Daily Archives: January 18, 2008
Black Christmas (1975)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: Terror reigns inside a sorority house a few days before Christmas break as a series of menacing phone calls — and the discovery of a dead girl’s body — transform yuletide cheer into fear. Margot Kidder, Olivia Hussey and Andrea Martin (“SCTV”) co-star as just a few of the petrified sisters at the mercy of an unseen stalker in this 1970s horror gem from director Robert Clark, who told a much happier holiday tale with his 1983 classic, A Christmas Story.
REVIEW: I watched this film on a whim after seeing a bunch of holiday films and was surprised how well-done it was. The story of a bunch of college girls getting picked off one by one in their sorority house over the holiday break just didn’t sound too promising, but the execution was terrific. Director Bob Clark (who later directed A Christmas Story) used lots of POV shots to bring a really creepy feel to the production and set the standard for the slasher genre (for better or worse). John Carpenter’s Halloween was so inspired by this film that it really is a sequel of sorts. The DVD extras are well worth watching.
4 stars
HAWK
Hacking Democracy (2006)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: With electronic voting machines tabulating more than 80 percent of the ballots cast in America, Seattle grandmother Bev Harris set out to determine the obvious: Do they work? Based on the evidence presented here, the answer is “not really” The picture that emerges as Harris unearths a treasure trove of info about mishandled votes and the inner workings of the machines is that they’re not only fallible but also highly vulnerable to hacking.
REVIEW: Even though I also watched the original slasher classic Black Christmas, this was the scariest movie I saw over the Christmas break. Although the filmmakers obviously have every reason to sensationalize potential problems with electronic voting systems (“good news is no news,” right?), the implications here are frightening. Not only did Bev Harris (founder of a non-partisan watchdog group) find voting machine code unprotected on the internet, she was able to successfully hack it and prove that results could be manipulated (you can watch this being done in a matter of seconds in this film). The lack of oversight of the companies who control the majority of electronic voting is astounding, almost as bad as the sloppy manner in which our government oversees the elections themselves.
4.5 stars
HAWK
Transformers (2007)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: Based on the popular toys that transform from machines into giant robots, this live-action movie from Pearl Harbor director Michael Bay finds the planet Cybertron inhabitants engaging in a secret war for control of Earth’s natural resources, which they desperately need for fuel. Able to disguise themselves as cars, airplanes, boats and more, the transformers prove a tough enemy in this film starring Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel and Jon Voight.
REVIEW: One of my friends claims that all you need for a great movie is giant robots, guns and hot chicks. If this is true, then Transformers is a perfect film because it certainly contains none of those pesky elements like plot, good acting, pacing or subtlety. Every plot point presented in the film either gets completely lost in the noise of the action, or it was written for the express purpose of explaining one or another of the multiple 5-second sequences that make up the movie’s grand finale. The acting is universally bad, the robots look terrific, but they really have no character. Near the end of the movie, Megatron rips one of the Autobots in half. I have no idea which Autobot it is, and I frankly don’t care.
The action starts from almost the first frame of this 2-hour, 20-minute bloated, product-placement-laden behemoth. A US military installation in Qatar is attacked. You get a first glimpse at what appears to be five or six characters you might want to get to know better. Well, too bad, because all you really get is that one soldier has a wife and a baby, and they are good at shooting at Transformers and getting killed or wounded by Transformers. Then, in the midst of this world crisis, we switch to Shia LaBeouf trying to get financing for a car. Now, I normally like LaBeouf, but here he mostly just hams it up, going way over the top and not in a good way. Anyway, he gets a car that turns out to be alive, a member of the Autobots, here on Earth to save the world, but able to take time out to make sure LaBeouf gets the girl.
Speaking of the girl, I’m not quite sure WHY LaBeouf would be interested in her. I mean, sure, she’s hot. But Megan Fox is such a terrible actress that they could have stuck a blow-up doll in her place and it would have emoted as well. In one of those plot points invented to explain why, at the end of the film, the hot girl knows how to hot wire a car, it turns out that her daddy is in prison and she has a *gasp* juvie record.
To give Ms. Fox a wee bit of credit, award-winning actors also appear in this movie, and they look nearly as wooden as the hot chick. Jon Voight won an Oscar, for God’s sake, but you would never guess it based on the ridiculous performance in Transformers. John Turturro also debases himself by appearing in this movie. In the spring of 2007, Bruce Willis said of Michael Bay, “Few people will work with [Michael Bay] now, and I know I will never work with him again.” Seeing the script and the performances for Transformers, I can see why.
Honestly, I could go on and on and on about all the terrible things about this film, but I think its Cardinal Sin is that it failed to engage me. I admit freely to being awestruck by the special effects, but there is so much F/X and so many characters, and the film doesn’t really take the time to get to know them at all. Michael Bay instead chooses to mash the pedal on the floor and just go for action sequence after action sequence after action sequence with no real substance between them.
In fact, nothing in Transformers inspired any emotion in me at all
(except for disdain). Film is supposed to be art. I certainly understand that not all cinema is supposed to be High Art, but the purpose of even popular art is to inspire emotion in people. At the very least, I should experience a fleeting fear that the bad guys might prevail. When watching Transformers, my not-so-fleeting hope was that the Decepticons might prevail, because then all life on Earth could be wiped out, and then Michael Bay would finally not be able to finance his next film.
2 stars (the CGI really is spectacular)
Lori
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: Johnny Depp reteams with director Tim Burton for this adaptation of the hit Broadway musical about the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Depp plays Sweeney Todd, a man who becomes a deranged murderer seeking revenge after being falsely imprisoned. To add to the macabre nature of his crimes, he enlists the help of his lover, Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who disposes of the victims by baking them into meat pies — sought after by all of London.
REVIEW: Look up macabre in the dictionary and you will find this film. A dark, bloody (and I do mean bloody: squirting, flowing and spurting all over the place, but less so than Kill Bill vol 1, I would say) tale of revenge, deceit and lust. as well as touches of unintentional cannibalism and young romantic love. Johnny Depp adds another notch to his belt of weird and memorable characters and he shines here, as does Helena Bonham Carter as the lovelorn Mrs. Lovett, and Alan Rickman is deliciously evil as the twisted and lustful Judge. A great cameo by Sacha Baron Cohen makes me rethink his obnoxious portrayals of Ali G and Borat, and the young boy who plays Toby are also first rate. Kudos to Burton and his crew for making 18th-century London come alive with dark, wet streets, shades of gray and black, all moody shadows. You actually feel as though you are there. The technicolor dream sequence of Mrs. Lovett, Todd’s looking at his reflection in cracked mirrors, and the great Stephen Sondheim songs are particular standouts. I would even say the singing is more than decent.
4.5 stars
Cheryl
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If it all came down to plot, Sweeney Todd would get points for originality, but lose points for predictability. This adaptation of the 1979 Sondheim musical tells the story of Benjamin Barker, wronged by powerful men, who returns to Fleet Street years later as Sweeney Todd to exact his revenge. As Todd gleefully carves up his victims, there aren’t many surprises in store, and the few plot twists that remain are easy to see coming. Fortunately, it doesn’t all come down to plot; like most musicals, Sweeney Todd is more about solid execution (har!) and over-the-top spectacle. Depp and Carter nail their lines and their notes with comic glee interlaced with pathos and a surprising tenderness. Director Burton is at his finest with this black comedy.
4.5 stars
HAWK
The Devil Came on Horseback (2007)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: In this unflinching documentary on the genocide in Darfur, former Marine Capt. Brian Steidle is forever transformed by the atrocities he witnesses as a military observer for the African Union. Armed only with his camera, Steidle records the killings of black Africans at the hands of Janjaweed militias funded by Sudan’s Arab government. With his bleak photos, Steidle focuses attention on the horrors ignored by the rest of the world.
REVIEW: This is a powerful and thought-provoking doc on the ongoing genocide of Darfur, now a cause celebre, perhaps but rightfully so. The film is told through the eyes of Brian Seidle, a young, now retired, Marine who spent more than 6 months in 2004 documenting the ceasefire in the Sudan. The film gives you a straightforward history of what led to the current conflict and gives an unflinching — and be warned, quite graphic — look at the horrors of this genocide. Moving, and a tear-jerker to be sure; high production values and a real-life drama make this a must-see.
5 stars
Cheryl
Once (2007)
Once 
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: In this charming contemporary musical helmed by John Carney, a street musician (Glen Hansard) in Dublin, Ireland, strikes up a friendship with a migrant street hawker (Markéta Irglová). Over the course of a busy week, they compose, rehearse and record a series of songs that mirror the duo’s burgeoning romance — and help the young busker release his musical passions. The actors wrote the tunes they perform in this film that was recognized at Sundance 2007.
REVIEW: A bittersweet and charming film about 2 struggling musicians in Dublin, who meet, create beautiful music and a lovely friendship together. I loved the music in this; indeed it is the main dialogue between the two. Glen Hansard is the lead along with a young Czech woman (damn, can’t remember her name). Regardless, the chemistry and quality of musicianship of the two is what drives this film. A bit slow in parts, but I was charmed by it. This has a very low budget, an indie feel, and I think that adds to it’s charm. A real joy to watch. I have to get the soundtrack now.
4.5 stars
Cheryl
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Not really a modern musical, not really a love story, but a tender, romantic tale of two lonely people who encounter each other on the streets of Dublin and help each other ease into the next stage of their lives. The handheld cameras give the impression of watching a documentary. At 90 minutes, it’s short and bittersweet.
4 stars
HAWK
Knocked Up (2007)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: A one-night stand results in an unexpected pregnancy for entertainment reporter Alison (Katherine Heigl) in Judd Apatow‘s romantic comedy. Determined to be a good mom and keep her career on track, Alison decides to try to make things work with the baby’s father, slacker Ben (Seth Rogen). It’s anything but smooth sailing as the odd couple gets acquainted, but Alison finds there’s more to Ben than she originally thought. Paul Rudd also stars.
REVIEW: It’s hard not to enjoy Judd Apatow’s films for what they are: male-centric goofball rite-of passage films with rapid-fire quotable zingers and, uh, well not much else. Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd have the best lines, along with Superbad’s Jonah Hill, but the women have their share of moments too. I’ll let others debate the claims of sexism, I just enjoyed one of the funniest comedies since John Candy died.
4 stars
HAWK
The Nanny Diaries (2007)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: College-educated Annie Braddock (Scarlett Johansson) gets a crash course in child care when she plays nanny to the 4-year-old son of grossly dysfunctional parents (Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti). Directed by Shari Springer Berman (American Splendor), this all-star comedy was adapted from the best-selling novel by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, who based their book on their experiences working for Manhattan’s wealthiest families.
REVIEW: Observant viewers should be able to predict everything that happens in this film at least 20 minutes in advance. The happy ending is cringe-worthy, and is a departure from the book, from what I understand. The cast does a decent job without much to work with, Giamatti especially. Barely passable entertainment.
2.5 stars
HAWK
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