WE OWN THE NIGHT

WE OWN THE NIGHT OWNS THE VIEWERS TOO
This is not an average "cop" movie. This is a powerful and intense drama about two brothers; neither living the life they wanted. Joe (played by Marky Mark Wahlberg) is his father's son and a cop. His father, Bert Grusinsky (Robert Duvall) is the Deputy Chief and is quite proud of his son... one of them anyway. The other son, Robert Green (Joaquin Phoenix) manages a disco/dance club and is fond of his Russian boss who treats him like family. Eva Mendes is Amanda, Bobbie's ubersexy girlfriend. Now this is where the train jumps the tracks. I'll not be specific so as not to ruin the twists and turns which usually only covers the ending. Not so here. The film is not a "typical" cop movie. There are no "dirty cops". There is no black or white, good or bad, right or wrong. This film is emotionally charged and driven which is a different place to go with a mostly all male cast. It's about emotion and sympathy and vengence and fear. The audience is challenged to forget what we think we know. I liked that, but would not have forseen it. Brothers who rival each other, and also love each other AND don't have a problem saying it outloud. Mendes, although ravishing, is more than an ornament. She doesn't hang off Phoenix like a cheap suit; she is a real and sincere person. This is the best I've seen from her thus far. Each character is individually well crafted and yet there is a connection between them that is implied, but not obvious. It is raw and vulnerable and tough all at the same time. Phoenix steers the ship, but Wahlberg, Duvall and Mendes are solidly rowing. Fantastic film all around.
Pick: Well crafted acting and solid script make a delicious and riveting film.

INVASION

INVASION NEEDS A GOOD DOSE OF PENICILLIN "My husband is not my husband." My movie is not my movie. See Nicole. See Nicole run. Run Nicole, run. I've seen this movie before: Invasion of the Body Snatchers, War of the Worlds, Children of Men, Stepford Wives, Planet Terror. INVASION is the answer to recent additions to the english language such as Pandemic, SARS and Avian Flu. It goes along in a quite and predictible plot-line. Nicole Kidman is Carol Bennell, a therapist who is having a really bad day. Her ex-husband wants to have their son spend the night and then goes and turns into a "zombie", then her friend does, her patients do and her special "best friend" as well. Most of the movie is spent in rapid running/speeding cars. Everyone's gone and turned zombie, there's no hope in sight until they all lived happily ever after. There is absolutely no connection between Kidman and her "love interest", Ben (Daniel Craig), and both he and her ex-husband, Jeremy Northam, were VERY convincing as zombies. The crucial part for Kidman in this film is not to fall asleep (and turn into a zombie). Too bad the movie didn't want the same from its viewers.
NOT a Pick: Mildly entertaining but nothing to lose sleep over.

GONE BABY GONE

GONE BABY GONE was GREAT BABY, GREAT "I always believed it was the things you don't choose that makes you who you are. Your city, your neighborhood, your family. People here take pride in these things, like it was something they'd accomplished. The bodies around their souls, the cities wrapped around those." For a man who was born in Berkley, Ben Affleck as Director and Co-screenwriter, has again paid tribute to the city of Boston. Cocky and young, Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) is a private detective who is called upon to help find a missing girl. The police don't like him and he isn't taken seriously until his 'street cred' proves that he is a valuable asset in the search. He is not as harmless as he looks. But this movie is much more complex than that. It's like a super long and well done version of Law and Order. Kenzie is 'that guy'... the kind of guy that doesn't let things go. He wants to do the right thing, which is not always clear-cut black and white. Add Michelle Monaghan as his partner/love interest; Morgan Freeman as the somewhat menacing, Capt. Jack Doyle; Ed Harris as the tough detective, Remmy Bressant; and Amy Ryan as Helene McCready, the questionably unfit mother of the lost child. To date, this has been the best role I have seen Affleck in. He has expressive eyes that shout volumes above any words could. Bottom line: What is the right thing to do and how do you live with that choice? Not an easy question to answer. See this film and then ask yourself that question.
BIG pick: An exceptional piece of work, clever dialogue and a tightly written plot. Must see!

MARTIAN CHILD

MARTIAN CHILD NEEDS TO GO BACK TO SPACE "I don't want to bring another kid into this world. But how do you argue against loving one that's already here?" This story is based on the scriptwriter's real life experience with adopting a child. I wanted to like this movie. I adore John Cusack; alas, my love just wasn't strong enough. The premise is good and pure. David (Cusack) recently widowed, decides to do something good with his life. He adopts a child (Bobby Coleman) who claims to be from Mars. I didn't buy it. There was Cusack being Cusack and then a first-timer, Coleman, who I didn't believe. The setup is too neat, clean and predictable. Every effort was used in attempt to cry. Toward the middle-end of the movie I did shed a tear and for those few moments Cusak was David. The messages are trite; 'be yourself', there is no 'normal', parents aren't perfect. Good messages, but expressed too precisely. Amanda Peet and Joan Cusack filled their roles well. I wanted this movie to be magical and semi-believable and it just wasn't.

NOT a pick: K-PAX did a better job with the same idea. I just didn't feel it.

PERFECT STRANGER

PERFECT STRANGER IS NEITHER PERFECT OR STRANGE... DISCUSS
What crap... that's it, nothing left to say. I won't go into detail about the plot, because by the time any significant action happened in the movie, I didn't care. Neither Bruce Willis nor Halle Berry did anything close to acting and the script was terrible. The plot made no sense until the big reveal at the end of the film and it really doesn't matter because there is NO attachment to any of the characters. A HUGE waste of time by anyone and everyone involved in the making of this film, but more importantly, the time I lost watching it!

SO NOT A PICK: With bland actors and an uncomprehensive script, this film couldn't have sucked more.

VALENTINE'S DAY 2008

BEST VALENTINE'S DAY MOVIE
"Random thoughts for Valentine's Day... Today is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap." Boy, Joel Barish (Jim Carey) meets girl again. Boy almost loses girl, again. Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Girl, Clementine (Kate Winslet) gets her memory of boy erased with the help of Dr. Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson). Then, boy retaliates and erases his memory of her. It really isn't this complicated, perhaps a bit hard to track upon first viewing, but the bottom line is boy and girl get a second chance to fall in love with each other all over again, depite how it may or may not end. "Sand is overrated. It's just tiny, little rocks". This is one of my favorite movies. Along with the aforementioned, the cast includes Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, and Elija Wood. This film is almost magical in the way it suspends reality. Check out Lacuna's website, the company that designed the "memory eraser". "Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders. Nietzsche. Beyond Good and Evil. Found it in my Bartlett's". Would you want to forget your past, or would you want to remember it all, good and bad? Happy Valentine's Day!

Rating: Must see film, gets easier to track after watching more than once. LOVED it!

THE ASSASINATION OF JESSE JAMES

THE ASSASINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
"Do you want to be like me? Or do you want to BE me?" says the legendary Jesse James (Brad Pitt) to a naive and simple minded Robert Ford (Casey Aflleck). These are the last days of Jesse James' life. His gang prepares to do their last job; but this movie is not about that. It is about him; them. Pitt brings to life the legend and makes him human, flawed and a little bit "off". He does a tremendous job of telling us about the man without having to be told. We see his suffering, his cocky attitude, his bravado. Unfortunately for him, his '#1 fan' also sees the human part of Jesse. Ford grew up idolizing this man who, when all is said and done, still just a man and that doesn't sit right with him. In the end, Ford turns into the same kind of man, one that is flawed and human, hence the title. The movie itself is beautifully shot and the details were right for the period piece. The scenery is lush and rich. You smell the gunpowder, the dirt and sweat. You get transformed to another place all-together. The characters' southern slush of words made it difficult to understand and the lingo even harder. I finally turned on the subtitles feature, which helped greatly. It is also a very, very long movie. Coming from a fast moving society, it was somewhat uncomfortable settling in at a slower pace. What it did do was to slowly bring the blurry into focus, both for the characters and the plot. When the intensity comes, it is felt just that much more and jars your previously serene mindset. This film was not just about that time, but more about the men in it and the complexity of one of our illustrious outlaws in James. The supporting cast fit together like an intricate puzzle. Mary-Louise Parker plays Zee, James' wife. I questioned that small role for such a talented actress, but it was the larger role of his family devotion that she makes known.
Pick: Beautiful and slow, well acted and Pitt is on his game. Long, but good.

ROCKET SCIENCE

ROCKET SCIENCE
Most movies about high school are full of sterotypes (jock, brain, stoner, preppie) but this movie is refreshingly dramatic without all the drama. High school is portrayed as simply awkward in this film. To add to the inevitable pain, our unlikely hero Hal (Reece Thompson) suffers from a cripling stutter. In this movie he is literally and figuratively trying to find his voice. He is "recruited" by Ginny (Anna Kendrick) who kicks ass on the debate team. She is the 'Tracy Flick' from ELECTION; type A personality. Last year her partner, Ben (Nicholas D'Agosto) froze in the middle of his speach and cost her the most coveted first place. This year, she plans to win and thinks that she can "mold" Hal into a debating God. As he works with her and grows increasinging mesmorized by her, he also works with the school's counselor on his studdering; which include whispering, singing and/or talking with an accent. His first attempt to debate fails miserably and so Ginny dumps him and moves on to a more sure path to her fame. Hal tries to get revenge and seeks the aid of Ginny's former parter, Ben, which also fails miserably, except that he is growing as a character and learns from these events. Ben eloquently puts it, "The fights you fight today are the fights you fight until you die." This is a movie with a heart. As painful as these experiences are to watch, they also remind us of our own experiences. The supporting actors are characters in themselves and very entertaining to watch. Hal befriends Ginny's neighbor so he can spy on her. Every time they pass his parents on the way upstairs to his room, his parents are playing Violent Femmes songs on the cello and piano; great gag. This was a lovely and touching film that is neither too dramatic or overly funny; it's human.

Pick: This film is well done with heart and respect for youth's growing pains. Definate pick.

THE BRAVE ONE

THE BRAVE ONE REDEFINES WHAT A HORROR FILM IS
At first glance, even at second glance, I wouldn't imagine that anyone would classify this film in the "horror" genre. Horror now means guys in masks chasing stranded, scantily clad hitchikers in a creepy old mansion. THE BRAVE ONE is the worst kind of horror film because it sets up a scenario that is real and believable and horrible to witness. One minute NPR talk show host Erica Bain (Jody Foster) is alive; really alive. Her big blue eyes twinkle and pure joy and love seep from her every pore. One violent night she and her fiancee are attacked and we bid a fond farewell to those twinkling peepers. This of course is the straight set up for a revenge movie; however no one expects that a woman would react in the way Bain does. Men take their anger out, women suck it in, but not this time. What's best about her character is that noticable difference between the "old" Bain and the new hurt, grieving ready for blood Bain. The portrayal and the film are raw and gritty and dirty and very, very real. She doesn't break down (like other women might do in this type of film) she fights to hold on to a life that only now resembled hers. Foster is gold. She owns the role and those blue eyes were put into full force. Next to her, the compassionate soul trying to figure it all out is Detective Mercer (Terrance Howard). Again, he keeps it real, believable. He is no "super cop" and doesn't have to rush to Bain's aid. I was disappointed by the ending. It really turned a fierce corner that didn't feel in character, particularly with Mercer's. That being said, this is a extremely well done movie with talent, feeling and best of all believability.
Pick: Incredible well done film all around; conflicted ending worth the whole soul of the film.

CRAZY LOVE

CRAZY LOVE MORE THAN LOCO

If you have seen WHEN HARRY MET SALLY you'll enjoy the twisted way this documetary was shot. Interlaced with still photographs of times gone by, we are introduced to Burt and Linda Pugach, and then slowly we meet their friends and co-workers etcetera. They tell funny stories of how they met and what everyone else thought of the dynamic duo. It reminded me so of those clips between "decades" in WHMS where they had real life couples talking about how they met and fell in love instantly. This movie was called "mezmerizing" by some and though documentaries aren't my favorite, I love crazy. What a let down. Long story short, he had an affair with a woman who didn't know he had a wife and child, and as she was on her way out of the relationship, he pulled an Ike, threatening "I can't have you, no one else will have you, and when I get through with you, no one else will want you." So, like any other like minded obsessed crazy in love kinda guy, he hired thugs to throw lye in ther face which resulted in her blinding and disfigurement. While Burt went to the big house for 14 years, they wrote to each other and eventually married. I don't get it. Why would anyone want to document this terrible ordeal? Once more, all the talking and monotone voices literally put me to sleep. It looked like a good one, but unless you are in need of a nap, pass.

NOT A PICK: I felt morally dirty just by watching and found it boring and dull.

THE NINES

THE NINES WAS GOOD... UNTIL IT REACHED THE TENS

Part One: Meet Gary (Ryan Reynolds) a typical hollywood actor out on a binge, stopping to ask a hooker, "excuse me, is this crack?" So well done and very realistic. It's fun to watch actors portray actors. So sentenced to house arrest, he finds romance with a mysterious neighbor, Sarah,(Hope Davis) and unexpectedly gets a new roomie, Margaret (Melissa McCarthy). Unexplainable things happen and there is the sense that something is off, but you can't put your finger on it. The acting was super, the plot intrigueing and the casting supurb. Part Two: Now we're on a reality tv program or documentary following Reynolds again, except this time he looks diffrent, acts different and his name is Galvin. He has just written and is now supervising the shoot of one of his scripts. He has written a part in for his gal-pal, Melissa (who is played by McCarthy) as the real writer/director wrote McCarthy's character just for her. Gavin gets between a rock and a hard place as the "suits" producing the project (enter Davis as Susan) don't agree with his choice of actress. At this point the movie is still strong and good and well acted etcetera. Part Three: The show that "Galvin" had written is now a "real-life" incident. He, this time as Gabriel, and his wife Mary (McCarthy) are out in the forest with their daughter (another adorable Fanning) and their car has trouble. He runs to get a cell signal or help and runs into Sierra (Davis) hippie naturalist. By now, the issue of same actor/different part works and is even fun. However, the ending leaves a lot of questions and then goes off on a wildly different tangent ending in a way that only leaves more questions. DVD extra: A short story showcasing McCarthy called God. That alone is worth the rental fee.

Pick: I recommend this film, fun ride until you get to the end, but it's easy to forgive.

KING OF CALIFORNIA

KING OF CALIFORNIA LOOSES THRONE

The worst part about this movie is that it could have been done so much better. I'm not a fan of Evan Rachel Wood who plays Miranda, the daughter of a recently released mental patient. But I can't fault her for a dissapointing script. Michael Douglas is Charlie, her father, who has been in a mental institution for the last few years. Now Charlie wants to find burried treasure. Again, given what they had they did the best they could with it. I can't tell if it was the script or directing or Douglas, but his character was stereotypical at best. His performance gives crazy a bad name. It was also unbelievable that his daughter would let him go off on a tangent, indulge his thoughts and then a few minutes later play the protagonist who is to be the "reasonable" one. I just didn't buy it.

Not a Pick: The script and writing could have made this magical, but it wasn't.

HE WAS A QUIET MAN

HE WAS A QUIET MAN SPEAKS LOUDLY

This is a dark, unpredictable film. We have seen this behavior before (going postal) where the fed up, over worked and under paid worker bee decides to take out a few co-workers before shooting himself. Because we know this happens, it is hard to watch a film that brings light to this behavior, that being said, it was done in a very nice light. Bob (Christian Slater) is that worker bee and he takes a lot of crap from a lot of people. He isn't outgoing or good looking (and yes, they managed to make Christian Slater look terrible) and he is a bit of a loner. There is a shooting at the company where he works and he is involved, in one way or another. This is where things get complicated. There are three, yes, three alternate endings to this movie. Some things are explained while others just keep us guessing (while others sit through and watch it again with the director's comments trying to find meaning or intent). There is no way to predict this film's path because it pulls the rug out from under you and before you can sit up in your chair they do it again. The lines between reality and fantasy are so blurred that you can't even tell that there are any lines. Elisha Cuthbert and William H. Macy add to the star power of the movie and do a fantastic job. Slater is perfect as Bob not only in his appearance and the way he holds his body, but also with the subtle gestures that kept him from going too far over the top in this role. It is a very interesting movie and frustrating at the same time because there is no definitive answer. Like the real-life shootings, I guess there is no answer anywhere.

Pick: Well done film and interesting to watch, but slightly maddening to keep score.

EAGLE VS SHARK

EAGLE VS SHARK IS AN EVEN MATCH
It would be too easy to compare this film to NAPOLEON DYNAMITE from 2004. Both movies have off-beat characters; but school is out and it's time for the real world in New Zealand. This is an usual love story. Lily (Lauren Horsley) looks forward to lunchtime at her job at a burger joint so she can glance, and perchance take the order of the object of her desire, mall worker, Jarrod (Jemaine Clement). Lily crashes his costume party as a shark and he is the eagle; "I almost came as a shark actually, but then I realized an eagles slightly better." One thing leads to another and she agrees to go back with him to his home town for his confrontation with an old high school bully. While he prepares for the showdown (using numchucks and sweet moves) she gets to know his family and weaves a quiet thread that links them all together, whereas time and circumstances have pulled them apart. This is a sweet and simple love story and Lily is sweet and simple in a mature way. There is more to her than meets the eye and she proves to be strong. Jarrod is hilarious to watch because he is so earnest and serious about his endeavor. The film is beautiful, New Zealand is beautiful, and the stop-motion animation is different and fun. It's an easy comparison to ND, but there is so much more depth and insight in this movie.
Pick: A sweet and smart film, fun and lighthearted with some dramatic overtone.

KLIMT

KLIMT... IF ONLY THE FILM WAS AS PRETTY AS HIS ART

What a total waste of time and money. Perhaps there is some huge subliminal message in this film, but if so, I totally missed it. John Malkovich doesn't even try to "be" Klimt. I don't even think he is acting; perhaps sleepwalking through the movie. So we are back in Vienna circa 1900 and that's as far as it gets. Nothing else makes sense in this movie. It's like a David Lynch movie on acid, aside from the lack of little people. There is a surreal feel throughout the movie that made me wonder if something was slipped into my drink. This film does not give any kind of actual information about him, only images and suggestion; kind of like a long Calvin Klein commercial.
Not a pick: Terrible, horrible movie; spend your time looking at his art instead.