Chalk -- B

I can't remember how I became aware of this film, but I popped it into the Blockbuster queue and soon it arrived.

Think The Office, but substitute your high-school for Dunder Mifflin.

Clearly they didn't have a lot of money, but they did have great affection for teachers and teaching. And actual life experience. PoMonkey, being a former teacher, absolutely loved it.

Hot Fuzz -- C- Shaun of the Dead -- C+

Who would have thought that Shaun of the Dead is better than Hot Fuzz? The former relies heavily on "inside" jokes that are unfamiliar to US audiences, which isn't necessarily a criticism, but certainly is an observation. It definitely has its funny moments, but it drags on a bit long.

Hot Fuzz, on the other hand, has few funny moments, and also drags on too long. Other complaints: the quick-cut editing was a cheap effort to ape Madonna's husband's style, and it's a bit bloody.

Or maybe I just don't appreciate British cinema.

Waitress -- B

When watching a film that is directed by the same person who wrote it, I sometimes wonder if and how the film would have benefitted from bringing in someone else to do the directing (The Final Cut comes to mind).

Such was the case with Waitress. It's a good movie, perhaps even very good. But not great.

The longer the movie went on, the less believable I found Keri Russell's character. I believed that she would simply stand up for herself (compare her boldness with her doctor and Old Joe with her timidity with her husband).

My good friend Taran has a thoughtful review of the high and low points of the film (warning, he totally gives away the ending in the fifth paragraph, so you might want to skip over it). I agree with the points he raises, but I think I would still recommend the movie.

Live Free or Die Hard -- B-

Completely preposterous yet highly entertaining.

Fracture -- D-

It's like a Lifetime movie with high production values. The big plot twist seemed pretty obvious. The relationship between Ryan Gosling's character and his boss defies logic. There were a couple of humorous lines of dialog, but otherwise just terrible.

Oh, and all of the worry in the "pulling the plug" scene was completely preposterous. Clearly the medical staff was conducting several tests to confirm that the woman met the criteria for brain death. This happens every day and is not controversial. Except in lame made-for-TV movies.

The Heartbreak Kid -- D-

Staring Ben and Jerry Stiller, this looked promising (once I determined that it was not Along Came Polly, although it may be a lamer and crasser version of the same script -- they share a few plot points). Sadly, it turned out to be, well, a lamer and crasser version of Along Came Polly.

Avoid it.

Juno -- A+

It's likely that you've heard quite a bit about this movie so there's little need for me to add to it. Go see it. You'll enjoy it.

Mr. Brooks -- B

And now back to our regularly scheduled topic . . .

I'm tempted to give Mr. Brooks an A based solely on the fact that a late third-act surprise made PoMonkey scream out loud.

Otherwise we both enjoyed it. Sure, Costner is in some scenes a good bit beyond his acting abilities, and a few of the plot points are quite improbable. But I couldn't figure out how it was going to end. Would he get caught? Would he get away? What?

It also didn't hurt that it was filmed in the town where I lived for 22 years, and it was fun figuring out where the various locations are.

I can't say I highly recommend it because it is a bit violent (and PoMonkey couldn't sleep after watching it). He is a serial killer, after all.

License to Wed – F

Truly awful. Avoid it.

More on Stranger Than . . .

Bobby raises an interesting point about the ending of Stranger Than Fiction. If you haven’t seen the movie and you don’t want to know how it ends, stop reading now and don’t read the comments on the original Stranger Than Fiction post.

In many ways, Stranger Than is thoroughly postmodern, breaking down barriers between author and subject, inverting expectations, and toying (for lack of a better term) with features of modernity (boy meets girl story, the prevalence of Mies van der Rohe architecture, characters named for mathematicians, the playful GIU interface/overlay imposing structure on an unstructured world).

But I wonder; at what point does posmodernity lead to such an inversion of expectations regarding “Hollywood endings” that stories go full circle back to the Hollywood ending? The viewer recognizes that a story is postmodern (or perhaps quirky) and begins to anticipate that the story will not have the kind of ending where everything is wrapped up in a nice package. That is to say, this kind of quirky story usually (or in its best form, so the viewer thinks) has an ending that is, well, not fully resolved. Stranger, though, inverts the postmodern form itself, providing a happy ending—which is in reality the unexpected ending.

All that to say, as I watched the movie I was pretty certain that Harold would die. So when the author finds a way for him to live, that actually inverted my expectations regarding how a quirky, postmodern movie would play out.

Like I said in the beginning, Stranger Than Fiction would make a great discussion starter (there are many other things in the movie worth discussion if you don't enjoy discussions of postmodern story telling). Or maybe I just can’t enjoy a movie without over thinking it. But that’s why you love me.

Wow, this is like a real blog post. It must be the cold medicine.

The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio -- B

While I'm not in the target demographic (i.e., a woman), I found it to be genuinely sweet. Based on a true story, it is a warm story about a woman who holds her family (of 12) together by writing pithy jingles and overlooking her husband's not insignificant failings. Ladies will love it. Men will want to throttle the husband (a not so mellowed out Woody Harrelson) and tell him to snap out of it.

Jesus Camp -- B

One of the most disturbing things I've seen in a long time. It's a documentary that purports to be about evangelicalism, but mainly focuses on a single pentecostal church and a camp run by that church's children's pastor. The children are bombarded with overly-emotional messages about God and country that they are too young and too immature to comprehend. They are simply worked into an emotional frenzy. Much of what the film demonstrates seems like little more than brainwashing.

That said, the film is very, very heavily edited. Reaction shots seem to have been inserted for effect, and in some cases clearly do not reflect actual responses to what is being heard in the film at that time. It strikes me that the film-makers may be doing some emotional manipulation of their own.

It's worth seeing, though, to understand the widespread (mis)perception of evangelicals.

Stranger Than Fiction -- A

Interesting and well made film that becomes quite thought provoking in the end. Would make for a great discussion starter.

UPDATED: Shut Up and Sing — B

UPDATE: I don't want to be misunderstood about liking the song "Not Ready to Make Nice." I like it because it so clearly spells out how I do NOT want to be. I DO want to be ready and willing to make nice.

This documentary about the Dixie Chicks, and their lead singer (Natalie Maines) shooting her mouth off about the President and the War in Iraq is pretty good, particularly if you’re into media and public relations. Lots of behind the scenes discussions about how to manage their image. Maines ultimately comes off well because she is more concerned with being honest about what she believes than with managing her image. While I disagree strongly with what she believes, it’s refreshing to see someone actually being honest and not simply saying what people want to hear. Of course that could all just be in the editing.

I’m also pretty sure I’ve come to like their big hit song, “Not Ready to Make Nice.” While—again—I don’t agree with the ultimate message of the song, I think that it realistically portrays the fact that forgiveness and reconciliation are hard work when sincerely undertaken. And I think that we’ve all had times when we felt like the chorus. The problem is when we allow ourselves to get stuck there.

I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down,
I'm still mad as hell
And I don't have time
To go round and round and round
It's too late to make it right
I probably wouldn't if I could
Cause I'm mad as hell
Can't bring myself to do what it is
You think I should

Also, it has a nice beat and one could dance to it.


Wow, Mister Ginger made a long post.

Babel – F

Maybe I missed something, but I thought it was almost completely without merit. The confusion of languages serves to divide us and makes life difficult. Title: Babel. Subtle.

In the end, the viewer is left empty, wondering, is that it? That said, Brad Pitt does a very good job with his role. The music was minimal, and I think that it served the film well. By far the most redeeming character in the film was the guide from the bus. He takes Pitt and Blanchett to his village, works hard to get them the care that they need, stays with them until the ambulance arrives, and then refuses any compensation whatsoever. Otherwise, a real disappointment. Makes the contrivance that is Crash look good (at least it had a point).

The Departed – B-

As the film started, I told my life-partner lady-friend that Scorsese’s movies are always violent, but the violence is not without consequence. While that held mostly true here, the violence ultimately seemed pointless. Which, of course, is what a world of pure evil would quickly degenerate to—not just an eye for an eye, but a life for an eye (see Genesis 4:23-24). Perhaps the film would have been stronger if we had seen more of the inner struggles of Costigan (DiCaprio) and Sullivan (Damon) (and perhaps even Dignam (Wahlberg) and/or Queenan (Sheen)). As it is, we're given (at best) only hints about inner struggles.

One reviewer claims the film is a commentary on who we truly are versus who we appear to be. This may not be far off, particularly given the not so subtle digs at the Roman Catholic Church throughout the film.

Style-wise, it’s great. Depth-wise though, not so much.

The Guardian - B-

It mostly achieves what it sets out to do, which is to be entertaining and to give a tip of the hat to the under-respected U.S. Coast Guard. A little something for the guys (action and adventure) and a little something for the ladies (romance and Ashton Kutcher). Not great movie-making, but not awful either.

Mister Ginger found it interesting on another level, as parts of it were filmed in and around a city where he once lived and he recognized some of the locations.

Scoop - C+

This is the style of movie I thought I was getting when I rented Match Point. Scoop has its moments, primarily one-liners, some of which are spoken as throw-away lines. If you're a fan of Allen, you've probably already seen it. If you're not a fan, this probably isn't the place to start.

Serenity - B+

I've never seen Firefly (the TV show on which Serenity is based) so I went in to the movie with few expectations. It’s a space western in the mold of the original Star Trek, but considerably more western/outlaw. From what I understand, the film’s budget was somewhat limited, but the special effects are quite good. If you’re a fan of the various Star Trek franchises, Star Wars, Tom Clancy, and/or cyberpunk, you’ll probably enjoy Serenity.

You, Me and Dupree - B

It had the potential to be as annoying as What about Bob, but somehow it comes of as quite a bit more likable. Michael Douglas does an Alec Baldwin-esq turn as an over the top father-in-law/boss. Molly's brief speech at the end of the movie was a tad counter-cultural (in a good way), even if it was not exactly consistent with Kate Hudson's real life.