2009

This film was sadly overlooked in theaters and I hope it finds a new life on DVD. This a sweet, charming coming of age story, not a slapstick sex comedy like it was advertised as. The thing that really impressed me about the film is how honest and real all the characters seemed to be, especially Em who is played by Kristen Stewart.

I will have more later.

I want to straighten some people out. This movie is NOT to be taken seriously. This is just a movie that is meant for entertainment. The action is over-the-top because it is a movie you don't have to think during. Now, on with the review.

Crank 2 is a nonstop action thrill ride that is in the style of 1970s B-movies. It is absolutely hilarious throughout. This is because a) it is so mindless and ridiculous that you want two burst out laughing and b) it is a truly funny comedy. Statham delivers, yet again, the brilliance that is Chev Chelios and all his raging energy. Amy Smart is used more in this film than the first and it is because of her that we are able to have one of the funniest scenes of 2009 so far. For those who haven't seen it, it involves a horse track. This is a hard movie to review because it is, essentially, craziness. If you are not a fan of these types of movies, you will despise it. If you enjoy these types of movies, SEE IT ASAP.

Wow. That's about all I am able to say. Going into this movie with zero expectation and no idea what the plot was going to be, having only seen the teaser trailer, I was completely shocked. The performances are all outstanding from actors I have never heard of. The visual effects and look of the aliens are fantastic. This is one of the few sci-fi movies where the story is new and interesting. You can't really call this a sci-fi movie. This is an action thriller with no-holds-bar bloody action. This movie is extremely violent so keep little kids away. I don't want to say too much about it for the fear of spoilers, but what I can say is to go see this movie 4, 5 times. This'll be tough to top for the rest of the year.

I never thought that I would say this, but I enjoyed the latest chapter of the Harry Potter saga. For me, this felt the most realistic out of the Potter series. Granted, I know it isn't supposed to be realistic, but I enjoyed the mortality and human aspect of the picture.

The main core cast returns to their respective roles. I still am not buying Daniel Radcliffe as a good actor. He gives all of his lines completely one note, and he is just a bit boring. The only one out of Potter's troupe that I like is Hermione, played wonderfully by Emma Watson. She is the only one who is able to grasp emotion out of the core three and it was a delight whenever she was on screen. Ms. Watson was able to give life to a scene due to the dullness of Radcliffe and Grint. The adults are good as always, especially Alan Rickman who is one of our most underrated actors.

The school gets a new professor, played by Jim Broadbent. I am reserving this entire paragraph for him because he is the best part of the film. Broadbent is marvelously funny, but is also able to nail the intense dramatic moments of his character. As of now, he is one of my favorites for Best Supporting Actor at this year's Academy Awards. I know he won't be nominated, but he should.

The special effects are, once again, first rate and the cinematography is absolutely beautiful in its dark, almost gothic, tones. There are some plot points that I wasn't really too keen on and the action sequences are really stupid with the wands. I know that is how they are supposed to be done, I just can't take it seriously when they are, essentially, just waving around sticks. However, they make up for all of that with the humor (this is a very funny movie) and the standout performances from Broadbent, Rickman, and Ms. Watson. Overall, it is worth seeing.

More will come later.

Quentin Tarantino's latest film Inglourious Basterds is one of the most thrilling, suspenseful films I have seen in recent years. It remains unique due to the fact that the suspense is brought along by long stretches of dialogue. This is Tarantino writing as a serious author. His previous two films, Kill Bill and Death Proof, were fun and enjoyable but this is a well-thought and gripping story that draws you in from the opening scene. The first scene, that lasts around 20 minutes, revolves around a Nazi detective named Colonel Hans Landa, played with theatrical charm and perfection by Christoph Waltz, visits a French dairy farmer (Denis Menochet) about hiding Jews. However, Landa cannot simply go in and do a simple search and leave. He has to extend it to a full out performance, breaking the farmer beat by beat. This is one of, if not the best scene Tarantino has written. If this scene wasproduced as its own short film, it would easily win best short film at the Oscars.

The film then moves on to the next chapter where we meet the "Basterds". They are a group of Jewish-American soldiers who go behind enemy lines in France to brutally murder and scalp as many Nazis as they possibly can. They are led by Lt. Aldo Raine, played with southern shtick by Brad Pitt, who is obviously the comedic frontman in this story. Also in this chapter we are introduced to the maniacal, egotistical, power hungry super villain that is Adolph Hitler (Martin Wukke). He is so far into caricature in his almost secret layer, with his 30 foot tall self portrait along one side of the room. This chapter is really fun and enjoyable, which is an escape from the dramatic tension and suspense that we got in the first chapter.

In the third chapter we are introduced to Shoshana Dreyfus, played by Mélanie Laurent. In the first chapter, her family was massacred by Landa, and she was the only survivor. This is four years later where she is hiding out in Paris under the alias Emmanuelle Mimieux, where she owns a cinema. She is approached by a German soldier (Daniel Brühl) who is smitten with Shoshana and is a cinema lover. We find out the soldier has performed a great exploit for Germany that Joseph Goebbels (Sylvester Groth) decided to make a film about him and chose him to star in it. They decide to hold the premiere of the film at Shoshana's cinema. She decides to burn down the theater during the premiere to get revenge from her family's slaughter.

The fourth chapter we find out that the OSS has a similar plan for the cinema, except instead of burning it down it's blowing it up. The plan was created by a famous German actress/double agent Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger). She meets with two German-born members of the Basterds and an English film critic who speaks fluent German (Michael Fassbender) in a tavern. This scene, which extends over 30 minutes, is the most suspenseful scene in the film. I do not want to reveal too much about this scene, but it is gripping over something as simple as an accent. The fifth chapter is where the plans are executed and the film wraps up.

The best thing about this film is Christoph Waltz. He plays one of the best on-screen villains that I have ever seen. The man is smart, devious, eccentric, narcissistic, and charming. He is not your typical mustache-twirling Nazi that we get in so many WWII films. Another unique thing about him is that he is a linguistic genius. Throughout the film he speaks German, English, French, and Italian, and he is menacing in any tongues. I could go on and on about how much I love this character, but I will have to move on.

Another great thing is that everyone speaks the language they would speak, whereas other Holocaust films, like The Reader and Defiance, they just have an accent. The marketing sells this as the Brad Pitt Nazi slaughterfest. However, this movie is much more like a slow burn. It is a lot of talking and conversing, with about 45 seconds of action and violent frenzy at the end of the tension that you have during the scene.

Tarantino has crafted another masterclass that is in the ranks of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. This is also the best movie of 2009 and the decade.

I have to be honest, I did not fall in love with Chicago, much like everyone else did. It's not that I didn't like it, but that I had a few problems with it, namely Renee Zelwegger. However, Rob Marshall's third feature film is a completely engrossing movie experience. Nine is based off of the broadway musical of the same name and Federico Fellini's legendary film 8 1/2. It stars the always captivating Daniel Day-Lewis as Italian film director Guido Contini. He is suffering from a mental block in his creative process. It starts off with his film beginning to start shooting in 10 days, and he has not come up with a story or written any sort of a script. He has his crew scrambling to design whatever they possibly can. Meanwhile his stress and exhaustion builds up and seeks out help, in the form of women.

His mistress Carla, played with sexy exuberance and heart by Penélope Cruz, is the first he confides in. However this just brings about a personal struggle within him as he loves Carla, he still loves his devoted wife Luisa, played with the most purest of emotions by Marion Cotillard, who could not deliver a false note even if she tried. He also tries to express his frustration and mental block with his friend and costume designer (Judi Dench). Along this journey, he often thinks of his late mother (Sophia Loren) and asks her constantly for advice and continues to seek her approval.

One problem with the film is that there are several other female characters like his leading lady (Nicole Kidman), a Vogue reporter and admirer of Guido's (Kate Hudson), and a prostitute Guido encounters as a boy (Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson) do not get a chance to become fully formed characters in the film. They are given very little screen time. The actresses make the most of what they are given, but it isn't enough to full flesh out the characters.

This being a musical, the music is important. And many of the songs are good. Despite the fact that her character is very minor, Fergie's performance of "Be Italian" is very good. However, my favorite songs were the ones performed by the three principal leads (Day-Lewis, Cotillard, and Cruz). I particularly love Cruz's "A Call From The Vatican" and Cotillard's "Take It All". The other songs are good, but are very much overshadowed by the songs I mentioned before.

Rob Marshall does have an incredibly dazzling visual sense. The cinematography is beautiful to look at as well as the sets and costumes. He is able to capture the spirit of 1960s Italy to a tee.

The best part about this film is Marion Cotillard. As I said, she is incapable of delivering a false emotion. She is the character you most empathize with and feel for. Her scenes are the most powerful and memorable. Not to mention, she has one hell of a singing voice.

This overall, despite my little criticisms and its minor faults, is one of the best films I've seen in 2009. It's striking, sexy, emotional, and, well, fun. It's a high recommendation from me. You need to see this on the biggest screen you can with the best sound available. Otherwise, it's not the full experience of Rob Marshall's Nine.

So far, this is the standard for films in 2009. I love films that are able to blend comedy and drama perfectly together. This is no exception. The film stars two of Hollywood's best young actresses in Amy Adams and Emily Blunt. Amy Adams has already established herself with many great films like Enchanted and Charlie Wilson's War, and receiving two Oscar nominations for Junebug and Doubt. Emily Blunt recently arrived on the scene in The Devil Wears Prada. Here, the two of them have perfect chemistry together and each holds their own. Along side them is Oscar winner Alan Arkin. As always, he is wonderful, even though his character is a bit of an extension of his character in Little Miss Sunshine. The movie is fun, bittersweet, and wildly entertaining. It is a must see.

More will come later...

Watchmen is probably one of three most anticipated movies of the year. I'm sorry that you will be disappointed. The story jumps all over the place and you have no idea where the hell you are and what is going on. It feels like each character is in a separate movie, and not in a good way. The movie is overly long with many, unnecessary segments that could be cut out. Another big question is, "Why did Dr. Manhattan have to be naked the whole movie?" That one I'll never know. Another problem in the movie is that has two plot twists it reveals at the end of the film, but you can figure them out within the first 30 minutes. However, the insurmountable problem of the film is the performances. Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Carla Gugino, and Matthew Goode were all completely miscast. I did like Jackie Earle Haley and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, but even they could not save this dreadful film. If you like countless cliches and an overdone Richard Nixon, this is the film for you.

More will come later.