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Jobi14
Reviews
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)
It's about the atmosphere...
All right. Listen up out there. You could say this is Juno without the baby...or almost as useless and watered down as a straight to DVD movie...but you would be missing the point--not that every movie has to have a point.
N&N is not trying to sell something or be something--it's not even trying to be great...because most love stories that try to be great fail. When you see N&N (and if you're in the mood for a lighthearted enjoyable movie, you should), don't go with an expectation of grandeur or even for the entire thing to be great. Alexis Diziena is as useless in this film as she is anorexic and whorish--her part is almost explicitly sexual. And there are so many subplots that their lives appear at times to be exaggerated. What matters almost seems to be camouflaged by what should be secondary.
The movie succeeds in a number of understated ways, though. Ari Graynor's part is by far the funniest character of the bunch and Ari plays the part extremely well. The gay band Michael Cera is a member of adds a quirky afterthought to his character's back story. And what's most important--the characters Nick and Norah act like slightly more interesting versions of normal people. They have their flaws and their disagreements but they're capable of finding the beauty in each other and their story along the way.
Movies should be about the creation and expansion of a spark of magic--not about giving you exactly what you expect or want. The perfection of the movie lives in its imperfections. The love is in the relationships that are real and what is fake gets left behind in a sketchy area near 10th street (that's not a spoiler). It amplifies grace with its soundtrack and hope with its random culmination of peculiar events over a single-night.
So just let the infinite playlist play and enjoy it already.
Voces inocentes (2004)
Meeting "La Voz"...
All right. Well, tonight I had the opportunity to meet the man, Oscar Torres, who wrote the script for this film. This film is autobiographical in nature and Oscar was the little boy, Chava, in the film. I listened to him speak about his experiences in El Salvador. There was a very strong sense of peace in Oscar's explanations. At one point in the film, Chava has to decide whether to kill a soldier or not. He chooses not to and Oscar told us that his decision not to shoot deeply impacted his humanity. He was extremely knowledgeable and willing to answer my questions.
The film is fantastic and real. It is told from the perspective of an 11 year old during times of upheaval in El Salvador. The young boy who plays Chava, Carlos Padilla, is amazing! His eyes are so clear and so focused throughout the film that the events come to life and seem believable. IT IS AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY. Although dramatization probably occurred, Oscar was very clear about the events that took place during his childhood and I STRONGLY ENJOYED THE FILM.
See it today!!
Man on Fire (2004)
A well thought out, well made movie
First off, I'd like to say I did not believe Denzel Washington deserved the Oscar for Training Day. I really believed he deserved one for his performance in this film.
Creasy is a character you can neither love nor hate. He is not a good guy and we know it because he has killed before. But neither is he evil. You can't dislike him. In this film, he becomes the body guard of a well-to-do family in Mexico City. He is ordered to protect the daughter of the family (played by Dakota Fanning).
However, in a city where kidnappings occur every day it is hard to prepare for any and everything. She is kidnapped and, after a bad ransom exchange, presumed dead. Creasy then goes on a war path to track down the men who killed her.
In my personal opinion, this is a fantastic movie. By the end, I was so enthralled by Washington's character that I cried for the last twenty minutes of the film. And I am definitely not a crier.
I know I'm a little biased because I believe that what he does to the men is the just and right thing to do.
Also, the music is SO SPECTACULAR!! This is definitely NOT one of those films where they randomly chose some music director and some random composer who wrecked the film with awkward and misplaced music (See The New World starring Colin Farrell). The song "Una Palabra" by Carlos Varela is perfectly placed and signifies a great deal at that point in the movie.
Watch it and see for yourself!!!
Click (2006)
Where did the old Adam Sandler go?
Where did the old Adam Sandler go? I'm not complaining mind you. I never really liked the fire breathing, short-fused Sandler and it seems that with every new movie I like him even more.
I went to see Click expecting it to be some flash-in-the-pan comedy...but it was much better. The funny jokes weren't a result of Sandler's screaming, but of plot development. The especially sad part of the movie was fantastic and showed a completely different side of Sandler.
The only problem I saw with the movie...they didn't develop Christopher Walken's and Nick Swardson's characters enough. What little parts they had were great, though, and I recommend it for anyone who doesn't over analyze movies. It's a well-spent two hours, and you'll enjoy the film.
The Lake House (2006)
It's okay...
I know I shouldn't reminisce about movies from long ago. You know those movies...the kind where the characters are so intoxicated with love and the story is so complete that no matter who you are male or female, cynic or hopeless romantic, you enjoy watching it again and again. Runaway Bride, Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, You've Got Mail, and City of Angels are all really good examples. But there seems to be something lacking in twenty-first century romance films.
Although The Lake House is sweet and the characters are enjoyable it fails to inspire a sense of completeness. The background of the characters isn't fulfilling and the story seems cut short. There is a point, however, when Bullock is younger and you get a glimpse of some prior existence, a sensitivity and aversion to intimacy that is satisfied by the introduction of Keanu Reeves.
I liked the movie, but there wasn't much magic to save it from the ever expanding list of mediocre romantic movies. Nevertheless, I was very grateful that the filmmakers decided to use the GOOD ending, otherwise I might not have been so nice in this review.
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Why does this ALWAYS HAPPEN in movies like this???
Here's a question directed toward anyone who expects romantic comedies to be good...why in movies like this are the side romances more entertaining than the one we're supposed to be interested in? In WC, we are basically supposed to be falling in love with the romance between Rachel McAdams and Owen Wilson. However, about twenty minutes into this film I found myself caring more about what happened to Vaughn and Fisher's characters. She is FANTASTIC as a love-crazed little sister going after a "cool" guy. And Vaughn is great once he realizes that Fisher's character has been lying to him the whole time.
I couldn't wait to see what sweet little Gloria was going to do to Vaughn next. The desire to see their relationship develop blinded me from the whole rest of the movie until I found myself thinking, "Oh yeah, we're supposed to be watching Wilson and McAdams." I can't give this movie a good review because I would much rather have watched two hours of Vaughn and sex-crazed Fisher than anyone else in that movie.
Failure to Launch (2006)
*snore, snore*....Oh, excuse me...
This always happen to me when I watch romantic comedies. I start off bored and then it only gets worse. First of all, no offense to SJP, but Zooey Deschanel looks twenty years young than SJP and they're supposed to be sharing an apartment/house. This is completely unbelievable, ESPECIALLY because of the age difference. SJP is a beautiful woman, but they kind of miscast her here.
Again, I find myself absolutely disgusted with Romantic comedies. Just like in Wedding Crashers, I wanted to watch the side romances develop more than the main characters'. Deschanel and Bartha are a FANTASTIC pairing of characters. They are great to watch and I would much rather have watched them the whole movie.
Also, it seems like the entire romance between McConaughey and Parker just starts to fizzle instead of continuing to spark. In fact I never really saw a spark to begin with.
The Break-Up (2006)
Pathetically awful...
What a ridiculous waste of my time! I went to check out this movie with no expectations. I had heard from critics that there was no chemistry between the film's two main characters, but I realized half way through this thing that what was wrong with this movie went so above and beyond the lack of passion, or even attraction, between the couple breaking up. Not only is the Vaughn-Aniston chemistry nonexistent, there is no unifying plot, and scenes seem to have just been thrown into the mix for an extra dose of confusion. The mini-tangents in the film are random and underdeveloped--from Aniston's character's gay brother to a piece of wood on the wall Vaughn and Aniston are fighting over that is never explained. The comedy was also lacking. There were a few jokes, only two of which I can remember being remotely funny.
And by the way--can somebody fetch Aniston a piece of cheese or maybe an olive? Sometimes the size of an actress fits the actress's body type (Salma Hayek, Ashley Judd, and Angelina Jolie are stunningly sexy and beautiful, for example), but the rail-thin look Aniston carries in the movie is bordering on hideous. At one point in the film, she turns sideways and you realize "The camera adds ten pounds...is she even there at all?"
As for the Vaughniston relationship we are supposed to be getting a peek into...you wouldn't even think they were friends. There's a void that neither fills. Maybe the two love birds were saving their energy for an "off-camera" relationship--but then someone should have been shooting off screen instead. It would have been more exciting anyway.
Whatever you do...I rate this movie sixteen thumbs way down.
Scary Movie 4 (2006)
Here's what you need to know about Scary Movie 4...
Okay. Let's start by saying that it's way too short. It's only about 84 minutes so I'd recommend not spending TONS of money on concessions.
BUT and that's a big but, THIS MOVIE IS FANTASTIC. The film starts out a little too slow, the jokes fall flat, and it's cheesy. About ten minutes into the whole thing, though, it all changes. Cindy is up to her old tricks of saving the world and spoofing movies along the way. The writers did a wonderful job of distorting movie plots.
However, I must offer a piece of advice...DO NOT GO SEE THIS MOVIE IF YOU'VE ONLY SEEN ONE OR TWO FILMS FROM LAST YEAR!!! I sat in that theater for the whole time laughing so loud and hard my stomach hurt, but I was all alone. No one else laughed because none of the other movie-goers had any clue what was going on. If you haven't seen Million Dollar Baby, Saw, The Village, The Grudge, War of the Worlds, or Brokeback Mountain or if you don't know about Tom Cruise's couch jumping episode you are going to be utterly confused and frustrated because THESE MOVIES ARE SPOOFED. The movie's funny ONLY if you know what they're making fun of. I, as a die-hard movie buff, have seen them all SO I WAS CONSTANTLY ENTERTAINED.
And, of course, Anna Faris is FANTASTIC.
Running Scared (2006)
RUNNING SCARED is a FANTASTIC, well made movie!
There is no way on earth I can spoil this movie for anyone because the tiny spaces of action I could describe from this film are only segments of the greater whole. Running Scared is a well made movie. The language used is not the classiest choice, however, it does not detract from the movie experience. Running Scared cannot be summarized, specifically because the story takes place over an eighteen hour time period and there is never a dull moment. In fact, I recommend not taking a bathroom break while watching this movie. If you are DYING to go, however, I tell you now that you will not have a clue about what's going on when you return. I RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE TO EVERYONE WHO LOVES INTRIGUING PLOTS!!! And the subplots of this movie will BLOW YOUR MIND (no pun intended)!!!!
While many people do not appreciate the violence in movies today, I have to say that this movie puts a unique spin on justice. There are no specifically good guys in this movie--except for Walker's Wife--and the subplots do the movie justice. If you are anything like me you will know the scenes where Walker's wife punishes two evil people and you will be on the edge of your see while she does it. These scenes will shock you and whether or not you agree with her actions, they are very hard to criticize. The two individuals are evil--pure and terrifying. But this should not defer you from going.
GO SEE THIS MOVIE TODAY!!!