jfrorie Reviews

The Voices (2014)

This is NOT a comedy and definitely worth a look if you like off center cinema

[7/10 · 11 April 2015]

This movie caught me completely off guard. From the marketing, it gives the appearance of a comedy, and is even tagged as one. But it is very far from it. Yes, there are very dark, amusing moments. But you need to go in understanding what you are about to watch. If you don't, you probably wont like it at all.

It is the profile of a deeply disturbed serial killer, wrapped up in a candy coated package. Lot's of surreal, pretty colors and overly sweet visuals. But it's all an illusion in Ryan Reynolds head. You will see his reality and it is jarring when it hits. It's odd, interesting, somewhat thought provoking and very off balanced.

WALL·E (2008)

Wall-E is A-dorable

[8/10 · 25 June 2008]

I saw Wall-E at a special sneak preview. I'm not a Pixar fanboy. I've enjoyed a number of their movies, but this is first I've seen at the theater.

Wall*e was an enjoyable diversion. The titular character is robot that has spent his many days performing his task in isolation. All the other robots have worn out over time. Wall*e is different in that he is a survivor. In the many years he has worked, he has evolved a sense of self. Unfortunately, that involves a feeling of loneliness. After a significant event, it is resolving this loneliness that becomes his quest.

The stars of the shows are the various robots. Their emotions are inferred through their actions, grunts, clicks and the occasional verbalization. This however is not a limitation. Pixar has created characters you care about. Wall*e is a hero in the tradition of Danny Kaye. He is a simple guy with simple ambitions that just happen to coincide with the events in the movie. He isn't glory seeking, he just wants companionship in the sappiest Disney tradition. It is this purity of soul that is his most endearing quality.

This more of a kid's film that past Pixar efforts and the hand of Disney is firmly felt. There are sweeping scenes that designed to evoke adolescent dreams and emotions. That is not to say adults won't find it enjoyable. Pixar takes shot at a couple of themes; Consumerism, the environment, even some mild political humor. There are even a couple of gags relating to cockroaches and Twinkies which have oft been repeated. However, it lacks some of the sly adult wit that some of the previous films had.

There little highbrow comedy here. Most of the gags come from slapstick pratfalls and such. However, the gags are executed with such precision, and the characters are so compelling that they were very effective. The rest of the humor consists of sight gags. Most not rising to the point past a chuckle, but taken as whole weaves a rich tapestry of the world that Wall-E lives in.

Adults will find it enjoyable. Kids will love it beyond words and you're going to have to buy them Wall-E dolls for Christmas.

The List (I) (2007)

Oh my, this was awful

[2/10 · 26 August 2007]

I heard a lot of good reviews on this and since it was filmed in the Carolinas, I figured we'd give it a whirl.

The Good: It started off interestingly enough. The mythology concerning the Civil war and the List origins and history was pretty entertaining. The cinematography was top notch and had the feel of a quality production. Malcolm McDowell was little over the top, but then again maybe his character would have been as well. Old south breeding tends to alter one's worldview.

The Bad: Chuck Carrington and Hilarie Burton, who play Renny and Jo, gave uneven performances and might have flourished with better material. The supporting cast ranged from unremarkable to absolutely dreadful. This was Gary Wheeler's first attempt at direction and writing and I get the feeling the job was too large for him. Several character motivations were totally forced as if massive sections of the movie were lost on the cutting room floor.

The Ugly: Late in the movie, the tone completely changed. It flipped into a preachy Christian bent that probably assumed the audience was a deeply religious. I don't have a problem with religious themed movies if the subject mater is presented properly. This wasn't. I was bored.

My best guess is that this movie will be embraced by the same people that enjoyed "Left Behind". For the rest of us, move along, there's nothing here to see.

In the Cut (2003)

Oh, the horror...

[1/10 · 31 October 2003]

It's been a long time since I saw people stream out of the theater mid-movie like they did during this one. What a mess. This is my new worst movie of all time. It used to be "Pennies From Heaven", but "In the Cut" reached new lows. It worked at making me hate it.

Meg Ryan plays a dowdy schoolteacher in middle of a boring pointless mystery. Jennifer Jason Leigh is her sister, a borderline stalker nutball. Kevin Bacon has a roll as an old flame/whack job that didn't really need to be in the film at all. All the characters were flawed people living lives that were heaped with self doubt and depreciation with various clinical issues as well.

While the characters could have been interesting if presented well, the movie doesn't make the effort. You get the vibe that Frannie is desperate for affection, but only a true crack whore would fall for the detective after the bar scene. Yes, there is an emotional trauma that supposedly bonds her to him. But they didn't sell it and I aint buying. It was impossible for me to get past this and it makes the rest of their scenes together contrived and ridiculous.

The rest of the movie suffers from the aformentioned flaws, too numerous to list. Suffice to say, I didn't care at all for any of the characters. I was so bored by the end of the movie that the resolution to the mystery brought joy by the fact that I knew that movie ended. Not a good way to spend your time.

Yes, she gets naked. No, scenes were not erotic, rather painfully funny, due to the detective's rather pathetic attempt at dirty talk. It reminded me of the porn movie parts of "Boogie Nights" with Juliane Moore waxing poetic about the size of the her actor's Johnson.

I saw it for free, and still felt ripped off. You will too. (0/10)