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Reviews
Grizzly Park (2008)
Whoever wrote this piece of crap should be fed to a grizzly bear.
I watched this movie online, thank God, because I didn't actually pay to see the stupid thing. From the description, I thought it would be about an escaped murderer hunting a bunch of dimwitted petty cons through the forest, but the escapee died soon after the movie started. Instead, this bunch of petty criminals is pursued by a bear that behaves unlike any bear I've ever heard of, stalking people while they sit in a large group, and ripping a building apart (not a tent, people) to get to the people inside. All those Hollywood roars just made it even sillier, and since when do wolves go after humans, especially a human whose not even injured? I'm surprised there weren't evil squirrels bent on infecting these idiots with y-pestis.
None of the characters were likable, especially Bebe, who was so dumb I wanted her to die a gruesome death immediately. I was disappointed to see Glenn Morshower, who I've always liked as Aaron Pierce on 24, starring in this garbage. The dialogue can only be described as wooden. You would think that with a bunch of criminals out in a beautiful setting like this, that the screenwriter would have included the characters involved in some self reflection. But, you'd be wrong. All of these people were basically soulless; in a group like this in real life, I'd expect some would feel no remorse for what they did, but certainly some of them would have felt bad about it. So, I didn't care when any of them died, all in ways that were over the top gruesome, which is, I believe, the only reason this film was made. And if you were hoping for some beautiful shots of the woods a la A River Runs Through It, forget it; imagination in the cinematography department is as lacking as it is in the screen writing department. The conclusion was a bit clever-a very tiny bit-but other than that this movie amounted to what a bear does in the woods.
Trailer Park Boys: The Movie (2006)
Thirty sexy days, boys. Sexy.
I love the Trailer Park Boys, and this big screen treatment of the stories of the Sunnyvale crowd did not disappoint. I honestly believe everyone can enjoy this movie, which has a lot of elements of the t.v show but a fresh story in the form of the big dirty, the boys' change stealing gig. All those loonies and toonies add up, you know. Look for Hugh Dillon of the Headstones, who apparently has become some sort of an actor, although this is all I've ever seen him in. Some jokes and references that would only be understood by Canadians (the names of the movies on the marquee sign, and music from April Wine, Tragically Hip, Platinum Blonde), but most of the humour is accessible for everyone. This movie is a favourite of mine; if you haven't seen it yet, do. And in honour of the boys, you might want to get drunk as f*ck before you do.
Into the Wild (2007)
I want those 2+ hours back
When I first read Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, about two years ago, I started reading and found myself staying up until far past midnight, unable to put the book down, so enthralled was I with the story of an idiot boy who discarded his former life to travel to Alaska and ultimately die in the bush there. The book was a first class page turner, the type of thing you don't put down until you absolutely have to. I'm sorry to say, the movie was nothing like that. Perhaps it was the fact that I watched it while my eyes were already drooping from the exhaustion of the day, but to put it plainly, this movie was excruciatingly boring.
Basically, what you have is a bunch of clips of Chris McCandless' life, both prior to and during his ill fated Alaska adventure. Sean Penn tries desperately to make the audience feel something, and fails. Why not just present the kid's life and let the audience feel what they will? You can tell Penn thought highly of this lad, and in order to make the viewer share that opinion, included a bunch of scenes tailor-made for Chris to spout platitudes in. You know, deep stuff like "don't let your life pass you by". If you've watched the film, you know for yourself how many times he spoke variations on that theme. We see plenty of shots of Chris in the wilderness, lots of slow-mo scenes, and we're also introduced to a cast of supporting characters ranging from a sweet old man who offered to adopt him, to an underaged love interest. When I heard Chris tell the old man that he was just "sitting on his butt", I wanted to jump through the screen and punch the kid in the face for being such a pretentious little twit. There he is, some wet behind the ears rich kid, telling an old man who has lived a long life that he should go do something. It was enough to make me gag, but I can't blame Sean Penn for that one, because in real life Chris McCandless was an obnoxious jerk, who thought nothing of disappearing and leaving his parents, who were by no means perfect yet who loved him and did the best they could for him, and his sister, who idolized him, to wonder what happened to him.
I agree with the other reviewers who hated the grating voice-over which seemed to be a lazy substitute for actual storytelling. In the absence of a well thought out script, what else are you supposed to do, I suppose.
There will be those who love this film, I am sure. Every one is entitled to their opinion. For me, though, it was a poorly made, overly long movie about a kid who died in the bush because of his own stupidity and arrogance, a self indulgent piece by Sean Penn, who after this, should henceforth be required to stay in front of the camera.
Rob Roy (1995)
Great movie, but not for the overly sensitive.
I first saw Rob Roy twelve years ago. With little money for entertainment, I rented it for my fiancé and I to watch on a bone chilling winter's night. The movie I had wanted was gone, so I rented this instead, not expecting much, and was very much surprised with how good it was. I just recently watched it again, and loved it every bit as much as the first time.
For those unfamiliar with the story, it's about Scottish outlaw Robert Roy MacGregor, a cattleman and folk hero. From the little I know about the man and his story, liberties have been taken with the facts, but it's a movie, not a textbook, and so the filmmakers can be excused. Basically, the plot of the movie is that Rob Roy borrows money from the Marquis of Montrose to buy cattle which he then intends to sell and reap a large profit from. But, his plan is foiled when the friend entrusted with the money is robbed of the cash and murdered in the forest. Our hero finds himself on the run after failing to settle the matter with the Marquis, and Mary, his wife, suffers a sadistic rape at the hands of Archibald Cunningham, a smarmy Englishman with no soul. Atrocities ensue, until, in an immensely satisfying conclusion, Rob carves Archibald up like a Christmas turkey.
There are many great performances in this movie, but allow me to touch specifically on a few. Liam Neeson, as usual, is fantastic, a sexy beast you can't take your eyes off of. Honestly, this man is like ice cream: even when he's bad he's good. His Rob Roy is an honourable man struggling to provide for those who depend on him, in the best way he knows how. Jessica Lange, as Mary, gives this woman a fierceness which is a nice change from the simpering, dull movie wives audiences are usually forced to endure. You just know she doesn't take any b.s from Rob, or anyone else for that matter. Tim Roth is completely over the top with his portrayal of the evil Archibald, yet somehow, it works. All the posturing and preening, combined with some wicked dialogue, result in one of the most memorable movie villains in recent memory. Combine all of this, and the stellar work by other supporting players, with the luscious scenery of Scotland, and you have what amounts to one really, really cool movie. If you haven't seen this, I highly recommend that you do.
Black Snake Moan (2006)
crazy stuff going on in that heat
When I first heard about this movie, I have to be honest, I was turned off by not so much the concept as the trashy promo art related to the film. Still, I went ahead and watched it, and I'm glad I did. You may already know that the movie is about a girl, out of control and headed for major disaster, who ends up chained up inside a black man's house in the heart of the deep south. That's an interesting premise, but how does she get to that point?
Rae, played by Christina Ricci, is a mess, with a sex addiction, no self respect, and lots of nasty emotions swirling inside her head. Still, she manages to hold it together as long as her boyfriend Ronnie is around. But, when Ronnie is shipped out for military duty, the one person who was able to prevent her from going completely off the rails is gone, and she immediately loses control. Things come to a head for her one night when she is attacked by a "friend". She winds up lying on a country road, unconscious, and is discovered there by Lazarus, played by Samuel Jackson.
The movie takes a fascinating turn from there, with that ginormous chain having as big a role as any of the actors. It's like a living thing, slithering across the screen, and represents the one thing that's keeping Rae from destroying herself. I personally am quite impressed with the fact that tiny little Christina Ricci insisted on wearing a real, 40 pound chain around her waist, instead of the lightweight version suggested by the producers. She kicked ass in this movie, and Samuel L. Jackson did what he always does: owned the role he was playing and acted the hell out of every scene without breaking a sweat.
Justin Timberlake has the supporting role as Rae's boyfriend Ronnie, who has his own demons to fight. He's not great here (he's a singer, not an actor), but the acting is serviceable enough, and he's pulled through by the more capable cast members. S. Epatha Merkerson shines in her understated portrayal of a pharmacist friend of Lazarus', with her sweet, acapella version of Balm in Gilead being a highlight of the film in my opinion.
If you go into this film expecting a trashy exploitation film, you're going to be surprised. It's so much better than I had expected, and even though I have to admit the ending was perhaps just a tad corny, I still loved it up until the credits rolled.
1408 (2007)
Great movie!
This was a great movie. I was a little wary about watching it, seeing as how it's from a Stephen King story. I like to read Stephen King, but to watch? Not so much. Anyway, John Cusack was great. He had to handle most of the movie by himself, with very little human interaction for his character. The supporting characters didn't have much to do, but my personal favorites out of all of them were the ghosts. Be aware that things do tend to get a little silly toward the end. I know the big emotional scenes were supposed to be the ones with his dead daughter, but I found the scene in the bathroom, with his father in the wheelchair, to be strangely compelling, and that's one I have trouble getting out of my head. Typical Stephen King fare-the man is a writer for the people. He knows what we want, and he gives it to us in his great books. Without a lot of dithering, he delivers stories to keep you on the edge of your seat. This movie is the cinematic equivalent of that. Definitely recommended for a scare on a freezing autumn night.
Cinderella Man (2005)
Brilliant
Let me start off by first saying this was a movie I had avoided seeing for a very long time. To be sure, I had heard many glowing reviews as well as some negative ones, but I'm not one to pay much attention to the opinions of movie critics; I would prefer to make up my own mind. As well, I'm not one to go for the "heartwarming sports story" type of film, as I find most of them to be unwatchable trash. So it was with much hesitation that I plucked this movie off the shelf and took it home for a look-see.
This movie possesses it's own quiet, understated beauty expressed a multitude of ways. The old-fashioned sepia tones used throughout lend an air of authenticity, evoking the atmosphere of the dirty thirties and suggesting the despair of the time. The dialogue of the characters comes across as very true to life to this viewer. I'm not talking about the dialogue being true to patterns of speech typical of depression era New Jersey. Rather, the interplay between different characters comes across as very real, much like what actual people in this situation would say and do.
Cinderella Man tells the story of James Braddock, a New Jersey boxer during the depression who, down on his luck, fights his way back into the ring after having his license revoked and finds himself scheduled to fight Max Baer, a man widely known as having killed two men in the ring. The daily struggle to survive waged by the Braddock family has taken it's toll on everyone, as it has with others in the neighborhood. James agrees to fight Baer out of financial desperation.
There are many memorable scenes in this film. However, the one which stands out in my mind has to be the one where James, determined to get his children back after farming them out because of an inability to provide for them, goes to the boxing commission to ask for money to turn the hydro back on. If ever there were doubts in my mind about Russell Crowe's ability as an actor, they disappeared as I watched him portray a husband and father forced to pack his pride and do the only thing which could be done to dig his family out of the pit they were in. Heartbreaking isn't a word I would normally use when describing a movie, but it's the only one I can think of to describe his growing awareness that he will have to risk his health and safety to put food on the table.
Renee Zellweger and Paul Giamatti provide support in their roles as Mae Braddock and Joe Gould, Braddock's manager, and both of them knock it out of the park, providing performances equal to Russell Crowe's.
If you haven't yet, watch this movie.