January 21, 2009

• My Uninvited 2 Cents.

  To start off, I’d like to say, I know it’s been a while since I posted here, but what the hell happened to my text editor? Does Xanga not allow us to bold or underline text anymore or does Google Chrome just somehow not support having these features?

  Well, since Oscar time is deffinitely rolling around, I see no reason not to toss in my own opinion into the matter. Now obviously, I didn’t see a lot of the so called “big contenders” at the box office this year, nor did I really intend to. Movies like Doubt, Revolutionary Road, and the Changeling didn’t really strike me as being under the realm of my forte. But I can offer my breakdown of the films that I did see and give you my “everyone’s a critic these days” reviews.

  Most Genuinely Exciting Movie: Journey to the Center of the Earth: 3D

  
  The reason I am starting with this category is that it may be considered the most unnecessary, and to avoid anything anti climatic, I wanted to get it out of the way first. Now, this movie is decidedly gimmicky, and if you go into it expecting anything else, prepare to be disappointed. But being armed with this knowledge, you can take this movie as more of a thrill ride then an actual cinematic experience. There is nothing remarkable about the story by any means, or the acting either (though Brandon Frasier may not be the greatest actor in the world, his timing on one-liners is impeccable) but the action scenes seem genuine and comedic at the same time all while being immersed in a visually stunning, completely original environment filled to the brim with all the gimmicky special effects you could hope for. I don’t know how the 3D-ness would work on your home theater, but if you saw this one on the silver screen, I’m sure you came out of it completely satisfied. Please note though, against my assumptions going into this movie, it is NOT a remake of the original. The storyline is actually a little different than the original movie, and in fact this could almost even be played off as a sequel.

  Worst Movie: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

  
  Moving right along, after an upbeat, should follow a down beat. Now obviously, all you ladies out there are going to accuse me of being overly judgmental seeing as how I am a guy and I fall well beyond the target audience of this movie. Truth be told, the only reason I saw this movie is because my and my lovely lady had just gotten out of a different movie, and this one was just starting and she decided it couldn’t hurt to see it. Oh how glad I am that we didn’t pay for this. Ladies and gentlemen, even for a chick flick this one is bad. Nowhere throughout this unnecessarily long feature will you find anything that comes close to resembling decent acting, storytelling, or even directing. I can’t think of a time that I have ever felt more unattached to a movie. If the book was anything as mundane as the movie was, I am surprised it even got this popular to begin with. Guys, this one isn’t even worth watching on HBO during a cheap date. Your time will be much better spent counting the number of grass blades in your back yard.

  Most Overrated Movie: Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist

  
  You probably don’t want to read to downer reviews in a row, and if thats the case, feel free to skip to the next review and then come back to this one. I did not truly know what to expect going into this movie. With a truly ambiguous marketing campaign, and Michael Cera seemingly stuck on the same character since Superbad (which leads me to believe that he is not actually acting and that we are seeing his true self on screen) you can imagine that I wasn’t going in with high expectations. Of course, to say that this movie completely sucked and was devoid of worth would not be completely correct. I can safely say that I recall chuckling a few times and may possibly never forget the greatest band name of all time (no, not Where’s Fluffy, you know which one I’m talking about). Other than the occasional redeeming moment, this movie caused me to feel nothing but awkward the entire length of its running time. While many may argue that that was its intended purpose, this is not what I go to see a movie for.

  Most Underrated Movie: Speed Racer

  
  How this movie fell completely by the wayside this year truly escapes me. Deliciously stylish, brutally beautiful, expertly told, and smartly acted, this movie left nothing to be desired. Even having never watched the original anime show (which I have been told the movie was incredibly true to) I came into this movie very excited based off of the trailers alone. When I went in though, I was expecting an action romp with the sole purpose of milking a license, not a full-scale cinematic experience. When my eyes weren’t busy popping out of their sockets, I found myself truly absorbed into the story and completely blown away by the incredibly fast pacing. Also, if the Academy ever decides on a category for best monologues, this film could have received every single nomination. The only thing left was to somehow make the climax more exciting then the rest of the movie, which at times seemed like it couldn’t have been possible, until you actually get to the ending which will simply take your breath away.

  Best Cast: The Dark Knight

  
  When you look down a roster and see a cast that could just as easily do Shakespeare as make a crime drama, you know you’re in for a treat. Christian Bale, while not as good as his Oscar-snubbed performance in 3:10 to Yuma, shines on all sides of Bruce Wayne’s character, for once capturing in a “hero movie” a dramatic side not often seen (while many would argue that his voice work on the caped crusader is annoying, I find it not without purpose). Obviously Ledger did a jaw-dropping performance as the Joker, never once breaking character and always truly hiding behind the make-up in more ways then one. But honestly, I feel that the most underrated performance came from Aaron Eckart who was able to so smoothly transition from upbeat and like-able, to downright scary, seemed nothing short of completely legitimate. Gary Oldman was also brilliant in his role, especially in the finale when his and his families lives were on the line. Lastly, Morgan Freeman and Michael Cane despite being in comparably smaller roles go beyond simply cashing a paycheck and really make their characters their own.

  Best Actress: Zooey Deschanel (Yes, Man)

  
  Maybe you could say that at no point this year did I see any truly remarkable female performances, or maybe you could say that Zooey Deschanel really seemed to dig deep into several emotions to create many of her scenes. Either way you slice it, Deschanel was the perfect fit for her role in this very funny, yet very moving film. Honestly, if at any times it seemed like the romantic chemistry wasn’t there, the blame would have had to be placed on Jim Carey instead. Zooey Deschanel was the perfect leading lady for one of the funniest, most lovable movies of the year.

  Best Actor: Shia LaBeouf (Eagle Eye)

  
  One of the most love’em or hate’em actors out there right now, Shia LaBeouf has come a very long way from Even Stevens. But even his biggest hataz can’t deny the skill and, dare I say, craftsmanship that went into his character in this movie. The opening scenes in which he mourns the loss of his twin brother were truly memorable, and he never lets up. In fact, all though much of the action scenes are smartly played, it is safe to say that the rest of this movie is almost completely held intact by his performance. Of course, if Disturbia didn’t get him Oscar attention, this one certainly won’t either, but I don’t think it will be long before we hear awards buzz surrounding this still very young actor who has plenty of room to grow from an already incredibly solid foundation.

  Best Picture: The Dark Knight

  
  No, I’m not just giving into the hype, like I said, I haven’t seen all of the top contenders out right now and The Dark Knight truly was the best movie I saw this year, and perhaps in several years even. Going beyond what people would call a superhero movie, this film could best be described as an action packed crime drama. Although I didn’t get to see it in IMAX, like I did Eagle Eye, I still feel that I was able to fully understand the grandeur of if not proven to be the “best”, truly the most important movie of the year.

  Now that that is all said and done, I will leave you with this sad little tape I found whilst lurking around to make this entry.
  LINK!!!

  Until next time, good luck with life.

  • 1:38 pm
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