I'm Reed Fish

I’m Reed Fish directed by Zackary Adler. Written by Reed Fish. Starring Jay Baruchel, Alexis Bledel, Victor Rasuk, Schuyler Fisk, A.J. Cook, Katey Segal, Shiri Appleby, Valerie Azlynn,

I thought this was a intelligent underrated light comedy, and I have to say I was surprised. I think Jay Baruchel, shined in the lead, and I absolutely loved the iea and premise. The story revolves around Reed Fish, a small town radio show host, who is practically the town’s messiah. But when a friend from his past comes bck into town for the summer, he starts questioning his simple smalltown life and relationship, among other things. I thought this movie was fresh, intresting, and a very entertaining light-hearded comedy/drama. Both Baruchel and Bledel carry this movie, and it hought it’s a nice gem of a movie. Films like this prove that you don’t nee a big budget, overpaid actors or an outrageous story to make a good movie. Overall I was impressed with it, never bored throughout the movie, and surprised it was this good .8/10 #424 on favorite movie list.

Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow Directed by Tim burton. Written by Andrew Kevin Walker. Starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Casper Van Dien, Jeffrey Jones and Christopher Walken. Music by Danny Elfma, Cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki, Edited by Chris Lebenzon and Joel Negron.

Johnny Depp shines in this film about the haunting story of the headless horseman. Both him and Christina Ricci do well in this stylistic period thriller, which is successful, because its original, fresh, and despite the dialogue which is heavy, its still entertaining throughout. The acting and atmosphere is what sets it apart from mediocre films of its kind.

This movie is suspenseful because the music, cinematography and acting all contribute to keep it frightening, yet compelling. Another solid Johnny Depp performance and film. At times it seemed a bit long, but the third act picks up the pace and does well to finish off strong. I would have liked the build-up to be a bit better, but unlike a lot of films that fall apart trying to finish the story, this film does the opposite and doesn’t do the best job setting up the plot, but the final 25 minutes or so are very good. 7/10

The Wrestler (Directed by Darren Aronosfsky)

ything, was decent. 6/10
The Wrestler. Directed by Darren Aronofsky. Written by Robert D. Siegel. Cinematography by Maryse Alberti. Edited by Andrew Weisblum, Msic by Clint Mansell. Starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis, Todd Barry, Wass Stevens and Ernest Miller.
The Wrestler is a gritty story-telling epic of the story of wrestling stars in America, or maybe I should call them wrestling actors. Mickey Rourke is perfectly cast in this oscar-nominated role, and truly carries this film, though Marisa Tomei was also very good as the female lead. Overall, this movie is at times, tough to watch, but very daring, realistic and an overall informative piece that really shows the complexities of a glorified industry whose stars actually have troubles of their own.

Darren Aronofsky’s in-your-face directorial style make this a tough movie to watch, however it was an effective way of driving its point home. Fueled by powerful performances, whether you like this film or not it will definitely affect you. I thought it was a very good movie, though, its not one I would watch over and over. The choice of music and realistic style in which the film unfolds is commendable. 8/10 #452 on my list of favorite movies

Wolverine (X Men Origins) directed by Gavin Hood

Wolverine. Directed by Gavin Hood. Written by David Benioff and Skip Woods. Starring Hugh Jackman, Live Schrieber, Danny Huston, Will I Am, Lynn Collins, Kevin Durand, Dominic Monaghan, Ryan Reynolds, Danniel Henney

This is an example of a mediocre super hero movie. I like the fact that Hollywood likes to go back to the root of some comics, an as was the case with tracking back Wolverine’s story. A couple problems I had with this film were the fact that at times Hugh Jackman’s mannerisms just were a bit much for me, an also im not too sure about the supporting cast in this movie, and I was much more impressed ith Zack Snyder’s Watchmen from earlier this year than I was with this movie. Although im a big fan of the Gambit character, and it was cool to see his role playing a big part in the film, although again, I thought the casting choices were definetely flawed. This was not bad from an entertainment perspective and had some bright spots, including a solid score, decent visual effects and cinematography and the writing/directing, although not superb or anything, was decent. 6/10

First Daughter

First Daughter- directed by Forest Whitaker

Now this film is something I’m surprised a guy like Forest Whitaker got involved with. Its an uplifting chick flick which will probably please your average female movie-goer who is not so much concerned with how good the movie is from a cinematic, storytelling, acting or overall film quality perspective. But I just personally couldn’t really believe Katie Holmes in the lead at all, maybe the only refreshing thing was seeing Michael Keaton in this, after not seeing the guy in a movie in a while (least I haven’t seen him in anything in awhile), but the problem was this script and problematic film-making was so bad that it made Michael Keaton seem like Macaulay culkin. Overall this was just a bad idea, bad film about a president’s daughter wanting to go to college and have a “normal life”. Don’t watch this. 3/10

The Pineapple Express (David Gordon Green)

The Pineapple Express- Directed by David Gordon Green. Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, Kevin Corrigan, Craig Robinson, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez, Ed Begley Jr. Nora Dunn, Amber Heard, Dana Lee, Jonathan Spencer, James Remar, Bill Hader

Pineapple express is a very funny comedy. It may not be entirely original, as I think it borrowed a lot from buddy pothead movies like Half Baked or Harold and Kumar, however, Pineapple Express has much better acting than the other 2, which somewhat makes up for the lack of innovation. Seth Rogen and James Franco shine in the leading roles.  David Goron Green was a good pick for direction, I liked how he approache the project and his style was very simple yet suitable for this type of comedy. I have yet to see other films from him but Snow Angels, Undertow and All the real girls are all on my list to watch. Overall, well done film, a good comedy with fresh performances, some reworked ideas, but hey they didn’t steal anything, it just didn’t themes or concepts that were terribly new or innovative, except for the double cross joint which was pretty cool.

Pineapple Express is a good comedy, its not the cult classic which some may believe it to be, but I do think it is one that audiences can watch multiple times, have good laughs and not take too seriously. Overall, its one I would recommend to potheads or any fans of the Harold and Kumar movies, Superbad/40yr old virgin/knocked up gang’s movies. Definetely worth a watch. 8/10  #339 on my favorite movies list

Burn After Reading (Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen)

Burn After Reading. Written and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Starring George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton an Richard Jenkins. Music by Carter Burwell, Cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki, edited by Joel and Ethan Coen.

The Coen brothers follow-up to last year’s successful No Country for Old Men, is an entirely different project. Burn After reading, is downright hilarious, a solid dark comedy, that does a good job showcasing its actors, the writing ability of the Coen brothers, and their unique approach to comedy in films. Now I didn’t think it was as great as Barton Fink or the Big Lebowski, but it achieves on a lot of the same levels that those 2 films did, as well as the likes of Fargo.

 Brad Pitt and John Malkovich are both very good in roles that are not alike stuff we are accustomed to seeing them in, and Frances Mcdormand, is absolutely hilarious and brilliant as an insecure fitness center worker, who dreams of bettering herself for all the wrong reasons. There are some great exchanges between Brad Pitt and Malkovich as well. Overall I was very impressed with the entire cast, although I thought George Clooney and Tilda Swinton were less impressive than the other four (pitt, McDormand, Malkovich and Jenkins). The movie is a success because it is funny, entertaining, and original. Overall a must see for fans of innovative comedy an the Coen Brothers. 9/10 #189 on my list of favorite movies of all time

Crank 2 (Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine)

Crank 2. Written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. Starring Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Dwight Yoakam, Efren Ramirez, Clifton Collins Jr. an JUlanne Chidi Hill. Music by Mike Patton, Cinematogrpahy by Brandon Trost. Eited by Marc Jakubowicz and Fernando Villena.

Crank 2 is a great example of an action movie that tries to do way too much. I have no idea what directors Neveldine and Taylor were thinking, but this is a horrible follow-up to Crank, which is one of my favorite movies and I have seen several times. Crank was excessively violent, as well, but the violence, served a purpose, and it was always entertaining, fresh, funny, slick and overall, a tour-de-fource amazing action movie. Crank 2 is dull, boring, over-the-top, not funny, excessively gorey and disgusting. The acting is almost on the same level of Crank, not amazing but not horrible either, but its flaws are more evident in this film as the screenplay is much more problematic here than in the first movie (crank 1)., but neither film thrives on its acting. Meanwhile, the style, which it is shot, is not bad, as was Crank, but again, the style is not the problem here, it’s the overall approach to the project, the incorporation of excessive violence, ridiculous plotlines (this is a horrible screenplay, the one-liners are so bad, its comedic). Overall, I just did not enjoy this film at all, and apart from having a decent score, and cinematography, there’s little I liked about this Statham flick, they just shouldn’t have made this movie. 4/10

Quantum of Solace (Directed by Marc Forster)

 

Quantum of Solace. Directed by Marc Forster. Written by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. Starring Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Judi Dench Giancarlo Giannini, Gemma Arterton and Jeffrey Wright.  Cinematography by Roberto Schaefer. Music by David Arnold. Edited by Matt Chesse and Richard Pearson.

The James bond follow-up to Casino Royale, which was an impressive debut for Daniel Craig as bond, is not as efficient in telling the story, nor as creative, but it has much more action, eye candy, and a better homage to the older Bond films, especially the Roger Moore ones. As was the case with Batman Begins, and the Dark Knight, it seemed that Casino Royale set up the atmosphere for more action to come in Quantum of Solace, unfortunately Quantum of Solace wasn’t a masterpiece of scenes and sequences along with storylines as The Dark Knight was, however this was kind of expected as Casino Royale, a good film, was no masterpiece either. But to its credit, Quantum of Solace is far superior to any Pierce Brosnan Bond film, and a pretty entertaining movie.

Marc Forster is suppose to be a better choice for this type of film than Martin Campbell, I mean forster clearly has better films uner his belt, but it seems Campbell who is known for action adventure/films, would have probably been a better pick for this one as well. Forster made some decent dramas with Fining Neverland and Stay and a really good drama with Monster’s Ball. His vision is nice here in Quantum of Solace, but as far as direction, visual aspect and overall production, I liked Casino Royale more, but no doubt about it, all in all, Marc Forster is a better director, and it was interesting to see him direct this Bond flick. Both The Kite Runer and Stranger than Fiction are two of his films I haven’t seen, thus I didn’t comment on them and I’ve heard great things about his upcoming  project which is a collaboration with Michael Stracyzsnki who has adapted a Max Brooks novel and wrote last year’s Changeling script.

Back to this film, Its not supposed to be realistic, and its plot isn’t the most engaging, but it at least manages to do something that Michael Mann’s Miami Vice definitely didn’t do, and that is keeps us entertained throughout the entire movie. Overall, a must-see for Bond fans and action fans. 8/10 #433 on my list of favorite movies of all-time. 

The Lazarus Project

 

The Lazarus Project. Written and Directed by John Glenn. Starring Paul Walker, Piper Perabo, Brooklynn Proulx, Bob GUnton, Lambert Wilson and Tony Curran. Cinematography by Jerzy Zielnski. Edited by Fred Raskin. Music by Brian Tyler

This film is one of the most underrated films I have seen that came out in recent years. I found the subject matter very original and thought-provoking. Paul Walker plays a man who experiences something which seems to be fatal, and is transformed into a new life with a  second chance, but can’t figure out if he actually died an is reborn, or if he survived the incident but is given a new life. It has a nice psychological appeal to it, as well as fresh cinematography and musical score to go with it. Kudos to Jerzy Zielnski for shooting it well an Brian Tyler’s suitable music.

I can’t say Paul Walker was stunning in the lead, but he was convincing, as he was in Running Scared which is another great film. I thought Lazarus Project is an original, innovative, entertaining, thriller that still manages to make some interesting arguments rather than just being about special effects, action and the usual Hollywood antics. I was impressed. 9/10 #184 on my list of all time favorite movies.

Seven Pounds

Seven Pounds- Directed by Gabriel Muccino. Written by Grant Nieporte. Starring Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Michael Ealy, Barry Pepper. Music by Angelo Milli, Cinematography by Philippe Le Sourd. Edited by Hughes Winborne

Will Smith and Gabriel Muccino’s debut as a director/lead actor pair was nothing short of spectacular, The Pursuit of Happyness managed to capture everything a good drama should, with good performances, a solid script and an overall successful production that conveyed a heartfelt message, while not being overly sappy or typical. With their follow-up Seven Pounds, they take on a much more serious subject matter, which is a lot more controversial as well. I would first like to say that this is a good movie in my eyes.

Now is it for everyone, probably not. I thought Will Smith’s acting was at times outstanding, but during parts of the film I felt him fading away and having the same look on his face, but he still gave an all-in-all good performance, and this film also has a more complex and cleverly written screenplay. I think a film like this is a lot tougher to make than Pursuit of Happyness, thus it is less enjoyable, is it any less great, hard to tell. I can say I enjoyed their first film more, but value the pair’s work just as much with Seven Pounds. This is worth a watch, though the subject matter is one that can definitely move you and sadden you. 9/10 #254 on my list of all time favorite movies

Home of the Brave (Directed by Irwin Winkler)

Home of the brave directed by Irwin Winkler- Written by Mark Friedman. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Biel, Brian Presley, 50 Cent, Christina Ricci, Chad Michael Murray, Victoria Rowell, Jeffrey Nording, Vyto Ruginis. Music by Stephen Endelman. Cinematography by Tony Pierce-Roberts and Edited by Clayton Halsey.

Director Irwin Winkler’s look at post-war life for several Iraq war veterans, is neither totally convincing nor entertaining. Despite having some powerful scenes, which raised some good points from a psychological and political perspective, the film failed to paint a realistic picture, which allowed the audience to truly position itself in the shoes of the characters. As I watched the film I did not entirely believe Samuel L. Jackson or Jessica Biel’s character, and both were unconvincing, especially Samuel L. Jackson who had some very good moments, but due to a lacking script, went over-the-top at times. (Brian Presley) was not bad, but having 50 cent in this film was a casting catastrophe. They should have made better choices in the casting, but then again, there was a lot of other flaws in making this film, which I admit, is a tough type of film to make, but this just felt rushed and not enough precision an effort put into producing, writing and creating an original and realistic film about post-ware life.

I thought the cinematography, editing and music did very little to help matters a just didn’t engage me throughout the film. The opening sequence which takes place in Iraq is almost a joke, as at times It felt like it was in East LA, now I don’t know where they filmed it, but that’s not a good way to start off a film. Overall this film had potential but was a misfire in my book, and had it not been for a few good scenes, moral arguments and okay acting (at times), it would get an even lower score from me. 5/10

Santoori (directed by Dariush Mehrjui)

Santoori. Directed by Dariush Mehrjui.- Written by Dariush Mehrjui and Vahiea Mohammadi. Starring Bahram Radan, Golshifteh Farahani, Masoud Rayegani, Roya Taymourian, Nader Soleymani, Mahyar Poor Hesabi, Maedeh Tahmasebi, Siamak Khahani. Original Music by Mohsen Chavoshi and Ardavan Kamkar. Cinematography by Turaj Mansuri. Edited by Mehdi Hosseinivand

Every now and then an Iranian film comes around that is moving, conveys a message like no other. Director, Mehrjui does a great job creating an atmosphere where one truly feels society’s issues in regards to drug addiction. There has been a stereotype for some time now that young Iranians in the music industry are prone to becoming submerged in a world of drugs, alcohol and womanizing habits. Although this is a false stereotype, Mehrjui does a great job telling a story of Ali Santoori, a man, whose traditional family turns his back on him and tells him to choose between his “santoor” instrument and his family. Ali of course, chooses, his instrument, and successfully becomes Iran’s top pop performer. Meanwhile, he also meets and marries a wonderful young woman, Hanieh (Farahani), and his life seems to be on a great track. But as the story goes, Ali, becomes depressed and gets more and more addicted to drugs due to the government cracking down on his music.

Both Bahram Radan (Ali Santoori character) and Golshifteh Farahani give magnificent performances. Mehrjui style of telling the story is first-rate, using great shots, flashbacks, and flawless incorporation of music. The music cooperation between composer Ardavan Kamkar, a traditional santoor player, and composer, and MOhsen Chavoshi, top pop singer, is innovative, new and very well suited. Overall, this film achieves on every level, as it carries the audience through every range of emotion its characters feel, something Iranian films rarely do. Quite possibly the best Iranian film I have ever seen. 10/10

3:10 to Yuma

3:10 to Yuma Directed by James Mangold. Written by Halsted Welles, Michael Brandt and Derek Haas. Cinematography by Phedon Papamichael. Music by Marco Beltrami. Edited by Michael McMcusker. Casted by Lisa Beach and Sarah Katzman. Starring Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Logan Lerman, Dallas Roberts, Ben Foster, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol This is an example of a very good modern western and adventure story. There was one scene that was a bit hard to watch for me as far as blood and open wounds, but this was a highly enjoyable movie. Superbly acted, directed well, and its story was engaging, with nice subplots. Its not extraordinarily original, but doesn't need to be, for what it is, one of the best films of its kind. I liked it more than Tombstone or Unforgiven, which were two of my favorite of the newer western films i had seen. I thought Russell crowe shined as the antagonist, while Christian Bale did a pretty good job as well. Its shot and edited very well and has a very suitable score from Marco Beltrami. Its not a film i would watch over and over, but i enjoyed it alot the first time around. Ben Foster Peter Fonda and Gretchen Mol were great in supporting roles while Logan Lerman wasn't bad as Bale's character's son either, decent job for a young actor. I think for what it is, this film is good, real good, dont expect the most realistic action sequences, though, as that is not exactly the case with the shootouts, but then again, its still a bit more realistic than most films of its kind, thus i rate it highly. My Rating: 9/10. #302 on my list of all time favorite Movies.

Dark Blue

Dark Blue. Directed by Ron Shelton. Written by David Ayer. Cinematography by Barry Peterson. Music by Terence Blanchard. Edited by Patrick Flannery and Paul Syedor. Casted by Francine Maisler. Starring Kurt Russell, Scott Speedman, Michael Michele, Brendan Gleeson, Ving Rhames, Kurupt, Dash Mihok, Lolita Davidovich and Master P. I thought this was a highly underrated film. Much more realistic than the over-the-top training day (which Denzel made into a good movie), but this film doesn't rely on Russell's performance (not to say Russell was anything short of great), this film is more successfull because of David Ayer's great script and Shelton's gritty approach to the topic of corruption in the LAPD. With great music, good action sequences, and a very well-selected cast (apart from Scott Speedman who was decent but i would have liked to see someone better in his role). Overall, the story, acting, and premise was very well handled. Alot of people didn't like this movie, and a lot of people will rate Training Day higher, but if you are interested in seeing a gritty story about cops and the stuff they can get away with, this is a big time recommendation from me. I think these are the kind of roles, Kurt Russell is made for. Overall, a great film, and one of my favorites that I have seen several times. 10/10 #126 on my all-time favorite movie list.