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Category — modern
Best Laid Plans (1999)
(2.5/5) crime drama
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Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes 45% | Metacritic 40%
I hadn’t heard of Best Laid Plans (199) until it showed up as a Reese Witherspoon Wishlist option on my TiVo. Reese is one of my favourite contemporary actresses. Josh Brolin, who I was impressed with in the recent W. (2008), also plays a supporting role. On the basis of that star-power I set my TiVo to record it.
I was initially disappointed with the movie and was about to delete it. As my finger was hovering over the delete button, a rather surprising plot twist occurred. The twist extended my interest enough to watch it to the end. Unfortunately, while the twist made the movie initially more interesting, the script was poor, the less-than-credible plot unravelled, and the movie hobbled across the finishing line.
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Del.icio.us Casino Royale (2006)
Categories: 5 dale-heads, modern, movies
(5/5) action, adventure, thriller
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Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes 94% | Metacritic 81%
As I did before watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I went back and watched the fantastic Casino Royale (2006) in preparation for the forthcoming Quantum Solace (2008). Quantum Solace takes-up 15 minutes after Casino Royale ends.
Casino Royale (2006) is a remake of thee earlier Peter Sellers, Casino Royale (1967). The remake follows the classic James Bond formula - exotic locals, fast action sequences, beautiful women and sports cars. But this time, Daniel Craig’s Bond is blonde haired, blue-eyed and superb.
Tags: casino royal, caterina murino, daniel craig, eva green, james bond, jeffrey wright, judi dench, mads mikkelsen, tobias menzies
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
(2/5) romantic comedy
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Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes 66% | Metacritic 55%
In the main, I respect Kevin Smith and have enjoyed several of his acting and directorial works including Clerks (1994), Chasing Amy (1997) and Clerks II (2006). But I hated Dogma (1999) and his excessive use of over-the-top bathroom humour.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno had some funny moments and some tender moments. But, alas, it had too many cringe-worthy, putting my hands in front of my eyes, moments. I’ve outgrown Kevin Smith.
I’m tiring too, of Seth Rogen it seems. I enjoyed him in The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) but wasn’t terribly impressed with him in either Knocked Up (2007) or Superbad (2007). He played the same, odd, yet endearing lug in all these movie.
Tags: elizabeth banks, jason mewes, justin long, kevin smith, seth rogen, zack and miri make a porno
W. (2008)
(3.5/5) political drama
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Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes 56% | Metacritic 56%
W. is Oliver Stone’s take on the life of George W. Bush. The advertising for this movie is misleading. I was half expecting a lampoon-style, slapstick comedy but I got a drama.
Not as blatantly, over-the-top, biased or revisionist as some of Stone’s prior work (JFK, Platoon, Nixon), but still riddled with cheap shots – such as the multiple, and disingenuous, uses of famous Bushisms (or DubyaSpeak) taken out of context. Nonetheless, the movie is a surprisingly sympathetic and engaging portrait of George W. Bush.
The huge cast is destined to yield Oscar nominations. Josh Brolin embodied Bush. He was absolutely terrific. Richard Dreyfuss (one of my all-time favourite actors) as Cheney was superb. Scott Glenn as Rumsfeld and Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powel were very good. Elizabeth Banks was enjoyable as Laura Bush.
Tags: elizabeth banks, ellen burstyn, james cromwell, jeffrey wright, josh brolin, oliver stone, richard dreyfuss, scott glenn, thandie newton, toby jones
Religulous (2008)
(3.5/5) documentary, comedy
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Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes 70% | Metacritic 56%
In the irreverent Religulous, Bill Maher uses humour (and a little mean-spirited, unfair editing) to poke holes in the dogma, beliefs and creeds of several religions. Maher is an agnostic. His intention is to show that religion is dangerous, plays too large a part in politics (especially in the U.S.) and is the cause of most of the world’s problems. While he spends half the film challenging Christianity, he also confronts Judaism, Mormonism, Islam and Scientology.
Religulous has a Michael Moore-like feel. It is directed by the same director as Borat – the Larry David protégé, Larry Charles. It’s punchy, funny, ironic and even engaging. But the unfair editing, unnecessary pot shots, disrespectful interruptions and biased subtitles needlessly diminish it.
While amusing, it is not as funny as some critics lead me to believe. The movie will be offensive to devout theists and informative to those questioning their faith. The latter would be better served by picking up a copy of either Dawkins’ The God Delusion
Tags: bill maher, larry charles, religion
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
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(3.5/5)
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Reviews: IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes 81% | Metacritic 69%
Yippy Ki-yay! For the fourth time in nineteen years, Bruce Willis enjoyably reprises his irreverent role as Detective John McClane in Live Free or Die Hard.
This is a fun, predictable, action-filled romp with a nonsensical plot and a nonsensical villain played unconvincingly by Timothy Olyphant.
It’s the second movie I have seen featuring Justin Long – the Mac in the “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” commercials. Is it just me, or does Justin Long seem to you as if he is the result of Zack Braff and Keanu Reeves mating? True to form, he played a computer hacker in need of Detective McClane’s protection. Amusingly, there wasn’t a Mac in sight! 
I enjoyed his performance - exactly what you’d expect.
Tags: bruce willis, cliff curtis, justin long, kevin smith, timothy olyphant
Burn After Reading (2008)
(1.5/5)
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Reviews: Roger Ebert | IMDb External Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes 79% | Metacritic 62%
The title should be changed to "Burn Before Watching". It’s an awful movie. I laughed a lot during Burn After Reading (2008). I laughed at it, not because of it. Given my general disdain for Coen Brothers movies, I only went to see it because a good friend paid for my ticket (it was my birthday).
This bit of drivel attracted yet another star studded cast, all of whom wasted their considerable talents on a movie about hapless physical trainers (Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt) trying to ply a hapless ex-CIA agent (John Malkovich) for money in exchange for the return of electronic documents of questionable intelligence value.
Tilda Swinton, who won the Best Supporting Actress award for her terrific performance in Michael Clayton (2007), was wasted as Malkovich’s one-dimensional, witch-of-a-philandering-wife. George Clooney reprised his O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) buffoonery as a Treasury Department body guard, engaged in multiple affairs with the Swinton and McDormand characters, among others.