My computer has been on the fritz the last month and I've been unable to update as regularly as I wanted, but I should be back on track now. I have a few mini-reviews of the films I saw in the last month, and I should be able to resume real reviews in the next few days with an early look at "Hot Fuzz," from the "Shaun of the Dead" guys.
300
I knew this was not going to be much more than a visual spectacle, but I was still surprised to see how vapid this film was. There was no reason to care about anything that was happening, and that lack of connection made for a supremely boring two hours. The characters had no depth and kept spouting bad one-liners every few minutes that got old fast. Perhaps the worst part, though was that it wasn't that violent or exciting, which was the whole selling point in the first place. I'd be willing to kind of overlook all that emptiness if it was at least
fun, but it wasn't even that. The violence was uninspired and repetitive, and director Zack Snyder's use of slow motion got to the point of parody it was so overdone. This film has its fans, but I wonder if any of them will actually be able to sit through a second viewing. I know the people I saw it with were all seeing it for a second time, and all agreed they regretted rewatching it.
The Host
"The Host" is a Korean horror-comedy that recently hit America, and it is a delight. A poor family living along the edge of Han River witnesses a monster rise from the river and begin attacking onlookers. When the youngest member of the family is taken by the monster back to its lair, the family sets out to bring her home. The film is a bit short on the horror, but it doesn't really matter too much as it's just an overall fun ride. The characters are pretty silly, but at the same time you really sympathize with their plight to find the missing girl. I've heard "The Host" described as "Little Miss Sunshine" meets a monster movie, and that's about right. This film has a bit of everything: action, thrills, comedy, pathos, and allegory. Don't let the fact that it's a foreign film let you pass it up, it's worth a look.
Smokin' Aces
This is a film that pretty much delivers exactly what it promises: seven hitmen all converge on one hotel in order to collect a one million dollar bounty by rubbing out a mafia snitch. There is a lot of suspense as you are never sure if the hitmen will be successful in killing Buddy "Aces" Israel before the cops can save him. The cast is a lot of fun, and fans (and haters) of Ben Affleck will be in for a treat. Jeremy Piven also does a good job of making his character so unlikable that you want him to die, yet know that he needs to live. Ryan Reynolds, however, delivers a performance worthy of a far better film. He completely drops his smarmy persona to portray a young cop who is in over his head and slowly losing grip on sanity as everyone around him starts dying. If you want a fun, guilty pleasure action film with a cast of quirky characters, this is a good choice.
"The Host" is a Korean horror-comedy that recently hit America, and it is a delight. A poor family living along the edge of Han River witnesses a monster rise from the river and begin attacking onlookers. When the youngest member of the family is taken by the monster back to its lair, the family sets out to bring her home. The film is a bit short on the horror, but it doesn't really matter too much as it's just an overall fun ride. The characters are pretty silly, but at the same time you really sympathize with their plight to find the missing girl. I've heard "The Host" described as "Little Miss Sunshine" meets a monster movie, and that's about right. This film has a bit of everything: action, thrills, comedy, pathos, and allegory. Don't let the fact that it's a foreign film let you pass it up, it's worth a look.
This is a film that pretty much delivers exactly what it promises: seven hitmen all converge on one hotel in order to collect a one million dollar bounty by rubbing out a mafia snitch. There is a lot of suspense as you are never sure if the hitmen will be successful in killing Buddy "Aces" Israel before the cops can save him. The cast is a lot of fun, and fans (and haters) of Ben Affleck will be in for a treat. Jeremy Piven also does a good job of making his character so unlikable that you want him to die, yet know that he needs to live. Ryan Reynolds, however, delivers a performance worthy of a far better film. He completely drops his smarmy persona to portray a young cop who is in over his head and slowly losing grip on sanity as everyone around him starts dying. If you want a fun, guilty pleasure action film with a cast of quirky characters, this is a good choice.