I don't normally review movies, but for no real valid reason I've been getting back into watching films again, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on some of the movies I've viewed recently (by choice or otherwise...)
Note: On the very rare occasion that I review a movie, I use a fairly standard best out of 4 star ratings (1 = sucks, 2 = average, 3 = good, 4 = perfect), with the option for using half-star ratings, as well. I tend to judge a movie based on a) how well it accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish, and b) how much I enjoyed it. That being said, there will be some films I give favorable reviews that many may consider to be "crap" movies, and there will be some popular films that I give poor ratings. Luckily for you, I don't see movies until they come out on DVD these days, so what I'm reviewing is going to be limited to what's been in our Netflixcue and what the family has recently acquired as gifts or purchases.
That being said, on to the reviews, presented here in alphabetical order:
"Death Sentence"
2007, Directed by James Wan, starring Kevin Bacon, Kelly Preston, Garrett Hedlund, Aisha Taylor & John Goodman
Rating: **1/2
While the box office and critical results have been dubious, I'm pleased to see that members of the so-called "splat pack" of up and coming horror directors are branching out and trying different things. Doomsday is at the top of my "want to see" list at the moment, and that films recent release inspired me to check out Death Sentence, James Wan's follow-up to his incredibly popular Saw. In Death Sentence, which is loosely based on a novel by Brian Garfield (author of Death Wish, an excellent 1972 film which has the unfortunate honor of being remade sometime next year), mild-mannered executive Nick Hume (Bacon) is pulled out of his seemingly idyllic life by the murder of his son at the hands of a ruthless street gang as part of an initiation ritual. When Nick realizes that the young killer is unlikely to get the punishment he deserves, Nick refuses to testify, thereby allowing the killer go free so that Nick can administer his own justice through murder. Unfortunately for Nick, this revenge killing only brings the attention of the gang's leader (Hedlund), who declares war on Nick's family. Much blood ensues.
I'll be the first to admit that there is little in the way of originality in Death Sentence: if you've even seen a revenge flick or vigilante film, you can most likely guess what's going to happen and when. The overall plot of the film is highly improbable, and the narrative flow is clunky and oft times unbelievable.
Now, that being said, you may wonder why I gave it an above-average rating.
First off, while the film's overall narrative arc is unrealistic, the reason this deficiency draws so much attention is because of how well the film's little moments work. The details in many scenes lend a sense of realism and credulity to the story, enough that I was taken in very early in the proceedings and found myself unable to stop watching even as the story grew somewhat preposterous. The montage of family home videos at the beginning of the film are a fine example: generally in films this device is excessively cheesy and ultimately unbelievable, but here the footage felt very real, and I think fulfilled its job in establishing a snapshot of the Hume family without drowning the audience in saccharine. Nick's hesitation prior to committing his first vigilante murder, and his subsequent reaction after the deed is done; his early hand-to-hand battles; his ineptitude in the art of purchasing and handling firearms....all of these moments are so well handled that they make the film enjoyable even when the plot takes a short walk off of the cliffs of reality. Much of the efficacy of these scenes is a result of Kevin Bacon's excellent performance and Wan's sure-handed direction.
From an action perspective, Death Sentence contains more than its share of well-staged sequences, particularly a chase scene that culminates in a struggle atop a parking garage and a a bloody shootout in an old hospital for the film's climax. Wan is very adept at crafting tension, and while his work does come across as somewhat derivative (the ending shootout, in particular, echoes the climax of Taxi Driver), it is efficiently staged. Horror fans expecting Wan's trademark extreme violence will likely be a bit disappointed, but the film is still heavy on the bloodshed, more so than typical action fare (though I do wish that directors would stop relying on CGI-enhanced gore effects...it just looks silly.)
What struck me most about Death Sentence -- and this is likely the ultimate source of the 2-and-a-half star rating -- is how perfectly Wan establishes and maintains the movie's grim tone, to the point where I wish he'd have helmed the recent Punisher film in lieu of Jonathan Hensleigh. Wan has a good understanding of what makes a revenge tale such as this work.
"Music & Lyrics"
2007, Directed by Marc Lawrence, starring Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore, Brad
Garrett, Haley Bennett & Campbell Scott
Rating: ***
Ever since college, I've become something of a fan of romantic comedies. There are good ones and bad ones, naturally, and it can oft times be difficult to know until it's far too late. Good ones, for me, include Love Actually, While You Were Sleeping, 50 First Dates, The Wedding Singer, and the cream of the crop, When Harry Met Sally. The bad ones...well, suffice to say there are a lot. I'm happy to say, however, that Music & Lyrics falls into the category of "the good ones".
There isn't much new or original being presented here, but the story we're given works, primarily due to the chemistry, comedy and charisma of its two leads. Alex Fletcher (Grant) is a has-been pop icon of the 80s (the movie opens with a hilariously over-the-top music video from his heyday, which somehow manages to combine all of the tacky wonderfulness of every one of my favorite electro-pop 80s music stars into a 3 and a half minute package) who makes his living now living in the shadow of his former band mate, indulging his own whims and playing the carnival and fairs circuit, where his old fans (once teen aged, hormonally charged girls, now middle-aged, hormonally charged mothers and housewives) flock to see him. A chance for a return to stardom presents itself in the form of a Britney/Shakira-like po-star Cora Corman (Bennett), who would like to give him a comeback opportunity with a duet with her on her new album...if he can compose a song for her in just under a week. Despite the enthusiasm of his manager (Garrett, as funny as ever), Fletcher hasn't written any new material in over a decade, and he has no lyricist to work with. Luckily for him, aid comes in the unlikely form of his substitute plant lady, Sophie Fisher (Barrymore), who has a natural talent for poetry and lyrics. Much comedy and the inevitable love ensues.
What I liked most about Music & Lyrics, besides Grant's inimitable ability to deliver one liner after one liner with deadpan assurance, is the fact that the film never pushes the "cute" or "saccharine" aspects of the story too far, and instead lets the story unfold naturally. The inevitable complications that always arise in the third act of films such as this are not (surprisingly) the result of a mis-perception of an old flame that resurfaces for either of the leads, but instead a very natural (if somewhat quirky) conflict that arises over the fate of their joint artistic venture. Naturally, everything works out ok in the end (not to give anything away), and the movie leaves you with a nice, happy feeling, just as a film like this should.
If you're a fan of Hugh Grant movies, or Drew Barrymore movies, or just well-made romantic comedies, there's plenty to like here. (And if Hugh Grant's line about how his tight pants make him a more sensitive person doesn't force you to burst out laughing, there's probably something wrong with you....)
"Sunshine"
2007, Directed by Danny Boyd, starring Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose
Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, Troy Garity & Benedict
Wong
Rating: ***1/2
I may be one of the only self-proclaimed "film geeks" to have never seen a film by Danny Boyle before now. I've read the reviews, certainly, and I was even moderately interested in watching Trainspotting after having read the book in college; additionally, being a zombie fan, 28 Days Later has been on my "gotta watch this" list for about 3 decades. But, for whatever reason, I've never actually had the opportunity to sit down and watch one of Boyle's films, and this one might have gotten skipped over, as well, as it not been for a) a great trailer (which caused it to get added to my Netflix cue), and b) a slip-up on my part that bumped Sunshine to the top of my Netflix cue. I'm happy for the mistake.
Sunshine is a stylish, atmospheric, and tense science fiction film that places a surprising amount of emphasis on the science aspect of things (which is a lot more than most sci-fi films made these days tend to do) and less on crafting a stereotypical Hollywood-style sci-fi film. That said, the final 1/2 hour of Sunshine does stray into more typical thriller territory (a fact that all but condemned the film in many critics eyes), but even with this shift in tone "Sunshine" is a thoroughly enjoying, at times nail-biting experience.
The film is set roughly 50 years in the future. Our sun is dying, so a last-ditch effort to rekindle the star is in order. The mission is undoubtedly suicide: the 8-person crew of the Icarus II must transport a massive explosive device close enough to the sun that it can essentially reignite the sun from within, which means almost certain doom for the cosmonauts involved. The real trouble begins when, at the advice of Capa (Murphy), the engineer who designed the bomb to be delivered to the sun, the Icarus II diverts its course to investigate a distress call. If Capa's hunch is correct, answering the distress call can reward the crew with something that might be vital to their mission; if he is wrong, he may doom their mission altogether.
One thing that struck me about Sunshine is the level of realism: everything about the ship, the crew, and the mission bears the sharp ring of truth. The tension in the film (at least until the last 1/2 hour) stems from the difficulty inherent in something as taken for granted (in sci films, at least) as changing course. Putting on a space suit to make repairs or board another vessel is no simple task, but a major, potentially deadly undertaking. And even the most noble-hearted people may act in unpredictable ways when placed in a situation where not only their own lives are in danger, but those of the entire world.
For a relatively low budget film, Sunshine's special effects are remarkable, and Boyle's direction is sure-handed and (with some exceptions) doesn't draw too much attention to itself, even when conjuring such memorable images as the brightness of the observation deck or a massive fire viewed through glass walls. The performances are all excellent: there are no action heroes here, but scientists, engineers and astronauts placed in a desperate situation. We get to know only as much about the characters as we need to know, which is another refreshing touch to the film: there are no unnecessary flashbacks or secrets from the past to muddle the screenplay, just a fairly straightforward and exciting tale about a small group of people determined to save their world.
Late film shift in tone notwithstanding, Sunshine left an indelible impression on me, such that it has joined the dubious but exclusive echelon of films that I count as my favorites.
That's it for now (phew). I'll review some more films soon, probably some horror films that I've acquired from Netflix (30 Days of Night and 28 Days Later are both on my immediate list).
