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Reviews
Final Destination 3 (2006)
Final Verdict: Not Bad
The trailer plays this film out as slick and fun, and in the end, it is. While not a thriller nor a gruesome tail like Saw or Hostel, FD3 manages to keep the story moving, the plot complex (enough), and the gore shocking enough to keep the movie enjoyable. The storyline won't win any awards, but the acting is more than adequate (luckily all the actors have the same level and there's isn't a particular sore thumb) and most of the cheesy plot twists have been eliminated. This won't keep you scratching your head (unless you're reminded of several of the "eliminations") but it will keep your attention for 90 minutes. The only downside to the film is that it uses the flashback / vision concept once too many and it does use a 9/11 story that could have well been cut.
Americano (2005)
Soulful
AMERICANO is the story of three Americans spending their last "free" days traveling in Europe. They only have a few more days before they return to the States to start their jobs, pay their debts, and enter the "real world". Reminiscent of THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES and THE PUFFY CHAIR, AMERICANO is about discovering the individual. Chris (McKinley) has a good job lined up but is reticent about returning after meeting the enigmatic Riccardo and beautiful Adella. Ryan and Michelle inspect the depths of their relationship. With a beautiful score, the film puts us into the running of the bulls in Pamplona. Chris and Ryan and filled with excitement and anticipation; Chris is inspired by Hemingway, ready to jot this adventure down in his journal. Fate appears in the form of the disappearance of his backpack, and now his plans start to fall apart. Upon meeting the local Adella and being urged to live his life, not the on expected by him, by Riccardo, Chris begins not only a pursuit of Adella but of his own soul and character. Ryan and Michelle, as they begin to near their return to the real world, begin to question their own lives together and what is real vs. simple contentment. The music is extraordinary. While it is a little tough to believe these actors are post-college age, the acting is top-notch for an indie film. The romantic scenes between Chris and Adella are exquisite.
Dark Water (2005)
Flat
While a fan of J-Horror, Dark Water is a stagnant flick. Following the theme of Grudge and Ring of the mother/daughter parent/child old death haunts place / person / thing, Dark Water has potential. Beautifully shot, it puts dear old Roosevelt Island in a terribly dark vision as a crumbling, decrepit housing development filled with tired souls. Dahlia (Connelly) is a mother going through a divorce, still battling for custody of her only child Ceci. As Dahlia struggles with this ugly mess, she is faced with finding a new home, a new job, and a new life with her daughter. They move into an apartment on Roosevelt Island and soon discover that all is not right. As a spirit haunts the building, Dahlia's past begins to haunt her and she struggles to protect her child. The production value is high, but the scares are few and the screenplay should have been rewritten to make Dahlia a stronger character. The motivations of many of the other characters aren't clear, as they all seem to exist simply to make Dahlia's craziness more scary.
Crash (2004)
Predictable and Overrated
Haggis had the previously luck of a weak script, highlighted by a surprise ending, and a strong cast for Million Dollar Baby. Haggis has the same situation for Crash, which I viewed at an advance screening. Crash follows the stories of a number of LA people as they deal with race issues (both as perpetrators and victims) from cops to wives to grocery store owners to blue collar workers, etc.
Don Cheadle and Matt Dillion are wonderfully complex in their roles as a tough detective that has to sacrifice his dignity and morality in order to protect his brother and support his addict mother and a cop whose racial prejudice stems from his father's physical ailments, respectively.
Ludicrous plays a gangster, a solid but not overwhelming performance.
The film does a terrific job of creating tense moments that stimulate the race nerve but it does little to bring up the greater issues of prejudice to be discussed after the movie's over.
Robots (2005)
Stellar Lineup - Stellar Film
I walked into this film thinking it was going to be "child's play" and it turns out to be as heartfelt as Finding Nemo. It's a bit more slapstick, but the actors do an amazing job with the physical humor and the robots look amazing. Quite a few terrific robot/human jokes including the references to coffee and the male/female restroom icons. Robin Williams, as always, is hilarious and I hope they have video of him on the DVD in the sound booth because it's so easy to see Robin's facial expressions in the robot. I suppose that's a compliment to the animation crew too!!!! Greg Kinnear and Drew Carey are easy to spot (hear), and so is Mel Brooks. I was disappointed the film wasn't as "big" (wide) as I thought. It would have been nice to see this widescreen. The plot is predictable with a typical story of a boy's redemption story. It doesn't get too scary or in-depth in order to appease the kids. The oddest moment was a reference to Britney Spears and the entire theater (of kids) laughed. Wow! Can't believe 8 year olds understood the joke, and it was a reference to Britney Spears of several years ago!
The Aristocrats (2005)
So Bad I Had to Leave ... But Everyone Else Stayed
Oh my. I must be on a different planet. The screening was packed, standing room only and people were howling laughing at this film. The director was beaming. I just missed the point. The Aristocrats joke, while funny, and new to me, was funny the first 10-20 times the initial set of comedians (which was wonderful to see all these people interpreting the same joke) delivered the joke. Drew Carey was hilarious as was Whoopi. However, after the first half hour, I couldn't stand all the feces and incest references. The funny turned into blasé humor and any further interest in the film died.
I walked out halfway through. Maybe the ending was extremely compelling. If so, I missed it, but I couldn't wait to see. I hate myself when I have to leave a film, but the humor was funny and the story just didn't resonate. I hope someone else can tell me if the film actually develops into something more than 60 minutes of disgusting humor (which is funny the first 30 minutes).
An amazing lineup of comedians, however.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
What a Disappointment
I'm a big Rushmore and Wes Anderson fan but I think the money went straight to the wallet (instead of his head). The movie is filled with interesting moments but no compelling storyline. Even the actors, and Bill Murray is typically wonderful, play out their characters but the problem is that the characters are fairly shallow. Shallow not in mean but shallow as in 2 dimensional. Tom Cruise could play these characters with depth. Keanu Reeves could play these characters with depth. I'm not putting a bum rap on the actors, I think Wes just disappointed us a little. The animations were cute but no needed. The music, as always, was good but not enough to save this sinking ship.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
A Purrfect Movie
Talk about a film that has no violence, sex, drugs (or rock-n-roll) and still manages to be one of the funniest films in recent memory. This Mormon story of a lost boy and his coming- of-age is priceless. It puts SNL and Wes Anderson to shame. With a cast of essential nobodies, the story plods along, making you squirm and fidget and smile and finally laugh. Much like mid-career SNL, the jokes are funnier when you think back and hilarious when you watch it (over and over again). It borrows from many other films (which good films don't steal the good jokes) but it maintains an originality that hasn't been seen in any film in a long time. The studios have a lot to learn: You can't just but a pretty boy and girl and except laughs.