Dell's Good, Bad & Ugly Movie Reviews

[dell71]

Dell, have you seen The Proposition (2005)?

Are you a fan of westerns?

Really interested in seeing what you think about this film.

I like westerns, just never got around to this one.

 

[JayDizzle]

Glad you finally got a chance to see "World's Greatest Dad," Dell.

The ending was a little out of left field and rushed (seeing Williams' dong was a bit of a shock) but it worked.

Have you seen "Whiteout" yet?

 

[dell71]

Glad you finally got a chance to see "World's Greatest Dad," Dell.

The ending was a little out of left field and rushed (seeing Williams' dong was a bit of a shock) but it worked.

Have you seen "Whiteout" yet?

You could barely see it, I'm just glad it didn't get the full on in-your-face Apatow treatment.

Whiteout coming soon.

 

[Buzzman]

you dont want to see Whiteout. Please give it a 0.

 

[JayDizzle]

you dont want to see Whiteout. Please give it a 0.

Just rented it off of PSN...

The prologue before the thing starts has me hooked in though.

Dunno if I should be worried about my built-in thoughts on any movie based in the Antarctic being related to "The Thing," 1980's version.

 

[Palooza]

The Proposition is a great movie, Bromar.

 

[dell71]

9
Directed by Shane Acker.
2009. Rated PG-13, 79 minutes.
Cast:
Elijah Wood
Christopher Plummer
Martin Landau
Jennifer Connelly
John C. Reilly
Alan Oppenheimer
Crispin Glover​

Plot: Man has been completely destroyed by it's war with machines. A group of dolls created shortly before this that have been given life, is the closest thing to humanity left. Each is known only by a number, and appear to be made of burlap. Together, they try to overcome what man couldn't.

The Good: It's an interesting take on a post-apocalyptic world where man vs. machine has technically become machine vs. machine. The overally dusty look works well and aids in the mood of the story. The moral dilemma of whether to run and hide or stay and fight is played quite nicely. On top of those things, we get excellent visuals during the many chase sequences.

The Bad: At only 79 minutes, it doesn't seem to fulfill it's potential. So much more could've been said and done. It's PG-13 rating ensures that it's not strictly for kids so worrying about the audience's attention span shouldn't be an issue. Therefore, it should've been free to expand it's world, situations and relationships, becoming a serious epic. Instead, it ends and leaves us feeling like it pulled it's punches.

The Ugly: We get perhaps the most menacing use of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, ever.

Recommendation: First, don't go in thinking this is another cuddly kiddie flick because it's not. Though the creative minds behind The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride are producers, Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, don't even think this is in a similar vein to those. This is not a musical and is a rather humorless affair. That said, it is a fascinating watch. I just wish there were more of it to see and absorb.

The Opposite View: Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

What the Internet Says: 7.0/10 on imdb.com (2/1/10), 57% on rottentomatoes.com, 60/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 7/10​

 

[Fox1994]

Hmph. I just saw To Save a Life Saturday and Year One and District 9 last night.

Really impressed with D9. I don't know why people didn't like Year One... It wasn't quite Life of Brian, but my mom compared it to Mel Brook's History of the World.

 

[dell71]

Up in the Air
Directed by Jason Reitman.
2009. Rated R, 109 minutes.
Cast:
George Clooney
Vera Farmiga
Anna Kendrick
Jason Bateman
Amy Morton
J.K. Simmons
Melanie Lynskey
Sam Elliot
​

Plot: Ryan Bingham's (Clooney) job is to travel around the country firing people. However, he faces an uncertain future as his company considers taking him off the road.

The Good: George Clooney has entered the rarefied air of Pacino, DeNiro, Nicholson and Washington. I mean, his persona and presence is so overwhelming that he seems to be playing himself in every role but it still works perfectly. He simply dominates the screen, commands you to look at him and compels you to root for him, even when we know we shouldn't. This quality combines with an outstanding script to make the movie work wonders. It vacilates between funny and sad to create empathy. Clooney isn't alone in excellence. His two female co-stars, Farmiga and Kendrick are both great, as is Jason Bateman as Clooney's boss. Still, it's the series of firings that ground the movie, with two that particularly stand out. One is the first victim of the company's new technology. It's a jarring look at the coldness that advancing technology can often bring with it. The other is a brief but powerful cameo by Tamala Jones (Daddy Day Camp, The Brothers, The Wood) that literally haunts the movie.

The Bad: As much as it plays on our economic fears, it still manages to largely avoid real issues of recession. It's present but our characters are not only above it all, but seem almost totally unaffected (aside from their occasional sympathy). Yes, what the company is considering is a cost-cutting measure but it's more the natural evolution of a business that's thriving. Therefore, it can come across as insensitive, at times. Finally, near the end, our hero begins to make a grand gesture for one of his sisters. However, we never see how that plays out and are robbed of a potentially great moment.

The Ugly: Natalie (Kendrick) repeatedly calling Ryan and Alex (Farmiga) old.

Recommendation: 2009 gave us two movies essentially about hopeless womanizers and the path to loneliness that the playboy lifestyle really is, this one and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past*. If that premise appeals to you, see this one and skip that one. That is, if you're looking for something that handles the subject with both humor and maturity. If you desire to see something zany with more eye candy...and stupidity, then go for the other one.

The Opposite View: Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York

What the Internet Says: 8.0/10 on imdb.com (2/1/10), 90% on rottentomatoes.com, 83/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 9/10​

* As of 2/1/10 I've seen Ghosts of Girlfriends Past but haven't yet posted the review, which I should do sometime this week.

 

[Fox1994]

Give that movie a 4/10, for making the playboy lifestyle look good and then saying it's bad.

 

It's not all that terrible a movie without Michael Doughlas calling himself an idiot or McConaughey changing his ways... But that shit did happen.

 

[Buzzman]

I felt like the ending of 9 came out of nowhere. I was very dissappointed that it ended like that.

 

[dell71]

I Love You, Beth Cooper
Directed by Chris Columbus.
2009. Rated PG-13, 102 minutes.
Cast:
Hayden Panettiere
Paul Rust
Jack Carpenter
Lauren London
Lauren Storm
Shawn Roberts
Alan Ruck
Cynthis Stevenson
Pat Finn​

Plot: Valedictorian Denis (Rust) professes his love for head cheerleader Beth Cooper (Panettiere) during his speech at graduation. Hijinks and shenanigans ensue.

The Good: The speech that opens the movie is genuinely funny. Our hero overcomes insecurities and calls out a number of classmates on a grand scale. Along the way, the rest of the movie has it's moments. There's also little denying the charm and sex appeal of our star, Hayden Panettiere. Essentially, this is the movie's real premise and carries it as far as it can go.

The Bad: There is a flip side to having Panettiere in a movie like this. It wants to be a raunchy, over the top teen sex farce. The problem is, in order to capitalize on her popularity with people who know her from Bring it On or TV's Heroes you have to tone things down a bit. What we get is pseudo-raunch that the film is only clever enough to overcome on a few scattered occasions. And will this girl ever tire of playing cheerleaders?

The Ugly: Our two female sidekicks, Cammy (London) and Treece (Storm) simultaneously licking the cream from a Suzy Q. Um...nice.

Recommendation: It's one of those movies teenagers, particularly horny boys, will appreciate more than anyone else but even they won't think it's better than average. For the rest of us, it falls well below average with it's laundry list of jokes recycled from other movies, "almost" nudity and overall predictability.

The Opposite View: Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

What the Internet Says: 5.1/10 on imdb.com (2/2/10), 15% on rottentomatoes.com, 32/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 3.5/10​

 

[Buzzman]

the problem they had with Beth Cooper is Hayden isnt very hot, and you gotta dig how they got a 30 year old dude play a high school graduate.

 

[dell71]

Fame
Directed by Alan Parker.
1980. Rated R, 134 minutes.
Cast:
Irene Cara
Eddie Barth
Lee Curreri
Laura Dean
Gene Anthony Ray
Antonia Franceschi
Debbie Allen
Barry Miller
Albert Hague​

We follow a class of students through their four years at New York's School of the Performing Arts. This is a bit of an oddity for a musical. At it's core, it's pure Broadway. We get big production numbers that break out anywhere, complete with infectious choruses and highly choreographed dance routines. What makes it different is it's wrapped in a truly gritty, urban package that movies like West Side Story and Grease can only feign. This is channelled most effectively through the remarkable performance of Gene Anthony Ray as the talented but troubled Leroy. Then pop-star Irene Cara received top billing, even singing two Oscar nominated songs from the soundtrack. However, it's Ray who is the real star. In fact, of the students, he was one of the few allowed to reprise their role for the long-running Fame TV series which followed (a number of the instructors did the same). Adding to this is the very real possibility most of the kids we're watching will utterly fail when it comes to achieving their dream of becoming rich, famous entertainers as there are reminders of this everywhere around them. Still, it steers clear of becoming the total agent of despair and desolation it's urban musical successor Rent turned out to be. It strikes a nice balance betwee hope and reality. I'm not much for musicals, but this is one of my faves.

MY SCORE: 8/10​

Fame
Directed by Kevin Tancharoen.
2009. Rated PG, 107 minutes.
Cast:
Kay Panabaker
Naturi Naughton
Kherington Payne
Asher Book
Anna Maria Perez de Tagle
Walter Perez
Megan Mullally
Charles S. Dutton
Debbie Allen​

We follow a class of students through their four years at New York's School of the Performing Arts. Any movie that happens to be a remake automatically sends up red flags. Before you even start watching this one, even more than normal go up. It's a PG-rated remake of an R-rated movie and is nearly a half-hour shorter. To me, this screams that it's a stripped down, scrubbed up but ultimately too thin version of the original. Well, that's precisely what it is. It maintains the original's hyper-kinetic energy through it's song and dance routines and may even be better at that aspect. It also manages to have intriguing classroom scenes. In fact, the scenes of teachers teaching are the best in the movie. This is particularly true of the acting classes taught by Mr. Dowd (Dutton). What it lacks is the ability to create any connection between the students and us, the viewers. It both needs and wants us to. However, instead of nurturing that relationship it just bounces along from one melodramatic scene to the next, showing us what happens but never making us feel it. It doesn't help that the students are largely the same on graduation day as they were when they were first auditioning to get into the school. Denise (Naughton) is a notable exception. This is where those extra 30 minutes could've come in handy. They could've been used to fully immerse us in their world rather than leaving us on the outside as it does. In that respect, it's much like 2008's Cadillac Records. It's a movie about people who pour their heart and soul into their craft, but it has no soul of it's own.

MY SCORE: 5/10​

 

[dell71]

the problem they had with Beth Cooper is Hayden isnt very hot, and you gotta dig how they got a 30 year old dude play a high school graduate.

Personally, I disagree with you about her hotness. I think she is. More importantly, lots of guys in the target audience do, as well. Then again, even if she was butt-ass ugly, the movie has more problems than her.

And he's hardly the first old guy to play a high school kid. Think about Grease. Everyone in that movie was damn near 30 when it shot. And don't even get me started on 90210 (the original show).

 

[Sven Draconian]

I thought the biggest issue with Beth cooper was the lead character. I never even came close to liking him. While I knew it was going to be pretty corny going in (over-used jokes and all), I expected a "coming of age" type of story. He never did. He was still an unsociable nerd at the end of the movie. All of this 'problems' were his own fault, and he felt no need to change them.

 

[Leftwich]

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: 8/10​

Watched it last night and liked it.

 

Didn't really get him diving naked. I know he said he was on the diving team in college but why naked?

 

[wingsfan77]

the problem they had with Beth Cooper is Hayden isnt very hot

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Hayden is smokin, but that still isn't enough to make me wanna see that movie haha. Just got "Road To Perdition" from Netflix and I'll watch it in the next day or two

 

[dell71]

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Directed by Mark Waters.
2009. Rated PG-13, 100 minutes.
Cast:
Matthew McConaughey
Jennifer Garner
Michael Douglas
Breckin Meyer
Lacey Chabert
Noureen DeWulf
Robert Forster
Anne Archer
Emma Stone​

Plot: The Scrooge of love, Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey) is visited by the ghosts of girlfriends past, present and future during the weekend of his brother's wedding.

The Good: Without question, this is a Matthew McConaughey vehicle. It puts his charisma and matinee idol looks front and center. This means it floats along, letting him dominate scene after scene. It works because Connor Mead is the type of character he excels at, a smooth talking ladies man who flashes his million-watt smile quite often. Add in just plain fun performances by Michael Douglas as his late uncle and Emma Stone as "The Ghost of Girlfriends Past" and the mood is kept appropriately light.

The Bad: First, it's completely predictable to anyone who has ever heard of Charles Dickens. Second, there isn't a single character that even remotely resembles a real person. Connor is a one-note playboy (think Dan Fielding from Night Court, but with less heart). Sandra, the bride, feels like she's been copied and pasted from Bridezilla. Her bridesmaids and all the other women exist only to effort their way into Connor's bed. Well, except Anne Archer as the bride's mom. However, she very clearly states she would be right there with the rest of them if they weren't about to become family. Even Jenny (Garner), the woman who is there every step of the way, mostly just stands around with a hurt or contemplative look on her face. Worst of all, very little happens that's actually funny. There are madcap antics but they generally don't make you laugh.

The Ugly: What happens to the wedding cake.

Recommendation: This is a pure, unabashed light-hearted romantic comedy. The problem is it's sense of both romance and comedy are terribly off. It has it's moments and the considerable presences of both McConaughey and Michael Douglas may be enough to carry the movie for some.

The Opposite View: Jeffrey Lyles, Gazette (MD)

What the Internet Says: 5.8/10 on imdb.com (2/3/10), 27% on rottentomatoes.com, 34/100 on metacritic.com

MY SCORE: 3.5/10​

 

[Palooza]

Ghost of Girlfriends Past is terribleeeeeeee. I don't even know why I watched that shit.