Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on July 4th, 2012
Have found footage films jumped the shark? (If the answer is yes, someone's going to have to hunt down the beast that ate the shark-jumping cameraman so we can retrieve the tape and see exactly what happened.) Though the genre dates all the way back to 1980's Cannibal Holocaust, it saw a spike with 1999's Blair Witch Project and has become the horror delivery vehicle du jour thanks to recent hits like The Devil Inside and the Paranormal Activity films. To be fair, The American Dream doesn't completely qualify as a found footage film — as far as I can tell, no one finds the protagonist's camera — but the movie is a sign that the genre may have already seen its best days.
Like Cloverfield, Chronicle and Project X, The American Dream proves that horror films haven't completely cornered the found footage market. Luis (Jamil Walker Smith) and Ronald (Malcolm Goodwin) are lifelong friends and newly-enlisted Marines who are about to ship off to Afghanistan. Luis is an aspiring filmmaker who idolizes Spike Lee (Smith also directed the film under the moniker J. Smith), so he decides to document his and Ronald's last few days with their families and friends before they leave.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 3rd, 2012
Mirror mirror on the wall, which is the fairest Snow White movie of them all? (Or at least 2012.) Well, if we're going by box office receipts and critical reception, the winner is Snow White and the Huntsman, the gothic, snarlier twist on the classic tale starring Kristen Stewart (everything starring Stewart is automatically snarlier), Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth. However, if we're going by costumes, production design and general shiny-ness, Mirror Mirror easily wins. I realize that sounds like faint praise, but this family-friendly take on Snow White has its quirky charms.
Julia Roberts headlines this version as a wicked Queen who is fond of lavish parties and elaborate gowns, but rules over a frigid, destitute kingdom following the disappearance of the popular king she married. Snow White (Lily Collins), on the cusp of her 18th birthday, is the king's daughter and the rightful heir to the throne. After the jealous Queen tries to have Snow White murdered, the exiled princess enlists the help of a noble prince (Armie Hammer) and seven outcast dwarves to take back her kingdom.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 30th, 2012
"Now, if you're unfortunate right now and don't have any weed, I'm sorry. But please stop this movie right now — it just won't work if you can't watch this without no weed."
Did I mention that this disclaimer at the start of Mac & Devin Go to High School comes from a profane talking joint named Slow Burn (voiced by rapper Mystikal)? Anyway, I can't say I wasn't warned.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on June 26th, 2012
The notion that nice guys finish last — or that girls tend to gravitate toward bad boys — isn't exactly the most original idea in the world. There have been many cinematic examples that both support (The Last American Virgin) and debunk (Bridget Jones's Diary) this theory. The Jerk Theory — a totally formulaic, surprisingly watchable "teen" comedy where most of the actors are pushing 30 — wants to be the movie that proves not every girl in the world wants a bad boy. Instead, the movie inadvertently makes the point that every girl in the world (except maybe one) wants a bad boy.
It's no more Mr. Nice Guy for Adam (Josh Henderson) after his girlfriend dumps him in favor of their school's resident jerky jock. We meet Adam after he's already re-invented himself as the kind of popular lothario who will barely stop his car to allow his date to get in and puts on impromptu rock concerts at his high school. Adam successfully counsels fellow nice guys in the ways of jackassery, but begins to reconsider his philosophy when his charms fail to work on Molly (Jenna Dewan-Tatum), who has sworn off jerks after recently breaking up with one. Will Adam's jerky veneer give way in time for Molly to see what a genuinely nice guy he is? Will there be contrived misunderstandings before a final-act declaration of love? (This is a romantic comedy — what do you think?!)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 23rd, 2012
"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."
That famous proverb comes from a couplet in the Robert Burns poem "To a Mouse." ("The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men/Gang aft agley") Simply put, it means that even the most carefully prepared plans can go wrong at any time. The line also provided the title for John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men", the classic 1937 novella that has since become required reading in many high schools, along with "To Kill a Mockingbird", "The Great Gatsby" and others. Steinbeck tells the tragic story of slow-witted Lenny and his friend/protector George, two migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression. I imagine Steinbeck's best laid plans probably didn't involve his story becoming the basis for a British cage fighting movie.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 20th, 2012
When I saw that Nicolas Cage and January Jones were headlining a little-seen/straight-to-DVD-caliber title, part of me was perversely excited. This had the potential to be a historic summit of bad acting! To be fair, I generally enjoy the — shall we say — avant garde stylings of Cage's performances, but I'm much less impressed by the relentless joylessness Jones bring to her work (even on the excellent Mad Men). In short, I was prepared to laugh and I was prepared to wince. However, I was not prepared to enjoy this entertaining, preposterous thriller as much as I did.
Cage and Jones star as Will and Laura Gerard, a happily married New Orleans couple. You know they're the perfect little cultured pair because she's an orchestra cellist, and he's a high school English teacher who plays hyper-competitive chess games with a co-worker (Harold Perrineau). Their world is shattered one night when Laura is brutally attacked after leaving work. While an emotionally distraught Will is in the hospital, he is approached by a stranger named Simon (Guy Pearce). Simon claims to represent an organization that is fed up with the shortcomings of the criminal justice system. He offers to exact vengeance on Laura's attacker in exchange for a favor from Will somewhere down the line.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 19th, 2012
"Nikolai Petrovich Rachenko...our warrior elite...a very powerful and valuable tool...if he can be controlled."
It's no secret that they just don't make action movies like they used to. (Sylvester Stallone just shot a brawny arm into the air in protest. I see you, Sly!) These days the odds of seeing a pretty boy like Matt Damon and a perennial tough guy like Bruce Willis headlining an action flick are just about even. You're just as likely to see Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in family fare like Journey 2: The Mysterious Island as you are in an manly romp like Fast Five. Heck, the Arnold Schwarzenegger role in the upcoming Total Recall remake is being played by...Colin Farrell.
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on June 15th, 2012
Even those of us who enjoy movie musicals concede there's a certain degree of eye-rolling that comes with the territory. Some of the greatest musicals of all time — from classics like Singin' in the Rain and West Side Story to more modern hits like Chicago — are not immune to audible groans from jaded audiences whenever dialogue is interrupted by a showtune or a preposterously choreographed dance sequence. No one is going to confuse Rock of Ages with one of the greatest movie musicals of all time, but the best thing about director Adam Shankman's bloated, star-packed film is that it has a pretty good idea of how cheesy and phony it is.
The film is based on the successful Broadway musical of the same name and follows a small town girl (Julianne Hough) and a city boy (Diego Boneta) as they pursue their dreams of music superstardom in 1987 Hollywood. A lot of the action takes place in The Bourbon Room, a popular bar/club owned by Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin), that is the object of scorn for Mayor Mike Whitmore (Bryan Cranston) and, particularly, his morally uptight upright wife Patricia (Catherine Zeta-Jones, in a role invented for the movie). Of course, the story is just an excuse to feature as many classic rock hits from the 1980s as possible. I counted almost 25 songs — including the ones that were mashed up into single performances — which means that any tune from this time period that wasn't included in the film should be seriously offended.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 12th, 2012
-"And what do I say when they ask me why it wasn't regulated?"
-"No one wanted to. We were making too much money."
At first glance, sitting down to watch a film about the financial meltdown of 2008 seems only slightly more fun than going through the actual meltdown again. Fortunately, director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential) and a towering ensemble cast — I felt like I'd died and gone to Character Actor Heaven — mostly keep Too Big to Fail away from CNBC territory and deliver a brisk, entertaining film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 5th, 2012
"I'm yelling for society, for everybody! It's not just me!"
That's Larry David chastising a dog walker who didn't bring along a bag to clean up after her pooch, but that statement also tidily summarizes the premise of Curb Your Enthusiasm. After 11 years, seven seasons and 70 episodes of over-analyzing and kvetching — and after pulling off an incredibly well-received Seinfeld reunion in season 7 — a small part of me wondered if David had anything left to complain about heading into season 8. I should've known better.
