Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Mini's First Time

Mini's First Time (2006)

Inspired by actual news articles, this dark comedy about a dysfunctional family and its deadly consequences is writer-director Nick Guthe's impressive first-time foray into feature films. Mini (Nikki Reed) hates her materialistic mother (Carrie-Anne Moss) and uses her rich stepfather (Alec Baldwin) to teach Mom a lesson. Luke Wilson and Jeff Goldblum co-star in this film bleeding with deception, sex and scandal.
My Two Cents: It really doesn't matter if I thought this was bad or good (or somewhere in between). I watched it because Nikki Reed is hot. Very Hot. And I'd watch it again for that very reason.

NetFlix Rank: Liked It
IMDB Rank: 6/10

District B13

District B13 (2006)

Produced and co-written by acclaimed filmmaker Luc Besson, this stylized action thriller is set in Paris 2010, where the government has fenced off the city's ghettos, the most dangerous of which is District B13. Teaming up to infiltrate the lawless sector, an elite-unit cop and a reformed vigilante put their lives on the line in a gutsy attempt to retrieve a stolen nuke and thwart a terrorist attack by the city's most powerful gang.
My Two Cents: Just watch it for what it is -- frenetic action, cool tough guys, and amazing stunts -- and you're unlikely to walk away disappointed at is lack of substance.

NetFlix Rank: Really Liked It
IMDB Rank: 6/10

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Casino Royale

Casino Royale (2006)

Martin Campbell (GoldenEye) directs this film adaptation (the 21st of the Bond franchise) of Ian Fleming's first novel. Daniel Craig (Layer Cake) debuts as the new Bond, who takes on a corrupt casino owner with ties to terrorists. You'll learn Bond's back story as the action-packed film takes you to the Bahamas, Madagascar and other exotic locales. Eva Green and Jeffrey Wright join the cast, and the sublime Judi Dench reprises her role as M.
My Two Cents: Craig's dark-yet-debonair take on 007 marks a refreshing reinvention of a series that had become little more than a product placement vehicle rife with bad one-liners.

NetFlix Rank: Really Liked It
IMDB Rank: 8/10

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Flags of Our Fathers

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

From director Clint Eastwood comes this riveting World War II drama that recounts the story of six soldiers instantly immortalized when they were photographed raising the American flag atop Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi. Based on the book of the same name, the film reconstructs the events that preceded and followed the snapshot that came to symbolize the U.S. troops' triumph and America's indestructible spirit. Ryan Phillippe and Barry Pepper star.
My Two Cents: Its "Wonder Years" finale brought a sense of closure to a scattered presentation that said much more about cameraderie than combat.

NetFlix Rank: Liked It
IMDB Rank: 7/10

Further thoughts:

I really wish I could say more about this film. Perhaps I'm judging it harshly because it's not as dramatic or (forgive me for putting it this way, as it's wholly unfair and damn near disingenuous) as, gulp, patriotic, as a Saving Private Ryan. But thankfully it's not as schmaltzy as a Pearl Harbor either.

Eastwood finds his moments, and much like he did with Mystic River, sets a somber ambience from which to work. It captures the squalor and brutality of war, yet highlights the innocence and valor of the men who stood firm in the face of unspeakable horror.

But I never felt that it built on any kind of momentum. Flags follows a non-linear perspective of a handful of soldiers from before the Battle of Iwo Jima , to the not-yet-victorious, defining moment in which the American troops raised the flag, to the events that followed years later. Yet do we really get to know these men? I felt that the audience's connection was superficial at best. Perhaps that was intended? I don't know.

Here's what I do know: when I see a film such as this I want to feel something. Pride. Bitterness. Faith. Anger. Hope. Distress. Whatever. That's not to say I want to be force-fed propaganda, but is a little pathos too much to ask? I guess subtlety is more Eastwood's style.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Art School Confidential

Art School Confidential (2006)

Ambitious art school student Jerome Platz (Max Minghella) goes to extremes to conquer the art world -- and to get the girl -- in Terry Zwigoff's dark comedy. When his pure genius goes ignored and a brainless jock tempts his dream girl, Audrey (Sophia Myles), Jerome sets in motion a brazen plan to become an art world hero and win Audrey's heart. John Malkovich, Jim Broadbent, Matt Keeslar, Anjelica Huston and Ethan Suplee star.
My Two Cents: Works best when it over plays the anti-establishment stereotypes of the eccentric cast; misses the mark when it puts itself too much in the hands of the brooding lead character.

NetFlix Rank: Liked It
IMDB Rank: 6/10

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

Fans of the HBO comedy series "Da Ali G Show" will be delighted to join one of their favorite characters -- the Kazakhstani reporter Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen) -- as he travels to America to report on the "greatest country in the world." Camera in tow, the boorish journalist sets off on his cross-country road trip, but his original purpose is soon subsumed by a much greater quest -- finding and marrying actress Pamela Anderson.
My Two Cents: Disgusting, Disturbing, Shocking, Insane, and yet Maddeningly Funny. When I wasn't covering my eyes I had to wipe away the tears from them, because I literally laughed hard enough to cry.

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