Children of Men

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron

Released 2006

Starring: Clive Owen as Theo, Julianne Moore as Julian, Michael Caine as Jasper and Clare-Hope Ashitey as Kee.

Review by CINEMAGIRL:

Children of Men starts in a time much like our own, with a horde of disconnected people glued to the action unfolding on a television screen in a coffee shop, as it is announced that the world's youngest person has died. However, the year is 2027 and in this time human beings are infertile, making the youngest of us semi-miracles and celebrities and society's tie to the once hopeful past.

As our leading man, Theo (Clive Owen) breaks from the mesmerized and traumatized coffee shop crowd and exits to the street, the shop explodes, showing us that not only is the human race screwed with infertility but random violence, terrorism and chaos. Sort of like today, but on steroids; a frighteningly grim picture of the not-so-distant future.

In this tragic world, Theo has one ally, Jasper played by a long-haired aging hippie version of Michael Caine. Jasper lives in hiding in a wooded compound with his catatonic wife, a victim of government interference and control.

In this age, there are two forces at work, the government, which is fighting an enormous war on immigration and shipping illegal immigrants to camps, and the Fishes, a radical group working to undermine the government.

Theo is quickly recruited by his ex-wife, Julian - the leader of the Fishes - played by Julianne Moore to help her move a refugee out of the country, a miraculously pregnant African girl named Kee.

Theo doesn't want the job, but ends up roped into the situation and accepts his fate as the Joseph to this Mary. There's even a great scene with the two of them in a barn where Kee reveals her pregnant belly to her protector.

Along the way, there are violent action sequences and chase scenes, but rather than carried out in the typical Hollywood fashion, there are long, single-shot sequences, almost POV, where the camera looks around to give the viewer an eyeful. The look is similar to documentary, or more-so, reality television, which again, is a clever connection to today's viewer and the path our destructive actions may be taking us down.

One scene in particular is gut-wrenching in its slow, mesmerizing pace. After Kee has given birth to the miracle baby and is attempting to hide it amidst a violent refugee uprising and military retaliation, the child is revealed, putting a halt to the war and bloodshed as onlookers stop for a moment of reverence. This scene was incredible and clearly drove home the point that the hope of a child and the future tied to it are powerful enough reasons to end violence.

Children of Men is an excellent ride. Not so much fun as enthralling. Science fiction thrillers like this that are set so near in the future that they don't feel like a stretch at all are often the most disturbing because of the possibility that this really could be the fate of humanity.

I definitely recommend this the rental. Watch it on the weekend when you have time to pore over it and consider all its attributes.

ACTING: 8

LOOK: 8

STORY: 9

OVERALL: 8.5

Friday the 13th (2009)

Directed by Marcus Nispel

Starring Jared Padelecki, Danielle Panabaker, Amanda Righetti, Travis Van Winkle, Aaron Woo and Derek Mears.

Review by Billy Bob Biggs

The new Friday the 13^th reboot starts out pretty good, showing newbie director Marcus Nispel knows what puts butts in seats for a Jason flick, namely teenagers getting drunk, getting nekkid and getting killed in creative ways by everybody’s favorite hockey-mask wearing psycho. In the first 15 minutes we are treated to 5 pot-head idiots who think it’s a good idea to venture out to Camp Crystal Lake, pop their tents, pop their tits and make the sign of the double-backed woodchuck.

Soon Jason notices the zit brigade and shows up with his trusty machete and a bear trap he happened to have handy. He makes Jiffy Pop out of one of them and goes all Frank Booth on another. Heads roll, legs are flayed, flesh burns, roll opening credits. Off to a good start.

If you don’t know Jason, where have you been since 1980? He’s got mama issues; he’s not a big talker. He pretty much kills anybody who wanders into the woods. He’s not into torturing them or eating them afterwards or anything, pretty much wants to kill them as quickly as possible, with whatever’s handy. Gardening implements are a favorite, but knitting needles or the occasional flare gun are not out of the question. He likes to sneak up behind people and stand there until they notice him. He does sometimes get creative with the corpses afterwards, a favorite gag being stringing them up in the ceiling or the trees so that pop down like a reverse jack-in-the-box to scare the crap out of his next victim. I always wanted to see him go through the mechanics of doing that; maybe it’ll be on the DVD extras.

This flick plays like Jason’s greatest hits. First we get a quick recap of mama Voorhees, we move through Jason’s awkward teen years with a sack on his head, and then he discovers hockey. We also have the teenager who reminds Jason of his mama and the usual spam-in-a-cabin gags.

One of my faves is always the creepy, half crazy local who warns our group of victims about how Crystal Lake is a sucky camping spot, but in pretty unhelpful terms, like “People go missing around here, they’re gone for good. Outsiders come they don’t know where to walk…We just want to be left alone, and so does he.” They never say anything truly helpful like “You teenagers need to turn your car around and get the fuck out of here ‘cause there’s a crazy man living around here who kills everybody who so much as stops to change a tire within 5 miles of Camp Crystal Lake. I’d move myself but my property value has totally gone to shit because of that psycho.”

Our next group of victims is 7 friends who go to this preppy jerk’s house near Crystal Lake. The preppy jerk’s name is Trent, but he’s not Trent Reznor and you pretty much want him to die as soon as he starts talking. He does have a way with the women, though, and says stuff like “You got perfect nipple placement baby .” When Trent finally does die (hope that doesn’t spoil you too much) you can be happy to know that that annoying Trent guy---the dicky football player in Transformers---got killed too. ‘Cause it’s the same character, played by the same actor.

There’s a token black guy and a token Asian in the group, and a couple of girls…they soon hook up with a good looking, motorcycle-riding sincere guy who’s looking for his sister that disappeared with the group before the credits (can you say hero?)

There’s a great scene where Jason kills a couple out water skiing topless. Gratuitous Chrissie from Jaws. Jason proves what a great shot he is, really impressive, and the director gives us one last look at the girl’s boobs before she sinks back into the lake.

Anyway, it’s a pretty good reboot, though Jason didn’t leave anybody’s severed head in the refrigerator. Probably saving that for the sequel. 14 dead bodies, 3 gallons blood, 7 breasts, 1 ass. Heads roll, ears roll, machete to the head and throat, machete whackamole, arrow thru the head, speedboat to the head, spike thru the throat, axe and machete to the back, antlers to the back, tow truck to the back, fireplace poker through the eye. Gratuitous Blue Velvet and “Sister Christian.” 3 ½ stars.

Billy Bob says check it out.

Zombieland

Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin.

Reviewed by Junior.

Doubling the genre of zombie parody films (held exclusively by Shaun of the Dead since 2004), Zombieland is a solid entry with a small, good cast. The film begins with one lone survivor, Columbus (Eisenberg), and his rules for survival, used repeatedly for humorous effect throughout, such as 1. Cardio, 2. Beware of Bathrooms, 3. Seatbelts, 4. Doubletap... all explained and proven very practical by our unlikely, somewhat nerdy protagonist.

Columbus soon hooks up with another survivor, Tallahassee (Harrelson), who revels in the chaos of Zombieland and has no such concerns for rules or other survivors in general. This diametrically opposed male duo soon meets up with two sisters, played by Stone and Breslin and our quartet, after initially clashing, set off on a road trip across a zombie-filled wasteland to California.

The film starts out with some very violent bits initially, which should be no surprise considering the genre, but soon settles into more of a lightweight buddy flick (x2) vibe. One can almost forget that the world has been overrun by the undead. Our heroes never seem to be in any real danger, which doesn't hurt the enjoyment of the film, but does give it a different flavor than you might expect. We learn the backstories of our motley group and they bond. I won't give away the very entertaining cameo appearance, all too short lived, when they arrive in Hollywood.

Of course, in the third act the movie does reach a slightly menacing crescendo, reaching a satisfying conclusion and setting up a sequel. Not, in my opinion, as funny, smart, or dark as Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland is nevertheless an entertaining romp with an appealing cast, solidly directed by first-timer Ruben Fleischer, at a perfect length of 88 minutes.

Story: 6

Acting: 7

Look: 7

Overall: 7

An Education

Directed by Lone Scherfing.

Based on the memoir by Lynn Barber. Adapted for the screen by Nick Hornby.

Starring Carey Mulligan as Jenny and Peter Sarsgaard as David.

Released 2009.

Review by CINEMAGIRL:

An Education is a lovely, well-acted film with great 1960s scenery a sweet love story and....a dark underbelly.

Jenny (Carey Mulligan - Oscar nominee) is a studious, English private school girl whose father (Alfred Molina) dreams of educating her at Oxford. While Dad is busy pushing her to study her Latin, Jenny would rather play her cello and hang out with her gal pals at the local coffee shop, where they smoke cigarettes and fantasize about being Parisian.

One day, Jenny meets David (Peter Sarsgaard) - a playboy twice her age - and a world of decadence, jazz clubs, and fine dining opens up to her. Jenny's parents believe David's good intentions, or at least choose to look the other way, and accept his "positive" influence on their daughter while becoming enamored with his wealth.

The dynamic between Jenny and David is enthralling. Jenny has her head on her shoulders. She is a commanding girl which David is so happy to oblige. David enjoys wining and dining with his new girlfriend, who although half his age, can hold a discussion on Classical music and speak French. In a sense, he's found a lady he can mold into a girlfriend, instead of the other way around.

David is charming, disarming, so willing to please...but all as long as he can get his own way. He is gentle, yet completely manipulative - willing to lie, cheat and steal because he is infallible. After the writer and director so expertly pull the audience in and make them feel comfortable in this completely inappropriate relationship does the story begin to reveal the many reasons why this coupling is doomed.

What I really loved about this story was rather than depicting Jenny as a flirtatious bimbo who had a train-wreck relationship headed her way, she is quite the opposite. Although it could be argued that she was manipulated by the ever charming David, Jenny is a willing accomplice throughout the story. She leaps at the chance to be treated like an adult and fulfill her personal dreams. Granted, she is far too immature to be completely responsible for her actions or the relationship, however she is not the classic "girl victim" who falls for a man out of her league only to be emotionally and psychologically damaged. You get the feeling that Jenny will be all right, because she is so smart and wise for her age.

Interesting to keep in mind is that this screenplay is based on a memoir, meaning this actually occurred in the life of the author. Nick Hornby is nominated for an Oscar for best adapted screenplay.

I highly recommend this film. I don't think it has much of a chance as a Academy Award Best Picture nominee (it's just not that kind of movie) but it's an excellent ride made memorable by great acting.

STORY: 8

ACTING: 8

LOOK: 8

Overall: 8

Wanted

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov

Starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Terence Stamp and Thomas Krestschmann.

Reviewed by Junior.

An aimless office drone (McAvoy) is thrust into a world of preternaturally endowed assassins, learning that his father was one of them and that he is similarly endowed with extraordinary capabilities. After undergoing an excruciating indoctrination/training under the supervision of Fox (Jolie), he is sent out on his first assignment.

This movie can best be described as fantasy. While modern action flicks always require some suspension of disbelief, the outrageous Matrix-like capabilities of these assassins (due supposedly to having excess adrenalin in their systems) go well beyond any relation to reality. Further, the film serves as a fantasy for anyone stuck in a job they don't like, whose personal life isn't working out, and whose bank account isn't what they would wish it to be. All this is changed for our protagonist, Wesley Gibson, in one fell swoop.

McAvoy, fresh off a strong performance in the well-regarded The Last King of Scotland, does good work here, for what little is asked of him. Similarly slumming are Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman, who both give stock performances. The story is outlandish, with a magical loom giving coded messages from Fate to assign the assassin's targets and mysterious, milky baths which allow the killers to heal in days from serious wounds which should take months to heal. Oh, and the assassins can shoot bullets in a curved arc, rather than in a straight line like the rest of us.

These imaginative touches aside, the plot itself is easily predictable and ultimately pretty unsatisfying. However, if you are looking for crazy cgi action set-pieces and copious violence, you might enjoy Wanted. There is even a Wanted 2 in pre-production, for some reason.

P.S. Come to think of it, this movie would have actually been helped by the hoary old cliche of the protagonist waking up at the end and realizing it had all been a dream. Then he could have gotten up out of bed and gotten his real life in order. But they didn't do that, so we have Wanted 2 to look forward to.

Story: 1

Acting: 3

Look: 9

Overall: 4

Synecdoche, NY

Written and directed by Charlie Kaufmann

Starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Sadie Goldstein, Tom Noonan, Samantha Morton, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Emily Watson.

Reviewed by Junior.

syn·ec·do·che (n.) - A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword).

Talented screenwriter Charlie Kaufmann's directorial effort is an ambitious, sprawling rumination on the meaning of life and death and purpose through the eyes of an unfulfilled and either hypochondriac or actually dying theater director, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Catherine Keener plays his wife in what begins as a sad story about a sad couple on the verge of divorce, in therapy, and trying to balance the needs of their young daughter. Add to that the fact that Cadon (Hoffman) seems to be dying to the mix and you have the beginnings of a very depressing movie indeed.

His personal life falling apart and feeling his mortality, Caden (Hoffman) Cotard embarks on an ambitious, sprawling and ever-growing theater piece attempting to encompass---well, everything. It expands to encompass a mini-reconstruction of New York, with actors playing various characters, real and imagined, and actors playing the actors playing them... Meanwhile we follow Cadon as the years slip away and his life continues to be sad and unfulfilling.

After the first 15 minutes the audience is never quite sure what is real and what is not in the film, whether we are in linear time or not, whether any of this is really happening. We are taken on a journey through time and the meaning of life. One has to admire Kaufmann's guts for assaying this most serious of subjects and a very complicated production for his fledgling directorial effort. He shows an accomplished grasp of technique, although a little editing would have helped when the film seems to drag on and belabor some points. The cast is first-rate, and performs well throughout. In the end, though, the audience is left to wonder what was the point of this grim exercise. Perhaps the point is that there is no point.

Story: 7

Acting: 8

Look: 8

Overall: 7.5

"Up In the Air" has it's feet on the ground...

Hello? Hellllooooo? Anyone out there? Sheesh. No posting since October. That's pathetic. It's not that we haven't all seen movies, somewhere...in the theatre, at home or on the telly.

Fine, I'll just have to muster up a review. Here goes.

Up In the Air

Director: Jason Reitman

Written by: Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Starring: George Clooney as Ryan and Vera Farmiga as Alex

Released 2009

REVIEW by CINEMAGIRL:

The film opens with aerial shots, the kind of shots we've all seen from the window seat of a 737. Immediately we are placed in the fast-paced, business travel world of Ryan Bingham, played expertly by the coy George Clooney.

Ryan takes us through the ropes of his life. He is a professional firer - the person companies bring in to lay off workers without getting their own hands dirty. He is an expert in his field, and an expert at business travel - even holding public speaking engagements on the matter. He urges his audience to abandon physical and even emotional attachments, because you can climb faster with a lighter pack.

He himself is home about a month out of the year at his tiny apartment, which is void of all personality and merely a prison for the man who loves to keep running.

After the film sets the stage and introduces the main character, he is thrown two curveballs. One - his travel may be curtailed. And two - he meets a woman on the road.

Ryan starts up a relationship with Alex (Farmiga), another business traveler spending her life in hotel bars and tabulating air miles. The two hit it off, and form a casual attachment while both being emotionally unattached. At the same time he is trying to convince his boss to keep him on the road and not tie him down - notably this idea came from the new girl, fresh out of college and lacking all experience in the field.

This film may feel foreign to contemporary movie-goers because it is done in such a traditional way - snappy lines, round characters who are both great and flawed, complex situations. Clooney could have easily been played by Humphrey Bogart or Gregory Peck. Bette Davis would've made a great Alex.

A nice touch to this film is the use of the recent unemployment in this country that ties this story to modern times. Reitman even cast real people who have been recently laid off to give testimonials. It was a nice, authentic touch considering the seriousness of the matter, and the fact that our leading man, or "hero" is in the job of firing people.

Farmiga is a natural as a globetrotting businesswoman, delivering lines with ease and authority. Clooney is charming as always and well deserving of his Golden Globe nomination. The film is full of funny, chuckleworthy moments, but it is telling that it is nominated for Best Picture Drama by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

I recommend seeing this film soon, while the issue of lay-offs is at the forefront of national news. It would be timeless anytime, but makes a bigger impact considering reality.

STORY: 9

ACTING: 8

LOOK: 7

OVERALL: 8

Current Golden Globe Nominations for this film:

Best Picture Drama

Best Actor (Clooney)

Best Supporting Actress (both Farmiga and Anna Kendrick)

Best Screenplay

Best Director