Review: The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones takes place in Everytown, USA, during the early '70s where the murder of young girl breaks a family apart and rocks a small town. Little do they know, their daughter is just beyond the ethereal plane, but not yet heaven, watching over them trying to guide them to her killer. Her killer being an unassuming neighbor with dark secrets and hidden past.

The Lovely Bones is a big heap of disappointment. What seemed like a poignant, other worldly thriller never could find its pacing or tone bouncing back and forth between genres. At one point, a murder mystery where a desperate father is trying to find clues that would lead him to the evil slayer who is so close. At another point, it is an introspective family drama where the pieces caused by this tragic loss are clumsily put back together. Last but not least, is the fantasy world just beyond reality where Suzie Salmon's (the victim) imagination comes to life. Separately, they are mildly effective in their intention, but together they are a poorly constructed final product undermining Peter Jackson's grand reputation.

The cast looks great. Young up and comer Saoirse Ronan showed promise elsewhere, but her she trips up on the narration. She never feels invested in the plot. This is especially problematic when the plot revolves around her character. Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon are proven professionals, but they never seem to find rythm here. Sarandon's goofy montage midway through the movie was a tension killer on the same scale of "Raindrops Falling on my Head" in Butch and Sundance. I find it ironic that I just assumed they would perform admirably, but it was Mark Wahlberg who performed past expectations considering he is more known for being loud and violent. As the emotionally bruised father, he adds a level of sympathy that no one else could. And then of course there is Stanley Tucci, as the sick, perverted killer. He excels in spades. His dark, calculating villain is one of the more fearsome villains in years. Like a shark in open water. Most of the time, you would never see him coming until it is too late. This is why when he makes his move on Suzie and the most important clue is found and seems neither cunning or calculating, undermining his character completely.

The ending is completely unsatisfying. It puts far too much faith in childhood crushes, and the epilogue involving the final fate of the killer, years later, seems tacky and unnecessary.

Wahlberg and Tucci perform awesomely, and the visuals are very striking, but the rest of the talent struggle to the end, and the plot and pacing never finds its balance.

4/10

Review: Up in the Air

George Clooney plays a traveling business consultant hired to terminate employees for other companies and ready them for the path of job hunting. Clooney plays a relic, so to speak, fighting for his job against the ever evolving state of technology. Clooney decides to partner up with the young revolutionary, played by Anna Kendrick, taking her on a cross country trip to see how his job is done and teach her about the finer things about living on the road. Together they share life experiences and relationship advice.

George Clooney is an old-fashioned Hollywood player. He brings an incredible amount of charisma, grace, and machismo to the screen, and hits all his beats. If the movie was to rest solely on his shoulders it would be equally good. This is one of many roles Clooney was born to play. His profession has evolved to this point, a relic of the old ways being forced out by the corporate culture yet hangs on by a thread only to come out on top every time. He is a lovable jackass, but one that shows just the right amount of heart at the right time for us to never give up hope for him. He quietly evolves into something he never thought he'd be.

Luckily, Clooney does not have to go it alone. He has been surrounded by one of the better supporting casts this year. Anna Kendrick shows immense potential past her teeny bopper vampire flick. Vera Farmiga is completely relatable making her eventual resolution that much more surprising. Jason Bateman, Zach Galinfinakis, J. K. Simmons, and Sam Elliot make memorable turns. Maybe just because of their familiar faces, but none the less. Danny McBride really surprised me making a short but poignant cameo with the right amount of humor. More interesting is the inclusion of real life unemployed people given the opportunity to say whatever they wanted to say to those who fired them into the camera. Real emotions from real people.

The message is simple. The people we love and trust are a bigger part of our lives than we will ever realize. The value of human connectedness is not trivial. This is the film's greatest strength. Not the message itself, but how it depicts it. Never is there a lecture on the message, in fact, the lectures in the film seem to be for the total opposite. Clooney preaches the freedom of living on the road, meeting new people. He reminds me of Edward Norton at the beginning of Fight Club with his "single serving friends." But then there is the glaring realization written all over Clooney's face. An epiphany that lasts a second where Clooney stops talking and the message becomes so evidently clear. It lacks a lot of the pretentiousness that we have come to expect from Hollywood, due in part to what should be an unsatisfying ending feeling quite the opposite.

The movie is well-paced and light-hearted. It's silent moments are just as engrossing as its talking points. Clooney continues to prove that no one is quite as capable of carrying a screenplay as he is, yet the supporting cast and Reitman's keen eye keep up more than effectively. The setting and America's present economic climate will make this a film that defines the decade as a whole.

9/10

Review: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Nic Cage plays Terrance McDonagh, a bad cop working in a post-Katrina New Orleans. He does not start off so bad since he does jump into the dirty water flooding the precinct to save a nobody junkie from drowning in his holding cell. This brave act gives him a promotion, a medal, and a back problem that eventually leads to a pain killer addiction that starts a slippery slope into more drugs, sex, and violence. A real rock and roll lifestyle.

Wrongfully considered a remake of Abel Ferrar's own Bad Lieutenant, a gritty cult classic with an incredibly visceral performance from Harvey Keital, Nic Cage dials in an equally visceral performance, both depressingly honest and figuratively naked. Being known for no longer picking good movies or giving a good performance, Cage scratches at the surface of recovering from such a bad reputation. He performs admirably, his sulking, lurking strut and nihilistic attitude is pitch perfect for the content, yet there is a time in the movie where like a coin, he flips taking the edge and cheesiness up a few notches. His weird voice pattern and twitchy face become distractions, but it only lasts for a short time. Eva Mendes and Val Kilmer have similar reputations nowadays, but both deliver decent enough performances, even though they are used sparringly. Character actors Jennifer Coolidge, Brad Dourif, Michael Shannon, and Fairuza Balk come and go leaving surprisingly memorable turns leaving me wanting more from them.

The writing is a bit too tongue in cheek, and the cinematography takes daring risks that just do not pan out. The handheld camera shots hugged up to lizards added very little and left me scratching my head. The pacing was characteristically slow, but the content mixed with Cage's character make it seem appropriate. The ending was ultimately dissapointing. We got to watch a pre-junkie Cage begin his life of drug use twisting and turning his psyche to the point of inevitable disaster, yet the story just kind of fades away rather than the explosion that was promised.

Nic Cage gives an almost career saving performance that he can hopefully run with. The movie itself is not without its flaws, but it is a more than decent enough drug-fueled gritty crime yarn with a decent enough character piece.

6/10

Most Anticipated Movies of 2010

20) Tron Legacy
The effects look pretty nifty and Jeff Bridges is friggin' awesome. The first was a cult classic and I have enjoyed most of these sequels of throwback flicks.


19) The Other Guys
I'm not sold on Cop Out. The trailer was a bit iffy. With this one Will Ferrel is supposedly playing a by the book, paperwork loving forensics officer so hopefully he'll be WAY more reserved and allow Wahlberg to play the big mouth this time. Opposite The Rock and Samuel L Jackson as the much better duo should be fun.


18) Green Zone
Matt Damon is channeling his best Bourne in this kick-ass looking politically infused espionage movie.


17) A-Team
Thought about The Losers, but I am looking forward to A-Team more. I like Joe Carnahan and the 4 guys are cast almost perfectly. The only thing that would make it better is if Terry Crewes was Baracus instead of Rampage Jackson.


16) Jonah Hex
DC comics pushing their lesser known characters for smaller budget features is a good idea. Brolin as Hex is even better. Add John Malkovich, Michael Shannon, and Michael Fessbender and it is even better. Not even Megan Fox could ruin my anticipation.


15) Predators
Racking up a decent cast, including the very underrated Walton Goggins of "The Shield" fame, Robert Rodriguez, king of junk food cinema, is producing.


14) Edge of Darkness
Mel Gibson shines again, and this time in a Boston based crime thriller (my favorite kind).


13) Cemetary Junction
Ricky Gervais is an excellent comedic talent and helming his first flick about "dudes hanging out" pretty much makes him a British Kevin Smith but even funnier.


12) Paul
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are like the new Laurel and Hardy. They have excellent chemistry and work off each other perfectly. Not these 2 geeks play the ultimate geeks who find an alien on their way to Comic-Con.


11) The Expendables
With so much testosterone on the screen, this movie is easily in the running as greatest guy movie ever. Mixing Sly and Dolph of the old days with Statham and Li have the new, this is bound to be one of the greatest '80s action movies not filmed in the '80s.


10) Robin Hood
Robin Hood is constantly trying to be revamped to be more realistic and more down to Earth. The combination of Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott is bound to make magic. Plus Kevin Durand is in it.


9) The Fighter
Taking place in my hometown, Lowell, MA, about the hometown hero of Mickey Ward, a small time boxer who is coached to the big time by his older half-brother who couldn't make it due to drug issues. One of Wahlberg's passion projects and featuring Christian Bale and Amy Adams.


8) Clash of the Titans
Remake of the stop-motion classic, it boy, Sam Worthington, gets another shot at proving himself since he is yet to prove to me that he is worth all the hype surrounding him.


7) Due Date
Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifinakis, and Jamie Foxx starring in Todd Philips follow up to the awesome The Hangover.


6) Toy Story 3
C'mon. Who isn't looking forward to this?


5) Black Swan
If Natalie Portman/Milla Kunis lesbian scene doesn't make you interested, how about Aronofsky supernatural thriller starring Portman and Kunis.


4) Tree of LIfe
Terrance Malick's delayed family drama starring Brad Pitt and narrated by Sean Penn.


3) Shutter Island
Martin Scorsese directing Leonardo DiCaprio in a Dennis Lehane adaptation. SOLD!


2) Iron Man 2
One of the greatest superhero flicks' sequel adding the awesome Mickey Rourke, the sexy Scarlet Johannsen, and the underrated Sam Rockwell.


1) Inception
Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight follow up that may in fact be one of the greatest, most original movies in a long time. Our at least since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Review: Sherlock Holmes

The famous investigator, Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr), and his trusty medic sidekick, Watson (Jude Law), have just completed an investigation involving Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) and his odd human sacrifice rituals. Blackwood some how survives his execution, but Holmes is already on the case since it crosses over with a missing person investigation, an investigation that a former flame, Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), has hired him for. The myestery continues as Adler's hidden benefactor needs something from Lord Blackwood and even more so from Holmes

Many people believe that Sherlock Holmes, like Batman Begins and Casino Royale before it, is a dark modern reinterpretation of a character with a long cultural history. That is not totally true. In fact, what it really has in common with Batman Begins and Casino Royale, is that Sherlock Holmes returns to the source material and adapts the franchise in a much more suitable way relieving Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's eccentric character from his deerstalker hat and snooty British persona. Now, Holmes is an insufferable colleague and amateur bare-knuckle boxer. And it is thanks to Robert Downey Jr that Holmes is so likeable.

Downey Jr. does what Hugh Laurie (who plays House, another Holmes-inspired character) cannot. Downey Jr. is able to convey a small sense of likeability. This is helped by Jude Law, who's Watson is a fantastic sidekick. As opposed to Wilson, House's sidekick, Watson does not so much enable Holmes, but try to direct his insolence towards something productive. Their "bromance" drives the characters' development allowing for the best and worst in each of them to shine through, practically justifying Holmes jackassery. McAdams adds a sufficient enough love interest invoking Holmes own characterisitcs, but at a far less degree. Their relationship pushes the film forward in some ways, but their chemistry is lacking. Mark Strong pulls off a fantastic, enigmatic villain, devious enough to match wits with Holmes.

Director Guy Ritchie plays up the violence and wit a little more than people would expect, but the Holmes investigative reasoning and long-winded dialog that have come to define the character is never forgotten. Even the fight scenes involve Holmes quick thinking, planning every move and result of that blow before pulling off each in perfect sequence. This allows for a really well balanced pace set against a late 1900s England backdrop. This particular aesthetic works incredibly well with the action genre, and I hope they make good use of the time period in the future. Further accentuating the excitement and time period, is a truly amazing and original score sounding much like Irish drinking songs. It is one of the more memorable scores in some time.

Sherlock Holmes is a return to roots reimagining, if that makes sense, that is able to put all the greatest elements of the blockbuster; an intelligent adventure story with wit and thrills.

8/10