Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Extract (2009)


This is a movie I can watch multiple times! The cast is great! Its simply, cozy. Extract revolves around the owner of an extract company named Joel, played by Jason Bateman. Bateman is his usual sad sappy underdog. Everything in his life seems to be going wrong and you just want to give him a hug. Joel is not a departure from most of Bateman's other roles, but he's good at it and I'm not tired of it yet.

J.K. Simmons plays Brian. Its not clear if he's a minority business partner or a type of general manager; regardless, its of little significance. Recognizing J.K. Simmons from such serious roles in OZ and Law & Order, its hilarious to hear him call everyone "dinkus." Watching him make fun of people makes you feel so sentimental. It sounds strange and I suppose that connection is only there if you're familiar with his much more serious roles.

I'm not a big Mila Kunis fan. I just really want her to clear her throat. I know that may seem silly or superficial but its slightly irritating to listen to raspy voices for too long. The good thing is, she's not the main character. I don't want this to sound like she isn't good in the movie, because she is! In fact, she's perfect.

Ben Affleck as Dean the Bartender, Dustin Milligan as Brad the Gigolo, Clifton Collins Jr as Step, Kristin Wiig as Suzie, T.J. Miller as Rory, David Koechner as Nathan; there are so many dynamic roles and they are all played superbly. The weakest link in all of the acting is Gene Simmons as Joe Adler. He barely pulls it off. He just doesn't have the hutzpah required for such a sleazy part. It was a missed opportunity for an eccentric outlandish character; however, its not distracting.

Extract is written and directed by Mike Judge from Beavis and Butthead fame; so naturally there's sex, drugs, more drugs, and little bit of rock n roll. Throughout most of the film, it isn't a noticeable Mike Judge story; but I would consider Brad the Gigolo to be his signature. The movie, the cast, the story...everything about it is surprisingly comfortable.

On a scale of 1-10, I give Extract an 8.0
                 with distinction: underrated.

Scene Spotlight: Suzie and Brad the Gigolo poolside conversation.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1225822/

Monday, April 29, 2013

Elephant (2003)


Holy Elephant! Stick a fork in my eye! This film was excruciatingly slow. 81 minutes total and about half of that time was used to watch the backs of heads as they walk across a large field, through a building, then through another building. Ultimately, this film comes off as voyeuristic; like a reality show before editing. You watch as cameras follow various people through an average day at a typical American high school.

Considering the creation of this film was inspired by Columbine, you can safely assume that there will be a shooting at some point...predictably the ending. There's a morbid curiosity to watch the ending. It keeps you intrigued to the point of bearing the moments of nothingness. I actually found the characters to be interesting, even though the filming of it was rather amateur. If I didn't know what the movie was about and what was inevitably going to happen, it would not have kept my attention and I would've turned it off after ten minutes. I understand its a low-budget piece, but it was produced by Diane Keaton and directed by Gus Van Sant (Drugstore Cowboy, Good Will Hunting) so I guess I expected a lot more. They tried too hard to keep it "indy" and successfully turned low budget into low quality.

Elephant has won many awards, including Best Director at Cannes. The only thing I can think of is that they had an edited version. Like when Josh had all the commercials edited out of the Super Bowl in Big, they edited out all the pointless walking and staring. Either that or they were sleeping through most of it!

Part of what is missing is the motivation behind the major act. I don't expect movies to spell everything out, but this one makes you conclude from too many assumptions. Van Sant oozes arrogance and patronizes the audience. Its like walking into an art gallery and all the haughty people turn their noses up at you because you don't understand the "art" behind two dots on a large sheet of white paper.

Elephant, as a short, for a high school project? Great! As a directorial and cinematographically acclaimed film? Not even close. The trailer is a much better film. Just watch the trailer and the last 20 minutes of the movie and you'll be good to go.

On a scale of 1-10, I give Elephant a 3.5
                 with distinction: Highly overrated.

Scene Spotlight: Benny.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363589/?ref_=sr_3

Butter (2011)

 
I hadn't heard of this movie until I stumbled upon it on Netflix. Honestly, I only watched it because there were just too many familiar names not to. I have to think that if so many well-known actors are in one movie, the chances are the movie is pretty decent. I was expecting a sort of mellow comedy. I was totally wrong! Butter has energy! This movie is about...yes, butter! More specifically a butter competition in a small Iowa town.

Jennifer Garner as Laura Pickler. An uptight, slightly neurotic, usually well-mannered, suburban house wife with crazed ambition. I was surprised that Jennifer Garner didn't fall into the superstar leading lady trap and take over the entire movie. It would be easy with this type of role, but she balances her character with the rest of the cast very well. Her ability to share the stage is definitely underrated.

Olivia Wilde as Brooke completely surprised me! Wilde is totally open, committed, and approaches this role without fear. By far the standout performance of the movie. You have never seen her quite like this; raunchy, brash, and practically naked the whole time. I have to add, the sound/music editor(s) were spot on whenever she entered a room.

Kristen Schaal as Carol Ann is a very strong supportive role. Her character is innocently and hysterically politically incorrect. She's shocking, sweet, and funny.

Yara Shahidi as Destiny, is the foster-child who is Laura Pickler's main competitor in the butter sculpting competition and the narrator of the film, yet she isn't on the cover for the movie? I understand the cast is full of A-listers, but they seriously couldn't fit one more stick of butter on the cover? Very strange.

The biggest hiccup in casting is Ashley Greene as Bob and Laura's daughter. Every scene with her is noticeably dull, which makes it even worse that she's on the cover and Yara Shahidi is not.

I thought casting Alicia Silverstone as the, presumed vegan, foster mother was genius. Although the layered comedy might only be known by a very small percentage because the movie itself is already tailored for a small audience. It will take an Alicia Silverstone fan or a vegan to understand how funny it is to see her fridge full of soy products and the irony of her foster daughter entering a butter competition.

As funny as this film is, the emotional investment just isn't there. Although, I imagine it would've been cultivated had they committed the film to be more of a heartfelt family comedy. Rob Corddry as Ethan, the foster father, has to work really hard to get the audience invested. Toward the end, its almost there. You just know there's something lacking when you feel more heartbreak for the bully than anyone else. The film was only 90 minutes. They could have spent a little more time creating the emotional bond between Destiny and her foster parents. However, the main punch in this film is the comedy. There are many jaw-dropping moments. Its so funny that the little man in my belly didn't sit down for more than 10 minutes!

Overall, Butter is almost perfect. Its like it started out as a dark comedy but somewhere along the way, someone wanted it to be a family comedy. The problem is, no child should see this movie. They either should've went with dark or family, but combining the two significantly narrowed the audience. Its unfortunate because the cast was strong enough that it would have worked as either! Regardless, I found it thoroughly entertaining.

On a scale of 1-10, I give Butter an 8.0
                 with distinction: underrated.

I never want to give away too much, so instead I will add a spotlight on a particular scene that I found extraordinary and worth paying attention to (if there is one).

Scene Spotlight: Hugh Jackman's character, Boyd Bolton, praying to God.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1349451/

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Sherlock (TV Series-BBC) Season 1 (2010)


Yes, I know. I'm beginning my movie review blog with a review of a television show. Speak of the elephant and it will no longer exist.

On we go then.

A edgy twist of the Sherlock Holmes series written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as the TV credits constantly remind. Probably one of the more fascinating shows I have seen in awhile. The writer's have chalked it full of witty dialogue; surprisingly though, it doesn't interfere with the chemistry of the characters, as the "other Sherlock series" does. The chemistry of the actors is apparent from the start; the pilot episode makes you feel as though all the actors have been working with each other for many seasons.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock, is an awkward and lanky fellow. He has brilliantly created Sherlock to be unlikeable yet lovable. If you can imagine the leads from Psych, Lie To Me, Dexter, CSI, Monk, & House blended into one, then add a mint leaf; that's Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock.

Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson is probably the only part of the show that confuses me just a little. His energy is perfect opposite Cumberbatch, but his back story seems to contradict his very mellow persona. He teeters on ignorance and stupidity without ever getting there; very much like a lost little puppy dog, which seems to be the point. Its just a tad bit of a jump to accept Dr. Watson this way when he is after all, a doctor and a soldier.

Una Stubbs as Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock and Dr. Watson's landlady. She is a wonderfully kooky woman who creates a solid foundation for the show.

Throughout the episodes, we are taken on a Sherlock fun ride. There are crimes, "obviously," and as they work through them, Sherlock breaks down all of his observations and they are at times literally spelled out for us. His incessant ramblings of a crime scene creates a burst of energy that is quite euphoric.

Another fun aspect of the show is their creativity when using Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock stories and weaving it into the series. The pilot episode is called "A Study in Pink" which is loosely based on Doyle's "A Study in Scarlet." There are many factors from Doyle's Sherlock that overlap into the series. Its as if Sherlock, the television show, is Doyle's version in an alternate universe.

On a practical note, all of the actors have British accents and at times because of their accents and British slang, you can miss some of the dialogue. The solution? The more you watch, the more of the slang you pick up on.

Finally I must add, this show is an hour and a half long per episode. I find that a bit tedious to sit that long for one episode; but for the most part, it doesn't feel that long. There are also only three episodes per season. The show is on the BBC network and produced in the UK, so I'm not sure if this is a usual set up across the pond but I was disappointed when I realized I was done after only three episodes. I wanted more...obviously.

On a scale of 1-10, I would give BBC's Sherlock Season 1...a 9.0

Sherlock-IMDB