Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Unfinished Cut) Review

(BASED ON THE UNFINISHED CUT)
This was my first advanced screening of an unfinished film and I found it really interesting to see a movie three months before release. As such, however, the film was filled with a number of small nagging issues that, I think, prevent a full and proper appreciation. Still what's here is really funny stuff and should be yet another great check mark on Apatow's resume.

Yet another funny flick from the Apatow crew, this time allowing talented Jason Segal to move into the spotlight. He's quite effective in the lead role in both a serious and comedic sense; I'm also impressed by the screenplay he co-wrote for this one. Playing out somewhat like a combination of The Break-Up and The Heartbreak Kid, Sarah Marshall works far better than those other two. It's quite funny throughout. There are some fluctuations in tone at times, the sound mixing was so off it actually caused me physical pain and a number of continuity errors occur but I chalk all that up to the unfinished nature of the film and am quite certain it'll be corrected in the final cut. I rank it, assuming the technical issues are fixed, behind only 40-Year-Old Virgin and Superbad in the Apatow filmography (better than Talladega Nights, Knocked Up, Walk Hard, etc...). I'm planning on seeing the finished version upon release to give a more proper review. Apatow, in case you were curious, has continued with his mission, started in Walk Hard, to put a penis in every movie so that Americans won't be so afraid of them as numeros, somewhat terrifying, shots of a nude Jason Segal show up here.

Overall Score: 8/10

Untraceable Review

I'm not sure if this is Saw for the more mature discerning viewer or Silence of the Lambs for the torture porn crowd. Either way, thanks to Diane Lane's superb performance and mostly strong supporting turns it's actually quite enjoyable. The story itself starts off very well in the first and second act as Lane and her FBI cybercrime unit learn of and track the killwithme.com killer. The film becomes predictable and contrived as the focus changes and moves to the killer infiltrating Lane's character's life. The only thing that makes the late scenes tolerable is Lane's superb performance. She creates both a tough and vulnerable character without it ever feeling contrived. The supporting turns from Billy Burke (who I generally don't like) and Colin Hanks (who has good charisma and timing) help pull the move through it's late tail spin as well. Hoblit's direction is adequate and unspectacular; though he does seem to have a knack for getting great performances out of his actors as seen here and previously with Richard Gere and Edward Norton in Primal Fear and Ryan Gosling in this past year's Fracture. While the film is frequently difficult to watch (violence-wise) it never feels as exploitative or perverse as the Saw/Hostel types. There is, I must mention, one terrible dilemma. The reveal and arc of the killer, and the actor's performance in the role, is both poorly conceived and distractingly awful. It should have been left more mysteriously and anonymously as, for me at least, the terror in this movie derived from the believability of how Americans would react to a 'kill with me' website. The killer doesn't create the fear, it's the believable chatroom comments on the site that really make one squirm. A better script, a better villain or a better method of piecing it all together could have made for one hell of a serial killer thriller. Alas, we have to settle for enjoying a great first half and a superb Diane Lane performance.

Overall Score: 7/10

Sydney White Review

It's actually quite a bit more tolerable than I would have expected. While much of it is pretty dumb I give it credit, conceptually, for doing a creative job updating the Snow White story. Amanda Bynes is fine but watching many of the supporting players, especially Sara Paxton, act is not dissimilar from smashing your head repeatedly into a brick wall. Unfortunately for Sydney, the film really pales in comparison to this year's other modern fairy tale movie, Enchanted.

Overall Score: 4/10

Rambo Review

This is probably the most profound movie I've seen this decade....nah, who am I kidding? It's loud, it's dumb, the script is hackneyed and the acting is, shall we say, not academy award worthy. But I did have a good dumb time watching people explode as Rambo kills them in various creative ways. To get a bit more serious the film does seem to have a stunningly right wing 'violence is the answer, diplomacy isn't' world view, with which I don't exactly agree. I do have to give Stallone credit though, his returns to Rambo and Rocky have both been surprisingly enjoyable and better conclusionary films then where each series was left. Not a good movie, but enjoyable dumb fun.

Overall Score: 5/10

U2 3D Review

I wanted to give this a better score I'm just not sure I can really justify it. It lacks the life and creativity of the Beastie Boys' Awesome, I Fucking Shot That! and the 3D can be strangely disconcerting at times. Most of the big hits are accounted for and are just as exhilirating as would be expected from the big screen IMAX format but something is just slightly off about it. Occasionally the 3D looks like layers of cardboard cutouts, occasionally the 3D effects blur on the edges, and sometimes the crowd effects look like superimposed people similar to Mystery Science Theater 3000. Still, it's a must for any big U2 fan. There is one moment that truly showcases the power and impact of 3D. During Pride (In the Name of Love) the crowd comes to life and literally an entire stadium full of people is jumping up and down: the 3D effect is incredible, it's like a sea of humanity really brought to life and you get a feeling for what it must be like to perform in front of so many thousands. To Bono's and the band's credit they don't shy from using this opportunity to espouse a message. Generally I hate 'messages' in my movies but Bono, moreso than any other celebrity (except possibly Lance Armstrong) manages to make his message as sensical and apolitical as possible. I'm a bit worried after seeing this that poor directors using 3D (Final Destination 4: I'm looking at you) will relegate the potentially amazing experience to the same sort of 80s cheap thrill it's still thought of as by so many. Here's hoping that from a concert movie perspective Shine a Light (Scorsese's Rolling Stones concert movie) and from a technological standpoint James Cameron's Avatar (THE hope for the future of 3D) turn out stronger.

Overall Score: 7/10

The Contractor Review

Mixes up parts of Shooter, Bourne and Man on Fire to create an altogether awful movie. There's a good reason why Wesley Snipes has dropped off the face of the Earth (and it ain't racism like he thinks), it's because he is not a good actor. The only tolerable aspect of this garbage is Lena Headey's and Eliza Bennett's acceptable performances. Otherwise everything else about it is too awful to merit me writing anymore.

Overall Score: 2/10

Fido Review

This is a strange mash up of Day of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, Lassie, Pleasantville and Edward Scissorhands that actually kind of works. The film begins with an uprorious 1950s style propaganda film about the zombie wars before wonderfully setting up the idealized town of Willard, the townsfolk and their pet/slave zombies. Unfortunately the movie is really unable to maintain the momentum from the first act throughout and it really peters out around the one hour mark. Still the performances are surprisingly strong from Dylan Baker (such a great character actor), K'Sun Ray, Henry Czerny, Billy Connolly and Carrie-Anne Moss. It's too bad this one couldn't keep up the humor and momentum throughout as the early segments give Shaun of the Dead (one of my favorite comedies) a run for its money. Definitely worth it for Shaun fans and horror fans...less so for others. Fitting in with 50s motif the gore is very tame for the genre nowadays which might make it somewhat more accessible to those uninterested in zombie films.

Overall Score: 6/10

Black Book Review

Frankly I think Paul Verhoeven is a hack. He is the auteur of such artistic masterpieces as Showgirls, Starship Troopers, RoboCop, Hollow Man and Total Recall; some guilty pleasures certainly but nothing that would make you think he is capable of taking on such an 'epic' story as here. Playing out much like a German version of Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, Black Book follows a young Jewish woman who infiltrates the Nazi party and helps a resistance effort and is torn between her feelings for the resistance and the man she is supposed to manipulate. The woman, Carice van Houten, is absolutely wonderful. Van Houten brings a sort of grace and believability to a role that has to contend with a number of Verhoeven's perverse and manipulative trappings (at one point she literally has a vat of excrement dumped on her nude body). Sebastian Koch, also wonderful in last year's Lives of Others, gives a nice turn as the SS officer that van Houten aims to spy on. I really wish a better director had taken on this material, it's an interesting story (moreso than Lust, Caution) and deserves a more mature and respectful treatment. Surprisingly, considering his action movie pedigree, Verhoeven's battle scenes here are choppy, unbelievable and somewhat hammy. This could have been a really great film with a better mind behind it; despite the problems I still liked it more than Lee's intolerably overlong and ponderous Lust, Caution.

Overall Score: 6/10

Cassandra's Dream Review

This was the rare movie that actually manages to improve as it goes on. From a basically awful first two thirds comes a fairly moving last act. I really like both Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor, but something went wrong here both of their performances (up until the moment of the murder in all the trailers) are really horrendous and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the delivery, maybe it's Allen's direction and maybe it's simply the screenplay: but it doesn't work. Farrell's last act meltdown is by far the most effective work here and I look forward to his upcoming In Bruges. Tom Wilkinson must need implants after all the scenery he chewed. I really havent liked Woody Allen's work all that much and this did nothing to change that. (Side note: whoever cut the trailer for this deserves an award...he/she made it look like a really good movie)

Overall Score: 4/10

The TV Set Review

A real funny take on getting a TV show on the air. David Duchovny is really funny (though he is basically playing a less surly precursor to his Californication character Hank Moody) and the supporting players are all pretty strong, if somewhat one no...(read more)te. Sigourney Weaver is especially funny as the lead network executive. Ioan Gruffudd, who I think is one of the most underated actors working today, is very strong and actually manages to make his one note character come alive (his work in Amazing Grace is the most forgotten of the year). While it's far from perfect and there are some definite lulls in the last third or so and numerous characters don't have completed story arcs, I enjoyed it and recommend it.

Overall Score: 7/10

Cloverfield Review

I think this is probably the most intense and creative monster movie I've ever seen. For what is really such a silly plot (think Godzilla), it really works surprisingly well. I was especially surprised by how effective the handy-cam point of view camera work was. Even the acting was better than I expected, highlighted by Michael Stahl-David (who was the best part of the terrible Black Donnely's tv show) who brings surprising believability to sort of a one note character. I think it's definitely an experience worth having in the trapped environment of a movie theather and it's short runtime makes sure it doesn't overstay its welcome. On a side note: I think it's one of the best budget-to-output movies I've ever seen special effects wise...good stuff.

Overall Score: 8/10

The Ten Review

I found this thing to be rather grating and far too infrequently funny to justify the time. While it has assembled an impressive cast that's not enough to overcome sophomoric humor and a lack of good ideas. A few of the sketches are funny, but by and large they're just mediocre short films that don't even particularly apply to their given commandments. Paul Rudd is by far the best part of it as, more or less, the narrator but even he seems a bit bored. Not recommended...

Overall Score: 3/10

White Noise 2: The Light Review

I can't for the life of me understand why this didn't receive a theatrical release. It was released in theater all over the world this past year to moderate success and finally received it's first US release with a January straight-to-DVD release. I have to imagine that the nerd loved combo of Nathan Fillion (Firefly/Serenity) and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) would have been enough to open it stronger than most comparable Japanese-style horror films. It's certainly a better movie than the first White Noise (and basically unrelated). It's also the 2nd or 3rd best Japanese-style American horror movie, behind only the first Ring and on the level with the first Grudge. It's easily better than its predecessor, the sequel to the Ring and Grudge, Pulse, Dark Water, The Messengers, and (I'm assuming) One Missed Call and any others I've forgotten to mention. Nathan Fillion, as usual, gives a strong performance, much better than would be expected of the part. He consistently gives performances that are far stronger than would be expected from the roles he is often cast in (Serenity, Waitress, Desperate Housewives, Slither) but I'm sad that he has yet to have a 'breakthrough' role in terms of the general public. Katee Sackhoff, who does good work on Battlestar Galactica and was the best part of NBC's putrid Bionic Woman remake, is quite good in a very different role. The film, though marred by the putrid editing typical of the genre and mediocre direction, actually works fairly well and, unlike so many horror movies, is fairly satisfying throughout (until a somewhat out of left field ending sequence reminiscent of Pulse). I'm saddened that this wasn't given a theatrical release (can you honestly tell me that this thing with a decent trailer and ad campaign wouldn't have opened to the same $15 million that One Missed Call did?!?) as it could have raised appeal for two actors whose work I appreciate, even if it's in a not-so-great movie. Definitely worth it for Fillion, Sackhoff or horror fans...not so much for anyone else.

Overall Score: 5/10

Jackass 2.5 Review

I hesitate to review or grade this as isn't really a movie per se, it's more of a compilation of reflections and deleted scenes from the second Jackass movie. Regardless what's here is either FAR more vile or less impressive/gutsy than earlier iinstallments. It gets as high as a 3/10 for a couple of funny segments.

Overall Score: 3/10

Paris, Je T'aime Review

It's a cool idea to bring together a powerhouse collection of directors (including the Coens and Alfonso Cuaron) and a ton of well respected thesps (including Natalie Portman, Juliette Binoche, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Steve Buscemi among many others) t...(read more)o create a collection of short films. The problems here should be fairly self-evident, though. The shorts themselves are basically only linked by short transitional shots of Paris and a quick epilogue, which makes the experience somewhat jarring, and the films themselves vary wildly in quality. While some (like Faubourg Saint-Denis and Quais de Saine) are quite good others (like Tour Eiffel and Porte de Choisy) are basically insufferable. It's tough for me to really recommend this on the whole (it's 18 shorts and two hour run time get a bit long in the tooth), but there are some neat little short films in here.

Overall Score: 5/10

I'm Reed Fish Review

So I'm thinking this will be the lowest box office grossing movie I see this year with a remarkable take of $3,567, though it wasn't quite that bad. I would say with some degree of certainty that Jay Baruchel (one of the buddies in Knocked Up) is the...(read more) worst possible choice for a leading man torn between two attractive leading ladies. Looking like an emaciated reject from a punk rock band I can't imagine cuties Alexis Bledel or Schuyler Fisk even giving Baruchel the time of day. The story set in indie-ville, um...I mean Mud Meadow, is pretty typical but there are some moments that almost work despite Baruchel's inept work. Both Bledel and especially Fisk actually try to make something out of the material. It saddens me to see Fisk's career has fallen so far from her first noticeable role in the Colin Hank/Jack Black comedy Orange County as I think she actually has some talent. Even DJ Qualls is kind of funny, though I usually find him unbearable. The movie does, for whatever reason, have a too cute for itself twist at the end but I actually found the strange plot design decision kind of worked, even if it was a might bit confusing. There have certainly been worse indie comedies and romantic comedies this year...

Overall Score: 4/10

Talk to Me Review

It works surprisingly like a conventional music biopic, which is probably why it's a bit problematic in the second half. The first half of the film, anchored by a wonderful performance by Don Cheadle, a nice supporting turn by Chiwetel Ejiofor and a good part for Martin Sheen. It culminates in Petey Greene's role in quelling the DC race riots after MLK was assassinated. However, after this critical moment in Greene's life the movie sort of losses focus, not unlike Greene himself. Unfortunately this less focused part, equivilent to the 'post-breakthrough rise' and 'fall' in a typical biopic, really mars the film. In fairness, though, the depiction of the reaction to MLK's assassination is deeply moving and believable. Cheadle's work, and the direction of the scene, are wonderful. A good, but not great film marred by a poor second half.

Overall Score: 6/10

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Review

In some ways this is the most wonderful film I've seen this year. Julian Schnabel's direction and Janusz Kaminski's lensing are nothing short of extraordinary. There are moments in here where the immersion is total...you feel 'locked-in' with Jean-Do...(read more) and it's a remarkable accomplishment. The performances are uniformly strong including Amalric (who could make an interesting villain in this year's 22nd Bond film) and, in a smaller role, Marie-Josee Croze who plays his 'speech' coach. Croze is a remarkably effective facial actress who manages to convey remarkable emotion without words. As nebulous as this may sound, however, there were moments of the film that I found myself losing interest: a long flashback of a trip to Lourdes and its pounding religious overtones sort of lost me. Occasionally some of the ideas (usually Jean-Do's imaginary sequences) feel a bit over the top. It's definitely interesting to see and it's beautifully filmed...but I hesitate to call it a truly great movie.

Overall Score: 7/10

American Pie Presents: Beta House

By no means is this a good movie, surprisingly though I found it stupidly amusing. While the 'real' Pie movies declined in quality with each episode the straight-to-DVD films have improved with each episode. The first, Band Camp, was a torturous piece of trash that lowered the IQ of all that watched. It's follow-up, The Naked Mile, which wisely dropped all of the characters from Camp was somewhat more tolerable if still stupid and overlong. This was the best of the sorry lot. It has an appropriately short running length (less than 90 minutes), returns the tolerable cast members from Naked Mile, and has some occasionally funny moments. Eugene Levy is always good for a laugh, even if his character has been so far removed from 5 movies ago that he's barely recognizeable. As an aside this has basically removed any semblance of being an American Pie movie (read: a combo sex/romantic comedy) and has become more of a Porky's style frat comedy, which isn't a bad thing all things considered. I'm actually, this sickens me to say, almost excited for next year's inevitable chapter...

Overall Score: 5/10

A Tribute to 2007 in Film

This is a remarkable tribute to a damn good year at the movies.

Credit to Matt Shapiro who made this thing.