The Official Review Thread of 2009

[Uri]

Inglorious Basterds - ?/10
I'm still trying to figure out if Basterds is meant to be alterna-history or mere fantasy. If the former, then the film is addressing some very interesting ideological issues. If the latter, it's just Tarantino jerking off.

I'm afraid it's the latter.

When I first heard about this project, I thought it was going to be about the (real) Jewish squads which went after Nazis during the aftermath of WWII. While being apprehensive of the prospect of such an enterprise, I was intrigued by it. Then, as I learned more about it, I just knew I would have problems with its premise. But I tend to be able to like Tarantino's movies. And I was aware of the suggested option, that this piece could be read as an ironic statement about the way history is cinematically depicted – an Israeli leading critic stated it does exactly what Steindler's List did, meaning it offers a way for the viewer to "experience" the holocaust, but in a corrective, positive, life enforcing way (the-showers-in-Auschwitz-being-real-showers anybody?) – yet this time it's done with the full awareness of the fact that, by definition, Cinema is nothing more than fantasy, a notion Spielberg seemed to be self importantly oblivious of. I was willing to try and put my biased preconditions on hold, but it didn't really work for me on any level.

First, I'm quite fed up with "self reflective" cinema. Or at least I don't find cinematic references to be an automatic turn-on. And while I'm aware that Tarantino's opus is all about this kind of film making, I guess I am less willing to accept The Kentucky Fried Movie version of these particular historical events. I can be slightly prissy at times. And as far as revenge fantasies go, I objectively felt this one was short in the catharsis department – they rushed the demises of the greatest villains in history – Hitler! Goebbels! Goring! Jannings! – without allowing us to dwell in it. But most of all, I didn't want to have anything to do with the movie protagonists, those Inglourious Basterds (the title was erroneously, if unintentionally indicatively, translated to Hebrew as Dishonorable Bastards).

While I'm not really into violence festivities on screen, I did enjoy Death Proof and Kill Bill (Vol. 1, not so 2). Yes, it had a lot to do with the tongue in cheek aspect of them, but it also had a lot to do with the fact that the protagonists were female. That (pseudo) subversive reversal of positionings made it emotionally acceptable for me. A Black put down Whites is funny, the opposite is not, a racial remark made by a Jew about Germans can be tolerated, not so if it's the other way round. The same way, I have no inclination to follow a bunch of smug, white male Americans re-ventilating their primal violent tendencies with any kind of admiration. Not attractive at all in my book. Maybe if it was indeed about Holocaust survivors (although I'd have a set of totally other apprehensions in such a case). Or even better – why not make it about a gang of black slaves killing plantations owners, or if you must set it in a cinematically active era, black activists getting even with KKK members. But no way, this will be too risky, it will strike some cords one must not touch.

But after all is said and done, it comes to the unpleasant feeling I was left with, and it was not unlike what I felt about Life is Beautiful, that this is a case of a rather clueless person who's using the grandest, most universally (universe=west) acknowledged, sexiest historic calamity to promote his personal philosophical, aesthetic and/or artistic agenda, knowing it would ensure a built in interest-controversy-prestige-whatever for his project. I wasn't flat-out impressed back then, nor am I now. (And just like Begnini in '98, Tarantino felt obliged to personally come to Israel, charm the natives and get a seal of approval in return, which he did – we just love to be seen open minded).



Edited By Uri on 1253696614

[Sonic Youth]

Seraphine - 8.5/10
If someone ever wanted to make a biopic about Hildegard of Bingen, they should hire Martin Provost.

The Informant! - 7.5/10
The film is more about itself than anything else, as it defiantly bends tonal convention within a standard this-is-a-true-story structure. And it's a hoot. Shame about the color pallete, though.

District 9 - 6/10
It gets the early Spielberg tendencies down while fumbling the late Spielberg tendencies and unfortunately flirting with the sentimental Spielberg tendences. A more than decent action/sci-fier, but as an allegory of racial strife it's rather off.

(500) Days of Summer - 4/10
That was the longest episode of 'How I Met Your Mother' I've ever seen.

Inglorious Basterds - ?/10
I'm still trying to figure out if Basterds is meant to be alterna-history or mere fantasy. If the former, then the film is addressing some very interesting ideological issues. If the latter, it's just Tarantino jerking off.



Edited By Sonic Youth on 1253682012

[Sabin]

Jennifer's Body

Jennifer's Body is a shitty horror movie. As everything else it's trying to be? Not bad. The Diablo-isms are a bit much by half and the direction is a tonal disaster, but the archetypes crafted by Cody and Kasuma are very sharp. Every supporting performance is specific and lived-in. I can't attest to how true this specific small town high school rings, but it's mined for so much rich material that I thought it might make for a better CW show than a movie. I mean that as a compliment. Amanda Seyfried is awesome, and I have to believe that somebody is going to make good use of Megan Fox one of these days. This role is as close as she may come. She's fine.

What's interesting is how the filmmakers are no-bones-about-it crafting a break-up story between Seyfried and Fox. They were best friends, they are "lesbi-gay", they play boyfriend/girlfriend, and now boys are entering the picture and one of them must die. The film isn't as sharp a satire as Ginger Snaps or May, but it's still pretty welcome. In fact, Jennifer's Body is a mess. It's not scary. It's not incredibly funny. And it's a little all over the place. But it has a lot on its mind and I admire that.

[anonymous1980]

BRUNO
Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Gustaf Hammarsten, Paula Abdul, Ron Paul.
Dir: Larry Charles

Although not quite as good as Borat, the film still contains lots of laugh out loud and truly outrageous moments. Some sequences though try a tad too hard in trying to top itself and the fact that a lot of this movie is staged makes it lose some of its appeal and charm.

Oscar Prospects: That song in the end could be a contender.

Grade: B-

[Penelope]

All About Steve (Phil Traill) 1/10

Well, Sandra Bullock can look back on 2009 as having the biggest hit of her career thus far (The Proposal) and Bradley Cooper can look back on 2009 as the year he became an A-list star (The Hangover). Both will be advised to forever forget this film, one of the most atrociously un-funny and clumsily written/directed/acted films of all time. It gets 1/2 a point for a funny horse and another 1/2 point because Cooper is still lovely, even when wearing a bad wig and a pornstache.

[The Original BJ]

I think I liked Taking Woodstock more than Penelope -- if unspectacular, I found it mostly watchable -- but it is a surprisingly minor effort from Ang Lee. It serves as another example of Lee's ability to pinpoint a specific time and place and treat its inhabitants with great humanity.

Still, it doesn't add up to a great deal by the film's finale, lacking very much insight into Woodstock's significance (or lack thereof, depending on the point of view) and why another film needed to be made about it in the first place. And the cast is a bit all over the place -- Jonathan Groff is charming, but, as Penelope says, Demetri Martin is definitely not. Liev Schreiber is a pro but given a ridiculous character. And Imelda Staunton, as much as I've loved her in the past, is totally over the top.

Though I wouldn't say the script never drags, I found the film enaging for the most part, and you could do a lot worse this summer.



Edited By The Original BJ on 1251688339

[Penelope]

Taking Woodstock (Ang Lee) 4/10

Surprisingly and frustratingly lethargic depiction of how a young man (the charisma-free Demitri Martin) in the Catskills played a pivotal role in the historic Woodstock festival/concert. Lee's penchant for a reserved approach doesn't work here (such a tale needed a more energetic and, perhaps, sentimental take) while the script is all over the place.

[MovieWes]

DISTRICT 9
Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Vanessa Haywood, Mandla Gaduka, Kenneth Nkosi, Eugene Khumbanyiwa, Louis Minnaar, William Allen Young.
Dir: Neil Blomkamp

After much pre-release hype and acclaim, this film actually mostly lives up to it. The semi-mockumentary style and the entirely unknown cast is advantageous to making the world believable. One of the most inventive sci-fi films of late.

Oscar Prospects: Makeup, Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing are possibilities. I wouldn't begrudge it a Screenplay nomination (Is this considered original or adapted?)

Grade: A-

If it were nominated, it would have to be adapted, since it is based on Neil Blomkamp's short film Alive in Joberg.

[Damien]

Flame And Citron (Ole Christian Madsen 2009) 9/10

This is an outstanding (Danish) Resistance film, it's both a terrific action yarn and a serious, complex look at issues of morality, The film works on many levels – it is exciting on a visceral level and quite fascinating, the characters are rich and beautifully enacted, the story told deeply moving and affecting. But what stands out most, is the wonderful ambiguity of the picture – good and evil become relative, qualitative concepts (rare in a film dealing with the Resistance) – this is true both on the purely narrative level, as the relative guilt and innocence of various characters it is never explicitly spelled out, and on a thematic level, as the film (subtly) examines the issue of committing evil acts for a greater good. Also fascinating is the handling of the balancing of one’s personal life and emotional needs with a life in a Movement. The film has some flaws – Madsen has an unfortunate habit of employing quick zooms, the schmaltzy score is pretty bad. But ultimately, the film is so rich on so many levels.

[anonymous1980]

DISTRICT 9
Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Vanessa Haywood, Mandla Gaduka, Kenneth Nkosi, Eugene Khumbanyiwa, Louis Minnaar, William Allen Young.
Dir: Neil Blomkamp

After much pre-release hype and acclaim, this film actually mostly lives up to it. The semi-mockumentary style and the entirely unknown cast is advantageous to making the world believable. One of the most inventive sci-fi films of late.

Oscar Prospects: Makeup, Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing are possibilities. I wouldn't begrudge it a Screenplay nomination (Is this considered original or adapted?)

Grade: A-

[anonymous1980]

UP
Cast: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo. John Ratzenberger, David Kaye, Elie Docter, Jeremy Leary.
Dir: Pete Docter.

This is not PIXAR's best work but it's VERY close, I would say within the Top 3. The 10 minute opening scene alone is a masterful piece of storytelling. Great voice work, great animation and Michael Giacchino's score is fantastic (it strongly reminds me of the music in Charlie Chaplin movies). It's my favorite movie of the year (so far).

Oscar Prospects: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Animated Feature, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing.

Grade: A

[Sabin]

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (Neal Brennan)

This movie is an unapologetic sociopath-athon. I was basically dragged to see it and was pretty amazed. No real belly laughs but a consistent stream of chuckles deriving from anarchic outburst humor. Not a great film by any means but the narrative is incredibly efficient in how it moves along. Hit and miss but I liked it.



Edited By Sabin on 1250403120

[Zahveed]

Oscar Prospects: "Stu's Song" - Best Original Song contender?

It was submitted by the studio according to Helms, so maybe.

[Penelope]

Adam (Max Mayer) 7/10

Sentimental, and a bit too logically plotted, but otherwise effective romance between a young man (Hugh Dancy) with Asperger's and an elementary school teacher/children's book author (Rose Byrne). Fine performances carry the film.

[anonymous1980]

THE HANGOVER
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Barthe, Jeffrey Tambor, Sasha Barrese, Ken Jeong, Rachael Harris, Rob Riggle, Mike Tyson.
Dir: Todd Phillips.

I felt this was Very Bad Things meets Dude, Where's My Car? but better than both of those films (funnier than the former, used the story structure more cleverly than the latter). It's wild, wacky and unapologetically vulgar but it mostly works thanks to an engaging cast. Cooper may be top-billed but Helms and Galifianakis are the real stars.

Oscar Prospects: "Stu's Song" - Best Original Song contender?

Grade: B



Edited By anonymous on 1250339171