Reprise
Nothing sounds more tedious than listening to an aspiring artist tell the story of trying to make it in the world as an artist. This was the purpose that drove Joachim Trier to create this clever and poignant film, ‘Reprise.’ The film follows two best friends Phillip and Erik as they submit their novels to be published. One’s is accepted by a publisher, one is not. And each is left to face with the consequences of celebrity, or lack thereof. Knowing the pretenses... Read More
Mongol
Bring your appetite for graphic war violence when you watch Sergei Bodrov’s latest epic ‘Mongol.’ The movie is the first of a trilogy that follows Genghis Khan from his birth in 1192AD ’til his death. This first installment follows partly history, and partly fable and explains how Genghis rose to power. The film supposedly follows the most respected scholarly accounts of the Khan’s life. ‘Mongol’ was Kazakhstan’s official entry... Read More
Taking a Quick Break
I only watched one movie today, and it was so boring I didn’t even finish it (sorry ‘Life Aquatic’ fans, it’s just not that good of a film). So I’m taking a break to show you this little video clip masterpiece. In response to the Radiohead contest of remixing one of their latest singles, ‘Nude,’ one of the contestants made this video. Be sure to watch the whole thing, it takes a while to really get going. Big Ideas (don’t... Read More
Wanted
Who wouldn’t want to belong to a secret fraternity of assassins where Angelina Jolie is your personal mentor? That sentence alone explains why this movie will be a huge success. It’s every man’s wet dream. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, this film is his Hollywood debut. Born in Kazahkstan, he directed the wildly popular films ‘Night Watch’ and ‘Day Watch’ in Russia. Wildly popular, only in Russia that is. As ‘Wanted’ started... Read More
In Bruges
Out on DVD this week is ‘In Bruges.’ It was selected as the opening night film at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and rightfully so. It’s wicked dark, and deliciously funny. The film follows two hitman, Ken and Ray, as they hide out in the medieval town of Bruges after a hit. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes give outstanding performances. The film is directed and written by Martin McDonagh and is his directorial debut. His writing is... Read More
The Fall
Tarsem Singh finally released his 2nd movie, and it’s now showing at the Broadway Theater in Salt Lake. His first film, ‘The Cell,’ starred Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vauhn (that just sounds like a recipe for mind-numbing failure) and was released in 2000. Admittedly, I’ve never seen ‘The Cell,’ but it met with mediocre reviews. ‘The Fall’ was released May 9th, after 4 years of filming and 2 years of sitting on the shelf waiting for…I... Read More
Tired Old Tricks
Do you know what plot device is really getting old? A small group of people does something bad for personal gain. Pressure or guilt only torments one of the group. That person brings the whole group down by turning themselves in. Come on. What’s the fun of watching a movie like that, hoping the group can get away with their devious little scheme when you can always spot that guy. That guy, the one with the melancholy face, maybe he sweats or talks to himself. He just can’t... Read More
Disappointing Friday
This is not a good week for movies. Not a good week at all. So disappointing in fact, I don’t really have a desire to write about it. Only two movies open today in wide release. Steve Carrell’s ‘Get Smart’ remake of the 1960s sitcom and Michael Meyer’s ‘The Love Guru.’ Good lord. ‘Get Smart’ is getting pretty mediocre reviews. And based on that boring trailer and the rumored kiss between The Rock and Carrell, this movie... Read More
The Underwhelming Hulk
I saw ‘The Incredible Hulk’ last night… It wasn’t horrible. It wasn’t terrific, it just was. The film surpassed my expectations of Leterrier’s talent (yes, I was expecting to see something closer to ‘The Transporter 3′). But the script failed to meet my expectations of Edward Norton’s talents. It’s annoying to wonder how much of the film was lost in the Norton/Leterrier/Marvel fued. Could it have been the movie that... Read More
George A Romero’s Diary of the Dead
I’m not a huge horror fan. Freddy, Jason, little Asian girls that have weird eyes or come out of walls, they do nothing for me. I do however enjoy the few really well done horror movies that I’ve seen. These includes Neil Marshall’s ‘The Descent,’ and Danny Boyle’s ’28 Days Later’ to name a few. But even if you don’t particularly like the genre, who can resist a zombie movie from the grandfather, nay, the god and creator of... Read More
