Most Stephen King books make lousy movies (come to think of it, most Stephen King books in recent years aren’t so hot, either). But there are exceptions. The Shawshank Redemption comes to mind. And this film, director David Cronenberg’s chiller from 1983. Watch it free by going here.
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I am of two minds about (500) Days of Summer. I loved its bittersweet, realistic denouement. The young actors in this romantic comedy are attractive and talented. But there is only one word to describe my reaction to much of what precedes that poignant ending: boredom.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are likable as the young-lover protagonists, and the filmmakers deserve kudos for avoiding Judd Apatow plotting; the screenplay, refreshingly, seems not to have been informed by drunken frat boys. But the screenplay is still the problem — not enough happens in it. Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel meet, become a couple, break up … and that’s about it. Their discussions about his architecture and her dreams of losing her teeth are not the stuff of great wit or great drama.
But as I said, the ending is very good. And I’ll have to admit, I’d probably like the movie a lot more if I were 25 instead of, well, the age I am. Grade: B-
Director: Marc Webb Cast: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Clark Gregg, Minka Kelly, Matthew Gray Gubler, Rachel Boston, Geoffrey Arend, Chloe Moretz Release: 2009
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At the end of Capitalism: A Love Story, filmmaker Michael Moore pauses in his narration and says, “You know, I can’t really do this anymore. Unless those of you who are watching … want to join me.” It’s an understandable sentiment. Moore has been railing against societal ills — both real and perceived — for more than 20 years now, ever since he finally chased down General Motors CEO Roger Smith in Moore’s breakthrough documentary, Roger & Me.
Will Moore’s latest tantrum make you reach for the Alka-Seltzer? I’m sure it will. No matter what your political leanings, Capitalism will confirm your worst fears. If you’re anti-establishment, Moore’s anger will infect you. If you’re more status quo, Moore himself will infect you.
As usual, his tactics are one-sided. Are none of the evicted homeowners he champions guilty of having eyes bigger than their wallets? With all its inherent problems, didn’t capitalism also turn the United States into an economic superpower? Those questions are brushed aside in this movie.
But Moore presents so much damning evidence against the other side (“evil” capitalists) that any thinking person has to conclude that something has gone very, very wrong. And Moore can hardly be accused of liberal partisanship this time around: His most vicious skewering is reserved for Democratic senators like Chris Dodd and Barack Obama’s economic advisers. Grade: B+
Director: Michael Moore Release: 2009
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by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin
If you’re a politics junkie, you won’t find much new in Game Change. The 2008 presidential campaign has already been covered exhaustively, from cable TV to the blogosphere. In fact, unless you simply cannot get enough politics, there isn’t much reason to buy the book. What it does offer is juicy bits of gossip about the candidates and their spouses.
Heilemann and Halperin will no doubt be accused of liberal bias, but of all the dysfunctional (to put it mildly) political couples they showcase – the McCains, Palins, Edwardses, Clintons, and Obamas – only the Obamas come off as people you would remotely want to run the country, even though one of those couples already has.
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First things first. There is an obstacle today’s viewer has to overcome to truly appreciate The Last of Sheila, and that obstacle is called 1973. I’m talking hairstyles here, and I also mean bell bottoms and facial hair. My advice: Get your chuckles out of the way in the first ten minutes of this neglected little gem and then concentrate on the movie itself.
I have to digress again, this time for a little celebrity trivia, circa late 1960s. Actor Anthony Perkins (Psycho) and composer Stephen Sondheim (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) were part of a group of showbiz folk who devised a unique form of self-amusement. They created scavenger hunts in which celebs including Lee Remick, George Segal, Perkins and Sondheim would scour the streets of Manhattan for clues to a mystery. The winners’ reward was typically champagne on ice.
Perkins and Sondheim took their fondness for this silly sleuthing and turned it into a screenplay. The result was Sheila, an absolute delight for puzzle-solvers and movie-star-gazers alike.
Spurred on by millionaire playboy James Coburn (at his Machiavellian best), Raquel Welch, James Mason, et al, race through the beautifully photographed streets and ports of the French Riviera on a quest to solve Coburn’s mean-spirited scavenger hunt — and to curry his favor. Of course, the game soon turns deadly.
But enough nonsensical jabbering and meandering in nostalgia. There — I just gave you a clue to the identity of the killer. Grade: A-
Director: Herbert Ross Cast: Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Coburn, Joan Hackett, James Mason, Ian McShane, Raquel Welch, Yvonne Romain Release: 1973
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I have an elderly aunt, never married, who once told me that if the choice was between staying single or being in an unhappy marriage, her preference was to live alone. This choice is one of the themes of Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air, in which George Clooney’s character sees not just marriage, but all relationships, as so much unnecessary baggage.
About two-thirds into the film, I had the sinking feeling that director Reitman was going to take this idea into stale romantic-comedy turf. After knocking some sense into Clooney’s bachelor, it seemed the story would ensure a white picket fence and lots of little Clooneys in his future. But Reitman and cowriter Sheldon Turner had other, brighter ideas, and this is one reason why I think Up in the Air was robbed of a Best Screenplay Oscar.
Precious, which took home the screenplay award, was not a writer’s picture. Its signature moments involve great acting, particularly from the explosive Mo’Nique. Up in the Air, to the contrary, is a writer’s baby — from the repartee between Clooney and his female costars to the unexpected directions we are taken in the final act.
Does the film side with my elderly aunt’s philosophy on marriage? That’s a question the makers of Up in the Air leave, well, up in the air. Grade: B+
Director: Jason Reitman Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Danny McBride, J.K. Simmons Release: 2009
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If you hear anything at all about Precious before seeing it, you’ll probably expect a depressing, unpleasant experience. Your assumption would be correct. To Sir, With Love, this movie ain’t.
But director Lee Daniels’s drama is worth viewing for at least two reasons. No matter where you stand on the welfare issue, Daniels’s film will probably convince you that there are two types of people on public assistance — those who truly deserve it, and those who do not.
Which brings me to the second reason Precious is worth seeing: the Oscar-winning performance by Mo’Nique as the ultimate “welfare queen.” You do not want to haggle with this character over food stamps.
And yet, social issues and great performances aside, Precious is a movie that, I think, is not as accessible as it aspires to be. Try as I might, this middle-class, middle-aged, white male reviewer simply could not much relate to Precious’s nightmarish world. God knows that is not a complaint, just an observation. Grade: B+
Director: Lee Daniels Cast: Gabourey “Gabbie” Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd Release: 2009
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I recently re-watched the classic sorority-massacre movie Black Christmas (1974 version), and that put me in the mood for a new slasher flick, and so I made the mistake of renting Sorority Row.
There is only one way to rate junk like this, so here we go (start with zero points):
1) Does it have an attractive cast? Are the sorority girls worth watching? Yes and yes. Add 50 points.
2) Are the production values decent? Is it well photographed, edited, scored, etcetera? Yes. Add 20 points.
3) Do the attractive stars get naked? No. Subtract 30 points.
4) Does anyone get naked? Yes, several bit players in a shower scene at the midpoint. Add 25 points.
5) Is the killer a surprise, or pretty obvious? Pretty obvious. Call it a draw.
6) Is the killer, once unmasked, a memorable villain? No. Very dull. Subtract 20 points.
7) Are the killings original? Not really. A tire iron is a tire iron. Subtract 10 points.
Total score: 35
Is that a D or an F? I’ll be generous. Grade: D
Director: Stewart Hendler Cast: Briana Evigan, Rumer Willis, Carrie Fisher, Jamie Chung, Julian Morris, Leah Pipes, Margo Harshman, Matt Lanter, Audrina Patridge, Deja Kreutzberg Release: 2009
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