Before I jump into it, let me say something quickly about Pirate Radio, which I can't get motivated to write a review on so I'll drop my 2 cents here. If I were a rock 'n roll fan child of the 60s, I'd probably have liked this movie a lot more. The music, while not always accurate in terms of time(they use hits from 80s half the time) fits the film beautifully, but it didn't always connect with me. Richard Curtis(Love Actually) didn't really seem to have any idea what he was aiming for. The frat boys on a boat angle was funny for about 30 minutes, then it just got boring. And don't even get me started on Kenneth Branagh's lackluster plot as the beaurocrat trying to shut them down. Totally uninspired. Still, it's only watchable thanks to the cast. You just can't go wrong with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, and Nick Frost.
I don't know a Team Jacob or a Team Edward from a Team America. What are we picking sides for, anyway? Kickball? Dodgeball? I'll give credit where it's due, the trailer for New Moon kicks Twilight's ass. If I have to pick a side now, I'm on Team New Moon. But not necessarily director Chris Weitz, who I'll admit has come a long way since American Pie but his subsequent work has been spotty. As far as I can tell, it looks like Bella's got herself caught in the middle of a feud between the vamps and a bunch of Native American werewolves who don't wear shirts. My dance card has me down for seeing this tonight in Kingstown. If I make it out alive, my review will be up shortly thereafter.
A hold over from last week, I'm approximately three hours from checkin' this bad boy out. The Messenger chronicles the story of a Casualty Notification Officer, who breaks all types of rules and moral boundaries by entering a relationship with the widow of a soldier. Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, and the always amazing Samantha Morton star.
Yes, I've already seen Werner Herzog and Nic Cage's zany corrupt cop flick, but I fully intend to see this bad boy again. Definitely the strangest movie I saw all year, but also one of the best. This is Nicolas Cage at his wildest, most out of control, and you can practically see him grinning after every cheeseball line. You know it's weird when Val Kilmer plays the sanest guy in the room. Here's hoping Cage earns himself a Best Actor nom, and Herzog a seat at the table for Best Director. His New Orleans in this film is absolutely devastating and heartbreaking to behold. Unfortunately this one might be a hard film to catch. You can see it at Landmark E Street right now, with hopefully an expansion to follow.
The true story of offensive lineman, Michael Oher, is an uplifting story of personal triumph in the face of overwhelming odds. Oher, who was born to a crackhead mother who gave him little to no guidance or supervision, was homeless for a time and attended nearly a dozen different schools in his first few years. That is until he became acquainted with the Touhy family, who took him under their wing and helped guide him into the man he is today, which is a friggin' millionaire playing for the Baltimore Ravens. I'll take a few years out on the street for that type of payoff. Based on Michael Lewis' book, The Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game, the film thankfully ignores that story's opposing storyline, that of Lawrence Taylor's effect on offensive strategy in the NFL. Somehow I don't see that being a box office draw.
If there's time...
Another skip over from last week, Sophie Okenedo's film about a dark skinned woman born to two white South Africans in the midst of apartheid is barrelling down my list. After two weeks, it's already seen it's showings reduced so I might try to catch this over the weekend. I'm hearing great things about her performance in particular.
No...no..a thousand times no...
Looked decent the first time I saw the trailer for it, which seems like an eon ago. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars as an astronaut who lands on a planet inhabited by green humanoid aliens, who all appear to be living in the 1950's or something. Like all animated films now, the voice cast is impressive, but that never made a movie any good so who cares? This looks dead in the water, to me, and unless I hear different I'll be avoiding it like the plague.
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