Tweet
No review for Tron. I hadn't watched that in 20 years or so. You've stoked my interest in seeing it again, though.
-
Che: Part One - The Argentine
Directed by Steven Soderbergh.
2008. Rated R, 135 minutes.
Cast:
Benicio Del Toro
Demian Bichir
Santiago Cabrera
Vladimir Cruz
Julia Ormond
Jorge Perugorria
Edgar Ramirez
Catalina Sandino Moreno
Plot: Ernesto "Che" Guevara (Del Toro) leaves his native Argentina to help Fidel Castro (Bichir) mount a revolution in Cuba. Based on a true story.
The Good: It effectively darts back and forth through time to create a quilt-like narrative. At first, it feels like a bunch of almost random pieces of Che's life sewn together. As we move along, we can see how they fit together. In that regard, it's reminiscent of war-movie classic, The Battle of Algiers. We see Che become a hero to many, and whether or not we agree, we can understand why. In the lead role, Benicio Del Toro is perfect. Through him, and masterful storytelling, we see Che as a righteous, intelligent and determined man. We also see a man that can hide the disappointments that occasionally arise during the Cuban Revolution from the world, but not from the viewers.
The Bad: Throughout the movie, we hear the world media refer to Che as a pariah and a murderer. To this day, he remains a controversial and polarizing figure. However, we never really get a glimpse of why that is. He never addresses the charges. We know he kills during combat but it's for a cause the movie presents as just. When he sentences three of his own men to death, it's totally justifiable by the code of ethics we're told these men live by. Therefore, we get a decidedly idealistic view of the man.
The Ugly: What those men did to get executed.
What the Internet Says: 7.4/10 on imdb.com (3/2/10), 72% on rottentomatoes.com, 64/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 9/10
Che: Part Two - Guerilla
Directed by Steven Soderbergh.
2008. Rated R, 135 minutes.
Cast:
Benicio Del Toro
Franka Potente
Norman Santiago
Joaquim de Almeida
Pablo Duran
Demain Bichir
Juan Salinas
Lorenzo Ariel Munoz
Antonio Peredo
Lou Diamond Phillips
Plot: After helping Castro (Bichir) stage a successful revolution in Cuba, Ernesto "Che" Guevara (Del Toro) travels to Bolivia in hopes of doing the same there. Based on a true story.
The Good: Del Toro's work in the lead role continues to be remarkable. In this half, it's a much more tortured performance. We see a man whose massive reputation does most of the heavy lifting in the hard life he's chosen because his body is no longer able to. Yet, he still soldiers on in pursuit of a goal that constantly puts not only his life but the lives of others in danger, as well. Del Toro is masterful in his conveyance of this. Part Two also gives us more of the enemy he's trying to overthrow. We see the powers that be plot and strategize to neutralize him, deny his presence to the world and hope to kill him. In Part One, the military dictatorship in Cuba is mentioned, even shown, but still largely faceless.
The Bad: Like the first part, there are lots of references to other times and events in Che's life. However, once again Che himself is presented as an almost angelic figure whose main fault is that his undonditional love for his people places him and his followers at risk. He truly seems messianic, at times. This part also suffers from a lack of tension and flare. The storytelling in the first part draws us in by bouncing around making us wonder how it all jives, then slyly revealing a cohesiveness we weren't sure was there and creating a dynamic subject. It keeps us intrigued. Here, that style is replaced by a much more linear, slower style and the outcome is never in doubt. We have time to pick up on it's flaws while we're waiting around for the other shoe to drop and put an end to it.
The Ugly: Getting the tick out of the little boy's eye. Yuck.
What the Internet Says: 7.0/10 on imdb.com (3/2/10), 76% on rottentomatoes.com, 64/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 6/10
OVERALL
The Opposite View: Jake Wilson, The Age (Australia)
Recommendation: History buffs and war movie fans should have at it. It's also for those of you who view Che as a heroic figure. In any case, it's a sprawling epic that prefers to magnify a group of seemingly small incidents to create a big picture rather than minimize a few major events to fit a time frame. I reviewed it in two separate parts because it's been released as two separate DVDs (I believe it was released in this manner theatrically, as well. Make no mistake, this is one four and a half hour movie split into two equal parts (timewise). In that regard, it's much like Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill but, with obviously more serious intentions. In any event, should you venture into the jungle with Che bring your reading glasses unless you're fluent in Spanish.
MY SCORE: 7.5Comment
-
WTF I've never heard of that. Benicio Del Toro is one of my favorite actors, I'll have to find that movie.Comment
-
Audition
Directed by Takashi Miike.
1999. Rated R, 115 minutes.
Cast:
Ryo Ishibashi
Eihi Shiina
Jun Kunimura
Tetsu Sawaki
Miyuki Matsuda
Renji Ishibashi
Seven years after his wife has died, Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) wants to marry again. When he tells this to his friend Yoshikawa (Kunimura), who happens to be a flimmaker, the two decide to hold a fake movie audition to help him find his very own leading lady. Of course, the woman he falls head over heels for, Asami (Shiina), has some serious issues. Occasionally, a great ending can elevate a movie beyond the sum of it's parts. Such is the case, here. What happens over the last thirty minutes or so has to be seen to be believed, though you'd find yourself brave for stomaching certain portions of it. It's both psychological and gory, making it all sorts of unsettling. And you will come to fear "this wire". On the surface, it's reminiscent of but even more twisted than Misery. Dig deeper and it proves to be more complex, as well. That's because it can strangely be seen as both a feminist and anti-feminist film. On the pro side of that ledger, it might be construed as a warning for all us simplistic, hedonistic guys given to objectifying and/or idealizing women. Conversely, our villain is a female completely dependent on the singularly focused love of men to determine her self-worth. The two sides of this coin create an intriguing horror flick.
However, Audition is not without problems. The first deterrent for many will be how slow the first two-thirds of the film move. Secondly, there seems to be no solid basis for our hero's instantaneous love. To be fair, he actually becomes smitten with her even before meeting her in person, which is fine. The problem is she's undeniably creepy the first time he lays eyes on her and behaves oddly and depressed throughout, doing nothing to sustain his initial infatuation. The effect is we don't get what it is about her that he likes so much. Of course, he may be into withdrawn, fragile emo chicks but we never get that indication. Then, we get to that finale and most of that is forgiven, so there.
In all, it's a solidly creepy movie we think is a bit more reserved than the director's other movies (Takashi Miike is best known for directing what's basically a live-action and ultra-gory anime, Ichi the Killer). Of course, in the end it really isn't...well, maybe a little. Subtitleophobes beware: we're speaking Japanese.
MY SCORE: 7.5/10Comment
-
7.5 huh, what did you give Ichi the killer, i liked Audition way more than Ichi
Audition
Directed by Takashi Miike.
1999. Rated R, 115 minutes.
Cast:
Ryo Ishibashi
Eihi Shiina
Jun Kunimura
Tetsu Sawaki
Miyuki Matsuda
Renji Ishibashi
Seven years after his wife has died, Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) wants to marry again. When he tells this to his friend Yoshikawa (Kunimura), who happens to be a flimmaker, the two decide to hold a fake movie audition to help him find his very own leading lady. Of course, the woman he falls head over heels for, Asami (Shiina), has some serious issues. Occasionally, a great ending can elevate a movie beyond the sum of it's parts. Such is the case, here. What happens over the last thirty minutes or so has to be seen to be believed, though you'd find yourself brave for stomaching certain portions of it. It's both psychological and gory, making it all sorts of unsettling. And you will come to fear "this wire". On the surface, it's reminiscent of but even more twisted than Misery. Dig deeper and it proves to be more complex, as well. That's because it can strangely be seen as both a feminist and anti-feminist film. On the pro side of that ledger, it might be construed as a warning for all us simplistic, hedonistic guys given to objectifying and/or idealizing women. Conversely, our villain is a female completely dependent on the singularly focused love of men to determine her self-worth. The two sides of this coin create an intriguing horror flick.
However, Audition is not without problems. The first deterrent for many will be how slow the first two-thirds of the film move. Secondly, there seems to be no solid basis for our hero's instantaneous love. To be fair, he actually becomes smitten with her even before meeting her in person, which is fine. The problem is she's undeniably creepy the first time he lays eyes on her and behaves oddly and depressed throughout, doing nothing to sustain his initial infatuation. The effect is we don't get what it is about her that he likes so much. Of course, he may be into withdrawn, fragile emo chicks but we never get that indication. Then, we get to that finale and most of that is forgiven, so there.
In all, it's a solidly creepy movie we think is a bit more reserved than the director's other movies (Takashi Miike is best known for directing what's basically a live-action and ultra-gory anime, Ichi the Killer). Of course, in the end it really isn't...well, maybe a little. Subtitleophobes beware: we're speaking Japanese.
MY SCORE: 7.5/10
Comment
-
Comment
-
Really interested in seeing Che. Since seeing Way of the Gun, everytime I see Benicio Del Toro's name I want to watch the movie. Inevitably, I'll have to pass on some of the allegedly crappier ones (Wolfman).
Comment
-
Definitely not his best movie or his best character but Things We Lost in the Fire has some of his best acting as a recovering Heroin addict.
Comment
-
Very solid movie.
BTW, for all of you waiting on my review of Moon, I finally got my hands on a copy after a few misfires so I really will have it up sometime in the next week or so.
Still don't have my home computer back up so the reviews will continue to be a little on the slow side.Comment
-
LOL @ Che Guevara as an angelic or even heroic figure.
I've been wanting to check this film out, but I haven't given myself to 4+ hours of the same film yet...it is on my Netflix Instant queue, so, I'll get around to it soon.
Either way, great review dell...I'll let you know what I think when I get to it. Maybe this week, you've piqued my interest in seeing it again, so we'll see.Comment
-
What do you think about the Oscars last night?Comment
-
Comment
-
watched Moon on Saturday, can't wait to see your review.
I would give it about an 8/10, it wasn't overly predictible, but it wasn't hard to figure out where they were going with things pretty quick, however the mark of a good movie for me is that even though there were no suprises i still enjoyed it.Comment
-
I know it's not Moon but I do have a review to share...(I'm such a tease)...
Never Back Down
Directed by Jeff Wadlow.
2009. Rated PG-13, 110 minutes.
Cast:
Sean Faris
Amber Heard
Cam Gigandet
Evan Peters
Leslie Hope
Djimon Hounsou
Wyatt Smith
Plot: After he and his family move to a new neighborhood, troubled Jake Tyler (Faris) finds himself the target of local underground mixed-martial arts champ/bully Ryan (Gigandet) and falling in love with Ryan's girl, Baja (Heard).
The Good: In true movie fashion, the fight scenes strip MMA of the long stretches in which fighters are on the ground, subtly moving and trying to apply and reverse holds. For the sport's enthusiasts, that's a very technical and enjoyable part of combat. For the rest of us, it's two guys laying on each other for minutes at a time without accomplishing much. Instead, we rightfully focus on the flashier, more visibly brutal aspects of MMA since they make better theater. Although the cast leaves much to be desired, the biggest name in the group turns in good work. As this movie's version of Mr. Miyagi, Djimon Hounsou gives a bound to be underappreciated performance. The movie is also paced pretty well, zipping us along from one event to the next.
The Bad: Nothing happens we don't see coming. We can literally count down the minutes until this character or that gets beat down, to when Jake gets kicked out of training for being a hot-head, to when the girl starts to come around, to when he does something nice for his little brother, etc. Aside from that, all the characters are retreads from dozens of other, better movies. These two factors render the movie totally unimaginative.
The Ugly: One character tells another "This ain't no Bruce Lee movie, bro!" Hmmph, only in their dreams.
Recommendation: It's a fun enough movie that some will excuse or ignore it's shortcomings and enjoy. For those people, there will be nothing really wrong with it. Indeed, there is enough action to whet the appetite but it still may not be terribly memorable. If you liked the Channing Tatum vehicle Fighting or a fan of Tony Jaa movies, this is right up your alley.
The Opposite View: Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter
What the Internet Says: 6.2/10 on imdb.com (3/9/10), 24% on rottentomatoes.com, 39/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 5/10Comment
-
AND I WON'T... BACK... DOWN.
/tompettyComment
Comment