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Sunday, April 5, 2009
Some reviews/previews while I’m away
I’ll be away from work the rest of this week, so while I’m gone here are some reviews and previews I’ve concocted for the interim.
Duplicity: A few weeks ago on this blog, I wondered why this movie was getting such a cold reception from some moviegoers. Now, having seen the movie, I understand - but I’m very disappointed the movie has not done very well. Regular reader Kim S pegged it exactly right, calling it “too complicated for people who don’t want to pay attention.” If you go on expecting a mindless lark, this movie is going to throw you. But I loved the fact that the movie engaged me and kept me on my toes,as Julia Roberts and Clive Owen engaged in games of one-upmanship, and writer-director Tony Gilroy deftly assembled the pieces of the puzzle. This is my favorite movie of the spring. The day a movie like this is “too smart” is the day we’re all in trouble. GRADE: A
Sunshine Cleaning: Probably because it has the word “Sunshine” in the title, and because Alan Arkin again plays a crusty father figure, this film has been talked up as this year’s Little Miss Sunshine, but the two films really are very different. Cleaning is a much more serious film than its ads make it look, it reveals the uneasy lives of two sisters who start a crime scene cleaning business. Amy Adams and Emily Blunt are both excellent, and ideally cast. Adams is the optimistic one, trying to live up to her golden image, and Blunt is the more caustic one, trying to live down her image as the screw-up. The movie occasionally gets a touch precious, but it’s still an affecting portrait with a subject area that’s nothing if not unique. GRADE: A-
On DVD Tuesday
Bedtime Stories: No thanks. Adam Sandler reading me bedtime stories would give me nightmares.
The Day the Earth Stood Still: Speaking of nightmares …. Full review: GRADE: D
Doubt: More fun with Amy Adams! Well, not exactly “fun,” but this was one of the best movies of last year, with Meryl Streep playing a nun who is convinced that priest Philip Seymour Hoffman has done something illicit with a student. Adams plays the nun who sets the controversy in motion. GRADE: A
No Country for Old Men: The fine folks at Disney put out a new extras-laden version of this great movie, thoroughly ticking off those of us who already bought the older disc with only a few extras. It’s enough to bring out the Anton Chigurh in me …
Not Easily Broken: A car accident tears asunder the lives of Clarice Johnson (Taraji P Henson) and her husband, Dave (Morris Chestnut) — then begin to develop feelings for other people. This sure made it to DVD quick, it came out in theaters in January.
The Tale of Desperaux: I never got to this one in theaters and I regret that - I’ve heard this was a charming movie that should have found a bigger audience. Now if only Emma Watson (who provided a voice in this movie) would land a live action gig outside of Harry Potter …
Yes Man: Sort of a more genteel version of Liar, Liar, this Jim Carrey comedy leans a bit too heavily on his rubber-mugging, as so many of his comedies do. What ultimately puts the movie over is not the comedy, but the romance between Carrey and the delightfully offbeat Zooey Deschanel. She’s Carrey’s best match next to Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. GRADE: B
In theaters this Friday
Dragonball Evolution: Emmy Rossum is really talented. She can’t get better gigs than this? That sounds more like devolution to me.
Hannah Montana the Movie: So will this gross more like Hannah’s concert movie or like the Jonas’ concert movie? I’m guessing somewhere in between.
Observe and Report: Starring Seth Rogen and directed by Jody Hill who made The Foot Fist Way, this is apparently Paul Blart with a brain, so it’ll probably not do well, but I’m curious.
I’ll be back here on Monday April 13, so in the meantime feel free to comment on anything here or whatever else tickles your fancy.
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