Review Update

I’ve heard a lot of rave reviews about The Squid and the Whale, and I was psyched to finally catch a screening over the weekend. Unfortunately, Noah Baumbach (Kicking and Screaming, the non-Will Ferrell version) falls a bit short with this dramedy about family dysfunction. Perhaps my I walked away from the film with little because I fail to empathize with a family so messed up. However, if that were the reason, I wouldn’t love American Beauty so much. The film’s script about high brow scholar parents (Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney) going through a divorce, and their personalities affecting their two sons is sharp at times. Daniels is especially on the mark as a cheap skate PhD that thinks anyone without a doctorate is a “philistine”. However, it is the direction that fails. I expected various moments of the picture to be hard-hitting, but the awkward, abrupt cuts prevent this from happening. At times, I thought during the film that Baumbach’s direction was strikingly similar to Wes Anderson. Guess who pops up in the closing credits as a producer? Coincidence? Grade: C+

Another mediocre flick on the market is Wolf Creek. The Australian horror flick took Sundance by storm and was hailed as Australia’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I am not sure if I would go so far to say that. At times, the indie flick has a terrific gritty feel with some well-chosen music. Plus, Australian actor John Jarrett is wicked at times as the sadistic villain. The problem is that it goes for the “watch as we unmercifully torture people” angle and somehow manages to not scare. It just makes me wish the movie is over. Another film I saw this year, The Devil’s Rejects, was just as unmerciful, but at least it had interesting characters and an original style. Wolf Creek is best left for video. Grade: C

Christmas Approaches

There is nothing like revisiting home. Sedalia, Missouri is not a place I particularly love. However, you can’t beat hanging out with close friends and family. Bendi was in town the last couple and we lived it up with many bottles of beer and good movies. While we intended on kicking down four flicks, we only got around to seeing two: Sexy Beast and Last Days. I’ve heard great things about Sexy Beast for years because of its coolness and its unforgettable performance from Ben Kingsley. It is a fine choice for rental and I one day hope to buy it. Kingsley has never looked so hardcore and psycho, and he pulls it off flawlessly. As for Last Days, it is only pretty good. Gus Van Sant does not achieve a masterpiece quite like he did with Elephant, but it is still an intriguing exploration of a Kurt Cobain-like rocker’s possible final days before suicide.

As for flicks in theaters. The Family Stone is not a bad choice. Frankly, the trailer made me want to vomit. The marketing tactic is to make Stone look like a fun-loving romantic comedy romp with people falling down as the highlight of hilarity. Truthfully, it is a much better film than that. In fact, it is more on the drama side than the comedic one. The awkwardness between the Stone family and their son’s uptight new girlfriend (Sarah Jessica Parker) is pretty right on the spot. Plus there are great performances around the table for Craig T. Nelson, Diane Keaton, and Rachel McAdams. I also give props to newcomer Tyrone Giordano as deaf and gay son Thad Stone. Despite a fluffy ending that the movie studio obvoiously couldn’t resist, this is pretty solid and worth checking out. Grade: B+

Hey, I also finally saw King Kong. For me, this is runner-up material simply because it doesn’t stack up to my 2005 top ten currently in the works. This is still a fantastic film. Peter Jackson’s epic clocks in at over three hours, yet it doesn’t seem long at all. The classic remake goes through the jungles of a mysterious island to the streets of New York City with plently of kick-ass creatures in tow. Along with the expected giant ape, we get a serving of monstrous swamp leeches, centipedes, and hungry dinosaurs. Andy Serkis contributes the facial expressions and body movements for Kong and the results are astounding. I have a keen eye for fake, cartoonish CGI and the special effects experts know what they are doing here. Seeing this movie is a lot like seeing a great summer flick in the heart of winter. This is great stuff! Grade: A-

There is hopefully more to come in reviews with a nice slection of holiday movies underway.

The visit in Sedalia is still peachy. Christmas is approaching and my girlfriend arrives in town for the holidays tomorrow. Cheers to alcoholic egg nog, warm fires, and a crapload of presents. I will enjoy Christmas because, like Bob Dole, it only comes once a year.