Film Critical

Film reviews and coming attractions by NAnderson for your consideration. I will be writing critiques of as many films as I can see. Check them out and write a comment.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

OPENING FRIDAY MARCH 30-

The Lookout
http://www.apple.com/trailers/miramax/thelookout/trailer1/
Meet the Robinsons
http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/meettherobinsons/
Blades of Glory
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/bladesofglory/

Limited Release:
After the Wedding
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/afterthewedding/trailer/
Live Free or Die (not the new Die Hard movie)
http://www.livefreemovie.com/

Thursday, March 22, 2007

300

Jaw dropping entertainment at its finest.

300 is a film that exceeds. Some criticize the lack of a complex plot, but I found it to be damn near perfect without one. The characters are nicely developed and exude some standard characteristics that make them easy to follow. The story is simple and straight to the point. 300 has visuals unlike you have ever seen. This makes the film stand out in a sea of cheesy remakes and plot driven indies.

The simple plot is one of my favorite parts to this movie. Unlike a film such as Gladiator, in which I fell asleep not once but twice, 300 doesn’t bullshit around. This is one aspect that makes it really stand out as a strong film. It feels raw as it epically portrays the nature of its warrior characters. Within 20 min of the film starting these guys are off to fight and they don’t ease up until the very end. That is the very nature of a graphic novel, of which this story is derived. Frame by frame things move along at a quick pace and keep the audience right in it. These Spartan warriors didn’t have time to sit around and plot out all their moves. They were on a tight schedule so why should the film try to fluff it up with story down time. I don’t think it should have, and I was glad it didn’t. If you want fluffy story go watch Pearl Harbor.

Each of the characters is strong in spirit, which ultimately makes perfect sense, as this is more or less the theme of the movie. It was also refreshing to see some new faces on the screen. Turns out, Brad Pitt is not the only one that can be an epic badass. Gerard Butler is perfectly cast as King Leonidas. He pulled it off with ease and a solid sense of power. Lena Headey nailed her role as well and gave a great performance as a commanding queen.

The special effects speak for themselves. And you must see it to know. They depict a very futuristic feel to a very ancient time. The combination is one of a kind and noteworthy. The score is not what you expect from an “epic” period piece. In a rock’n’roll sort of way, the music adds to the film’s grittiness perfectly. Something along the lines of what A Knight’s Tale was trying to do back in 2001, but we all know how that turned out.

Zack Snyder does a great job in the director’s and the writer’s chairs. He has created a beautiful film with the help of the recently risen star Frank Miller. Audiences love this movie too. Ticket sales have been record breaking and almost nobody has bad things to say. The graphic visuals and the soundtrack keep the film edgy and modern. The story and the acting make it convincing. 300 is a really fun film and it exceeds because it does exactly what it was made to do. It entertains.


GRADE: A

TRAILER: http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/300/trailer2/

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

OPENING FRIDAY MARCH 23-

Shooter
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/shooter/
Pride
http://www.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/pride/trailer1a/
Reign Over Me
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/reignoverme/
TMNT
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/teenagemutantninjaturtles/trailer2/
The Hills Have Eyes 2
http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_atomic/thehillshaveeyes2/
The Last Mimzy
http://www.apple.com/trailers/newline/thelastmimzy/

Limited Release:
Journey From The Fall

Offside
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/offside/trailer/
Color Me Kubrick
http://www.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/colormekubrick/trailer/
First Snow
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/firstsnow/trailer/

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

ZODIAC

A classic thriller, laced with wit.

Zodiac wraps you up like a blanket. The film’s dense plot and character driven mentality really are a force. It is completely consuming and in a very good way. Fincher pulls off another great feat of story telling through his stylistic direction. In almost a black comedy sort of way, Zodiac putts along with different characters that amuse, scare and frustrate. This seemingly endless list of characters really gets the audience tied up in things. By the climax of the film they are tossing so many names around it seems like you’ll never get things straight. Somehow things seem to come together and even thinking back on it now, I am still figuring some of it out. This is always a fun feeling because you leave the theatre with something to think about, and it makes you want to see it again.

As the film progresses through the eras it is accompanied by a good soundtrack that keeps this film, about a serial killer, surprisingly upbeat. The acting is fun to watch because of stellar performances by many top actors. It often seemed like an ensemble cast where everyone had an even share of scenes. Robert Downey, Jr. stood out to me with his eccentric personality and dead on one-liners. He complimented the other characters perfectly, and he was the one who seemed to evolve the most also through the story.

The plot is very strong throughout. Basing a script on actual events can often make it difficult to create an entire story that feels well developed. Zodiac is a pretty good example. Lots of characters, twists and turns, and a touch of humorous wit make this a great script. The ending seemed a little loose, and that is one of those moments where you have to remember that they were following true events and could only embellish so much. Looking back, I appreciate the ending more now than I did when I walked out of the theatre.

All together, Zodiac is a solid film. It is very engrossing as a thriller, and surprisingly humorous for it’s genre. The direction is great, and the acting is notable. Not to mention the camera shots are cool to watch.


GRADE: B+
TRAILER: http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/zodiac/

Monday, March 12, 2007

OPENING FRIDAY MARCH 16-

Dead Silence
http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/deadsilence/
Premonition
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/premonition/
I Think I Love My Wife
http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/ithinkilovemywife/trailera/

Limited Release:
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/thewindthatshakesthebarley/trailer/
Behind the Mask: The Riseof Leslie Vernon
http://behindthemaskthemovie.com/

Monday, March 05, 2007

OPENING FRIDAY MARCH 9-

The Ultimate Gift
http://www.theultimategift.com/movie.php?cid=1560810621&cat=movie
300
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/300/trailer2/

Limited Release:
The Namesake
http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/thenamesake/trailer/
Nomad: The Warrior
http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=11767
Believe in Me
http://www.believeinmemovie.com/trailer.html
Beyond the Gates
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/beyondthegates/trailer/
The Host
http://www.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/thehost/trailer/