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2007 Fall Video Roundup, Vol. IV

12/13/07

"The War" (7 two-hour episodes)

With almost 15 hours of footage, I slowly worked my way through the latest Ken Burns documentary stored up on my DVR...and, for the most part, the work is solid.  Narrated well by actor Keith David, "The War" covered a lot of ground for me that I was already aware of, thanks to over-saturation of World War II materials of all kinds over the last ten years, but somehow, Burns was able to uncover loads of stories, anecdotes, and war information that even the most seasoned of WWII aficionados could soak up.  My favorites: the bits about what life was life as an airman in 1943; the Japanese-American internment camps during the war (when we imprisoned thousands of people who were AMERICANS and threw them in a barbed wire camp); war production workers living in the four cities profiled; what life was like for people who were captured and living in POW camps; incredible footage of badly tortured, burned, limbless and just plain dead soldiers on both sides...the list goes on and on.  Definitely worth renting or buying, but again, be warned--this puppy is s...l...o...w.

Rating:  $9.50 Show

"Must Love Dogs"

Hey, I'll do the romantic comedy every so often, and I typically like John Cusack, so what the fuck?  Well, like many films in this genre--which is why I generally avoid this genre in the first place--"Must Love Dogs" has decent laughs and good chemistry between our leads, Cusack and Diane Lane, as divorced adults who come together through the Internet.  And, like many films in this genre, we are made to suffer through That Moment, when one person is "accidentally" kissing a random third-party character just as partner B walks into a room, setting off a "Come back!  That was nothing!" moment that really was nothing, but not to partner B, and then we have to wait for them to get back together, only to have sap ruin an otherwise decent experience.  "Knocked Up" wasn't just funny, it was the kind of romantic comedy that really does mix up the formula, because otherwise, "Must Love Dogs" wasn't bad, except for when it becomes a genre flick.  Ugh!

Rating:  Matinee

"Sky High"

I took a gamble on this Disney superhero comedy/sci-fi film from two years ago, and it was a gamble that mostly paid off.  Kelly Preston and Kurt Russell play a superhero couple and parents of a 14-year-old named Will (Michael Angarano) who is still trying to figure out if he'll have the superhuman abilities of his parents...and, in his first year at Sky High School, high school to the next wave of superheroes and sidekicks, Will intends to learn if he'll ever get to play Superman or not.  The side characters are funny, there are a few decent laughs, but it generally has interesting ideas on what it might be like to learn if you'll grow up to be a badass, a follower, or something in-between.  Not bad for family fun or for a viewing by a 32-year-old adult like myself.

Rating:  $9.50 Show

"Grandma's Boy" (Unrated Version)

Well, at least this movie has video games going for it; that, and decent performances from side characters played by Jonah Hill ("Superbad" and "Knocked Up") and Nick Swardson.  Not unlike the great Chris Elliott show "Get a Life", "Grandma's Boy" covers a 36-year-old video game tester (long-time Sandler associate Allen Covert, who also co-wrote the script) and his task of living at his grandmother's house until he can find his own place.  Covert is awful in the lead in this film, and I thought that most of the other side characters played by Kevin Nealon, David Spade, Rob Schneider and Joel David Moore all sucked.  But, again, gaming culture is fine by me, and maybe the film's best scene features a battle over "Dance Dance Revolution."  Comic gold!

Rating:  Rental

"Steamboy"

The director of the Japanese anime classic "Akira" is the writer/director in charge of 2004's fantasy/adventure film "Steamboy", and man, did I love this movie.  The action pacing is fantastic, the setting and ideas in this film--which detail an arms race of sorts in the late 1800s over a steam-driven castle and a weapon of mass destruction that essentially looks like a bowling ball--are great, and the voice acting of the American version of this movie is all quite solid.  There was even a nice little mini-twist within the ending, too, that I thought wrapped the three lead characters--three generations of the Steam family--together nicely.  This one is for anyone that likes movies, not just adult cartoons...good stuff.

Rating:  Opening Weekend

"The Proposition"

Love Westerns, and the idea that Guy Pearce and a few friends did an Australian western with a script written by singer/songwriter Nick Cave made me sign on.  Unfortunately, after an interesting setup--a criminal (Pearce) is arrested by a British lawman (Ray Winstone) alongside his younger brother, but the criminal is released in exchange for going out and killing his older brother and renowned criminal/rapist (Danny Huston)--the movie falls apart, mainly because the movie gives us almost nothing about our lead criminal as a person, and the movie is more interested in detailing the home life of the lawman and his wife Martha (Emily Watson).  We don't even get any Western-style shootouts!  I guess that isn't a major requirement, but in a movie where we get to watch people stare endlessly into the Australian outback, it could have used a jolt of action.  Not bad, but in this genre, there are plenty of better choices available.

Rating:  Matinee

"The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada"

Tommy Lee Jones' first foray behind the camera is very solid Western work.  Following the road trip of a dead Mexican, a rancher (Jones) and the Border Patrol officer who shot the Mexican (Barry Pepper), Jones does good work with lush Texas scenery, a strong script by the guy that wrote "21 Grams" and "Babel", and great performances by Pepper and Dwight Yoakam as a dirty Texas sheriff.  It's a little tough watching the dead Mexican guy decay over the course of the film as we learn more about his past and where he is from; the Jones character is basically just carrying a corpse around and flesh don't do so well when it's been dead for two weeks!  Nice little twist at the end, too.  Enjoy!

Rating:  $9.50 Show

"Once Upon a Time in the West"

Love westerns...love Charles Bronson...love Sergio Leone.  This three-hour opus that talks mainly about nothing is a nearly 100% love affair with scenery, a true all-style-no-substance film that takes way too long to play out.  But, Henry Fonda is strong as the film's heavy, Bronson is quiet but deadly, and the shootouts are cool, dark and hilarious all at once.  The film's opening sequence takes about 15 minutes, and it's immediately one of my favorite scenes ever...and, the camerawork in this film is by and large fantastic.  But, there's a ton of dead time in this movie and the decision to follow a widow for the majority of this film just never worked for me.

Rating:  Matinee

 

Comments?  Drop me a line at justin@bellviewmovies.com.

 

Bellview Rating System:

"Opening Weekend":  This is the highest rating a movie can receive.  Reserved for movies that exhibit the highest level of acting, plot, character development, setting...or Salma Hayek.  Not necessarily in that order. 

"$X.XX Show":  This price changes each year due to the inflation of movie prices; currently, it is the $9.50 Show.  While not technically perfect, this is a movie that will still entertain you at a very high level.  "Undercover Brother" falls into this category; it's no "Casablanca", but you'll have a great time watching.  The $9.50 Show won't win any Oscars, but you'll be quoting lines from the thing for ages (see "Office Space"). 

"Matinee":  An average movie that merits no more than a $6.50 viewing at your local theater.  Seeing it for less than $9.50 will make you feel a lot better about yourself.  A movie like "Blue Crush" fits this category; you leave the theater saying "That wasn't too bad...man, did you see that Lakers game last night?" 

"Rental":  This rating indicates a movie that you see in the previews and say to your friend, "I'll be sure to miss that one."  Mostly forgettable, you couldn't lose too much by going to Hollywood Video and paying $3 to watch it with your sig other, but you would only do that if the video store was out of copies of "Ronin."  If you can, see this movie for free.  This is what your TV Guide would give "one and a half stars." 

"Hard Vice":  This rating is the bottom of the barrel.  A movie that only six other human beings have witnessed, this is the worst movie I have ever seen.  A Shannon Tweed "thriller," it is so bad as to be funny during almost every one of its 84 minutes, and includes the worst ending ever put into a movie.  Marginally worse than "Cabin Boy", "The Avengers" or "Leonard, Part 6", this rating means that you should avoid this movie at all costs, or no costs, EVEN IF YOU CAN SEE IT FOR FREE!  (Warning:  strong profanity will be used in all reviews of "Hard Vice"-rated movies.)