Hope for better, but it was adequate.
(98) The Informant (2009): Matt Damon farce.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
July 29, 2010 - Cyrus; Winter's Bone
Caught two at the Broadway today with my brother, who was in from Mississippi and loves movies like I love movies, and my sister.
(96) Cyrus (2010):
(97) Winter's Bone (2010:
(96) Cyrus (2010):
(97) Winter's Bone (2010:
July 20, 2010 - Thank You For Smoking
Had been meaning to watch this like forever. Finally did it.
(95) Thank You For Smoking (2005): Reliable Jason Reitman film starring Aaron Eckhart.
(95) Thank You For Smoking (2005): Reliable Jason Reitman film starring Aaron Eckhart.
Friday, July 16, 2010
July 16, 2010 - Fur
Had been wanting to see this for a long time. Finally did today.
(93) Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006): I almost gave up on this film. It started slow and didn't hold my attention very well. I think director Steven Shainberg needs to hold himself accountable for this pacing problem. It finally did pick up and ended much better than it started. The real-life Diane Arbus was a great photographer, and we get hints of that in this movie. However, this is an imaginary tale and as such it's just OK. Nicole Kidman as Diane Arbus, and Robert Downey Jr., as Lionel Sweeney are both good, as is Ty Burrell as Allan Arbus, Diane's husband. Chronologically, we're to assume the events in this film take place before Arbus found her eye for photographing the strange and different people for which she's best known.
Anyway, I may give the film another watch one of these days, because it's possible the beginning is a little better than I'm suggesting, but either way if you watch this film just stick with it. It ends nicely.
3 Stars
(93) Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006): I almost gave up on this film. It started slow and didn't hold my attention very well. I think director Steven Shainberg needs to hold himself accountable for this pacing problem. It finally did pick up and ended much better than it started. The real-life Diane Arbus was a great photographer, and we get hints of that in this movie. However, this is an imaginary tale and as such it's just OK. Nicole Kidman as Diane Arbus, and Robert Downey Jr., as Lionel Sweeney are both good, as is Ty Burrell as Allan Arbus, Diane's husband. Chronologically, we're to assume the events in this film take place before Arbus found her eye for photographing the strange and different people for which she's best known.
Anyway, I may give the film another watch one of these days, because it's possible the beginning is a little better than I'm suggesting, but either way if you watch this film just stick with it. It ends nicely.
3 Stars
Monday, July 5, 2010
July 5, 2010 - Up In The Air
Waited a while to see this one because there were a bunch of bad films ahead of it that I just had to see.
(92) Up In The Air (2009): Any film that stars George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Jason Bateman may not be great, but it will never be bad. Such was the case with this film. Not great, but far from bad, and entertaining all the way through. Clooney and Farmiga are frequent travelers in their separate professional lives. They meet one day in an airport bar and really hit it off. Both love living out of suitcases and hotels, and consider airports their homes. Meanwhile, Bateman (for whom Clooney works as a corporate downsizer) is pulling the plug on Clooney's travel, opting instead for video-conference firings instead. It's a great look at the lives of serious business travelers, and there's a few unexpected turns along the way that will most likely catch you off your guard. A little foul language, but other than that it's entirely engaging. Highly recommend.
3.5 Stars
(92) Up In The Air (2009): Any film that stars George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Jason Bateman may not be great, but it will never be bad. Such was the case with this film. Not great, but far from bad, and entertaining all the way through. Clooney and Farmiga are frequent travelers in their separate professional lives. They meet one day in an airport bar and really hit it off. Both love living out of suitcases and hotels, and consider airports their homes. Meanwhile, Bateman (for whom Clooney works as a corporate downsizer) is pulling the plug on Clooney's travel, opting instead for video-conference firings instead. It's a great look at the lives of serious business travelers, and there's a few unexpected turns along the way that will most likely catch you off your guard. A little foul language, but other than that it's entirely engaging. Highly recommend.
3.5 Stars
Saturday, June 26, 2010
June 26, 2010 - Crazy Heart
I hate when I get my hopes up for a film. I usually regret it.
(91) Crazy Heart (2009): OK, I can get behind Jeff Bridges winning the best acting Oscar for this film. His performance transcended an otherwise average movie. One of the fatal flaws of this film is that at an hour and fifty-one minutes, which is plenty of time to tell a decent story, this movie failed to dig beneath the surface. The only person in the film I seemed to even care about was one we never see, but only hear on the phone near the end of the movie. Overall, this story was just too disjointed to take seriously. Tighter writing, and perhaps a bit more time, would have made this film infinitely better. The only reason I'd recommend the film is to catch Bridges in an Oscar-winning role. Beyond that, meh.
2 stars
(91) Crazy Heart (2009): OK, I can get behind Jeff Bridges winning the best acting Oscar for this film. His performance transcended an otherwise average movie. One of the fatal flaws of this film is that at an hour and fifty-one minutes, which is plenty of time to tell a decent story, this movie failed to dig beneath the surface. The only person in the film I seemed to even care about was one we never see, but only hear on the phone near the end of the movie. Overall, this story was just too disjointed to take seriously. Tighter writing, and perhaps a bit more time, would have made this film infinitely better. The only reason I'd recommend the film is to catch Bridges in an Oscar-winning role. Beyond that, meh.
2 stars
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