2009: A Year of Paragraph Movie Reviews

I sure did see quite a few movies this year, and wouldn't you know it, I wrote about them all.

Before the new decade kicks in later this week, I thought it might be fun to go back through my Paragraph Movie Reviews for 2009 and snag a couple relevant sentences from each breaking down the gist of what I thought.

Hopefully this will help guide you through the use of all those gift cards you got for Christmas or Chanukah or at the very least finally clue you in as to what I thought of He's Just Not That Into You in case heaven forbid you missed it the first time around.

I included links to the full reviews if these teasers peak your interest at all. Also, I realized I start a lot of review pieces out with "This movie" or "This film" and have thusly grown as a person.

Doubt
My favorite thing about Doubt is probably the way it is shot. There are no quick cuts; every shot is long, deliberate and creates an effect that you need to be paying attention. John Patrick Shanley, who both wrote the play adapted for the movie and directed the film, did an excellent job.

Revolutionary Road
Forget Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm St; if you're a 20-something looking to get married anytime soon, this is the scariest horror movie you'll ever see. That aside, it's one heckuva film and I was thoroughly engrossed for its two hour duration.

Frost/Nixon
I'd describe this film as competently constructed and occasionally powerful, but never quite reaching the level of brilliance it seems to be striving for. [Frank Langella] is a force, physically occupying the figure he is recreating with incredible commitment, and making Nixon aggravating as a foil for the "good guys," yet charismatic and fascinating as well.

Slumdog Millionaire
Boy howdy, this wasn't just an awesome movie, it was an incredible feat. It's been some time where I walked away from a film marveling at not necessarily a performance or a scene, but how well constructed it all was and my hat is off to Danny Boyle for one of the best directing jobs I think I've ever seen. This movie is like a perfect stew or a well-assembled machine in the way it takes so many disparate moving parts and matches them up into a final product that just takes your breath away.

Milk
The unfortunate thing for me is that I'd say the bulk of my problems with it come from filmmaking decisions which overshadow a great script and excellent acting performances. The first half of the movie is just badly paced, racing through the early portion of Milk's awakening as an activist and taking all the punch out of landmark events. Once things slow down for the second half after he's established and time is taken to really invest in the workings Milk's life and the political system, it gets good, but your end result is an uneven viewing experience.

Watchmen
Even though most of the lines and scenes are verbatim from the comic, it's simply not Watchmen brought to life ala how most reverent fans would probably like. The sooner you put that aside (I did it around the scene where Dan and Laurie fight the thugs in the alley and it became clear that it was just going to be all the super hero scenes and that's all), the better off you are.

I Love You, Man
This movie has a little more meat to it than some of the other comedies much of its cast has done lately, and that works both for and against it. Me personally, I enjoyed seeing the actors stretch and appreciated a lot of the heavier stuff behind the laughs. On the flipside, I can see where the slightly more realistic tone and reined-in characters could be jarring for somebody expecting another "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" or "Knocked Up."

Rachel Getting Married
Honestly, the last half hour or so felt like I was just watching somebody's wedding video and I'd only get yanked out of it when they showed Anne Hathaway because I wondered when she was going to snap. Speaking of Anne Hathaway, she's absolutely brilliant and I don't think I would have checked in with the rest of what was going on around her if not for her performance.

Adventureland
I have definitely seen films that are more technically proficient, funnier, and flat out better than "Adventureland" pretty recently, but I haven't seen a movie that gave me the kinda enjoyment and satisfaction I got with this one in years. It's a very intangible and hard to pinpoint thing, because like I said I know I've seen plenty of good movies lately, but something about this one just caught and connected with me on a level that made me grin.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Stir that all together, mix in some trademark bold Woody Allen camera choices (I presume, having never seen another Woody Allen movie) and narration I personally found grating, and you come out with a movie I didn't mind seeing, but could have done fine without.

Star Trek
I'm by no means a Star Trek devotee, so I think I can say I'm fairly without bias when proclaiming this a really fun, really exciting, really clever and really just all-around well-done movie. Honestly, I hope more action movie writers and directors use this as a guide for how to do their stuff the right way. There was a pretty big ensemble cast but nobody got lost in the shuffle, screen time was well-managed, and while everybody got their moments, there was no doubt who the story centered around.

Terminator Salvation
A really good action flick should have a clear endgame established early on and everything that occurs leading up is either a landmark or sidetrack on the road to getting there; with Terminator Salvation, you don't get the sense that there is a long-term destination, just a series of meaningless fights and chase scenes cobbled together without an idea of the big picture.

The Hangover
Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper do what they do best as the dork and the asshole they respectively always seem to play, but that's kinda the clarion call of this movie: don't fix it if it ain't broke. Zach Galifianakis is the breakout here as he has a creepy awkwardness that makes you uncomfortable but also makes you just need to laugh; he really milks every line without being ostentatious about it.

The Proposal
This movie is a textbook example of how good actors can elevate subpar material when they really try. As far as story and script, "The Proposal" is pretty clichéd, not that well-paced and generally lacking in a lot of areas; in other words, it's an average romantic comedy. However, this film is so well-cast that the lean portions are at least watchable and the good stuff that could fall flat in lesser hands really shines through.

He’s Just Not That Into You
I'm shocked that A) Somebody made this movie (ok, not that shocked, Hollywood is crazy), B) Somebody else thought it needed to be over two hours and C) That so many talented actors read the script and still signed on. It's basically 129 minutes of people having the types of annoying conversations about relationship clichés that you fast forward in other movies and avoid in real life.

Bruno
Despite the fact that it was essentially a movie about fooling regular people and making them look foolish, Borat still had a certain earnestness and sincerity at its core that gave it a sort of uplifting quality that Bruno lacks. There are some truly funny parts of Bruno to be sure, but I noticed most of them involved extreme and graphic sexual comedy, which was more of a rarity and "final level" type deal for Borat, whereas here it feels like they couldn't figure out more subtle but equally funny alternatives.

Married Life
In the end, this film's biggest problem was that it simply wasn't that interesting or captivating, even for 90 minutes, and the good acting, decent jokes and quality camerawork only elevated it to an average piece of work.

Step Brothers
This was less a full-formed movie and more a series of bits that Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Adam McKay didn't have room for on Funny or Die. The physical comedy is top notch and some of the scenes and lines are hilarious, but there's no real coherent plot or flow to get caught up in.

Sunshine Cleaning
The premise here--down-on-her-luck single mom and her bad seed sister make cash by cleaning up crime scenes--is a neat gimmick and decent hook, but really more just a clever set-for a group of talented actors to do what they do best. However, as much as this film was more of an actor's showcase to me, I don't want to undersell the script, which did a nice job of balancing dark comedy with some real heavy stuff centered on loss and family.

Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
In the case of Chris Bell's examination of America's steroid culture, the author has intimate ties to his investigation, and as such, he creates a powerful, informative and oft-times heartbreaking piece. The project comes off as earnest because you can sense through Bell he desperately wants to find some logic in the paradoxes that surround him, and his genuine reactions to his findings will hit you harder because he comes off more as an average guy doing a research paper or something as opposed to a polished director angling for awards.

(500) Days of Summer
From the first scene it totally tries to win you over with its cute little home movies, its endearingly witty leads and its wonderful soundtrack, but then somewhere around the 45 minute mark you realize all those narrative and flash-forward portents of doom weren't just the usual empty romantic comedy teases, this is indeed about a very REAL relationship, not a fairy tale, and you get gut-punched watching the couple you just fell in love with have to deal with the same stuff you probably did as you were searching for your soul mate and wondering why it didn't always work out like it did in the movies.

Extract
Writer/director Mike Judge tries to graft on some heart and some dark comedy in various places, but it's a forced, awkward fit; "Extract" is ultimately a flick that leaves you wondering with such great talent involved, what exactly went wrong.

Year One
I do have to say that after really getting irritated by Michael Cera the past couple years, his performance here reminded me why I was once a big fan; I really think he's at his best doing pure comedy and farce--as he is here--rather than trying to incorporate dramatic over tones beyond the grasp of that one character he plays.

Precious
Mo'Nique is shocking as the abusive mother, delivering a consistent intensity that she is able to manipulate beautifully and make terrifying by using her humor to lull you into a false sense of peace and then jolt you with her most heinous actions; Mo'Nique's final scene is basically what should be listed in the dictionary under "Oscar Clip" (with all due respect to Wayne Campbell).

Funny People
I'm impressed by the inventiveness and sheer endurance of the filmmaker here on a movie that he could have probably cranked out as an hour and a half chucklefest; he certainly had a vision and committed, accomplishing what he set out to do at least in part.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil
It's almost as if [director Sacha] Gervasi wants to delve into these guys' lives as much as is necessary to make them accessible, but then stop short so they can still be characters as well. If Gervasi failed in any respect, it's that he made half of a movie so good that I'm really bummed I feel like I didn't get to see the rest.

For what it's worth, here are my top five of the year in the order I saw 'em: Revolutionary Road, Slumdog Millionaire, Adventureland, Star Trek and (500) Days of Summer (with The Hangover coming in at sixth after a follow-up DVD viewing).

Seeya at the pictures!

A Semi-Rant About Getting Older as Society Gets Younger

I know we usually don't get too introspective here at the CKT, but indulge me if you will, because I'm curious to hear what other people think on this.

A few days ago, I did my standard Paragraph Movie Review for the movie Adventureland and it ended up getting more personal than those usually get for me. What hit me was how much the character of James Brennan, played by Jesse Eisenberg, reminded me of elements of myself in my younger years, and also how much the character of Em Lewin, played by Kristen Stewart, reminded me of an amalgam of girls I knew and had feelings for during that period. The movie made me very nostalgic, which at first added to my enjoyment of it (as I mentioned in that initial post), but in the subsequent days has led to a surprising amount of self-examination, most of it interesting, but some of it downright stressful.

First off, I can't deny the elephant in the room that is my brain: this movie made me feel kinda old. I'm only 27, but these characters reminded me of a time when I was about 10 years younger, and that's an odd and kinda uncomfortable situation. The thing I observed was how nostalgic I found myself for a period in my life that, to be honest, isn't generally one I look back fondly on. Today I've got a job I find great enjoyment in and a girl who I love more than anything--and we're getting married! So why would I be nostalgic for the days when I had no idea what I was going to do with my life and girls were a major source of anguish for me? It's a strange sensation, but polling my friends the last couple days, apparentl I'm not the only one who has gone through it.

The other big thing I took away from Adventureland was that it's weird to realize you've reached the point in your life where the actors in a coming of age movie are no longer older than you or even the same age, they're far younger. I remember being in high school, seeing movies like Dazed and Confused of Varsity Blues and even though ostensibly the characters were supposed to be the same age as my friends and I, they were clearly played by actors who were a few years older; there's a strange sort of comfort in that, in thinking "I will grow up to be that cool." On the flip side, the characters in Adventureland were only supposed to be five years younger than me, and in some cases, so were the actors, but in others (particularly in the case of Stewart), they were far younger. Not only does that have the danger of leaving you with the very different thought of, "Well, I guess I used to be that cool," but it also brings me to my next point...

As I mentioned, the character of Em reminds me of several girls who I felt strongly about at one time or another. Also worth noting: more than one person has pointed out that Kristen Stewart and my fiancee are not twins or anything, but they do share some resemblance. So I guess it's only natural that I'd be attracted to/fascinated by the character of Em...and that kinda creeps me out. Why? Because the character was supposed to be 22 and further because Kristen Stewart is only 19 years old.

Obviously it's not uncommon when you're watching a movie to develop a bit of a crush on a character featured therein even when you don't feel a particular personal connecttion to the story being told. My big example has always been that when I saw Almost Famous back in 2000, I was totally captivated by Penny Lane, played by Kate Hudson. I had a huge, embarassing crush on her (and on a related note was devastated when she didn't win the Oscar).

Now it has always weirded me out to be attracted in any way to a character in a movie or TV show or whatever, because I picture how the actress (or actor) in question probably would feel about it and imagine either bemusement or discomfort on their part. Yes, I overthink things sometimes. But with the Penny Lane thing (and most subsequent similar circumstances), I didn't feel that uncomfortable, because she was 20, only two years older than me, and also seemed much older. That seemed normal enough.

But crushing on a girl eight years younger than you? I'm not condemning it, but it feels weird to me, and it definitely makes me feel like I've passed some sort of weird landmark on my life's road I wasn't aware of. It maybe wouldn't bug me as much if even the character were a bit older (because again, it's the characters, not the actress), but I've got at least five years on Em too.

This got me thinking about the larger issue of how society in general today is different in regards to how quick people, and in particular, celebrities grow up. I'm not going to preach, because honestly I'm not so much disturbed by this development as I am fascinated. But it was interesting to talk to my old man and note that as he was approaching his late 20's, he wasn't bombarded by a society in which teenage celebrities (guys and girls alike) are promoted as sex symbols. It's an interesting generational thing. Certainly Shirley Temple (bad example because my dad isn't that old, but let's roll with it) never wore outfits like Miley Cyrus does. And hey, I'll go ahead and say it: Miley Cyrus is pretty hot, dude! And she is 16! And just to show I'm being equally opportunistic here, I'm sure there are plenty of chicks my age who think 21-year old Zac Efron is a piece of ass--and in my hetero opinion, they ain't wrong!

Anyways, it's undeniable that celebrities are being sexed up at a far younger age, and that makes it a strange time to be in your mid-to-late 20's, because we're a big chunk of the target demographic for movies like Superbad or TV shows like Gossip Girl and part of that means we're being asked to accept that kids a decade younger than us are sexually desirable. It's a weird place to be.

In the end, I still think Adventureland was a rad movie, but I'm honestly not sure I could see it again in the near future. The amount of soul-searching it has led me to do in regards to my feelings on both society and my place in it has been both exhausting and at times a bit depressing. I'm not gonna lie: the next time I'm flipping through Entertainment Weekly and see a picture of Kristen Stewart, I'm probably gonn feel a weird sort of shame-type deal, and it sucks that a work of fiction should have that sort of power over you. It speaks to the quality of said work, but it still kinda sucks. I'll also feel a bit dumb when I see an interview with her and remember she's still a kid.

The solace I have found is that many folks feel the same way I do. Oh, that and the fact that once I stop being retarded and pining for the days when I was getting drunk in my friends' backyard and awkwardly hoping a certain girl would notice me and instead remember that my life fucking rocks now, I feel a whole lot better.

And besides, the best-looking person male or female in Adventureland was still Ryan Reynolds, and m'man's 32.

Kidding aside though, writing this all out was actually pretty decent therapy. And I'm genuinely curious to hear what the rest of you think.

Back to talking comics after this, promise.

Paragraph (Plus) Movie Reviews: Adventureland

More than a paragraph because I wanna give a standard review and then a slightly more personal-to-me take on this one.

I have definitely seen films that are more technically proficent, funnier, and flat out better than "Adventureland" pretty recently, but I haven't seen a movie that gave me the kinda enjoyment and satisfaction I got with this one in years. It's a very intangible and hard to pinpoint thing, because like I said I know I've seen plenty of good movies lately, but something about this one just caught and connected with me on a level that made me grin. Admittedly, I think a large chunk of that came from the fact that I felt a personal empathy to the main character* as well as a sort of nostalgic link to his situation (I've never worked at an amusement park, but his summer job and the environment he was in definitely took me back to my summer camp days in terms of tone), so your mileage may vary on how much you dig the flick. That aside, I do think it held up well just on its own merits. It was certainly not what I was expecting (and, to be fair, what I feel was advertised in the trailers and commercials), which was another Apatow-style screwball comedy. Instead, it was a far more earnest and heartfelt story about young love that got its laughs from fairly realistic events as opposed to outright absurdity. It felt like a more reined-in "Superbad" (which makes sense, as it was the same director, Greg Mottola, who also wrote it) with a touch of "Almost Famous." The people and situations feel like ones you might actually encounter, which gives the movie more weight than something like "40-Year Old Virgin" or whatever. To wit, Jesse Eisenberg is a big reason I dug this so much, and I believe it's because he is what I want Michael Cera to be; he's able to do the "Oh, I'm such a dork, but I'm really sweet" routine and score with the awkward comedy, but not every line is for laughs and he's credible in his serious scenes; you believe that girls would fall for this guy and you're rooting for him. I was probably most concerned about Kristen Stewart going in, because she looked so wooden in just the commercials I saw for "Twilight" and certainly came off like a ditz promoting that movie, but man, she proved my expectations wrong in this one. She's incredibly natural and pulls off perfectly playing the hot girl who is also totally attainable, not an easy feat. It was also cool seeing Ryan Reynolds being given a chance to stretch, not playing the uber nice guy or the cocky prick for once, but instead a very flawed dude whose behavior doesn't match up with his exterior at all. As for Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, literally all their scenes are in the trailer and I kinda presume they (and Reynolds) were used primarily to get people to buy tickets, which is fine, because I was much more intrigued by Eisenberg, Stewart and the rest of the young cast. Also, great soundtrack. I really just loved this movie. A great balance of humor and heart with a love story I cared enough about that I was on the edge of my seat to see if it all worked out.

*So why did I relate to Jesse Eisenberg's character, James Brennan, so much? Well, even though he was supposed to be 22, he sure reminded me a whole lot of me circa 16-19 (or so). He's a kinda awkward but sorta charming guy who becomes convinced very very quickly that if he makes a connection with a girl, he has found true love. Yeah, that was me in high school for sure. I can't tell you how many times I would just be hanging out with a girl and become convinced she was "the one" just because I was so desperate to fall in love. And much like James, there were a lot of times where I'd find myself turfed because an onstensibly cooler guy who also happened to be kind of a prick came along. It's hard to get into more detail if you haven't seen the movie and/or lived in my headspace for a bit (and that second one is tough), but now that I'm pretty far removed from that guy who I was 10 years ago and have actually found that elusive love I was always searching for, it was really kinda neat to relive those days in a way without having to actually, y'know, go through them again. If you had a similar period in your life (or even if you haven't), I recommend this movie.