fantastic mr. fox

i am both a huge wes anderson and roald dahl fan, so i was obviously excited to hear that anderson was adapting the dahl book 'the fantastic mr. fox' in the form of a stop animation film.

this film was brilliant. definitely one of the most memorable movies i've seen this year. everything about this movie works right. george clooney's deep instantly recognizable voice is perfect for mr. fox, and voice acting for the others parts are also spot on. Jason Schwartzman is particularly funny as the fox's 'different' son Ash.

the story is very funny. it has that great edge where it would be funny for kids, but it has a lot of adult humor in it as well. it was always amusing, never boring, and i was sad when the fun experience had to end. visually, the amount of fine detail always found in anderson movies is present here as well. also, not being a regular stop-animation director (such as Henry Selick) he presents a lot of camera shots and close-ups that stop animation movies generally avoid. this unique film style works perfectly though.

i cannot say enough about this movie. it's my favorite wes anderson film since 'rushmore.' it has countless laugh out loud moments, and it really makes you feel like you're in the world it presents throughout it. it was the first movie in quite some time where i went to watch it again within a week, and it was equally as funny the second time.

the box

'donnie darko' is one of my all time favorite movies. i love how many of the questions presented in the film are left open to interpretation, yet enough is resolved and comes together at the end where i left satisfied and intrigued. i did not harbor these same warm feelings toward director richard kelly's second film 'southland tales.' it was simply awful, and only god knows why dwanye johnson continues to act.

being such a huge fan of 'darko,' i was excited to see 'the box.' the premise seemed promising, and i had heard it presented some interesting topics for discussion (something i love when a film does).

it starts out pretty solid. the dialogue wasn't tremendous and some interactions felt awkward, but i had no major complaints at first. when the family is presented with the box and given the option to press it for a million dollars but someone they don't know will die, the story began to get rolling and i was enjoying it. the mystery of the presenter of the box, and whether or not the family was next in line to be killed seemed to be setting up for a really solid middle act. however, this is not what kelly delivers us. like an ADD kid on the way to the store to get some milk, this movie loses its focus and gets way off track. it happens so fast too, that i had to step back and wonder how the beginning of the movie led to this point, with an army of 'zombies' chasing people through a library. it really gets completely absurd during the middle of the film.

the nice twist at the end regarding the fate of the family was not strong enough to erase all the nonsense that had just occurred. i was very disappointed with this film, more so than with most bad films, because this could have been a very good film. if it would had stuck to the plot and rooted itself into some sort of foundation, then i might be recommending it right now. however, it ends up being just mediocre. it is definitely not the worst movie i have seen this year, but a very forgettable average one.

paranormal activity

this movie was scary, very scary. i don't often watch scary movies unless they are supposed to be exceptional, so i have seen movies such as the strangers, the shining, and blair witch project. the latter appears to be the film that this one is drawing from. a cast of no name actors shot entirely on a home camera, add to that a shoestring budget, and you have the scariest movie of the year (perhaps the past few years). this film is also a testament to internet buzz, as word of mouth helped it go from select theaters to a large nationwide release.

this film is surprisingly well done. it has excellent pacing and development as the hauntings grow worse and worse as the film goes on. there is a great atmosphere and unease carried throughout, and during the night scenes the unease becomes outright terror.

talking to people who have seen the movie, i find it interesting that most define different moments in the film as the scariest. there was however a consensus that the film itself was a terrifying experience. the few actors in this film were all great. the two homeowners had great chemistry, were very funny at times, and acted very genuinely during the supernatural scenes.

this film is definitely a highlight in a year where i have watched many new films. i am always a fan of watching films that elicit specific emotions from the viewer, and while excitement/anger/joy/relief/redemption are the ones that people usually like, i myself also enjoy the feeling of absolute terror when elicited by a well-done scary film

where the wild things are

i was not one who read 'where the wild things are' as a child (it was more my older brother's generation's book), but i was very familiar with the work and i am always interested in anything spike jonze does. he has such an inventive mind, and the group of directors/writers he associates with are all equally innovative.

being a short book that needed to be adapted into a full length film, jonze adds some great depth and background that does not compromise the story at all. it helps make the film much more than a mindless kid romp. deep inside it really is a story about adolescence and how kids interact with others in the real (and often unreal) world. parallels in the monster's personality's mirror situations he struggles with his regular life.

the film is very funny at times, very scary at times (i thought for a minute he really was going to get eaten!), and very heart warming at others, which is everything a thoughtful summer kids tale should be.

the world and the monster's look absolutely sensational. i credit jonze and his team with creating a perfect visual rendition of the book. the characters are greatly voice acted too, with the exception that k.w.'s voice is a bit too chill/surfish for the rest of the gang. other problems are that some of the interactions between the characters in the middle of the plot feel a little strange, and i didn't understand where the director was going with them; some situations were just a little wonky. another slight problem i had was that i felt the kid was a spoiled brat and was only likable in the most dangerous of situations when you didn't want him to die.

otherwise, i really enjoyed this film. it definitely made me reminisce about the days when me and my friends were create absurd wonderful stories out of our minds and then act them out as if everything was real. i look forward to building an awesome snow fort as a result of this film (though the fort in 'snow day' trumps the one in this movie). due to its scary parts and deep themes 'where the wild things are' is primarily suited for adults who need to remember their youthful days, though i do not doubt that kids will like this film too.

the informant!

both steven soderbergh and matt damon are great. this movie has them teaming up once again, and the hilarious trailer and website had me real excited for it.

i had a great time watching this movie. i had a slight fear going in that a lot of the funnier scenes would be spoiled being in the trailers but thankfully this film was chalked full of really funny stuff. the way damon would narrate his character's thoughts was ridicolous and laugh at loud funny. these completely random moments often occurred during very crucial serious points of the film, which made it all the funnier. off hand, the polar bear contemplation along with the observation of the ants are my favorite moments the character has in thought. the whistleblower plot was interesting enough to keep the story moving. it did tend to drag a bit toward the middle/end but i did not have any trouble keeping attention to it. the best and funniest scenes of the film are when damon begins to do his undercover work.

i loved the way, the 90s feel was pulled off by the very yellowing tone used by the camera, and damon's hair along with his wardrobe. damon is fantastic along with the rest of the cast. i was particularly happy to see arrested development's buster bluth, tony hale, in the role as damon's lawyer; as always he was hilarious.

this was a great late summer movie. it was really funny, had a decent plot and good acting. i definitely recommend it to soderbergh or matt damon fans, or even cohen brother fans, because it had shades of their funnier work in it.

district 9

i was extremely excited for the release of this movie. finally it looked like something bold and fresh would be released in the sci-fi genre. the brilliant viral campaigning for this film, along with peter jackson's name being attached as a producer, definitely helped hype up the attention it received.

let me first say that this movie is worth nearly all the attention it has received. it is truly a science fiction masterpiece, and one of the best films of the past year. neill blomkamp has crafted an exciting, completely original movie that is also a thinly veiled allegory and social commentary on the injustices of south africa. the documentary style helps create a sense of realism that normally would not exist in an alien action movie. i was enthralled throughout the entire experience, it was both unpredictable and original.

this was the first time in quite some time that my emotions were so well captured (anger, disgust, redemption) in a film. and the strangest part was that most of these emotions were sympathetic towards the aliens. that is the genius of blomkamp.

without giving anything away, the movie has two halves. the first part is mainly documentary style explaining the circumstances surrounding the terrestrial beings presence in johannesburg leading up to the turning point for the main character. the second half of the film is more action oriented. both parts work equally well, and i was not bored at any time.

sharlto copley, a fellow director friend of blomkamp is magnificent as the lead character. he plays a naive south afrikaner who is oblivious to the immoral actions he and his crew engage in. the scenes involving him in his office were similar to the humour present in the tv show 'the office,' and he also reminded of the character murray from 'flight of the conchords.' i was completely shocked by the fact that this was copley's first acting gig. he was phenomenal.

not enough can be said about district 9 and copley's performance. neill blomkamp has earned my full and undivided attention for any future projects he works on. however, i have that feeling that despite what he does from here, this will always be remembered as his masterpiece.

funny people

judd apatow has had his name on nearly every big comedy that has come out in the last few years. that being said it is strange that 'funny people' is only his third time actually directing a film. his other two movies, '40 year old virgin' and 'knocked up' were well received and very funny, so i along with many others were looking forward to 'funny people.'

this film is much different than apatow's previous projects. it is much more of a serious comedy (dramedy is the term) and deals with some very dark subject matter. people expecting to go see a light-hearted raunchy tale with a standard plot will likely be disappointed.

i, however, was not disapointed with this movie. i am not exactly a fan of adam sandler's previous comedies; my favorite role of his is 'punch-drunk love.' but i found him very funny in this movie as the terminally ill comedian superstar who seemingly has it all but really has nothing. seth rogen, jonah hill, and jason schwartzman also do great jobs as up and coming comedians struggling to make it big. while watching i really felt like i was getting insight into the lives of standup comedians, and i found it rather fascinating and personal. chemistry wise, rogen and sandler both work well together on screen. it is also worth noting that apatow's choice to use spielberg's cinematographer janusz kaminski makes a world of difference in tone and seriousness when compared to apatow's previous works.

the plot of this film kept me engaged the entire way. it is both hilarious and serious all the way through. watching sandler befriend rogen while also coping with his illness and loneliness seemed satisfying enough, but then when you think the movie is winding down, almost a second movie starts where sandler attempts to reconnect with his former girlfriend who now has a husband and two kids. this portion of the movie drags a bit, because it is not as funny as the first half and the subject matter is pretty heavy at this point. however, i enjoyed it thoroughly, because like life itself, this film does not follow any set formula. it has twists and turns where the character's imperfections are illuminated. i feel that the second part of the movie is possibly where most casual fans who came to see a basic sandler comedy might be lost a bit.

i liked this film a lot. it is clearly judd apatow's best movie and one of rogen and sandler's best performances. it is quite artsy for a comedy of this nature, and i found myself thinking about it afterwards, both for the jokes and all the memorable events that occurred. i think that average moviegoers who thought the film was just ok when it finished, will find themselves liking it more and more the more they reflect upon it.