Daily Archives: January 26, 2008
Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: This classic Western about the unusual friendship between Wyatt Earp (Burt Lancaster) and Doc Holliday (Kirk Douglas) is as good it gets. When Wyatt puts an end to the cattle-rustling activities of Ike Clanton (Lyle Bettger) and his brothers, the outlaws seek revenge. But instead of killing Wyatt, they murder Wyatt’s brother, Jimmy (Martin Milner), paving the way for the famous confrontation at the O.K. Corral.
REVIEW: It’s the Wild West’s original odd couple: Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday. Lancaster just mopes his way through the perfectly servicable story, while Douglas puts on a good show. Both parts have been played better elsewhere; Lancaster is no Henry Fonda, and Douglas is no Val Kilmer. Director John Sturges certainly is no John Ford, but I guess you could safely compare him to Kevin Costner. Enjoy the bit parts by Lee Van Cleef, DeForest Kelly (“Jim, I’m a doctor not a supporting actor!”) and a very young Dennis Hopper. As other reviews have stated, the plot is historically inaccurate, but if historical accuracy is your bag, go watch the History Channel.
3.5 stars
HAWK
The Ten (2006)
The Ten !! ZERO STARS !!
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: An all-star cast that includes Paul Rudd, Winona Ryder, Jessica Alba, Oliver Platt, Liev Schreiber, Famke Janssen, Rob Corddry, Adam Brody, Ken Marino and Gretchen Mol, among others, takes part in this amusing collection of 10 irreverent tales inspired by the Ten Commandments. Nothing is sacred in this comedy anthology written by Ken Marino and director David Wain, formerly of the comedy troupe the State.
REVIEW: I really wanted to like this movie, I thought the concept was great. But after watching it I felt like it was contemptuous, questionable humor, and disrespectful. The concept itself was a really good one; if they had done the ten skits in a meaningful manner this could have been a great movie. This movie is unreality at its worse. Let’s face it, no one jumps from a plane and lives buried in the ground, no less becoming a god of sorts. Yuck! Give me a break, I am an intelligent woman and I am offended if you think I could swallow this drivel and believe it. Even in the name of entertainment this is impossibility. So sad that the actors had to work with such awful writing. They gave it their all but it did not help.
0 stars
Ghost
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Comedy sketches based on the Ten Commandments? Uh, OK, it’s worth a shot, right? Well, not really. Despite some decent star power and edgy ideas, The Ten is about as funny as having your head amputated. It’s one thing to watch the latest Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler schmuck-fest and know that you’re going to get 90 minutes of juvenile, regurgitated, corporate-sponsored stupidity, but it’s flabbergasting to see funny people bomb this hard. I’d rather watch Robin Williams wax his knuckles than have to see this one again.
0 stars
HAWK
Interview (Drama)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: Hard-nosed journalist Pierre Peters (Steve Buscemi) is forced by his editor to interview seemingly vapid soap opera star Katya (Sienna Miller). The pair initially clash, but soon discover that there’s more to each than meets the eye in this provocative exploration of conflicting worldviews and the battle of the sexes. The film examines — and explodes — the assumptions we make about others before we get to know them.
REVIEW: Interview is a remake of a Theo Van Gogh film and stars Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller as the interviewer and his quarry, a vapid TV star. File this one under The Usual Suspects style of the unreliable narrator, as nothing here is what is seems. Buscemi, who also does a fine directing job, is spot on here as the bitter Pierre, who has more than a few skeletons in his closet and is forced to interview Katya ( Sienna Miller, who is surprisingly good here). What follows is a cat-and-mouse game between the two, starting in a fashionable NYC eatery and ending in Katya’s loft. These aren’t likable characters, but the dialogue is snap-fire and funny in a sarcastic way, and watching these two try to one-up each other is fun. It also moves well and at just under an hour and a half , it tells its tale without lagging.
3.5 stars
Cheryl
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The set-up as described in the synopsis above suggests an interesting character-based drama, with an exploration of the many similarities and differences between people, regardless of (or perhaps because of) background and profession. Too bad the execution falls so flat. Buscemi delivers a fine performance and Miller shows she’s more than just another pretty face, but the script isn’t up to the challenge. Although there are a couple of mildly interesting twists at the end, the relationship between the pair often seems forced, whether they’re fighting or flirting. The inevitable Big Revelations also ring false. And without believable interaction between interesting characters, there’s just not much else to hold your attention. Interview is an interesting experiment, but ultimately a failure.
2.5 stars
HAWK
Deliver Us From Evil (2006)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: This unsettling Oscar-nominated documentary from filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O’Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. A mix of victim stories and a disturbing interview with O’Grady provides a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining the trust of congregations … all the while betraying so many.
REVIEW: Deliver Us from Evil is an engrossing and disturbing doc about the cover-up of child abuse in the Catholic church, specifically focusing on one priest whose abuse was widespread in several Northern California parishes. This is well done; the camera work and cinematography are top notch and the interviews help the story unfold flawlessly. While the subject matter is devastating and the villains here are many, the film showed the incredible courage and strength of many survivors and other priests trying to bring this abuse to light. Be warned, you will get angry at this, but I feel it had a sense of hope at the end when you see what many are trying to do to right a horrific wrong. This is not an indictment of religion or faith, it is an indictment of the greedy and power-hungry individuals who were in a position to protect and instead hid behind their posts and did nothing.
4.5 stars
Cheryl
Bubble (2006)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: Set in a crumbling Ohio town that revolves around the local doll factory, Steven Soderbergh‘s offbeat film follows the antics of townsfolk turned detectives who try to unravel a murder mystery — and end up discovering a bizarre love triangle. In sharp contrast to his high-budget Ocean’s Eleven remake, Soderbergh uses low-cost digital camerawork and employs no-name actors in this quirky small-town drama
REVIEW: Call it Stevie’s Big Experiment; Bubble is more noteworthy for its guerilla filmmaking than its lackluster story. Oscar-Winning Director Steven Soderbergh completed this film for about $1.6 Million, with no script (dialogue is improvised around a plot synopsis, like the Christopher Guest mockumentaries) and using non-actors. The film was simultaneously released in theaters and on cable, with the DVD release just four days later — Soderbergh’s idea of how all films will eventually be distributed. Unfortunately, the non-actors can’t really act and the plot is a bit flat, including a very unsatisfying ending (a deleted scene in the DVD extras gives an idea where the story might have gone, but it still doesn’t really work). As a curiosity, Bubble is OK, but as a film it lacks impact.
3 stars
HAWK
Syndromes and a Century (2006)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: An abstract drama told in two parts, this Thai film uses poignant and humorous memories from director Apichatpong Weerasethakul‘s childhood to simply evoke emotions as well as tell the story of his parents’ budding relationship. Though the settings of each part are similar, one centers on a woman physician at a small clinic, and the other on a male doctor at a metropolitan hospital, and both include semblances of his parents’ courtship.
REVIEW: If you are looking for the usual film devices of plot and character development, looks elsewhere, because you will not find it here. Instead, director Apichatpong Weerasethakul employs some familiar film techniques (I recognized a pinch of Eric Rohmer, a bit of Kar Wai Wong and a couple of generous dollops of Terrence Malick) to meditate on memory, how setting (urban vs. rural) and point in time effects tone and theme, and just on the quiet artistry of everyday life.
In many ways, this film defies all description. Although a World Cinema devotee may recognize elements of the work of other directors within this film, as a whole, it is nothing like anything that has come before it. Unfortunately, most movie goers will also have no desire to see anything like it. But if you are in the mood for something non-linear, meditative and beautiful that you can mull over long after the credits have rolled, then this may be the film for you.
4 stars
Lori
Steel Toes (2006)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: This intense crime drama stars Oscar nominee David Strathairn as liberal Jewish attorney Danny Dunckelman, who’s appointed by the court to defend Mike Downey (Andrew W. Walker), a neo-Nazi skinhead on trial for the murder of an East Indian man. Confronting religious and racial intolerance, Mike and Danny struggle to form an alliance despite their divergent beliefs and sensibilities in this provocative exploration of hatred and forgiveness.
REVIEW: If your interests run along the lines of societal intolerance and Neo-Nazism, you will highly love this movie. I did. A skinhead commits a horrific crime in the opening scenes. He then receives a Jewish lawyer as a public defender. From the first scene in the jail room, where most of the movie takes place, you will find the performances of both actors powerful.
Unfortunately, the movie addresses an issue that is a major problem today, and most skinheads will not get it. And even sadder is the fact that most would not be lucky enough to get a lawyer like the one played by Strathairn. The movie attempts to address some very complex issues and I believe it succeeded. Give this one a try, you won’t be sorry.
4 stars
Ghost
The Courage of Lassie (1946)
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: When a playful Collie pup is shot by a young boy (Carl Switzer), young Kathie Merrick (Elizabeth Taylor) rescues the injured canine and nurses him back to health. Kathie nicknames the dog Bill and begins to train him to be a sheepdog on Harry McBain’s (Frank Morgan) farm. Unfortunately, Bill is hit by a car and suffers from doggie amnesia — but later becomes a war hero when he serves as part of a canine unit.
REVIEW: It is said that a roomful of monkeys seated at typewriters will eventually produce a coherent manuscript. That seems to be the case with The Courage of Lassie, which includes a little bit of everything. There’s animals frolicking in the wild together, animals in danger, inclement weather, gunshots, automobile accidents, dog amnesia (you heard me), WWII firefights, dog Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (I swear I am not making this up), and a climactic trial sequence wherein Lassie (actually known as “Bill” throughout most of the film) is saved by THE GREAT AND POWERFUL WIZARD OF OZ!!! I recommend that you ingest large quantities of narcotics before checking this one out. (Just kidding! Don’t do drugs!)
2.5 stars
HAWK
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