103.5 BOB FM - Movie Reviews


	The Road 11/24/2009 3:52:52 PM Release Date: November 25, 2009 (Alamo S. Lamar and Arbor Greathills) Rated: Rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language. Directed by: John Hillcoat Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall Synopsis: A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind and water. It is cold enough to crack stones, and, when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the warmer south, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing: just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless cannibalistic bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a rusting shopping cart of scavenged food--and each other. Review: Based on the brilliantly visceral and haunting book by Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men), John Hillcoat's film is one of the most beautifully drab pieces of work we've seen in years. Pitched to match the book, The Road takes us all the way to those very real, very quiet last days of man and tells us a survival story unlike any other. Viggo Mortensen turns in the fantastic performance we've come to expect, but never quite find ourselves ready to receive. Robert Duvall, in some three minutes of screentime, elevates the film with a performance worthy of recognition at the highest levels. Both men immerse themselves in this torched vision of the world, struck with a violent, ambiguous end. Save for a few forced emotional moments, The Road is a splendid masterwork that almost does the impossible in living up to its lauded source material. Don't be weary of the depressing tone, as this movie is as beautiful as any story you will see on screen this year. - Neil Miller Grade: A Read more at FilmSchoolRejects.com Ninja Assassin 11/24/2009 3:38:20 PM Release Date: November 25, 2009 Rated: Rated R for strong bloody stylized violence throughout, and language. Directed by: James McTiegue Starring: Rain, Naomi Harris Synopsis: A young ninja turns his back on orphanage that raised him, leading to a confrontation with a fellow ninja from the clan. Review: With an abundance of style and a curious absence of substance, director James McTiegue's Ninja Assassin slices into cinemas with one goal -- to give us 99-minutes of the one cool shot that he achieved in V for Vendetta. Slim on source material (even though ninja movies have been around for a while) and packed with abysmal dialogue that pushes forward with sick amounts of exposition, this movie fails to ever be anything more than stylish exploitation, pouring buckets of neon red CGI blood on its audience in hopes that some of it will stick. And it doesn't stick, even through the 20+ fiery warrior money shots in which pop star Rain (a surface-level actor at best) stands in a burning frame ready to attack one of his many former ninja friends. In someone's mind -- most likely those of the brothers Wachowski (The Matrix, Speed Racer) -- this movie probably sounded cool. Sadly, it is on the other end of the spectrum, closer to annoying. - Neil Miller Grade: D Read more at FilmSchoolRejects.com Fantastic Mr. Fox 11/23/2009 6:10:21 PM Release Date in Austin: November 25, 2009 Directed by: Wes Anderson Starring: Voices of George Clooney, Jason Schwartzman, Meryl Streep and Bill Murray Synopsis: It is the story of one Mr. Fox and his wild-ways of hen heckling, turkey taking and cider sipping, nocturnal, instinctive adventures. He has to put his wild days behind him and do what fathers do best: be responsible. He is too rebellious. He is too wild. He is going to try "just one more raid" on the three nastiest, meanest farmers that are Boggis, Bunce and Bean. It is a tale of crossing the line of family responsibilities and midnight adventure and the friendships and awakenings of this country life that is inhabited by Fantastic Mr. Fox and his friends. Review: Leave it to Wes Anderson to find the pitch-perfect amount of quirk and oddity to bring to life a story from the world of Roald Dahl. In his most restrained effort to-date, Anderson delivers a film that is full of energy, beautifully hand-crafted and filled with the same lumbering, odd pace that you might expect from the world of Dahl come to life. At first, the voices of George Clooney, Bill Murray and others feel as if they will be bothersome -- as does the choppy stop-motion animation. But very quickly, we are sucked into the story of Mr. Fox (Clooney) and his plight, becoming lost in this vibrant, charismatic tale about a Fox who just wants to take care of his family, all while embracing his wild nature as a hen-house burglar. It's a movie that is a lot of fun, without all the pretentiousness and über-quirk that we've come to expect from Wes Anderson. - Neil Miller Grade: B+ Read more at FilmSchoolRejects.com An Education 11/23/2009 3:53:48 PM Release Date: November 20, 2009 (Regal Metropolitan) Rated: PG-13 for mature thematic material involving sexual content, and for smoking. Directed by: Lone Scherfig Starring: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina and Olivia Williams Synopsis: A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age. Review: If director Lone Scherfig has accomplished anything with this adaptation of a Nick Hornby (About a Boy, High Fidelity) text, it is that she will ultimately catapult actress Carey Mulligan to certain stardom. Luckily for audiences, she also accomplishes much more with this incredibly well-executed period piece. On top of giving us a fresh look at a long-told coming-of-age story, she also presents us with a stunning look at the U.K. in the 1960s. Full of heart and centered on Mulligan's alluring performance as Jenny, An Education is one of the year's best indie dramas. Mulligan balances Jenny perfectly on the line between girlhood and womanhood, displaying at one moment innocence and the next a Audrey Hepburn-esque level of high society sophistication. If you see this movie for no other reason, see it so that you can be there when Carey Mulligan took off as Hollywood's next darling. - Neil Miller Grade: A Read more at FilmSchoolRejects.com The Twilight Saga: New Moon 11/21/2009 3:20:04 PM Release Date in Austin: November 20, 2009 Directed by: Chris Weitz Starring: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner Synopsis: After Bella recovers from the vampire attack that almost claimed her life, she looks to celebrate her birthday with Edward and his family. However, a minor accident during the festivities results in Bella's blood being shed, a sight that proves too intense for the Cullens, who decide to leave the town of Forks, Washington for Bella and Edward's sake. Initially heartbroken, Bella finds a form of comfort in reckless living, as well as an even-closer friendship with Jacob Black. Danger in different forms awaits. Review: If you're going to do something, you might as well do it right. And if you're going to adapt a very popular series of books into movies, you might as well give the fans what they truly desire. Yet, as much as New Moon gives Twilight fans exactly what they desire -- teen angst, brooding over sparkly boys, muscled wolf boys with no shirts -- it doesn't offer the rest of the world much more. Similar to the way the first Twilight film was sheer fan-service, New Moon serves as yet another frustratingly slow, clunky and poorly executed retelling of an already simple, formulaic story. The performances are milktoast at best, specifically those of Kristen Stewart (as Bella) and Robert Pattinson (as Edward) and the film glides right by the most interesting parts of the New Moon story (the wolf pack), rushing to get to the parts in which two teens pause, look at each other longingly, and wait for the next bit of expositional narration. In short, New Moon is for the fans. Though, I would argue that even these fans deserve better. - Neil Miller Grade: D+ Read more at FilmSchoolRejects.com The Blind Side 11/15/2009 4:57:16 PM Release Date: November 20, 2009 Directed by: John Lee Hancock Starring: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron Synopsis: A poor, oversized and under-educated teenager is recruited by a major college football program where he is groomed into an athletically and academically successful NFL prospect. Based on Michael Lewis' book, "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game." Review: As someone who is a real sucker for a well-constructed story of heart set against the backdrop of a great American sport such as football, a movie like The Blind Side stands to go one of two ways. It will either be annoyingly schmaltzy and forced, or it will be restrained, well-acted and full of heart. This film, thankfully, is the latter. Sandra Bullock delivers a performance that could inject her into the Oscar conversation for best actress by taking on the role of a rich southern housewife who takes a young boy off the streets and gives him a family to call his own. It is one of those true stories that tugs on the heart strings, but does it with a rare delicacy and grace that makes for a very enjoyable, family moviegoing experience. One of those great movies that teaches us a little more about our own humanity, setting it against something very familiar in the world of sports. If I were to be a walking cliche of a movie critic, I'd call this one a real winner. - Neil Miller Grade: B+ Read more at FilmSchoolRejects.com 2012 11/15/2009 4:24:45 PM Release Date: November 13, 2009 Directed by: Roland Emmerich Starring: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Danny Glover and Thandie Newton Synopsis: An epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors. Review: Loud. Huge. And almost complete devoid of feeling. Roland Emmerich takes what made Independence Day great and dispenses with it in favor for larger CGI destruction. While some might enjoy the large number of near-misses and the sheer audacity of having the physically impossible be reality - mostly it just became tedious watching John Cusack and his family outrun (by the hair of their chins) natural disaster after natural disaster after natural disaster. This would be fine if the movie had anything resembling a heart. Instead, it tells a fairly bland story and doesn't give enough time to really flesh out the characters. There are a few good ideas and a few genuine moments, but they are almost always dug into by a giant fireball. It looks great. Incredible in fact. But those cinematic fireworks aren't enough to hold interest while the dull parts play out. - Cole Abaius Grade: C Read more at FilmSchoolRejects.com Pirate Radio 11/15/2009 4:20:22 PM Release Date: November 13, 2009 Directed by: Richard Curtis Starring: Bill Nighy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kenneth Branagh, Rhys Darby, Nick Frost Synopsis: A period comedy about an illegal radio station in the North Sea in the 1960's. Review: Writer/Director Richard Curtis follows up Love, Actually with a great film featuring larger-than-life characters, big laughs, and a killer soundtrack featuring the best Rock of the 1960s. Phillip Seymour Hoffman leads a strong ensemble cast of renegades who blast the very best music the government of Britain doesn't want the people to hear. Strange personalities all collide in an Animal House-style comedy, balanced by Kenneth Branagh as the government official trying to figure out exactly all the laws the pirates are breaking. The humor is heartfelt, there's a coming of age element, and the energy of the film is infectious. - Cole Abaius Grade: B+ Read more at FilmSchoolRejects.com The Box 11/6/2009 4:36:14 PM Release Date: November 6, 2009 Directed by: Richard Kelly Starring: James Marsden, Cameron Diaz, Frank Langella Synopsis: Norma and Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger, delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. But, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world; someone they don't know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the cross-hairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity. Review: For director Richard Kelly, we now wonder where he will go next. After the cult hit that was Donnie Darko and the abysmal flop that was Southland Tales, Kelly now brings us The Box, a contrived, forced and overly wooden film that traps its audience in a whirlwind of twists and terms that are delivered just for the sake of being clever. We watch as Cameron Diaz tries out her best Southern Belle accent, failing to create a character with whom we connect in any way. We watch as Frank Langella out-acts the rest of the cast, then gets bogged down by a plot that is overly explanatory while also being nonsensical. It's a delicate thing, the creation of a movie so painfully convoluted. But Richard Kelly has done it -- he's made a movie that once again proves that he's not as smart a storyteller as we once thought. He's made a movie that proves that the smartest folks are the ones who will be skipping The Box. - Neil Miller Grade: D- Read more at FilmSchoolRejects.com The Men Who Stare at Goats 11/6/2009 2:00:30 PM Release Date: November 6, 2009 Directed by: Grant Heslov Starring: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey Synopsis: A reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady, a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions. Review: Combining an incredibly rich cast with the concept that it is funny to see Ewan McGregor be told that he's in the presence of a Jedi warrior, The Men Who Stare at Goats has a charm that is all its own. George Clooney delivers an insanely odd performance, as does Jeff Bridges. Kevin Spacey -- who stars as the chief rival of our paranormally powered hero (Clooney) is devious and fun. However, the film debut of director Grant Heslov lacks energy and never quite embodies the Coen Brothers-esque tone that it is so desperately trying to achieve. Sure, it has some fun moments and even some spots where George Clooney is his usually brilliant self, but the film's lack of investment in solid pacing and surface-level quirkiness makes for a very enjoyable, but ultimately forgettable experience. Fans of Clooney and McGregor will get a few laughs, but anyone who goes in looking for the promised delight of a Coen-esque romp through the Middle East is traveling on a path to nowhere. - Neil Miller Grade: C+ Read more at FilmSchoolRejects.com