jeepcj5guy Reviews

Powder Blue (2009)

A Disappointment

[4/10 · 8 June 2009]

No doubt this movie had potential. The cast offers a handful of well-known actors, several of which are more than capable of good acting (Whitaker in particular is usually superb). Unfortunately, most of the well-known stars in this film only had bit parts. Kristofferson, Swayze and Kudrow each maybe have five lines of dialogue in the entire thing. There were several scenes in the movie, one in particular near the end, which simply had no business being in the film at all. Even worse, NONE of the characters' back stories were developed whatsoever, something which may have actually prevented the story from falling completely flat.

This film will obviously be compared to Crash and The Air I Breathe, as I've seen already in several other reviews. Just because a story is "gritty" and emotionally charged does not make it good or even entertaining. This film was plagued by the same issues as The Air I Breathe: mediocre writing, unnatural dialogue and virtually no character development. Crash was successful because it had character development, the story was poignant and somewhat believable, the film itself was artfully edited and the dialogue was well written and very well acted. As the audience, we need to be able to suspend our disbelief in order to accept a "strangers' lives intersecting" type of plot. I had no problem suspending disbelief in Crash. Not the case with Powder Blue.

Putting comparisons aside, was it the worst film I've ever seen? No. In fact, it was still considerably better than The Air I Breathe. The music and cinematography was actually above average. Liotta's character was disappointingly wooden (no surprise there). Whitaker probably did the best he could. Biel definitely offered a brave performance and appeared to really pour herself into her role, although seemed to lose momentum in the end. Bottom line: don't go into Powder Blue with too high expectations.

Kabluey (2007)

Pretty good, actually

[7/10 · 23 September 2008]

Quirky and unexpected are probably the best ways to describe this film. Lisa Kudrow is actually pretty convincing as the burned-out army wife and gives a pretty solid performance throughout. Mainly I was impressed at the subtlety of her acting, which was refreshing after seeing some of her other characters (the smelly-cat-singing Phoebe will always be a lingering specter for Kudrow). Scott Prendergast captured the socially-inept, guy-that-never-got-his-act-together-after-high-school character pretty well and manages to drive the story with very little actual dialogue, emotion or expression, which is kind of the point of his character. His performance was actually pretty refreshing. I think the writer/director did a good job of portraying the embellished strangeness of small town middle America without ripping off Napoleon Dynamite. The ending was well done and the soundtrack is really good and kind of makes the movie come together.

Smart People (2008)

Somewhat entertaining...kind of

[6/10 · 22 August 2008]

I don't know why people are comparing/contrasting this film to Juno or Sideways, because the similarities are few and far between other than the genre (a vaguely brooding comedy/drama with hints of satire and feelgoodery). Apparently if two movies share the same actor/actress, this alone is enough to compare the two. I didn't think this was as good as Juno or Sideways, although Ellen Page gives a good performance as the soon-to-graduate-high-school, following-in-her-erudite-college-professor-father's-footsteps young woman. Quaid is pretty convincing as the pompous, self-hating, embittered professor and I actually though Church's character was probably the best in the movie. His ambitionless adopted younger brother character was pretty spot on and he had a couple of good one-liners that actually got me to chuckle. His character was slightly more nuanced than his Sideways character, at least that was my initial impression. As for Sarah JP – I'm just not a fan. She has virtually no acting range whatsoever and something about her just annoys me (On a side note, I would rather be eaten alive by rabid badgers than watch an episode of Sex in the City). She has become increasingly more annoying to me over the last few years (I didn't mind her at all in Ed Wood, in fact, she was so eclipsed by Depp that I forgot she was even in that). As for the film itself, the writing seemed okay, but nothing exceptional. The story was decent and somewhat entertaining overall. If there were half stars, I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10.

Doomsday (I) (2008)

Mad Max Meets a Big Pile of Lame

[3/10 · 8 August 2008]

I certainly didn't rent this movie expecting anything good, just something mildly entertaining. What I received was slightly less than entertaining. In this Mad Max wannabe film, mohawked road-warriors have simply been replaced with slightly more stylish, punk-looking freaks with equally overdone mohawks, copious piercings and unrealistically flawless tattoos. How these people got ahold of all the tattoo guns and yet have no actual firearms is beyond me. How these club-swinging, Molotov-throwing ruffians are somehow starving and forced to subsist on human flesh yet the protagonists drive through a herd of cattle prior to entering post-apocalyptic Glasgow is also beyond my comprehension.

I think the writers may have smoked a little too much weed while creating the script. I can picture one of them in his living room, lips pressed to a two-foot bong, thinking…"Cannibals. That's it! That's how we make it stand out from Mad Max. Genius!" The plot holes and inanities continue throughout the rest of the film. Even the music was lame. They could have at least included some good heavy metal. Well, the chick with all the face tats is hot, until she gets beheaded of course. If you dig B-grade splatter horror/action with a Hollywood blockbuster budget, you might actually enjoy this film (as it seems other reviewers have). Otherwise, your time might be better spent sitting on the toilet or mowing the lawn.

The Air I Breathe (2007)

What happened to subtlety? Some of us aren't that dense.

[4/10 · 3 July 2008]

This film definitely had potential; unfortunately the sub-par acting, contrived storyline and mediocre directing made The Air I Breathe fall flat on its face. I don't know why there are so many glowing reviews here – I ended the film completely unfulfilled. First of all, the postmodern nonlinear plot trajectory was transparent and manufactured. So many films try to be postmodern and fail for the very fact that they are trying too hard (The Number 23, The Butterfly Effect, The Eye Inside, etc.) Secondly, I felt no sympathy for Fraser and Gellar's characters because they were not developed at all. Garcia was basically a caricature of a hardcore gangster, wooden and completely undeveloped. Whitaker wasn't bad, but he was entirely underused. In fact, if the story had focused more on his character and less on the others, the movie might have been better. Lacking any semblance of subtlety, this film doggedly beats us over the head with forced emotionality.

Bottom line: A film that is trying really, really hard to be poignant is not going to be poignant at all. If you want a better version of the nonlinear, strangers lives intersecting theme, 21 Grams and Crash are a lot better, although even Crash tried a little too hard to get its point across. When is Hollywood going to get it -- be more subtle. Sometimes less is more.

Numb (I) (2007)

It actually happened to me... and, honestly, this is pretty accurate

[8/10 · 2 July 2008]

I picked this up on a whim after having only seen a brief trailer for it on another movie. I am SO glad I did. As one of the other commentators pointed out, depersonalization disorder is a real problem for some people. Unlike Perry's character, I smoked weed everyday for a little over two years before it suddenly flipped a 180 on me and threw me into a panic/anxiety disorder coupled with what I was calling dissociation (not feeling right in your own skin, as they say in the movie, is spot-on). I felt "out of pocket" for over two years after my incident and never really went completely back to normal. I eventually managed to get over the chronic anxiety (after six months on Lexapro and about a year spent seeing a psychologist). Anyway, sorry to go on about myself, but it is just such a relief to see this on film! I'm even a writer as well (fiction not screenplays), but this is uncanny. My doctor also told me there was nothing physically wrong with me, just like in the film. I had an MRI and multiple other tests which all yielded nothing, like in the film. I had read some blog entries of people experiencing this, but my doctor had no idea what was wrong with me and my shrink had never really heard of it either. I felt just as alone and helpless as Perry's character does.

This movie did an amazing job of showing the effects of this little-known disorder. That whole part about looking at your hand or an object and not feeling like it's actually there, even though you can physically feel it -- completely true. I wanted to crawl out of my skin at times, and it is just so cathartic to see this film now, years after the fact. Perry is brilliant in this role and didn't even slip into Chandler-esquire tropes that have somewhat become his trademark (although, unfortunately, he will always be compared to that character). The dialog is actually quite good and the romanticism in this film isn't overbearing and contrived like so many other rom-comedies. In fact, I normally avoid rom-comedy for that very reason. Numb avoids the pitfalls and cuts right to the uncontrived truths. It doesn't rely on cuteness or sentimentality and the wittiness shines. Of course it's not perfection, but I couldn't have asked for more. Thank you Harris Goldberg. You did well.

The Birdcage (1996)

A truly underrated masterpiece of comedy

[9/10 · 18 April 2008]

While I'm a little surprised this film is not rated higher, I'm also not surprised. Hands down, comedy is probably the most difficult film genre. It's so much harder to make people laugh, and laugh throughout the whole film, than it is to make a "dramatic" drama or an "action-packed" action movie. The Birdcage is one of my all-time favorite comedies, if not only for the great acting. Plus, it's the subtle nuances that really add to the film's brilliance, and I think these are overlooked.

In my book, there may never be a better comedic combination than Williams and Lane (I'm sorry, but the Broderick/Lane combo in the Producers was nowhere near as complementary). The Williams/Lane cohesion in this movie is undeniable and the delivery of the dialogue is hilarious. Some people seem to be critical of the story's obvious clichés and overblown silliness; however, they have obviously missed the point – it's supposed to be clichéd and silly. Granted, without Williams and Lane, the movie wouldn't have made so much as a blip on the radar. But toss in the added bonus of Hank Azaria's Agador and Hackman's obvious presence, and you've got comedic gold.

"Oh I see, so you're going to a cemetery with your toothbrush. How Egyptian."

Elektra (2005)

Garner is nice to look at, but not enough to save this movie

[4/10 · 17 April 2008]

Aside from Jennifer Garner's insatiable hotness in that red outfit and the occasionally entertaining fight scene, this movie has little to offer. It is a somewhat prototypical comic book-based movie with sub-par dialogue, mediocre acting and a jumpy plot; although, it's certainly not the worst movie of its genre I've seen so far (I think Spawn may have been worse). At least it wasn't dripping with idiotic sentimentality like the Spiderman series, although there is some. I will admit, there is some pretty good cinematography in the movie and the plot is somewhat intriguing, which probably kept it from tanking completely. I think, really, it just fell into the hole of lameness that nearly all comic book-based films inevitably fall into, with the exception perhaps of the new Batman series and maybe X-Men. Undoubtedly this is a genre that is simply not meant to be explored by most filmmakers. Unfortunately, as long as there is money to be made, we will probably see many more. What's next, I wonder? Maybe the Green Lantern, starring Justin Timberlake.

One Perfect Day (2004)

Nothing perfect about this movie...

[4/10 · 1 April 2008]

...This critique does contain spoilers...

I wouldn't go so far as to say that this movie was a total failure, but it was pretty bad. Following in the footsteps of films like Groove, which to one degree or another focuses on rave culture, recreational drug use and dance music, this movie had the potential to go above and beyond the stereotypical counterculture film because it takes a much different angle. Creating music out of real-life sounds and rhythms is by no means new, but it is a fairly unique idea and the actual composition of electronic music is not something any other film in this genre has really examined (at least from what I've seen). The cinematography is pretty good, the acting isn't horrible and the plot is interesting. Unfortunately this movie is so focused on mixing drama and emotionally-charged plot twists into the formula that it loses touch with the message it is trying to provide; or, at least, the message is overshadowed by the writers trying too hard to make the movie dramatic and it falls flat on its face. What's sad is the plot could have been much more coherent and resonating if only a few bad choices weren't made.

For one thing, how did Tommy go from never having mixed live electronic music to being some kind of DJ prodigy in the course of a few days or weeks? I'm sorry, but it just doesn't work that way, even with previous music experience (I know a couple of DJ's who took years to get to that point). Two: what is the point of having the sister and the girlfriend die (and possibly the third death of the sister's unborn baby)? This is hyperbolized, soap opera nonsense. The love triangle thing with the drug dealer guy – also pretty dumb. Three: how is Tommy even capable of functioning after these two (or three) supposedly significant deaths let alone able to get up on stage and spin an awesome music set for the second time in his life? Of course, that's not all that's wrong with this movie and I would go into more detail, but I just don't feel like writing a thesis on plot trajectory vs. theme and character development and all that nonsense. Bottom line: it's somewhat entertaining, but nothing extraordinary like some people here seem to think.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

the myth, the legend, the Gonzo

[10/10 · 14 August 2005]

Fear and Loathing is the most infamous and brilliant drug culture film ever made, right alongside Trainspotting, Half-Baked and Requiem For a Dream, although it stands alone in it's own sub-genre of hilariously perverted, crazy-psychedelic Gonzoism. Hunter S. couldn't have written a better story and Gilliam brought it into film with a masterful hand and a true reverence for the man, the myth and the legend. Whoever cast this one with the Depp and Del Toro combo was a genius and really must have read the book because I couldn't imagine a better Duke and Dr. Gonzo. I must have watched this one two dozen times (often while partaking in similar recreational activities as the characters on film) and it made me smile and laugh out loud every time and every time I saw something new I hadn't noticed before. The film is layered so thick and has so much going on, it's impossible to take it all in after seeing it one, two, even three times. Not everyone gets this film and that's perfectly okay. I think Thompson would have been proud.

"I need the golf shoes… We'll never get out of here alive man."

Heat (1995)

Brilliantly done... legendary

[10/10 · 14 August 2005]

This is one of the most inspired, brilliantly crafted and gut-wrenching crime dramas ever made and it shows. We may never see a better cast in a drama/action film because as far as I'm concerned no one could top a dual lead like De Niro and Pacino alongside support from actors like Kilmer and Sizemore. Acting aside, the storyline is filled with profoundly brutal realism and transcends pedestrian good guy/bad guy dynamics with a bullet, not to mention the gorgeous cinematography, masterful editing and outstanding musical score. The color choices alone seal the mood (like that blue filter… so sweet) and it couldn't have been cut together better to add dramatic intensity and edge of your seat action sequences. The music in this one is definitely what pushes it to the next level, as many people seem to agree, and I would love to shake the hands of each and every person who helped to create this masterpiece, especially whoever had the idea to use that Moby song at the end… brilliant, absolutely brilliant!