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jasonflum
Reviews
Clerks II (2006)
I LOVED this movie
I haven't laughed this hard at a movie since the first time I saw Napoleon Dynamite (before it was the huge hit it is). Any movie that can spend a third of the running time discussing Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Transformers is going to be OK in my book -- add to that just the sheer laugh out loud moments throughout the whole film, and this is truly one of the funniest movies of the last decade. What this film has that the first one doesn't is some kind of story and a surprising heart to it. I'm around the same age as the characters in the film, though not a slacker like them, and I can really relate to most of what they talk about in this film - both on the comedic and more serious sides. Throw in a brilliantly funny parody of musicals and a donkey, and you have a truly genius level film.
Superman Returns (2006)
Well, he IS back...
Maybe my expectations were too high. Brandon Routh looks a lot like Christopher Reeves. Kevin Spacey is one of our finest actors. Bryan Singer is an excellent director. They spent YEARS in development on this. . .oh, maybe that's the problem. I don't blame the actors or the director for my problems with this -- I actually think the movie was very well cast and well shot. I loved many of the visuals in the story. What bothered me, though, was the writing. The issue wasn't with the dialogue (which was suitably cheesy - Superman's line after the plane sequence rivaled some of the best Reeves lines and deliveries in any of the other movies) but rather with the weak story. Why couldn't there have been MORE in this story than a tacked on "Is he the father or not" story to the "ooh, Lex wants to take over the world...?" It just didn't carry enough weight to truly herald back the greatest superhero of the last century. Superman isn't supposed to have the angst of the Spiderman or Batman, and this movie didn't even pretend to that, which I admire. However, what made Superman 1 and 2 so great were the plots and real motivations of the characters for their actions, something I found lacking in this film. Here's hoping this is just a bridge movie to a GREAT sequel with a STRONG story -- the actors and visuals are lined up -- no give us a REAL tale to watch!
Click (2006)
Surprisingly effective
I went into this movie expecting a Billy Madison/Happy Gilmore type laugh-fest. There are laughs here, a couple of big ones, but I was surprised at what the movie actually was: a modern day retelling of A Christmas Carol (or maybe It's a Wonderful Life - one of them). I wasn't expecting the turn to drama we get at the end of the film, and thought it was surprisingly well handled.
***********************SPOILER HERE************************ The only drawback I really found was that the basic formula of the movie was pretty trite. Without advertising the movie as being an update of one of those holiday movies, the device used to introduce the remote actually caused me to groan. It also set up for me the exact path of the rest of the movie. That's fine when you know it's coming, but springing it on us saying "nope, you're not seeing the comedy you thought, but rather another type of movie" was kind of a cheat. Still, once I gave into that, I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded, and though it was predictable, I thought it was entertaining, and ultimately, a very well done update of the above mentioned stories.
**********************END SPOILER****************** Sandler is very good in this movie, only resorting to Billy Madison shtick (which I admit I like) a couple of times, mostly taking the role head-on and running with it. Kate Beckinsale is absolutely gorgeous as his wife (she doesn't have much to do besides look great). Hasselhoff is very funny, and Walken, well, I wonder if the director just said to him "Be Christopher Walken." Knowing what the film is before you go in may alter the way you see it - it may cause you to enjoy it more rather than feeling cheated, but if you go in with an open mind, I think most people will find this a most satisfying story.
Nacho Libre (2006)
So disappointed.
Jack Black, director of Napoleon Dynamite, writer of School of Rock - how could the movie go wrong? It did, in every way possible. First of all, the movie isn't the least bit funny. I maybe smiled at some of Jack Black's singing (the only thing that saved this from being a one star rating), but that's about it. The film was EXTREMELY poorly edited with scenes going together that make no sense. The "sidekick" is just annoying. The girl isn't hot enough to warrant the looks Black gives her, nor interesting in any other way really. The wrestling scenes are too frenetic, and devoid of any real tension because we don't REALLY care about the characters. From this team, I expected SO much better. Ah well, guess I can wait for Napoleon Dynamite 2: Napoleon goes to School of Rock.
The Producers (2005)
So much fun! I love movie musicals.
My review as I posted it on Broadwayworld.com: I TOTALLY understand why all these critics are bashing this movie. I will bet you, to the man (or woman) they are people who hate musicals to begin with or, for whatever reason, hate this show to begin with and went in expecting to hate it. What's on the screen IS the musical currently being seen on Broadway, with a few cuts that in the end didn't really harm the movie (I missed King of Broadway for about ten seconds - though I can't wait to see the footage on the DVD, and I missed "The Intermission" joke in "Betrayed" - but it's made up for by a slight alteration of another meta-joke a few moments earlier.) The other criticism of this movie - it means nothing, it's fluff, etc. etc. Well, yes, it is. It's not a serious piece of theater or film and doesn't make any pretensions to being more than that. What the play and the film do is transport the audience to a time when musicals were FUN. It's a light, fluffy entertainment where you can go for two hours and laugh. In this time of "serious" movies (this trend of films like Syriana, Munich, Memoirs... etc.) and serious movie musicals (what was the last successful COMEDY?), there's absolutely nothing wrong with a movie where its sole purpose is to ENTERTAIN! What Susan Stroman has managed to do is to ACTUALLY make a movie of a Broadway musical that really gives the feel of what that experience is like. If you hate the show, or hate musicals, you have no hope here. This movie is 100% theatrical - I feel like I just got back from the "theater" - not the cineplex, but the theater we all love.
Are Lane and Broderick completely over the top? Hell yes, and thank God, because that's what made the show so funny in the first place. Faults with the show itself aside (I agree with those who say some of the music isn't exactly the best the Great White Way has ever offered), this movie is VERY funny and entertaining as anything I've seen in the movies this year. The actors are all spot-on in their performances - I could go into individual performances, but there's no point. They're all great - and Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell (who I usually can't stand) are great fill-ins for their Broadway counterpoints (though I felt very bad for poor Brad Oscar, reduced to a two second cameo!). And that's another great thing for this community -- catching all the Broadway cameos filtered throughout the movie! I had so much fun identifying them - and I don't want to spoil the surprise of who's in here. (Though I have to ask - does anyone know if that was Victoria Clark in the Opening Night sequence - I thought I saw her at the VERY end of it, but it was so fast, and I forgot to check in the credits...).
Anyway, I think this movie is an absolute success. Those criticizing it for being "too theatrical," - I don't think there was any point to NOT making this movie theatrical! We already HAVE a movie of The Producers. What this film does is capture forever the stage show - and yes, at times it literally looks like a stage. But so what??? (And thank you, Ms. Stroman, for filming dance sequences full body rather than "Chorus-Line-from-the-waist-up").
The crowd at the 3/4 full theater I was in (Christmas afternoon), laughed almost continuously through the film. There were even a couple of points where I could FEEL the audience holding back from applauding after a couple of the songs (someone got in two claps after "Betrayed" before realizing what they were doing). The theater ERUPTED in applause afterwards - probably more than I've ever seen a crowd do in a movie theater.
We've seen shows turned into movies countless times, we've seen recordings of stage shows -- this is the first true blending of those two forms. This is a love-letter to Broadway, a wink at the fans of Broadway, and hopefully a sneak-attack on those who would NEVER go see a musical live in the theater.
Rent (2005)
From a self-professed Rent-head
I've loved Rent since I first bought the cast recording back in the fall of 1996 when it first came out. It was my sophomore year in college, and the CD came out on the day my parents were to drop me off. We went to a mall that day and I picked up the CD. I still remember listening to it intently that entire first semester - it barely left my CD player. I remember sitting in the hall with it blaring out of my room, people asking what that music was, theater friends learning the words to La Vie Boheme with me.
Later that year, our theater club took a trip into Boston to see the first touring company. I sat WAY up in the balcony. Since then, I've seen the show in NY twice.
I share all this because Rent is a part of my life. I know every note of the score, every word sung or spoken in the show. I have NEVER waited so eagerly for a movie to come out.
I was not at all disappointed by this film. Most of the musical numbers are "staged" brilliantly, especially Tango:Maureen, Santa Fe, La Vie Boheme, Take Me or Leave Me, and Without You.
*******Minor spoilers******** I was VERY disappointed that "Halloween" and half of "Goodbye Love" were cut -- I think this was a huge detriment to the continuity of the movies, not to mention two of my favorite songs. I really hope Columbus puts out a "director's cut" that includes those songs since they were filmed.
****** end spoilers********** Overall, this is a fantastic version of the stage show. While it cannot hope to be better than the live version (and in my experience NO movie is better than the stage version of the show, with the possible exception of The Sound of Music), this is an excellent version of Rent. Go see it in the theater, and then go see it live. It may well change your life.
Finding Neverland (2004)
Wow
I always tell my students that they can't claim a movie they just saw as their favorite movie ever because it has yet to stand the test of time. Every now and then a movie comes along that defies that rule for me -- a movie that as soon as I finish seeing it I know that it is an instant classic, if not "my favorite movie ever." American Beauty was such a movie.
Finding Neverland is such a movie. Every minute of this movie was simply incredible -- I felt like the kids in the theater on the opening night of Peter Pan. Johnny Depp is absolutely astounding, as he usually is, as JM Barrie. The rest of the adult cast doesn't quite come up to his level, but are uniformly strong. The kids, especially Peter and Michael, are wonderful. Maybe I just love the British accent, but one of my favorite scenes comes very early when Barrie meets Michael in the park -- Michael's accent reminded me so much of the kid in The Little Prince!
What raises this movie above standard fare, though, are the clever entries into Barrie's imagination. The magical moments in this movie seem to literally jump off the screen. Without a doubt, a film worthy of Oscar nominations for Depp, screenplay adaptation, cinematography (the pirate ship scene is gorgeous), and best movie of the year. Treat yourself - despite the PG rating, this is NOT a movie just for kids -- believe... 10/10
The Princess Bride (1987)
Inconceivable!
This has always been one of my all time favorite movies. I bought the DVD recently and watched it for the umpteenth time and it amazes me that even though I practically know the film by heart, I still laugh throughout. The performances are universally excellent, especially Elwes and Wright as the leads and Patinkin who delivers one of the most famous lines in movie history (at least as far as my generation goes.) And that brings me to my point in this review: this should be a classic for EVERYONE. I'm a teacher, and I've asked my students if they've seen this movie (eighth graders) and the majority of them have not. This absolutely amazes me. My instant response is: "Go get it. You will love this movie, I promise." To this day I have not met someone who dislikes The Princess Bride -- and really, how could you? Comedy, adventure, romance...it's all here!
As is true of most movies from books, the source material IS better than the film, but I didn't read the book until years after the movie had become a cultural touchstone. So once you've seen the movie, do yourself a a favor and read the book -- you'll be enchanted all over again.