Category: Movies

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

#140RVW

No so much bad as completely unnecessary. What more did we need to know about this character after he was featured prominently in 3 movies?

What’s more:

This movie fills in the gaps that were left after 3 X-Men movies that focused nearly exclusively on Wolverine. Wait, what gaps? It’s like when artists like Tom Petty & Bruce Springsteen feel compelled to record “solo” albums; guys, it’s your band, with your name – what, are you being held back?

So why was this movie necessary? Good question. Let me know if you figure it out; I never did. And that’s really the problem with the movie – it just isn’t really needed. We knew enough about this character; possibly too much. Filling in every gap doesn’t accomplish anything. It may seem to satisfy our need to know everything, but once we do know everything we realize we were probably better off with a little mystery.

Quick thoughts:

Liev Schreiber is quite a good villain.
Script does the nearly impossible feat of making Sabretooth an interesting character.
First sign of trouble: casting a rapper as an actor. Nearly always the wrong choice.
The blades have never looked less convincing; stick with practical effects, guys.

Boxing with Blob? Why? Easily the most wasteful five minutes in any Marvel film, ever.
Didn’t expect Cyclops to show up. Thought this was just going to be the B team mutants.
Sigh, wire work. Always so much wire work.
How many times in this movie do Wolverine & Sabretooth have essentially the same fight? Stand twenty feet apart, hold arms out to side and flex, Sabretooth grins, Wolverine yells, and they charge.
Some of these effects are really unacceptable for 2009.

Mutant rundown (SPOILERS):

Gambit – fights with playing cards and pool cues. Please…This character must have been created during Happy Hour…
Someone named Agent Zero. I still can’t figure out if this was supposed to be a mutant, and I’m tired of looking up things that should have been made obvious by the filmmakers.
There are mutants named Bolt, well played by the always entertaining Dominic Monaghan, and Kestral, played by the never entertaining will.i.am.
His love interest in the movie is a mutant? I admit I started to get bored around this point in the movie. I’m guessing her ability is to advance the plot.
Emma Frost looks really cool.
Deadpool – I gather that this character has a Boba Fett-type following, though I don’t see it based on the film, although they changed the character’s arc massively. They’re making a movie just for him. Sadly it will also star Ryan Reynolds.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Fail

Main Cast	Hugh Jackman Logan/Wolverine, Liev Schreiber Victor Creed, Ryan Reynolds Wade Wilson, Danny Huston Stryker
Rating	PG-13
Release Date	Fri 01 May 2009 UTC
Director	Gavin Hood
Genres	Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Plot	A look at Wolverine’s early life, in particular his time with the government squad Weapon and the impact it will have on his later years.
Poster
Runtime	107
Tagline
Writers	David Benioff (screenplay) and, Skip Woods (screenplay)
Year	2009

January 21, 2014

Much Ado About Nothing (2012)

#140RVW

The Joss Whedon players invade his house for a few days and come away with a wonderful, funny, beautifully acted & executed masterpiece…

What’s more:

Whedon makes it look so easy. Follows up blockbuster Avengers with a black & white modern adaptation of Shakespeare comedy. And comedy it is; this movie is a riot.

Helps to have such an amazing cast, but then that has always been his MO. He’s cultivated this amazing team of alumni, plus some notable Whedon newbies like Clark Gregg. It’s always such a blast in any of his movies looking to see who he’s brought along this time.

Too many great performances to single out, but can we all agree that Amy Acker is overdue for superstardom? She is so amazingly expressive, capable of drama, brainy comedy, physical comedy and anything else needed. Let’s get her some more work, huh? Her leading man, Alexis Denisof is also criminally underused in Hollywood…

With such great performances, it’s easy to overlook just how well the movie is constructed, but it’s important to note. The arrangement of scenes, the pacing, and the tone all combine to make for a highly enjoyable film, one that could have easily been dragged down by the challenging text. And it looks excellent, thanks to DP Jay Hunter.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Tough, I’m going to say it fails, but I could see it both ways. There are conversations that are not specifically about a man, but every conversation between women is about love; frankly every conversation in the movie is about love.

Main Cast	Alexis Denisof Benedick, Amy Acker Beatrice, Fran Kranz Claudio, Jillian Morgese Hero
Rating	PG-13
Release Date	Fri 14 Jun 2013 UTC
Director	Joss Whedon
Genres	Comedy, Drama, Romance
Plot	A modern retelling of Shakespeare’s classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words.
Poster
Runtime	109
Tagline	Shakespeare knows how to throw a party.
Writers	Joss Whedon (written for the screen by), William Shakespeare (play)
Year	2012

January 20, 2014

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Plot sounds stupid, but the novel is a favorite of mine; very true to spirit of Holmes. Makes for good little film. Duvall is ridiculous…

Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Seven-Per-Cent Solution:

If I describe it to you, you’ll tune out: “Sherlock Holmes goes to Vienna to beat his cocaine addiction with the help of Sigmund Freud”. Preposterous. But in the execution of Nicholas Meyer’s novel, it turns out to be a charming little story, very in keeping with the style and spirit of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories.

Would have been interesting to see Meyer direct this, his screenplay based on his own novel, much as Michael Crichton did with The Great Train Robbery two years later. After all, Meyer would get the chance to direct several years later, with the similarly spirited Time After Time, before becoming the greatest director that the Star Trek series would ever see.

But Herbert Ross is a much more accomplished director and does his usual great work here, even if the deliberately soft picture is more of a cute affectation than a welcome “dating” of the story.

In truth, after watching this for the first time in many years, there is a deep drop-off after the 1st hour. The fascinating part of the story is in the set-up; the mystery Holmes is tasked with later on is not as engaging.

Interesting casting; Robert Duvall as Dr. Watson? He’s absurd. I have no objection to Americans playing Brits, but taking on a stiff-upper-lip Victorian is way out of his depth. Fantastic actor, but this one is just a poor fit – a total caricature. Alan Arkin, on the other hand, struggles and succeeds at keeping Freud from being a similar archetype. To some degree this is simply not possible, as the Viennese doctor is sort of hard to underplay, but he does give the character a vitality and edge that is unexpected and welcome. Williamson does a good job with the most thankless role of Sherlock. He plays the character exactly according to Hoyle (or Doyle, I suppose), taking no risks, but he does it well and handles the addiction storyline well.

Lastly, enjoy the Sondheim composition “I Never Do Anything Twice” from the brothel scene – good stuff!

[schema type=”movie” name=”The Seven-Per-Cent Solution” description=”To treat his friend’s cocaine induced delusions, Watson lures Sherlock Holmes to Sigmund Freud.” director=”Herbert Ross” actor_1=”Nicol Williamson” ]

Poster:

Trailer:

http://youtu.be/CxzoWxT2E2Y

Bechdel Test:

FAIL

Main Cast	Alan Arkin Dr. Sigmund Freud, Vanessa Redgrave Lola Deveraux, Robert Duvall Dr. John H. Watson/Narrator, Nicol Williamson Sherlock Holmes
Rating	PG
Release Date	Thu 02 Jun 1977 UTC
Director	Herbert Ross
Genres	Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Plot	To treat his friend’s cocaine induced delusions, Watson lures Sherlock Holmes to Sigmund Freud.
Poster
Runtime	113
Tagline
Writers	Arthur Conan Doyle (characters), Nicholas Meyer (novel)
Year	1976

January 19, 2014

Blood Simple (1984)

#140RVW

This is where it all started. Coen brothers announce their arrival with a classic neo-noir thriller that’s a game-changer. Sonnenfeld’s 1st.

What’s more:

Despite being a huge Coen brothers fan, I never quite got around to watching this, their first film. Not a lack of interest, it just never seemed to be on or crossing my path when I was looking for it. It was worth the wait.

It’s amazing how good they are right out of the gate. All of the classic Coen elements are already in place; gorgeous cinematography (by rookie Barry Sonnenfeld), atmospheric score (by Carter Burwell in his first Coen collaboration), complex characters, dark humor, dramatic pacing, plot twists and turns, sharp dialogue, all of it…

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

FAIL

January 18, 2014

Clueless (1995)

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Fast Times director Heckerling strikes gold again with another high school movie, another star-making classic, this one also written by her.

Spoiler-free Movie Review of Clueless:

I’ve never read Jane Austen’s Emma or seen any of the 3,000 or so film or TV adaptations, but I feel confident this is the funniest interpretation of the story. One of my wife’s favorite movies, and her good taste is evident here.

I’m sure the movie wasn’t meant to be a 1990’s time capsule, but it certainly is a good primer on the decade. Not just another teen movie, although all the hallmarks are there. The difference has to be in the writing. When Amy Heckerling struck gold with Fast Times at Ridgemont High, she was helped by Cameron Crowe’s script. But her screenplay here shows a real depth of talent.

The acting is quite solid. No standout performances, exactly (although Silverstone is wonderful), but fresh new faces helped out by career character actors like Dan Hedaya & Wallace Shawn. Baby-faced Paul Rudd is a startling sight, but not more so than Donald Faison in braces.

I do have to say that I really didn’t care for the last five minutes. Got tied up really neatly, more or less out of the blue. Wasn’t expecting Rosebud or anything, but the Hollywood ending just came outta nowhere.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Pass

The Representation Test Score: A (11 pts)

(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

[schema type=”movie” name=”Clueless” description=”Jane Austen might never have imagined that her 1816 novel Emma could be turned into a fresh and satirical look at ultra-rich teenagers in a Beverly Hills high school. Cher (Alicia Silverstone) and Dionne (Stacey Dash), both named after “great singers of the past that now do infomercials,” are pampered upper-class girls who care less about getting good grades than wearing the right clothes and being as popular as possible. But Cher, who lives with her tough yet warm-hearted lawyer dad (Dan Hedaya) and hunky, sensitive stepbrother (Paul Rudd), also has an innate urge to help those less fortunate, like the two introverted teachers she brings together (“negotiating” herself improved grades in the process) and new friend Tai (Brittany Murphy), who starts out a geek and ends up a Cher prodigy. Cher also possesses her own sensitive side, and she is looking for the perfect boyfriend, whom she ends up finding where she least expected.” director=”Amy Heckerling” actor_1=”Alicia Silverstone” ]

Main Cast	Alicia Silverstone Cher Stacey Dash Dionne Brittany Murphy Tai Paul Rudd Josh
Rating	PG-13
Release Date	Wed 19 Jul 1995 UTC
Director	Amy Heckerling
Genres	Comedy, Romance
Plot	A rich high school student tries to boost a new pupil’s popularity, but reckons without affairs of the heart getting in the way.
Poster
Runtime	97
Tagline	Sex. Clothes. Popularity. Is there a problem here?
Writers	Amy Heckerling (written by)
Year	1995

January 17, 2014

Category: Movies

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

#140RVW

What’s more:

Mutant rundown (SPOILERS):

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Much Ado About Nothing (2012)

#140RVW

What’s more:

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Seven-Per-Cent Solution:

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Blood Simple (1984)

#140RVW

What’s more:

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Clueless (1995)

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Spoiler-free Movie Review of Clueless:

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

The Representation Test Score: A (11 pts)