Ponderings Of Guy

A thoroughly predictable and genre generic film, but somehow still entertaining enough to be enjoyable. Most of that is surely thanks to the great Jackie Chan. Yeah, his stunts are a bit watered down (as is typical for American productions that he's in), but it's still great when you give him a ladder or refrigerator to play with. Bonus points for using footage from his earlier films as a character background opening title sequence. Sure, the plot and production is rather silly and juvenile, but what would you expect from a film that's essentially a Jackie Chan version of The Pacifier...

After a long feature directorial break since their fantastic 2001 film From Hell, the Hughes Brothers return with this gorgeously directed post-apocalyptic tale. The script may be slightly simplistic (though it does achieve some nice unexpected twists) and perhaps overshoots a bit on some lofty ideals, but the imperfections are more than easily overlooked for all that is done right. The direction is rock solid. The cinematography is breathtaking and the sound design is spectacular. The brilliant cast certainly doesn't hurt, either. Mila Kunis & Denzel Washington play off each other remarkably well.

OK, so this movie might be 100% predictable from start to finish, and is about as typical as one would expect for a film of its genre. But talented director Anand Tucker (Shopgirl) and solid enough dialog and character writing from the typically great Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfont (Can't Hardly Wait, Josie & The Pussycats) gives the nice cast enough to work with. The location shooting also helps immensely.

A movie that knows where to put it's conservative budget. The script is very well done, putting some interesting ideas into the age-old vampire genre, and it does so with a great attention to detail. The production, from cinematography to set design, is very nicely done. Add to that an excellent cast, and you've got a very nice genre film.

If I didn't know better, I might have mistaken this for a Terry Zwigoff film. It's deviously nasty in a bizarrely innocent way. Michael Cera pulls off his dual role with fantastic results, and the supporting cast is amusingly chosen. While the balance between quirky and outrageous is a little uneven, it's easily overlooked. This one likes to earn its R rating in small but potent doses.

Perhaps not the most complicated plot you're going to find, but one solid enough to give the actors some meaty materials to run with. There's no denying that the main three actors in the film, Maguire, Gyllenhaal and Portman, give some incredibly raw and perfect performances. And thankfully, the film is more interested in the characters than in making any kind of political statement about the military or war. This may not be as intense or ambitious as The Hurt Locker, but it's a darn good drama.

A solid enough script with nice direction by Nancy Meyers allows a top notch cast to really go to town. While the material itself isn't really the strongest suited for my liking, it worked well enough. There's no doubt that Meryl Streep can do any role perfectly, and this is no exception. I'm a huge Steve Martin fan, and enjoyed his performance. Interestingly, he's the straight man to the events of the plot. Alec Baldwin's comedic timing seems to have improved in recent years (thanks surely to 30 Rock), and he's great here. However, it's John Krasinski that really shines in his handful of scenes. I've become quite the fan of his work over the years.

While the movie plays a bit fast and loose with the source material, it's much better than I was expecting. Yeah, it has a fantastic cast, who came through with wonderful performances, but with director Guy Ritchie at the helm and the overblown trailer campaign, I was fearing the worst. Much to my surprise, I quite liked it. Ritchie tones down his over-everything style enough to make it work. Add to that an excellent production and a pretty good sense of pacing and it comes together nicely. And Hans Zimmer turns in a very fun score.

A solid film from talented director Clint Eastwood. While it may be a rather simple story, and predictable, it's certainly a story worth telling. And it's told very well. Morgan Freeman had to have been one of the easiest casting choices for the role in movie history. It's such and obvious, and perfect choice. Matt Damon comes through with a surprisingly authentic performance - both as a professional rugby player and as a South African. Then again, I stopped being surprised by the variety of talents that Damon has. He's pretty much incapable of a bad performance.

Director Jason Reitman is apparently one of those rare breed that's incapable of failure. After Thank You For Smoking and Juno, two films I absolutely love, comes this third film on his directorial resume - and another brilliant success. George Clooney also continues to cement himself as one of my favorite actors. In fact, the entire cast is fantastic. Now I'm gonna have to read the book that this is based on.

A fantastic leap forward in film production, which isn't too big a surprise when you've got James Cameron at the helm. Everything from performance to production is fantastic, with the exception of a less-than-perfect script. At the time of this writing, I've seen the film twice, first in IMAX 3D for the midnight preview screening and second in a standard 3D showing. Ultimately, my rating of the film will, as usual, be based on my enjoyment of the viewing experience, and not on any particular nitpicks if they didn't get in the way of the enjoyment (which in this case they didn't).

A very good character drama, populated by nice characters in one of the better "inspired by a true story" inspirational stories. Particularly for an inspirational sports story (of sorts). I've always been a fan of Sandra Bullock, and this gives her a bit of a chance to break from the normal type of character she plays. And perhaps she might finally get some awards attention. And for once, a genuinely happy family put on screen.

A solid enough crime thriller. I suppose there's nothing specific to complain about in the writing, production or acting, it's just a little bit predictable. In fact, the casting is quite good, filled with plenty of solid actors that really do help make things work. Special mention goes to Fred Ward in a very nice supporting performance. John Murphy sure does ape quite a lot of what must have been the temp score (which must have featured Massive Attack, among others).