Dell's Good, Bad & Ugly Movie Reviews

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Good review of Milk. Summed it up for me. Very powerful but a bit too praising of its title character. Brilliant work by Penn and the rest of the cast. Van Zant's direction is brilliant too.

And yeah, that Latino dude is such a buzzkill.

To be fair, this guy is the Martin Luther King of the gay community, obviously, praises will be given in droves.

[dell71]

Cadillac Records
2008. Rated R, 109 minutes.
Director: Darnell Martin. Starring Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Columbus Short, Beyonce Knowles.

Plot: The history of Chess Records, home to Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Muddy Waters (Wright), Little Walter (Short), Howlin' Wolf (Eamonn Walker), Etta James (Knowles), Chuck Berry (Mos Def) and label owner Leonard Chess (Brody). It was also known as Cadillac Records because Chess would often buy his artists brand new Cadillacs.

The Good: This is a lively affair that merrily bounces along. The movie effectively uses music to create wonderful scenes and to bridge one scene to the next. That music starts with Muddy's down-home blues, moves on to Berry's pioneering Rock and Roll sound and James' heart-wrenching ballads. The acting is a major plus. Jeffrey Wright continues to make me believe he's perhaps the most underrated actor working today. He fully inhabits his characters and does the same for Muddy Waters. Brody is solid as ever. Columbus Short (of Stomp the Yard and Quarantine), whom I was losing faith in, delivers his best performance as does R&B superstar Beyonce Knowles. She ably portrays James as a woman who attempts to mask her fragility with tough talk and tough drugs. The cast also includes Gabrielle Union (as Muddy's wife Geneva) and Emmanuelle Chriqui (as Chess' wife Revetta).

The Bad: It's way too fast. It keeps the accelerator to the floor and rarely lets up. That's fine for an uproarious comedy or a thrill-a-minute action flick. For a drama that's trying to recreate larger-than-life personas and obviously wants us to feel their joy and pain, it's not. Instead of us really identifying with these people and going through the highs and lows with them, it often feels like old-school newreel journalism. We get a bunch of quick scenes in chronological order as we're told in a cold, clincal manner "this happens, then this, then this and this and this, the end." We never get attached enough to be happy or sad for them. For a movie about people who reached deep into their souls to create beautiful music, it has surprisingly little soul of its own.

The Ugly: Little Walter making sure no one steals his name.

Recommendation: CR is a fun little movie because it showcases the music and has some great acting. If it weren't so hell-bent on getting to the end as quickly as possible and really digging into the emotions that went into making the music, it would've been a real winner. As it is, it's decent but forgettable.

The Opposite View: Christopher Tookey, Daily Mail (UK)

What the Internet Says: 6.7/10 on imdb.com (3/30/09), 68% on rottentomatoes.com, 65/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 6/10


Sidenote: Separate movies on any of these people could be great but I would particularly like to see one about Chuck Berry.

[NAHSTE]

To be fair, this guy is the Martin Luther King of the gay community, obviously, praises will be given in droves.

Definitely, and much deserved. But like dell said, I still want to see some flaws out of my title character. They did show that initially, he was complicit with drug use and promiscuity, but those are the only things they showed of him that any one who wasn't a homophobe could take objection with.

An MLK biopic would be just as incomplete without the womanizing IMO. You gotta have the full scope.

But Milk is still a great movie and from what it seems like dude was a great great man.

[dell71]

Definitely, and much deserved. But like dell said, I still want to see some flaws out of my title character. They did show that initially, he was complicit with drug use and promiscuity, but those are the only things they showed of him that any one who wasn't a homophobe could take objection with.

An MLK biopic would be just as incomplete without the womanizing IMO. You gotta have the full scope.

But Milk is still a great movie and from what it seems like dude was a great great man.

Honestly, you hit the nail on the head but I think that's also the reason we haven't seen a real MLK biopic yet. There's just too many people interested in protecting his legacy to let that show up on the screen.

There were a couple of TV flicks made about MLK but neither was at all interested in anything besides marches & speeches. Though, the one starring Paul Warfield in the title role wasn't terrible.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Definitely, and much deserved. But like dell said, I still want to see some flaws out of my title character. They did show that initially, he was complicit with drug use and promiscuity, but those are the only things they showed of him that any one who wasn't a homophobe could take objection with.

An MLK biopic would be just as incomplete without the womanizing IMO. You gotta have the full scope.

But Milk is still a great movie and from what it seems like dude was a great great man.

I thought the drug use, the promiscuity, and the political backstabbing where a good set of "faults" to focus on in the film...especially the drug use and promiscuity, considering they are two of the demonizing stereotypes of homosexuals.

If they did a biopic of MLK, I'm sure they'd touch on the womanizing, but it'd be a very small part of the picture and wouldn't be a focus and it might get pushed aside but brushed upon similar to how they portrayed Harvey Milk's fault.

Also, must remember the film was written by a homosexual that was inspired to come out by learning about Harvey Milk, so, of course, with that said, I think they did a decent job covering faults, when even the writer was excessively pro Milk.

[dell71]

I thought the drug use, the promiscuity, and the political backstabbing where a good set of "faults" to focus on in the film...especially the drug use and promiscuity, considering they are two of the demonizing stereotypes of homosexuals.

If they did a biopic of MLK, I'm sure they'd touch on the womanizing, but it'd be a very small part of the picture and wouldn't be a focus and it might get pushed aside but brushed upon similar to how they portrayed Harvey Milk's fault.

Also, must remember the film was written by a homosexual that was inspired to come out by learning about Harvey Milk, so, of course, with that said, I think they did a decent job covering faults, when even the writer was excessively pro Milk.

Great post. Didn't know that last part about the writer.

[T.Dot]

Great stuff dude.

You going to review the new James Bond movie?

[dell71]

Great stuff dude.

You going to review the new James Bond movie?

As soon as I watch it.

[NAHSTE]

Honestly, you hit the nail on the head but I think that's also the reason we haven't seen a real MLK biopic yet. There's just too many people interested in protecting his legacy to let that show up on the screen.

There were a couple of TV flicks made about MLK but neither was at all interested in anything besides marches & speeches. Though, the one starring Paul Warfield in the title role wasn't terrible.

Yeah, being from Atlanta, I've had to watch that "Little Boy King" TV movie at least a dozen times. It came on FOX 5 every year on or around his birthday, and we watched in class in every grade in elementary it seems.

I thought the drug use, the promiscuity, and the political backstabbing where a good set of "faults" to focus on in the film...especially the drug use and promiscuity, considering they are two of the demonizing stereotypes of homosexuals.

If they did a biopic of MLK, I'm sure they'd touch on the womanizing, but it'd be a very small part of the picture and wouldn't be a focus and it might get pushed aside but brushed upon similar to how they portrayed Harvey Milk's fault.

Also, must remember the film was written by a homosexual that was inspired to come out by learning about Harvey Milk, so, of course, with that said, I think they did a decent job covering faults, when even the writer was excessively pro Milk.

Good point about the author, and it wouldn't be the first time a biopic was a bit too gracious towards its subject. Not that I was expecting the movie to demonize him, but it did stray rather close to portraying him as a saint/martyr.

Either way it's still a great movie. My only other criticism of it is the rather fast development of Dan Brown's character. I thought Brolin could've used a bit more screen time to set up Brown's descent a bit more. You could see he was tormented from the scenes they did have, but there just felt like more could have been done to dig deeper into the rage that consumed him.

[dell71]

Changeling
2008. Rated R, 141 minutes.
Director: Clint Eastwood. Starring Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Kelly.

Plot: In March of 1928, Christine Collins' (Jolie) son Walter (Gattlin Griffith) goes missing from her Los Angeles home. Six months later, the LAPD bring her a boy they believe to be him but whom she knows is not. "Inspired" by true events.

The Good: Rather than trying to excite us right off the bat, director Eastwood stays true to form and draws us in. He also keeps us locked in through the story's many twists and turns. Believe it or not, he accomplishes this by occasionally taking the camera off his main star. This allows the plot to develop organically and adds levity to a desperate mom's quest, putting us even more in her corner than we already are. As for that star/desperate mom, Jolie takes a break from sexily slinking around action flicks to give us a very good performance that's both frantic and muted at appropriate points.

The Bad: The ending drags on a bit long and renders itself anti-climactic. I understand why it's there, I just don't think it needs to be. There are a couple strands that come to unsatisfactory conclusions. Each could've been fixed with a simple blurb at the end of the movie. We were given several, one or two more wouldn't have hurt.

The Ugly: The doctor trying to explain to Christine how her son could've shrank 3 inches in 6 months.

Recommendation: While I don't think it's quite at the level of the prior year's best lost-child movie, 2007's Gone Baby Gone, it's still an excellent entry into the genre. It is an excellent example of patient storytelling that never rushes but manages not to drag.

The Opposite View: Chris Farnsworth, E! Online

What the Internet Says: 8.1/10 on imdb.com (#223 all-time as of 3/31/09), 61% on rottentomatoes.com, 63/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 8/10




I Married a Monster from Outer Space
1958. Not Rated, 77 minutes.
Director: Gene Fowler. Starring Gloria Talbott, Tom Tryon, Robert Ivers, Chuck Wassil.
Marge (Talbott) marries her sweetheart Bill (Tryon) and notices he's acting really strange. She soon discovers that the man she married is...wait for it...wait for it...a monster from outer space. Well, actually his body has been taken over by a monster...from outer space. One by one, this starts happening to all the men in town as Marge frantically tries to find help in stopping them. Yup, this is 50s B-movieism at its finest...or worst depending on your point of view. The aliens use screwy logic but hilariously enough, they're better husbands than the humans they've taken over. The human men, married or not, are all heavy drinkers who spend every night at the local pub. When we get to the "exciting conclusion" it's because a) people suddenly know things they shouldn't, but don't know things they should and b) ...well, there's a lot of stupid stuff. Think Invasion of the Body Snatchers mixed with Plan 9 from Outer Space and a dash of Signs thrown in. The unintentional humor is high, the special fx are shoddy, even for the 50s, and one particular fact about our alien friends renders the whole thing impossible. That's why it's so bad, it's awesome! MY SCORE: -10/10

[dell71]

Notorious
2009. Rated R, 114 minutes.
Director: George Tillman, Jr. Starring Jamal Woolard, Derek Luke, Angela Bassett, Antonique Smith.

Plot: The life and times of Christopher Wallace, AKA The Notorious B.I.G.

The Good: Even better than simply not making our hero a saint, the movie doesn't try to justify his indiscretions. It's content to show him as a guy who often has to learn the hard way. It also manages to show him as thoughtful, if a bit selfish. Woolard in the title role is simply note-perfect. Unfortunately, he's so good and has a look enough like Biggie I can see him struggling to land other roles. Actually, the title role is shared by Woolard with Biggie's real-life son, Christopher Jordan Wallace, who ably plays his dad as a kid. The movie also makes effective use of Biggie's music as both a score and a soundtrack.

The Bad: I've often complained about movies, especially comedies, that simply run too long. However, I'm a firm believer that biopics should be at least two hours long. This one is a bit shy of that mark and suffers because of it. In particular, his various attempts at reconciliation with the women in his life are either glossed over or just plain left out as things between he and them go from bad to good instantaneously. It also limits character development in others who should/could have had major roles. Lil' Kim (Naturi Naughton) suffers the most as the script makes her completely selfish, lacking any compassion and most other human emotions besides anger. The circle around Biggie known as Junior MAFIA also suffers, only depicted as flunkies and hangers on when by most accounts he did have real friendships within the group. Even his friendship with Puffy is never dealt with.

The Ugly: How he gets "inspired" to make his hit song Juicy.

Recommendation: This is a pretty good biopic that sticks to the headlines from its subject's life. For hip hop fans, it's a worthy first entry into the genre. It could've used some more fleshing out to be great. Even though it's no disappointment, one can't help but wonder how much better a movie about Biggie's friend turned nemesis, the more interesting and dynamic personality Tupac Shakur, could be.

The Opposite View: Rob Daniel, Sky Movies

What the Internet Says: 5.8/10 on imdb.com (3/2/09), 53% on rottentomatoes.com, 60/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 7/10

[dell71]

Bolt
2008. Rated PG, 96 minutes.
Directors: Byron Howard, Chris Williams. Starring John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton.

Plot: Bolt (Travolta) is a dog who stars in his own TV show. He believes that he has superpowers and that the amazing feats he performs are real. Bolt unwittingly gets out into the real world in an attempt to rescue "his person" Penny (Cyrus), whom he believes has been kidnapped by their arch-enemy, The Green-Eyed Man.

The Good: It's a fish-out-of-water tale mixed with a road movie and both aspects work well. The dialogue is sharp and funny. Unlike a lot of Disney movies, it's not afraid to give us a bittersweet ending. Perhaps most importantly for a film like Bolt, we get fun action scenes and intoxicating visuals. Oh, and the pigeons are hilarious.

The Bad: Even though it's barely over an hour-and-a-half, it drags a bit in places. That's partly due to our hero having to literally travel across the country. The movie could've gotten more mileage out of Penny by checking on her more often to see how she's handling the situation, but that's nitpicking.

The Ugly: The way the cats on the studio lot pick with Bolt.

Recommendation: 2008 is the strongest year for animated movies I can remember. That said, Bolt is one of the better entries.

The Opposite View: Lou Lemenick, New York Post

What the Internet Says: 7.5/10 on imdb.com (4/3/09), 88% on rottentomatoes.com, 67/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 7.5/10

[Senser81]

Dell, have you done a review of "Quantum of Solace" yet?

[dell71]

Nope...but I am watching it this weekend.

[Buzzman]

Nope...but I am watching it this weekend.

It wasnt bad it was pretty good but it wasnt even close to the 1st one. I dont think any bond movie could top Casino Royale