start to improve. He realizes that maybe his ties to friends and family are stronger than he thought. He finds the courage to meet the woman he once loved and talk about the past. In the end he even manages to free his son from a thug gang's violent grasp.
I especially liked the scenes between Eric and Lily. A couple, carefully approaching each other after years of dreadful silence, trying to avoid a minefield of unspoken resentments, is surely not the easiest acting task. But the conversation is always believable and just the right tone. Also, Evets shows remarkable versatility - ranging from gentle ex-husband to furious, desperate father. What an agreeable contrast to the banalities I was confronted with last week, watching "Couples Retreat". Oh well, I'll stop ranting.
Still, there are a few flaws. I know Cantona has done his share of movies before this one, but I dare say his football is better than his acting. He played a likable enough character and I cannot say I didn't enjoy it - it's just that he always looked a bit stiff and wooden in comparison to Evets. The film's genre mixture might put some people off - fans of romantic dramas might not appreciate the gangster element whereas football aficionados won't be touched by the exploration of father-child relationships. Personally, I didn't mind at all and thoroughly enjoyed the plot's turnaround from its totally miserable start to the feel-good ending.
If you, like me, are a fan of British movies, you will find this film appealing. It is discovering little gems like this what makes me go see a surprise movie every Thursday - again and again.
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* "soccer" to our American friends
Couples Retreat (2009)
Dialog so shallow it was almost appalling.
I just read a few reviews for "Couples Retreat" here on IMDb and I agree with most of them. A few good laughs in an otherwise mediocre script and a movie that isn't quite sure of its target audience. Rather than repeat what has been said before, I'd like to use the opportunity to talk about an issue that really bothered me. Towards the end, around the time our main characters reach the fabled "Eden East", the jokes recede and the dialog takes on a more serious note. The men start to discuss each other's relationships, which is then followed by a number of appropriate make-up scenes for each of the four couples.
Personally, I feel the dialog in that last fourth of the movie was so shallow it was almost appalling. Please don't get me wrong - I know romantic comedies don't usually enlighten us with deep insights into human love and emotions. But on the other hand I reserve the right not to be bullsh*tted. Have you ever had the feeling someone is trying to lecture you on something you have a far deeper and better understanding of? Picture a European soccer fan explaining baseball to you - you, a Yankees ticket holder all your life. Or maybe an accountant advising you, a hardy fisherman, on how to handle your net. You just want to go "yeah, right", then turn around and leave.
What am I driving at? Well, the point is, that is how I felt about the dialog. I'm not an expert on love, and chances are I never will be. But I know when something rings true and I know when something sounds like hollow garbage. "Once I saw other men, I learned what I have in you." Wow. "He is always planning everything out for us - our relationship feels like a prison." Deep. "If you don't make up with your wife, one day, you'll be sitting at Applebees all by yourself." Oh my, why haven't I thought about this before.
Where I live we have a saying: "If you don't have a clue about it - just shut up." During the last twenty minutes of this movie, I had the violent urge to grab Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn and shake them until they stop selling me those trivialities like ancient wisdom. I sometimes wonder - is it just me? Do I have a weird perception of things? Maybe most viewers are actually severely touched by those scenes and I am just an insensitive rock? Honestly, I'd be interested to see a statistic.
Apart from that, I'm willing to admit there were some enjoyable moments. The boy's first toilet scene made me burst out with laughter. But by far the best thing about the movie was the setting - so beautiful and sunny it made me forget the winter for two hours. And that's worth something.
Away We Go (2009)
If you are thinking of having a child, this movie might be for you.
If you are thinking of having a child, this movie might be for you. Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski play an unmarried couple in their thirties who discover they are going to be parents soon. Both actors do a good job, giving their characters a quirky touch while at the same time keeping them realistic and likable. Especially Burt stands out with his spontaneous efforts to lift Verena's spirit. This is a strength of the movie - there's warm humor in a lively dialog that makes us smile and sometimes laugh out loud. But "Away We Go" also has a more serious note to it - rather than a comedy it is a reflection about the responsibilities we take when we decide to become parents, the lifelong commitments we make, and the fear of making mistakes.
Sounds good, you say, then why only five stars out of ten? Well, for one thing, if you are *not* currently thinking of having a child, the movie might not be able to keep you interested the whole way. Instead of a story told straight, it's more like a journey through situations and feelings parents are likely to experience. Or maybe like a sneak preview of traps you might fall into being a parent, if you don't watch out. Which might just be your cup of tea, but then it might not be.
Now the dialog - I mentioned it being a strength of this movie, but at other times, it is also a weakness. Imagine, you are sitting somewhere with a friend and this married couple next to you starts sweet-talking each other. Personally, I feel this is a good time to turn to your mate and say, hey, how about another beer. Not only is it nice to give those guys some privacy and avoid the feeling of being an intruder. The truth is, I simply do not *care* to hear all the love-names they invented for each other, nor the gentle promises they are whispering into each other's ears. Sadly, turning away to your mate doesn't really work in theaters, and beer is expensive. So here we are, forced to sit through those awkward moments, shuffling in our seats and waiting for the comic relief. Luckily, the writers were smart enough to provide quite a lot of that. But, more often than not, it arrives painfully late.
Towards the end, there is a scene where all the do's and don'ts of being a good parent are reiterated as if to drive the point home with a sledge hammer. I can understand why other reviewers have scolded the main characters for being patronizing, though to be fair I don't feel it actually permeates the movie. All in all, I don't believe Sam Mendes' latest work will appeal to everyone, simply because of its subject matter. It can be awkward to watch at times, but it also has likable, carefully drawn characters and a number of genuinely entertaining moments.
Orphan (2009)
Horror fans might enjoy it. Personally, I was happy to leave this dreadful experience behind me.
First off, I *hate* horror movies. Not only do I generally detest the celebration of violence - those movies also quite literally bore me to death. So this review might not be exactly biased. I fear that much of what follows applies to horror movies in general rather than this one in particular. Which in a sense makes it unfair to punish this specimen with a 1 out of 10 and at the same time spare all the others. Still, I'll do my best to describe the issues I had with *this* horror movie. And I hereby promise to award each and every similar movie the very same rating, should I be forced to watch it.
Honoring a long-standing tradition in this genre, "Orphan" introduces us into a picture perfect world and acquaints us with a bunch of realistic characters we are supposed to care for and identify with. The aim, of course, is to eventually destroy this world, and ultimately us, as cruelly and completely as possible. And here's already my first complaint with this movie - the introduction drags on forever! I mean how long can you stretch out a plot like "rich family decides to adopt an orphan child"? Do I really want to spend my precious time watching ordinary family life unfold in a snail-like pace? Half an hour into the movie, I start wishing I hadn't drunk that coffee, so at least I'd able to take a decent nap.
But we know something is going to happen. We know, because once in a while, something scary takes place. We might see the husband's face appearing in the mirror, or a random kid passing the screen from right to left. You don't think that's scary? Just make the scene a real quiet one, then hit the audience in the face with a sudden, deafening outburst of sound and you'll see them jump in their seats every time. The oldest trick in the book, but that doesn't keep director Collet-Serra from exercising it on us again and again and again.
Or the revolutionary "approaching camera". We see John from behind, the shaky hand-camera quickly drawing closer and closer, his vulnerable back exposed, the music tensely ascending, now - CUT! - the actor turns around and sees... nothing. Wow. In the end, naturally, there is this persistent villain who just won't die. Which is rather annoying, to say the least, because really, at this point, I am longing to leave this dreadful experience behind me and start doing things more fun. Like that root canal my dentist has been urging me to have.
The Informant! (2009)
Willing to laugh or get seriously involved, failing to do both at the same time, we begin to get bored.
"The Informant!" is one of those movies that builds a reality for the viewer to live in, then, once that reality is accepted, tears it down and paints another world, only to question it again. What we took for true in the beginning, turns out to be lies, and what we believed to be blatant lies might just be the truth.
The inherent problem with this approach is that it confuses people and can be rather unsatisfying. Some people like to be puzzled. Some people love to be left hanging in the air - it gives them a chance to reflect on lofty themes like the nature of reality or, say, "individual truth versus universal truth". But most of us moviegoers like their facts. When someone pulls the rug from beneath our feet, we expect them to reveal the real stuff, so we can leave the theater thinking "Wow, *that's* the way it was. Clever!"
The plot is reluctant in handing over the facts. We watch our trusted main character turn compulsive liar and from that point on, who can we trust? Has there been price fixing at all? Probably. How much money did Mark really manage to embezzle? Who knows. One thing I *do* know is, the audience at our local "Surpise Sneak Preview" wasn't overly impressed and neither was I. I guess we all felt slightly cheated, but then again, most of us didn't really care. Other commentators have pointed out the movie's undecided meandering between "comedy" and "corporation spy thriller", and I consent. Willing to laugh or get seriously involved, failing to do both at the same time, we begin to get bored.
The retro musical score by Marvin Hamlisch, though extremely well-executed, pulls into yet another direction, as do the location announcements ("Zurich, 1991") in pink-yellow, seventies-style letters. Did Soderbergh, creator of tightly packed, slick and extremely coherent "Ocean's Eleven" deliberately compose his new flick of disjunct, almost opposing elements? Well, just a thought.
Owing to the involvement of seasoned professionals, the movie is agreeable to watch, though at times confusing and not entirely satisfying. One last thought... to me, Matt Damon will always look like Matt Damon - in this case, Matt Damon in a costume sporting a beard.
Up (2009)
No milestone in movie history.
I was exited to see this movie, as it had rapidly climbed to 26th place on IMDb's Top 250 before it was released here in Germany. Maybe those expectations ruined it for me, as expectations often do, but I really don't think this movie deserves a spot this high. Okay, it's funny. But so are Monsters Inc., Wall-E, Finding Nemo and countless others. The story is imaginative and entertaining, but no magic. The plot tries to push us through a wide range of emotions, but the movie's sugar-coated, candy-like look and slapstick nature kept me from identifying too much with its fairly shallow characters. A while ago, I saw "Spirited Away", a movie that touches the soul, takes you into a land beyond your wildest imaginations and leaves you with magical, dreamlike images you won't forget for a long time. Compared to movies like that, "Up" seems like your typical "let's all have a good time" - Disney family entertainment flick. Which is perfectly all right, and I will gladly give it a 7 out of 10, but this movie is definitely no milestone in movie history.