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Number 1 Vampire flick? Right here:
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Forgot to address this. No, haven't heard of Un Prophete. Sounds like something to look into.Originally posted by SaucemanComment
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The Unborn
Directed by David S. Goyer.
2009. Rated PG-13, 89 minutes.
Cast:
Odette Yustman
Meagan Good
Jane Alexander
Gary Oldman
Carla Gugino
Idris Elba
James Remar
Ethan Cutkosky
Plot: After a succession of nightmares, ghastly visions and strange occurrences, Casey (Yustman) tries to find out what's after her, before it's too late.
The Good: As with a few other of 2009's scare flicks, Drag Me to Hell and The Uninvited, in particular, we get some excellently horrific visuals. These, along with the overall dark mood keeps us interested. The story efficiently moves us along until we get to a nice twist and a solid ending.
The Bad: Cliches abound, making it fairly predictable. It doesn't help that it's essentially a mish-mash of at least a dozen other horror movies, The Exorcist and The Grudge, most recognizably. Also, the closer we get to the end, the more silliness it indulges in. Finally, it's got a pretty good cast, but forgets to use them relegating players like Gary Oldman, Carla Gugino and Idris Elba to parts not necessarily requiring great talent.
The Ugly: I spent too much time amazed how much our star, Odette Yustman, resembles Megan Fox.
Recommendation: If you're into horror flicks, this isn't a bad choice. It's not great, but not terrible, either. In fact, it's pretty much average in every way. Sadly, even that is better than most movies in the genre. If you're not into horror movies, skip it.
The Opposite View: David Stratton, The Australian
What the Internet Says: 4.5/10 on imdb.com (1/27/10), 12% on rottentomatoes.com, 30/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 5.5/10
Hmmm...am I overstating Yustman's resemblance to Fox?
I dunno...watch the movie, or at least a clip from it to get a better idea.Comment
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I'm starcrossed with it, I want to like it, but its very convoluted, despite what I think it a good grand scheme concept.Originally posted by GriswaldComment
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When i saw the trailers to The Unborn, I thought that was Megan Fox until someone told me otherwise. Whats funny is Odette(sp?) is in Transformers 1 for liek 4 seconds (her steeling wheel transforms and grabs her face) and I thoguht that was Megan Fox as well.Comment
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The Princess and the Frog
Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker.
2009. Rated G, 97 minutes.
Cast:
Anika Noni Rose
Bruno Campos
Keith David
Jennifer Cody
John Goodman
Terrence Howard
Oprah Winfrey
Michael-Leon Wooley
Plot: Tiana (Rose) and Prince Naveen (Campos) have both been turned into frogs and try to find a way to become human again.
The Good: With all the cgi floating around these days, this is a nice visual change, or change back to a more organic form of animation. The colors are vibrant, it's rich in detail and is just fun to look at. Story-wise, it's a real charmer. We really come to love Tiana and root for her without reservation. There is also plenty of humor for both kids and adults. Most commendable, is the way it handles the issue of race. The movie is set in the early 20th century, in the South. It notes that there is a class separation between whites and blacks and shows discrimination without harping on it, or letting that become the story.
The Bad: There is no chance, or reason, to flex thos brain muscles. Keeping with perhaps the oldest Disney tradition, there are only good characters and evil ones with nothing in between. Some of the other old criticisms of Disney might also apply. Therefore, some will simply see it as anti-feminists. You know that old argument, the one about fairy tales promoting the idea that women absolutely need a man and couldn't possibly be happy, or even function without one.
The Ugly: Poor, poor "Lotte" (Cody) is such a sad case.
Recommendation: This is not Disney competing with Pixar. This is a much welcome throwback to classic Disney. It fits snugly in with Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, etc. Take however you feel about those standards to justify whether or not you'll like this. I will say this to those who subscribe to the theory outlined in "The Bad" section: Tiana takes a much more active role in her fate so she's not quite the helpless damsel in distress some of the others are. Oh, it should probably go without saying, if you have pre-teen girls who are at all into the princess thing this is an absolute must-see.
The Opposite View: Manohla Dargis, New York Times
What the Internet Says: 7.8/10 on imdb.com (1/28/10), 84% on rottentomatoes.com, 73/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 8/10Comment
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Dell - Do you jot down notes when you watch films?Comment
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You plan on watching Big Fan anytime soon Dell? Still not sure what to think about it, but it was pretty well made. As a Giants fan I'm sure you'll enjoy it on some level though.
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Yeah depressing indeed. Made me think that posting on vsn was almost as bad as calling into that radio show with a prepared statement.Originally posted by TheGameComment
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World's Greatest Dad
Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait.
2009. Rated R, 99 minutes.
Cast:
Robin Williams
Alexie Gilmore
Daryl Sabara
Henry Simmons
Geoff Pierson
Evan Martin
Lorraine Nicholson
Zach Sanchez
Plot: Aspiring but unsuccessful writer and high school poetry teacher Lance Clayton (Williams) lives alone with his unapologetic jerk of a teenaged son Kyle (Sabara) and carries on a relationship with fellow teacher Claire (Gilmore) even though she doesn't want to be seen in public with him.
The Good: Robin Williams is usually only seen in two modes. He's either zany, verging on being totally out of control but fighting for some grand cause or morose and perhaps more than a little perverted. Here, he's much more a regular guy who seems to have life living him, instead of the other way around. He pulls it off, perfectly. Like so many of us in real life, his emotions are conveyed not by his words but by his facial expressions and body language. It's a wonderful performance. To aid this, we get a story that's excellently written. It's subtle, even when it seems to be over the top. It also puts us in position to seriously ponder what we might've done in the same situation. This brings us to the writer and director, Bobcat Goldthwait, who also shows up in a tiny role. Those of us who can actually remember the 1980s might be mildly surprised he hasn't already died of an overdose. Given that you might be completely blown away that he's still capable of coherent thought, much less writing a cerebral character examination. Kudos to him. Oh, I haven't even mentioned the fact that it's funny.
The Bad: Where is Kyle's mother? Unless I missed it, she's never mentioned. Doing so would've added another layer to both Kyle and the movie as a whole. We would be better able to psychoanalyze him, as we're already doing without quite enough information. I would have also love for us to meet Andrew's (Martin) mom, the alcoholic. She could've added tons, as well.
The Ugly: How and why the tragedy occurred.
Recommendation: We have another excellent effort in dark comedy, making 2009 a very strong year for the genre. As with most of them, there's just not enough hijinks and shenanigans to hold some people's attention. If you don't go in expecting another gross-out bromance or get too pissed off in the first few minutes that Lance hasn't beat the crap out of his son, you'll be in for a fun ride. Those of you into character studies, this one's for you.
The Opposite View: Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
What the Internet Says: 7.2/10 on imdb.com (1/30/10), 86% on rottentomatoes.com, 69/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 8/10Comment
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^Cool. I like movies that make you think.
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Dell, have you seen The Proposition (2005)?
Are you a fan of westerns?
Really interested in seeing what you think about this film.Comment
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