Film Review: Proof (2005) C+

Date Viewed: 6/22/06
Venue: DVD

Stage to screen adaptations are always tricky. Live theater’s greatest asset is an actor’s ability to create a performance and a character right before our eyes. We’re often willing to forgive a bland narrative is it’s accompanied by a riveting performance on stage. Film is not always so forgiving. Proof is well…proof of that.

Based on an award-winning stage production and directed by John Madden (sigh, not that John Madden, you football freaks. The guy who did Shakespeare In Love.), Proof stars Gwyneth Paltrow as the caregiver daughter of a recently deceased mad math genius (Anthony Hopkins). She must deal with her anguish over his passing, as well as her own fears of hereditary insanity and a cloyingly overbearing older sister (Hope Davis). Further complicating things is Jake Gyllehaal (who I firmly believe was in every film of 2005), Gwennie’s love interest and father’s former student who hangs around searching father’s hardscrabble journals for any final mathematical breakthrough.

If it doesn’t sound enthralling, don’t blame me. The real crux of the story is Paltrow coming to terms with the choices she’s made (giving up college to take care of father in his final years) and taking control of her life. Paltrow does in fact carry the film with a strong performance.

However, Proof can’t overcome its lofty theatrical origins. Scenes are long with dialog that I’m sure worked on stage, but drag here. The story meanders with no clear direction or sense of unity. What little tension the story eventually provides is ruined because any semi-conscious moviegoer will figure the outcome immediately.

Proof does offer strong performances if you are into that, but otherwise it’s a stuffy theater piece that should’ve stayed under the proscenium.

Film Review: Primer (2004) B

Date Viewed: 6/21/06
Venue: DVD

Primer is best 5,000 dollar movie you’ll ever see. Indie newcomer (well, newcomer in 2004, I’m a little late seeing this) Shane Carruth writes, directs, and stars in the micro-budget sci-fi time travel thriller that is a slick piece of entertainment that will keep you guessing at every turn.

Two young engineers accidentally invent a time machine. Five grand won’t cover a flying DeLorean, but Primer gives us an almost fly-on-the-wall account of the machine’s creation. Scientific knowledge aside, the dialog is so authentically engineer I buy those guys actually build the darn thing. Of course the duo test it out and begin using it modestly for their own means, using future knowledge to buy rising stocks a day or two in the past. Things become more convoluted when the pair is forced to decide to use the machine to save a life.

From there, Primer becomes a tangle of timelines, possibilities, doppelgangers, and deception. There’s some very deft writing and editing going on here, and I must warn this is not a film you’ll be able to completely figure out on first viewing, it requires your full and complete attention.

I’ve always had a soft spot for time travel stories, warts, paradoxes, and all. But it’s so refreshing to see a time travel film that doesn’t treat it as a gimmick and has the cajones to tackle all sorts of paradoxical manifestations without dumbing things down for the audience.

Film Review: End Of The Spear (2006) B-

Date Viewed: 6/21/06
Venue: DVD

End of the Spear, based on a true story, tells the tale of missionary encounters with the primitive and bloodthirsty Waodani natives of South America. Well…maybe it’s also about the Waodani’s encounters with the missionaries. Or…well, you see what I’m getting at, End of the Spear can’t make up its mind whose story it wants to tell.

Mostly set in the 1950s, the film is framed by narration from one of the missionaries’ sons (Chad Allen, who also convincingly plays the father) who has come back to the jungle decades later. The bulk of the film is a flashback to the missionaries’ deadly first contact with Waodani. Ever courageous, the remaining missionaries do not give up and slowly begin to earn the trust of the Waodani in their efforts to teach them Christian morals.

This is an interesting film because it delves so deeply into the lives of the Waodani. We see how they live and the spiritual justification for their murderous ways. Louie Leonardo turns in a stellar performance as Mincayani, the tribe leader struggling to protect the old ways in the face of change. I wanted to see more of Mincayani, it is his eventual transformation that is the heart of the film, but End Of The Spear is too busy telling EVERYONE’S stories.

I know this is a church funded film, but don’t you worry blue-staters, there’s no excessive preaching or proselytizing, it’s not going to violate your freedom of religion or make you repeat the entire Pledge of Allegiance. It’s really just a missed opportunity, for this is an intriguing and eventually moving story about forgiveness and the most Christian value of all: love. Despite an abundance of material ripe for the picking, End of the Spear simply tries to cover too many bases and winds up covering none adequately.

Man, does Oregon suck!

The University of Oregon Ducks unleashed their new football uniforms for the 2006 season.

Not surprisingly, they are hideous and exist in about a kajillion different variations.

By the way, that awful yellow they wear is called "Lightning." And I think the new numbers are same font as used in the video game Galaga.

If you should come across a Duck student, alumni, parent, or hell, any Oregonian in general, please shake your head in disgust.

And should you run into anyone affiliated with arch-rvial Oregon State, shake them and ask how they can allow this to go on?

ps - sorry for the slowing in blog posts. I've been working on something pretty cool that should be up and online next week...

Album Review: Wolfmother - Wolfmother (2006) B-

Sounds Like: The White Stripes, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath

Australia's newest export is the power-trio Wolfmother, who really have very little to offer in the innovation department. Unlike homage-rockers-in-arms The Darkness, Wolfmother appear to being playing things straight. Their sound has been described as a throwbackto Led Zepellin and Black Sabbath, althouth I hear a lot more White Stripes than either of those two legends.

This is one of those annoying records that people who aren't into heavy metal will, upon hearing that you are a metalhead, instantly recommend you listen to and chastise you when you don't. Meaning it's good to the undiscriminating, but 'the trues,' as James Hetfield would put it, know better.

The songs (and there are no standouts, so to speak) do harken back to early 70s rock, chunky blues riffs, wailing Plant-meets-Jack White vocals. And yes, you'll think Led Zep more than once, but in reality, I couldn't escape the notion that Wolfmother is really The White Stripes with longer, more progged-out songs, and to be honest, one of the reasons I enjoy The White Stripes is their brevity.

This is a solid if unmemorable and unoriginal effort. Good if you love The White Stripes brand of stripped-down rock or if you really think Deep Purple could've cranked out another album or two before Gillian left. But for the rest of us, we'll stick to the originals.

Film Review: Firewall (2006) B-

Date Viewed: 6/19/06
Venue: DVD

Harrison Ford returns to the big screen to make up for 2003’s atrocious Hollywood Homicide with Firewall, a thriller that also stars Paul Bettany (as the heavy) and Viriginia Madsen (as the wife). I had heard many mediocre things about this film upon its theatrical release, but it’s really not THAT bad.

Set in Seattle(!), Firewall has Ford playing the IT computer security manager for a small regional chain of banks. He’s got a smart, attractive wife, two kids, and an amazing home with stunning views. All this is put in peril when Paul Bettany and his crew of thugs (whose menace varies widely from thug to thug) take the family hostage in exchange for Ford’s help in robbing his own bank.

Despite the technological trappings, this is a very standard thriller, complete with the standard logic lapses and occasional plot holes. Too much of the first half is devoted to ‘computer-tension,’ where traditional action or chase scenes are replaced with people frantically typing on keyboards…will Hollywood ever figure out this is never suspenseful? And this is also the second straight thriller I’ve seen (Derailed being the other) where our villain is European and can switch accents at the drop of a hat. Is this some kind of modern-day American xenophobia at play? Probably not, but its an interesting thought.

Performances are decent, Bettany’s evil enough, Madsen does well with very little to work with, and Ford actually looks interested and coherent, which is a refreshing change these days, although I just can’t buy him talking about servers, hackers, and the like. I somehow don’t think Harrison is setting up wireless networks at home or anything.

The film really seems to get going once Ford has turned the tables and begins to hunt down his tormentors, that’s where I could actually see the Harrison Ford of yore. The 1980s cooler-than-cool Harrison Ford. Despite the film’s many flaws, just seeing that again made everything alright.

Film Review: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) B

Date Viewed: 6/19/06
Venue: DVD

Screenwriter Shane Black returns after a lengthy Hollywood absence with his directorial debut, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a hilariously sarcastic detective story starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Val Kilmer. If you’ve ever seen Mr. Black’s other filmed works, like Lethal Weapon, The Last Kiss Goodnight, or The Last Boy Scout, then you already know he’s a master of witty, acerbic, fast-paced dialog. And oh my does Kiss Kiss Bang Bang deliver.

Downey, Jr. plays a small-time thug-turned-wannabe actor, who stumbles across an intricate murder scheme while schmoozing in LA. He enlists the reluctant help of Kilmer, a homosexual Hollywood private investigator. And of course, there has to be a girl, Michelle Monaghan playing the cute struggling-actress sister of one of the deceased.

Like any noir detective story, there’s a good deal of narration. But since this is Shane Black voice-over we’re talking about, it’s a very clever, self-aware, and self-referencing stream-of-consciousness. All eminating from Downey, Jr.’s mouth. This movie knows it’s a movie, knows you’re watching, and proceeds to address you, the audience, directly. Downey, Jr.’s delivery is perfect, but at times the self-referencing gets a bit old, like it’s showing off. “Look how clever we’re being,” it seems to say.

While Downey, Jr. is good; Kilmer is great, dispatching line after line with a steady, deadpan delivery. Monaghan holds her own, but she seems a little too young for her character’s age.

There’s some well put-together gunplay and chase scenes, as well, although I wonder why Shane Black has such a hard on for footchases on dark L.A. streets (or for Christmastime in L.A—see Lethal Weapon on both counts).

I quite enjoyed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It works as a detective story, it works as an action movie, and it works as a dark comedy. The dialog is rapid-fire and entertaining, even if the narration runs its mouth too much. Recommended.

Film Review: Sky High (2005) B+

Date Viewed: 6/16/06
Venue: DVD

What a blast this movie is. I really wasn’t expecting a teeny Disney movie to be very fun, or funny for an adult, but Sky High is a very entertaining and funny family film.

Will Stronghold, son of legendary superheroes The Commander (Kurt Russell) and Jetstream (Kelly Preston), starts high school at Sky High, a school for superhero kids. Will quickly finds that superhero high is just as clique-ish and angsty as any real world high school.

What works so well here is a very consistent level of humor and respect for the characters. It’s hammy without being too ridiculously campy, like what if John Hughes did a movie about Dr. Xavier’s school in X-Men. The characters and their issues are played straight. Superpowers or not, these are real kids, but I mean, come on, you have to laugh when a kid’s ‘power’ is being able to turn into a guinea pig, or being able to glow, silly stuff like that.

The cast is very strong. Michael Angaranot’s Will is a goodhearted, conflicted everyman. In fact, all the kids here are quite good. I haven’t seen Kurt Russell have this much fun since Big Trouble In Little China. Dave Foley is hilarious as the ‘sidekick instructor.’ And to top it off the mighty Bruce Campbell is here as an overzealous superhero gym teacher.

Of course there is some dramatic action as supervillains take over the school, leaving it up to the kids to save the day. The action is cartoonish, but still dramatic and right on the money thematically.

All in all this is a very fun film, appropriate for all ages, with some laughs, thrills, legitimate teenage angst, and a nice message. If Disney had been putting out this kind of film for the past decade, they wouldn’t need Pixar.

Concert Review: Static-X (Key Club) B

Date of show: 6/15/06
Venue: Key Club (Hollywood)

I'll admit I wasn't too terribly excited to see Static-X. I had bought a ticket to this show when Silent Civilian were scheduled to open, but with Silent Civilian now on tour with Drowning Pool, I was left with just good ole Wayne Static & friends to entertain me.

Openers were Godhead and Twist The Screw (or was it Turn The Nut? Hammer The Nail? I forget), both of whom I deliberately missed.

Static-X eventually came on, sounded great, and really rocked the place. The last time I saw them was a few years ago supporting 2001's Machine album, and I was honestly pretty bored at that show. But this time I came away very impressed, although they're only band I have ever seen open with a drum solo, a short drum solo, but yes, a drum solo. Weird.

The set was a good mix of new and old, favoring newer material from Start A War and stuff off their first (and easily best) record, Wisconsin Death Trip. It should be noted that there wasn't much off of 2003's Shadow Zone album, the least Static-Xish record they've put out. Really my only knock on the setlist was the inclusion of some interlude-like filler tracks, like "Stem," but the crowd seemed to eat it up during their hourlong set.

Speaking of the crowd, again I felt like the old man of the sea, the ancient mariner. Most of the crowd was under 21, and when M and I talked to some kids about how we had seen Static-X way back in 1998, they looked at us like we had just told them our names were on the Declaration of Independence.

Despite 10+ years going to see bands on the Sunset strip...I had never actually been inside the Key Club. It's got great sound and an impressive light and video setup. Far cooler than any other club in LA. Although I'd advise against excessive drinking, there's way too many darkened staircases to go tumbling down (okay, Dad).

Film Review: The Great Raid (2005) C

Date Viewed: 6/15/06
Venue: DVD

It’s always a shame when a movie based on real-life heroism can’t deliver on the level those heroes deserve. While The Great Raid pays no disservice to the heroes it portrays, it doesn’t do a whole lot to make them interesting.

Based on real WWII raid to liberate American POWs from a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines, the story begins with a lengthy (for a movie) history lesson (utilizing some well edited archival clips) to set things up. From there we intercut the exploits of the POWs, the Rangers plotting the raid, and the Filipino underground movement.

We spent a lot of time getting to know our main characters, but unfortunately, they’re all pretty boring. Whether it be the noble but ill head POW Joseph Fiennes, army Captain James Franco (wooden as always), or American nurse/underground operative Connie Nielson (Lars Ulrich’s beau!), they all suffer from chronic cases of unflappable stoicism. That might work if there were a supporting character or two to keep things fresh, but there’s not. Everyone else here is a vaguely drawn archetype, nothing more.

Also complicating matters and inflating the already lengthy runtime is the all the intercutting. While I’m certain the Filipino underground paid an important role in this war, their importance to this raid is well, underwhelming. It feels the only reason this subplot was included was to simply keep a woman (Connie Nielson) in the film. She does have a mildly unrequited history with the Joseph Fiennes character, but that alone does not justify the screentime.

The final act surprisingly picks up rather well. The actual raid and its aftermath are compelling, exciting, and frankly bloody. It’s actually jolting after being lulled to a boredom-induced trance by the first two acts. And that’s what frustrating about this film. Why couldn’t the effort been made to make the first two acts as compelling as the last? It need not be done with action and violence. Character development and poignancy work just as well.

I realize The Great Raid has its heart in the right place and tries very hard to tell its story with honesty and dignity towards those involved. It’s a great tale of heroism under dire circumstances. And in many ways, it’s a stylistic throwback to older war films like Tora! Tora! Tora! But it’s just so unfortunate that The Great Raid can’t muster any urgency or real humanity until it’s too late.

Film Review: Howl's Moving Castle (2005) B

Date Viewed: 6/14/06
Venue: DVD

I’ve got to start by saying I’m not a fan a Japanimation or anime. I thought so-called masterpieces Akira and Princess Monoke were, well, just alright. But I can safely say I enjoyed, not loved, but thoroughly enjoyed Howl’s Moving Castle.

A corpulent witch turns simple young girl into an old lady who falls in love with a mysteriously self-indulgent and insecure wizard named Howl. Unsurprisingly, Howl might be the only one who can break the witch’s curse.

There’s far more to this fantasy than that, but that’s the clearest way my simple American brain can break it down for you. This is definitely not a traditional three-act story.

The film does have many of the spiritual trappings of other animated Japanese films, but here they’re used symbolically instead of being integral to the story. Not being Japanese,, and not well schooled in Asian spirituality, too many of these elements fail to resonate with me the way they should in other films. I had less of a problem with their use in Howl’s Moving Castle because they’re not essential plot points. That’s not to say I entirely understood all the symbolism, but if nothing else I could appreciate it visually without worrying about losing track of story.

The actual animation is quite good with many stunning vistas and impressive views. Lighting and environments are particularly well done. Character design is just okay, I never once felt like I was seeing something I hadn’t seen somewhere else before.

What really works in this movie is the strength of the characters. They’re deeper and more three-dimensional than I expected. And it must be noted I watched the Japanese language version with English subtitles. I know there’s a perfectly good English dub with Lauren Bacall, Christian Bale and the like, but I always prefer native language and subtitles, too much can get lost in translation and performance.

Howl’s Moving Castle draws you in slowly, first with scenic beauty, then with impressive characterizations. To top it off there’s a certain charm in the way the story sort of meanders and takes it’s time. This is a unique film and worth checking out.

Film Review: The Brothers Grimm (2005) D+

Date Viewed - 6/12/06
Venue - DVD

There’s an old lady in The Brothers Grimm who has only one line and repeats it often. It really resonates with the film. “Cursed!” An apt summary of this Terry Gilliam helmed disappointment that’s got some clever ideas, but doesn’t know what to do with them.

Matt Damon and Heath Ledger play the famous Grimm brothers in their pre-fairy tale writing days. They make their living in nineteenth century Germany as con artists, fooling feeble villagers into believing they’re being haunted and in need of the brothers’ paranormal elimination services (which is what EPA man Walter Peck suspected the Ghostbusters of all along). The brothers exorcise the pesky spirit, the village rejoices, and the brothers get paid.

Things go awry when they finally encounter a village with some real paranormal activity. Then it’s up to the bumbling pair to save the day for once.

Speaking of Ghostbusters, Damon and Ledger play the brothers as clever buffoons, and the script tries for a lot of humor with the pair and their schemes. Unlike Ghostbusters, none of it is very funny and due to their greedy motives, the pair aren’t the most likable fellows on screen. That’s a big problem here, there’s seemingly no one to really like.

Also not working are attempts to be scary. There’s some dark imagery here and some gruesome creatures/bugs/etc., but the cg special FX are horrible, the worst I’ve seen in a major studio release in ages. Utterly distracting, poorly done, and not frightening.

There is some merit in the concept behind all this, that the Grimm brothers were paranormal investigators of some kind in their time. But the film can’t make up its mind if it wants to be scary or funny, and in the process winds up being neither.

The Brothers Grimm was shelved for quite a long time (a year or more) by Miramax before it finally saw a release, and there were reports director Terry Gilliam clashed with the Weinsteins over creative control. It shows. There’s a lack of creative unity storywise, and the bad cg is emblematic of a joyless, ‘let’s get this thing over with’ attitude.

Metal Roundup 6/12/06 - Sepul-frauds?

Big metal news of the day was drummer Igor Cavalera officially quitting Sepultura after sitting out the past few months to spend time with his wife and baby.

Now that means there are zero Cavaleras (Igor founded the band with brother Max) and zero original members left in Sepultura. Not that I was really into anything of the stuff released post-Max (although this year's Dante XXI wasn't bad), but at least I didn't question the bands continued existence, which I now do. Talk about a group having zero credibility. Does this mean Igor reuintes with Max in Soulfly? We can only hope.


Alter Bridge played some new songs live recently, and someone was kind enough to bootleg and post them here. If you haven't checked out Alter Bridge, I highly recommend you should. They're Creed (stay with me here) with a new singer (who's got some impressive range and is uninterested in painting himself as a Christ-like figure) and better songs.


Here's my metal youtube finding of the day: Metallica performing a new song in Berlin last week. The song has no title but is quite good, it gives me a St. Anger meets ...And Justice For All vibe. The guitar solo is back!

Restaurant Review: Fleming's (San Diego) B+

Flemings Steak House
380 K St.
San Diego, CA 92101

Date Dined: 6/10/06

C and I went down to San Diego for a little weekend away and dined at Flemings Steak House, located on the southern tip of the famed Gaslamp district.

Flemings is actually a small chain of steak houses/wine bars, there’s even one here in the San Fernando valley, although I imagine that due to location, that one attracts a much older crowd than this southern counterpart.

We started with a bottle of Stone Street cabernet (2002) and not feeling very adventurous, ordered the calamari as an appetizer. The calamari was excellent, not the over fried variety one would usually endure, but nicely seasoned with no need for any cocktail sauce.

C had the ribeye cooked medium rare and I had the 12 oz. filet mignon medium. For sides, we ordered the mushrooms and the Flemings Potatoes (sort of a very cheesy au gratin potato). The sides were excellent and well portioned for two, unusual for a steakhouse.

C’s ribeye was great, perfectly cooked, but my filet was lacking. A filet should be very, very tender and this was uneven, tough in spots.

Too full from our meal we skipped dessert.

Service was top-notch, and décor was nice, but I have to knock Flemings down a peg for the uneven filet (I know, I know, laugh all you want about uncle moneybags here crying about his filet mignon), even if the rest of our food was quite good.

Film Review: The Last Shot (2004) C+

Date Viewed: 6/8/06
Venue: DVD

The Last Shot has a lot of good, funny ideas and a great A-list cast, so why has no one heard of this flick? Despite some favorable notes from critics (Ebert & Roeper especially), the film was given a limited theatrical run in major cities only and has since been forgotten by the movie-public despite starring Matthew Broderick, Alec Baldwin, Toni Collette, Ray Liotta, Tony Shalhoub, and Calista Flockhart. Well, the problem is that for every funny bit that made it into the film, there’s at least one un-funny bit to go with it.

Writer/director Jeff Nathanson’s comedy (based on real events!) centers on a FBI sting operation targeting mobsters behind the Teamsters Union. Since the Teamsters work with the movie industry, the FBI taps agent Joe Devine (Baldwin) to set up a fake film production. For authenticity, he buys a struggling LA writer/director Steven Schats’ (Broderick) sappy script and offers the unwitting dreamer the director’s chair. Who would say no? The joke’s on the director, however, as the Feds force drastic changes of location (Rhode Island instead of Arizona) to serve their mob-busting needs.

The humor works when it’s about Hollywood. Riffs on struggling actors, celebrity pets, mobsters wanting to finance movies, etc. are well written and genuinely funny despite not being wholly original.

Character-driven humor doesn’t fare so well. Things feel uneven, some characters seem to disappear without any resolution, and others are under-or-overwritten. Steven Schats has a rather large subplot involving his brother that is completely extraneous, and worse, not that funny. That said, the performances, Broderick especially, are very good. It just feels like a re-write is in order.

The Last Shot is a moderately funny movie that simply missteps. Too often the film will introduce a fertile comedic angle, only to abandon it prematurely in favor of something far less funny. It’s a shame because this had potential.

Top 10 Films By Year

Just my top ten film lists for this decade. These will obviously evolve as I see more films.

2012
01. John Carter (B)
02. The Grey (C)

2011
01. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2 (A-)
02. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (B+)
03. Hugo (B+)
04. X-Men: First Class (B)
05. Bridesmaids (B)
06. I Saw The Devil (B)
07. Warhorse (B)
08. Super 8 (B)
09. Horrible Bosses (B)
10. The Lincoln Laywer (B)

2010
01. In A Better World (A-)
02. The Social Network (B+)
03. Kick-Ass (B+)
04. Black Swan (B+)
05. Exit Through The Gift Shop (B+)
06. 127 Hours (B+)
07. Restrepo (B+)
08. Winter's Bone (B)
09. Toy Story 3 (B)
10. The Town (B)

2009
01. Up (A-)
02. Inglorious Basterds (B+)
03. Moon (B+)
04. The Hurt Locker (B+)
05. A Prophet (B+)
06. The Blind Side (B+)
07. Star Trek (B)
08. Watchmen (B)
09. Avatar (B)
10. Zombieland (B)

2008
01. The Dark Knight (A)
02. WALL-E (A-)
03. Let The Right One In (A-)
04. Cloverfield (A-)
05. The Wrestler (B+)
06. Iron Man (B+)
07. In Bruges (B)
08. Doubt (B)
09. Slumdog Millionaire (B)
10. Frost/Nixon (B)

2007
01. Gone Baby Gone (A)
02. No Country For Old Men (A-)
03. Zodiac (A-)
04. 300 (A-)
05. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (A-)
06. Superbad (B+)
07 Once (B+)
08. Hot Fuzz (B+)
09. Sunshine (B+)
10. Beowulf (B+)

2006
01. Superman Returns (A)
02. The Departed (A)
03. United 93 (A)
04. Brick (A)
05. V For Vendetta (A-)
06. Casino Royale (A-)
07. The Prestige (A-)
08. Apocalypto (A-)
09. The Descent (A-)
10. Pan's Labyrinth (A-)

2005
01. Sin City (A)
02. King Kong (A)
03. Match Point (A)
04. Walk The Line (A)
05. Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith (A-)
06. Hustle & Flow (A-)
07. Wallace & Gromit in The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (A-)
08. Munich (B+)
09. Good Night, & Good Luck (B+)
10. Sky High (B+)

2004
01. Finding Neverland (A+)
02. Million Dollar Baby (A)
03. Friday Night Lights (A-)
04. The Incredibles (A-)
05. Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster (A-)
06. The Passion Of The Christ (A-)
07. Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban (A-)
08. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (B+)
09. Shaun Of The Dead (B)
10. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (B)

2003
01. Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (A+)
02. X-Men 2: X-Men United (A+)
03. American Splendor (A-)
04. Finding Nemo (A-)
05. Pirates Of The Caribbean (B+)
06. A Mighty Wind (B)
07. Daredevil (B)
08. Intolerable Cruelty (B)
09. Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (B)
10. The Matrix Reloaded (B)

2002
01. Signs (A)
02. Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (A-)
03. Catch Me If You Can (A-)
04. Far From Heaven (A-)
05. City Of God (A-)
06. The Pianist (A-)
07. Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones (A-)
08. Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets (A-)
09. Panic Room (B+)
10. Chicago (B)

2001
01. Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (A+)
02. The Man Who Wasn’t There (A+)
03. Monsters, Inc. (A)
04. Thirteen Days (A)
05. Moulin Rouge! (A-)
06. Ocean’s 11 (A-)
07. In The Bedroom (A-)
08. Zoolander (A-)
09. Hedwig And The Angry Inch (B+)
10. Bridget Jones’s Diary (B)

2000
01. X-Men (A)
02. Traffic (A-)
03. Memento (A-)
04. Wonder Boys (A-)
05. Love And Basketball (A-)
06. Quills (A-)
07. Best In Show (B+)
08. Gladiator (B+)
09. O Brother Where Art Thou (B+)
10. Requiem For A Dream (B+)

Film Review: Aeon Flux (2005) D

Date Viewed: 6/7/06
Venue: DVD

Aeon Flux tries so hard to be cool. Based on the animated series that was shown as a series of stylish vignettes on MTV’s Liquid Television in the early 1990s, Aeon Flux is one of those ‘lets put a hot actress in a tight outfit and have her kickass’ movies. The problem isn’t Charlize Theron’s hotness, the problem is there’s no ass-kicking or coolness of any sort.

Set in a semi-utopian future world, title character Aeon Flux (Theron) fights for a shadowy rebel organization whose goal is the upheaval of their society’s totalitarian government. However, Aeon uncovers a secret that could unravel their entire existence.

There’s a lot over-stylized unbelievable martial arts fighting thrown in with even more silly and underwhelming gunplay. Theron doesn’t quite look comfortable in the fights, and since there’s a PG-13 rating to maintain, there’s nothing too graphic (or well-shot, for that matter). And apparently, guns are weaker in the future, because if you get shot, you’ll feel the effects (basically you grimacing) for exactly two shots. After that, you’ll be unaffected for the rest of the film .

Production design is decent, but the camera moves around too much to ever get much of a feel from it. Every set-piece or art department creation intended to have a cool factor just come off lame and mildly retarded.

The characters are consistently underwritten (um, why is Frances McDormind is this movie?). The script is instead saddled with difficult exposition and too many lame action sequences that do very little if anything to advance story.

There’s not much more to say. This is a lame movie with a lame story and lame action. For trying so desperately hard to be cool, Aeon Flux discovers that you can’t try and be cool, you just are, or you aren’t.

Film Review: Capote (2005) B+

Date Viewed: 6/6/06
Venue: DVD

The first time I heard Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s annoying little ‘Capote voice,’ I was immediately turned off to this biopic of the famous author. However, something funny happened. I got used to it. I didn’t feel the involuntary urge to slug Capote anymore. What caused this reversal? Well, Hoffman’s performance isn’t just about a funny voice or accent, it the way he walks, the way he turns his head, the way he sits. It’s all encompassing.

We follow Capote and good friend Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) to rural Kansas to investigate a ghastly quadruple homicide for a New Yorker piece. The pair immense themselves in the locals’ grief and Capote charms his way around, collecting information. Eventually, the murderers are arrested, and Capote manages to get access to them, as well.

The tale continues on, spanning several years as Capote’s magazine piece expands into his legendary tome, In Cold Blood. Along the way, he schmoozes and charms to gain more access, more information, from the killers. With this comes conflicted guilt, Capote knows he’s used people for his own ends.

It’s an interesting character study, focusing intently on a sequence of events in Capote’s life that would change him forever rather than going for a more traditional ‘life story.’ Doing it this way allows added depth and weight for the supporting characters and their stories.

Much credit must be given to director Bennett Miller for guiding the story with efficient and simple grace. And Hoffman really earned his Academy Award. Capote is not the most sympathetic character put to film, but Hoffman anchors our attention with a complex and riveting performance.

Album Review: Tool - 10,000 Days (2006) B

Sounds Like: Tool

I like Tool. I really do. But they've never been one of my favorite bands. They have a lot of great songs. They also put out a lot of filler, too.

10,000 Days really isn't that much different from their last record, 2001's Lateralus. Well, okay, 10,000 Days is a bit more focused, there's a little less filler here. But musically, you could make a mixtape of Lateralus and this and not notice what songs go with which album.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. Tool for me, with some notable exceptions from Undertow and Aenima, is mostly background music type-stuff, and this record really doesn't change that.

Still a good listen and recommended.

Album Review: Hurt - Vol. 1 (2006) B-

Sounds Like: Tool, Staind

The debut album from the mysterious band Hurt is hard to categorize. The only way I can think to describe it is to take a Tool record and remove all the more whacked-out progressive parts.

What you end up with is a haunting album with slithering melodies and quietly smoldering vocals. First single "Rapture" is a great song, but the remainder of the album doesn't do much to distinguish itself. Tracks flow from one to the other without too much variety. There are some vaguely Christian overtones. Just look at the song titles, "House Carpenter," the aforementioned "Rapture," etc.

Oh, and strangely enough, I have no idea what these guys look like. The video for "Rapture" is animated, and there are no photos in the album's liner notes.

That said, this is decent background-music type stuff. It's not outstanding, but it's piqued my curiousity.

Album Review: Godsmack - IV (2006) C+

Sounds Like: 90s Metallica

Turn on any commerical heavy metal radio station during the day and you'll hear Godsmack at least once an hour, maybe more. Practically as much as you'll hear Metallica. Why is that?

Godsmack are safe, innocuous. They don't do too much to offend, but they don't offer anything to get too excited about, either. Their creatively titled fourth album is further evidence of that fact.

Speaking of creativity...look at the track titles:

Living In Sin (Bon Jovi used this title)
Bleeding Me (Metallica used this title)
Hollow (Pantera used this title)
No Rest For The Wicked (that's an Ozzy album title)
Shine Down (there's a hard rock band similiar to Godsmack called this)
Voodoo Too (sequel to Godsmack's Voodoo)

Draw your own conclusions...

Not as heavy as 2003's Faceless, the songs here are a little more commerical in nature. Not much stands out. The first single "Speak" and "Mama" are the strongest tracks, but overall, it's really not a change from the Godsmack formula.

They might be radio friendly, but I just can't get that excited about them.

Film Review: A History of Violence (2005) B-

Date Viewed: 6/5/06
Venue: DVD

I really, really, really wanted to like A History of Violence, David Cronenberg’s(!) adaptation of the graphic novel(!) of the same name. It had Viggo Mortensen, an Oscar nominated William Hurt (supporting actor), and was on many critics top ten lists for 2005.

The story is a simple one. Small town average joe Tom Stall (Viggo) has a loving wife, two kids, and owns a nice little diner in rural Indiana. He’s thrust into the spotlight when two murdering thugs attempt to rob the diner and Tom coldly kills them in self-defense. The heroic story makes waves and is picked up by the national media, Tom’s face is plastered on the news. Shady figures from Tom’s buried past see the reports and track Tom down…

There’s obviously more too it than that, but I’m not going to give it away here. I will say there are several graphically violent scenes throughout the film. These are extraordinarily vivid and effective. It’s the stuff in between the violence that bugs me.

First of all, there is some hokey dialog. I suppose that’s to be somewhat expected from a comic adaptation, but there’s no men in tights running amidst cg landscapes, so my patience for hokiness is diminished.

There are also some character inconsistencies that just take me right out of the film. Maria Bello is saddled with an underwritten wife character. There’s a racy, spontaneous sex scene that’s right out of Cronenberg’s Crash, and completely wrong for these characters. And I guess showing up in one scene and speaking with long, long pauses is all it takes to nab an Oscar nom, as William Hurt proves. Someone should alert Shatner

I don’t dislike A History of Violence. The tension and dramatic build, especially in the first two acts, is very effective. The violence is well done and joltingly real. But I just get a feeling this movie is…undercooked. The pieces are all here, the characters just need a little more work.

Trail of tears ends at my gym

I'd been meaning to post about this for awhile, but ESPN.com beat me to it with this article.

Basically, former Gonzaga basketball star Adam Morrison is doing his pre-NBA draft training here in LA. And he's doing it at my gym. Now I don't like Morrison's game. He's a great player, but plays kinda like John Stockton. Pesky, hard, gets in guys' faces. Annoying. But, it seems off the court, he's a pretty normal, likable kid.

So I've seen him just about everyday for the last month, hanging out with various near-anonymous NBA-types (okay, I never saw Devean George at the gym) and practicing under UCLA's Don MacLean (who has a pretty sweet ride-at least, I'm assuming a blue sports car with UCLA stickers, a Bruins personalized plate, and a UCLA alumni license plate holder that I never spotted before is his). I also saw current USC guard Nick Young there one day, no word on if MacLean the Bruin ran him off.

Usually I spot Adam and co. around lunchtime in the gym's little cafe area, flaunting the 'no wet clothes in the cafe' rule and talking shop. Surprinsgly, I don't think anyone recognizes him. He is pretty hard to miss, but only once have I seen anyone else talking to his table. And that was a couple of old guys (which is 95% of my gym's daytime demographic) who I now realize probably recognized MacLean.

Strange too, is that I've seen him hanging out in the lounge after practice, like he's waiting for a ride. It's got to be weird to already being worth a good deal of money (endorsements), about to worth a whole lot of money (contract), and still be waiting on rides.

And I've thought about shaking his hand and wishing him luck in the draft, but now that the article reveals his love of Metallica, I think I'll definitely have to say hello.

Film Review: The New World (2005) B

Date Viewed: 6/2/06
Venue: DVD

Director Terrence Malick loves grass. Not the kind you smoke, but the unmanicured kind you wade through in wild, overgrown fields. Next time you watch one of his films, count how many times he cuts to grass. I'm betting it's at least a dozen.

There's lots of grass in The New World, Malick's telling of the oft-told Pocahontas/John Smith colonial love story. The grass symbolizes many things; the freedom of the new world, the gentle, untamed spirit of Native Americans, and most importantly, the nature of love itself.

Colin Farrell plays Smith, who comes to America to establish the Jamestown colony. Things are harsh for the colonists, and Smith communes with the 'naturals' to better learn their intentions towards the white man and to learn how to survive in their new home. Smith is enraptured by the playful, innocent Pocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher).

The two enjoy many simple, playful, mostly silent, (and extremely chaste) romantic scenes together before the colonists and naturals go to war. Smith is ordered on an expedition and Pocahontas, cast out as a traitor, must live with the colonists.

From this point forward, this is Q'Orianka Kilcher's film. Before, we dealt with Smith's anguish over a love-that-could-never-be, but now it's up to her to carry onward an austere tale of an outsider and her unrequited love.

The performances are strong all-around, but only once Kilcher becomes our sole focus does the film feel fully realized. This is her story, and Q'Orianka Kilcher (born in 1990, btw...how's that for historical age accuracy?) makes it happen. She's a treat to watch.

The New World utilizes visual metaphor and some well-placed inner-voice narration to convey not only the story, but the subtext as well. Not for those craving a popcorn flick, but an open mind will be rewarded.

There's a scene in England late in the film amidst a sea of well-manicured and landscaped grounds, a direct contrast to the wilderness seen in the new world. Not much is said between the two characters in that scene, but the grass behind them betrays their feelings. Touches like that make the The New World a fine piece of cinema.

Film Review: Flightplan (2005) F

Date Viewed: 6/1/06
Venue: DVD

If there can be a movie called Snakes On A Plane then I’m certain this Jodie Foster vehicle should’ve been dubbed Crazy Lady On A Plane, because that’s Flightplan in a nutshell. Or maybe it should be called Crazy Lady On A Plane Full Of Laughably Unbelievable Plotholes (That You Could Fly A Plane Through). Yeah, I think that works a lot better.

Jodie Foster plays a propulsion engineer who’s just lost her husband to a horrible accident and is bringing his body back home to the States. Accompanying her is her very frightened six-year-old daughter. A few hours into the flight, Foster awakens from a nap to discover the daughter missing and no one on board having even the slightest memory or record of the girl ever being on board.

The rest of the film is mostly spent with Foster (who is strangely beginning to look more and more like Michael Jackson…or maybe it’s the other way around?) desperately running around the plane searching for her daughter or desperately trying to convince the crew that’s she’s not crazy. Peter Skaargsard, who I swear must be related to John Malkovich, is also around as the world’s most forgiving air marshal.

Problemic story points arise as soon as the girl goes missing. Um,, why is Jodie allowed to run around the cabin unchecked? Um, why is the crew letting her talk back to them? Um, why didn’t the air marshal incapacitate her when she bangs on the cockpit door? Oh, it’s because her daughter’s missing. Oh, then it’s okay to endanger the passengers, no sweat, my bad.

Things get worse as the plot thickens. I won’t give anything away, but there’s some seriously sloppy, made-for-cable-esque storytelling at work. The whole thing winds up being so far-fetched I actually wonder if anyone read the script before setting out to make this turd.

Jodie gives a decent, if one-note, performance. Skaarsgard, much like the film, is wholly unbelievable. The little girl, who really doesn’t have much to do, is annoying. And Sean Bean and Erika Christiansen are here to collect paychecks.

This isn’t quite a so-bad-it’s-good movie, but I admit, I sometimes get a certain sadistic thrill watching a bad film. It’s a nice little reminder that crap is crap and I haven’t gotten soft.

Album Review: Shadows Fall - Fallout From The War (2006) A-

Sounds Like: Testament

Shadows Fall, after the immense success of 2004's The War Within, is leaving indie Century Media records for the major label confines of Atlantic. The do however, owe CM one more record. So when word got out Shadows Fall were releasing Fallout From The War, a collection of rarities, newly recorded versions of older songs, and covers, I immediately expected this to be a throwaway exercise at worst, (Anthrax's) Attack Of The Killer B's at best.

But instead, Fallout From The War is a fantastic record, an excellent addendum to The War Within. There's not a weak track here, even a Dangerous Toys cover holds up well. The new/old songs and rarities roar with thrash metal life and are definitely not the filler one might expect. The band puts it's own stamp on the covers, you'd be hard-pressed to guess they're covers (Dangerous Toys aside). Production, as expected, is excellent.

An impressive effort and a nice way to keep the masses satisfied while Shadows Fall works on becoming the next big thing.

Film Review: The Da Vinci Code (2006) C-

Date Viewed: 5/31/06
Venue: DGA

The Da Vinci Code is easily the most talked about book of the last three years. So of course it’s a no-brainer that it be made into a major Ron Howard-helmed Hollywood production. The questions are: can a very talky, semi-clunky page-turner be turned into summer movie-going fare? Can the script make sense of the immense amount art history present in the book and make it entertaining to watch on screen? Can Ron Howard make the cardboard cutout characters three-dimensional? The answer to all of these is: not really.

The plot concerns symbologist professor Langdon (Tom Hanks) and policewoman Sophie’s (Audrey Tautou) as they unravel the mystery behind the murder of her estranged grandfather, who happens to be the Louvre’s senior curator. The pair discovers granpapa left behind a series of riddles, clues, and anagrams as a means to protect a dangerous secret. Meanwhile Langdon and Sophie are being hunted by not only a relentless French detective (Jean Reno), but also granpapa’s killer (poor Paul Bettany in albino make-up).

That’s about all I can go into without thoroughly ruining the plot. Well, eventually, Langdon and Sophie meet up with Sir Teabing (Ian McKellen), a historian who clues us all in on just what this powerful secret is. But beyond that, I’m going spoiler free.

When I read the book I knew it would be a challenge to bring to the screen. There’s a lot of expository dialog and backstory. The film tries to make all this interesting with flashbacks. The character driven flashbacks seem to work better (despite being visually unoriginal) and less jarring than the ‘historical’ ones (flashing back to medieval London to explain some historical fact, for example), but they’re all problematic.

The characters in the book are very two-dimensional as they are just facilitators for the plot. The film at least attempts to give them some additional motivation. However, this is actually counterproductive as it simply makes matters more convoluted than they already are.

Speaking of altering the characters, Langdon is presented as more of a skeptic here in the film than he is in the book. It’s an obvious ploy to placate those who have rallied and protested against the book, and it feels forced and not consistent with his background.

To me, the heart of the story is the secret itself. It’s an explosive piece of information. The secret sets the stakes and sparks our imagination. A problem in both film and book is that the secret is revealed smack dab in the middle of the story. We blow our load halfway through, and everything afterwards pales in comparison. If the reveal was later, suspense could be held up until that point, building as the answer draws near. You could even reveal it sooner, say the end of the first act. Then, at least, you’d know what was at stake the rest of the way.

It’s funny but I keep harkening back to the Nic Cage flick, National Treasure, another treasure-hunting secret conspiracy caper. It’s silly, but it was entertaining and fun. That’s what The Da Vinci Code should’ve tried to emulate. Sure the stakes are higher, but in essence, they’re telling the same story. But instead we’re treated to a talk-fest that’s so unsure of it’s talking it feels the need to flashback indiscriminately. And where's Clint Howard (Ron's actor brother) in all this? Isn't he in all of Ron's films? Outrage!

Hollywood likes to rush these bestseller adaptations out the door to cash in. The Da Vinci Code simply follows the book too closely, and could’ve really used a few years in development hell to iron out the kinks and find an entertaining way to divulge it’s secrets.

Film Review: Hustle & Flow (2005) A-

Date Viewed: 5/31/06
Venue: DVD

Ah yes, Hustle & Flow. I had a blast with this Terrance Howard vehicle, featuring him as a pimp with a dream to become a rap artist. It’s really just a basic ‘follow your dreams’ story, but setting it against the harsh life of Memphis pimp makes Eminem’s little movie look like SpongeBob Squarepants (hey, and I liked 8-Mile).

Terrance Howard absolutely owns the role of D. Jay, our pimp of the hour. He’s menacing when he has to be, but also surprising deep and sympathetic, more in touch with himself and his mid-life crisis than one would expect from, well, a pimp. Disappointed with his life’s pursuits, a serendipitous run in with old classmate and current sound recordist Key (Anthony Anderson), rekindles D. Jay’s musical fire. And with the help of white-boy sequencer Shelby (DJ Qualls), the trio set out to record a demo.

Electricity is the in air as D. Jay and the fellas lay down tracks. Anchored by a great soundtrack (featuring Academy Award winning Three 6 Mafia), the writing/recording of the demo is heart-poundingly inspirational stuff. Organic, real. I felt like I was in the room creating music with those cats.

The film’s final act deals with D. Jay’s attempt to get his demo into the hands of hometown rapper made good Skinny Black (Luda-I’mthebestthingaboutCrash-cris). And what’s a pimp if not a salesman? I won’t spoil how and what goes down, but I walked away satisfied.

Writer/director/John Singleton-protégé Craig Brewer deserves a lot of credit. Sure this is a simple story we’ve all seen dozens of times over, but by taking it to the streets and keeping a gritty integrity throughout, it feels sincere, from the heart. There’s no Spielberg moments or Hollywood glitz awaiting our dreamers, it’s all about keeping it real.

Film Review: Jarhead (2005) C

Date Viewed: 5/31/06
Venue: DVD

Sometimes I see a film that’s based on a novel and say, “gee, the movie was just okay, but now I really want to read the book.” The Sam Mendes (American Beauty) directed Jarhead makes me say just that. Based on the autographical tome of the same name, Jarhead follows the exploits of marine private (‘Jarhead’ is slang for marine) Swafford (Jake Gyllenhal) from boot camp through Desert Storm.

Highly existential in nature (Swafford carries around a worn copy of Camus’ The Stranger, for goodnessakes), the story operates as sort of a tone poem with Swafford is an atypical main character, warm and thoughtful one minute, immature and mentally unstable the next. There is much reflection on the strangeness of the Desert Storm conflict; months spent training in the desert, hardly any shots fired, the hellish visage of oil fires (which really are quite well done, kudos to the FX team). The odd monotony and isolation of it nearly drives Swafford and his fellow Marines mad.

There’s a lot of interesting cultural references and reflexivity throughout the film. The Marines watch Apocalypse Now and cheer lustily during the Flight of the Valkryes scene. A chopper flies over men in Iraq playing an old song by The Doors as Swafford remarks “that’s Vietnam music! We need our own music!” And there is quite an impressive about of period (1989-1990) music in the film. There’s even a reference to the old Nintendo game Metroid that is thematically right on the money. I mean, how cool is that!? An existential NES reference!

The problem with Jarhead is that despite heady aspirations, the piece has a ‘been there, done that’ feel to it. We’ve seen men go mad from war plenty of times before in other films (even Swafford and the other Marines of Jarhead, children of the seventies and eighties, have seen it countless times over on film and TV) We’ve also seen the oblique strangeness of war in other films. The films supporting characters (even Jamie Foxx, who’s quite good as Swafford’s Staff Sgt.) are well played, but can’t offer anything new to these near-stereotypes. And Swafford, a truly existential character, is neither likable nor deplorable, he simply is.

I admire Jarhead for what it tries to accomplish. But for an existential film to work, there’s has to be some originality with story, setting, or supporting cast. There must be something to draw the viewer in and hold interest because an existential main character is by definition incapable of engaging the audience in the manner of a traditional protagonist. And that’s ultimately where Jarhead the film fails. I have a strong feeling, however, that Jarhead the book manages to overcome this obstacle.