Wednesday, August 30, 2006

My Summer of Love

My Summer of Love (2005)

Director Pawel Pawlikowski's BAFTA award-winning film juxtaposes the secret longings of two very different young women: the smart Mona (Natalie Press), who's deeply bored and tired of the poverty of her everyday life, and the rich Tamsin (Emily Blunt), who's long ceased to be impressed with her well-heeled life. When their worlds collide unexpectedly, they sense an immediate attraction, but can their unusual friendship survive their differences?
My Two Cents: Slow but steady; Blunt's performance as the manipulative rich girl was nothing short of enchanting.

NetFlix Rank: Liked It
IMDB Rank: 7/10

Monday, August 28, 2006

Two For the Money

Two For the Money (2005)

Collegiate football star Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey) spins his uncanny prognostication skills into a new vocation when a devastating injury sidelines his promising career. Hooking up with renowned "sports consultant" Walter Abrams (Al Pacino), Brandon becomes a crafty front man for the operation -- until his Midas touch starts to evaporate. Co-star Rene Russo plays Pacino's wife in this high-stakes drama from director D.J. Caruso.
My Two Cents: A pointless story with two lead actors that evidently just decided to caricature themselves for two way-too-long hours.

NetFlix Rank: Didn't Like It
IMDB Rank: 4/10

BONUS BLOGGING

Matt's Two Cents: No plot, bad writing, Coppola should edit Pacino out of The Godfather after seeing Pacino reduce himself to this.

NetFlix Rank: Hated It

Robert's Two Cents: Almost bad enough to laugh at, the writing here is as bad as it gets.

NetFlix Rank: Didn't Like It

Winter Passing

Winter Passing (2006)

Upon learning that a publisher will pay dearly for the love letters her novelist father (Ed Harris) wrote to her late mother, Reese Holden (Zooey Deschanel) returns to Michigan after seven years away from home. But instead of the reclusive man she expected to find, she discovers her dad has formed a deep connection with the struggling musician (Will Ferrell) and ex-grad student (Amelia Warner) who now live under his roof. Amy Madigan co-stars.
My Two Cents: I couldnt tell if it tried too hard or didnt try hard enough. Despite a likeable cast there's nothing particularly likeable about this dull, flat film.

NetFlix Rank: Didn't Like It
IMDB Rank: 5/10

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

One Last Thing

One Last Thing (2005)

Diagnosed with terminal cancer, otherwise typical teen Dylan Jamieson (Michael Angarano) makes an unusual last request: a date with hot supermodel Nikki Slater (Sunny Mabrey). But this may be a case of be careful what you wish for: Dylan's dream babe turns out to be a self-absorbed shrew who'll do anything to crush her competition. Gina Gershon and Cynthia Nixon lend solid support in director Alex Steyermark's bittersweet comedy.
My Two Cents: If you look past its American Pie/Can't Hardly Wait elements, you'll find a touching film that has a lot to say about life and death and things we all think about.

NetFlix Rank: Really Liked It
IMDB Rank: 7/10

Saturday, August 12, 2006

For a Day I'll Never Forget...

...I'm not sure that Oliver Stone's World Trade Center is a film that I'll always remember.

Unlike the no-frills United 93 that came out earlier this year, Stone's smaller-scale epic fails in many ways to engage the viewer in terms of the overall impact from that dark day. And if I thought that was his main intention then I'd be more disappointed in his effort. But I don't.

I don't think WTC set out to be the definitive movie about 9/11. Its mission was to tell an incredible story of survival from the viewpoint of a small group directly affected by the tragedy. And to be perfectly honest it does just that. In fact, I was impressed with the way Stone handled it.

Here's a guy that has taught an entire generation of people to believe a revised, "junk history" version of the JFK assassination. He's known more for his pedantic agenda than anything else, and yet here he is directing a movie about the most sensitive of topics, on the eve of its five-year anniversary. I'd say the smart money would have been on Stone creating a politically divisive trainwreck, and WTC is the complete opposite of that. So like I said, color me impressed.

There were certainly aspects of it that I didn't much like (much of the comic relief seemed ill-timed and incongruous within its context), but for the most part it resonated with me. It treated the subject matter and the characters (both main and ancillary) with respect, and it avoided editorializing.

So why only a 7/10 and "Liked It," instead of 9/10 and "Loved It"? I suppose it's because even though I understand, and even appreciate, what Stone did, I think he could have done more. The story of 9/11 is in the people that played the vital roles. They were heroes, and they should be treated as such. Yes, it's important to see how John McLoughlin (Nic Cage) and Will Jimeno (Michael Pena) -- heroes in their own right -- persevered through sheer will until their rescuers dug them out of the rubble. Sure we in the audience want to see the devastating impact on their families. But I would have liked to see more of the rescuers themselves. That's the story of 9/11 -- the manner in which America came together, with everyone playing whatever part they could play. WTC glosses over much of that. Of the dozens of people that risked their lives to save the trapped officers only one saw any significant character development? Why was that? Their stories were important, too.

Maybe I'm just being too critical. As I said, it's still a memorable film, and one that rekindles the melancholy, hope, and pride of that terrible time. But fair or not, World Trade Center will naturally be compared with United 93, a film that also captures all of those emotions, and ultimately WTC doesn't quite match up.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

World Trade Center

World Trade Center

From director Oliver Stone comes this gripping docudrama set amid the rubble of Sept. 11, 2001. Working under treacherous conditions, an army of dedicated rescuers desperately hopes to find anyone who survived the World Trade Center's tragic collapse. Their efforts pay off when they unearth Port Authority police officers John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) and William J. Jimeno (Michael Pena) trapped near an elevator shaft.
My Two Cents: Tackles a microcosmic view of 9/11 in a respectful manner, but its limited scope diminishes some of its impact; not powerful, but memorable.

NetFlix Rank: Liked It
IMDB Rank: 7/10

BONUS BLOGGING

Robert's Two Cents: A small, shameless, claustrophobic, and perverted underachiement

NetFlix Rank: Hated It

Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Lifelong friends and national idols Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) and Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly) have earned their NASCAR stripes with their uncanny knack of finishing races in the first and second slots, respectively. But when rival French driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) coasts onto the track to challenge the duo, they'll have to floor it to retain their status as top dogs.
My Two Cents: 'Ricky Bobby' isn't as dumb-witted as it appears, and surprisingly (or not?) Reilly, Baron and Cole really steal the show.

NetFlix Rank: Really Liked It
IMDB Rank: 7/10

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Why We Fight

Why We Fight (2005)

Filmed during the Iraq War, this documentary dissects America's military machine with a keen eye to answering the question: Why does America engage in war? Through personal stories of soldiers, government officials, scholars, journalists and innocent victims, the film examines the political and economic interests and ideological factors, past and present, behind American militarism. Winner of the 2005 Sundance Grand Jury Award.
My Two Cents: I knew I wouldn't agree with it going in, but I expected more than I got.

NetFlix Rank: Didn't Like It
IMDB Rank: 5/10
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