Trailer - The Sitter

Director: David Gordon Green

Starring: Jonah Hill, Max Records, Sam Rockwell

Year: 2011



I think Jonah Hill (Superbad, Cyrus) is funny, don't get me wrong. But I've seen Adventures In Babysitting and it was just alright. If I really wanted to see it again I'd rent it. So far, I haven't.

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Movie Review - The Pistol

Director: Frank C. Schroder
Starring: Adam Guier, Nick Benedict, Murrell Garland
Year: 1991

As a kid, I was taught to love basketball. My dad had coached high school teams, he had coached my sister, and he coached me. I was small and not very confident, but I had a nice jump shot and I understood the fundamentals of the game. My family watched The Pistol together and I was inspired by it. Although I never became a great player, I always remembered 'Pistol' Pete and I was excited to rewatch the movie twenty years later. For the sake of the kid in me, it might have been better if I hadn't.

This biopic follows the early life of basketball legend Pete 'The Pistol' Maravich. A record holder at both the collegiate and professional levels, he got his start in basketball at an early age. He made the high school varsity team while in the 8th grade, impressing coaches with his stunt passing, precision shooting, and untiring determination. Although considered a hot dog by his older teammates, 'Pistol' Pete continued to shine, revolutionizing the game of basketball with his unparalleled skill and heart.

You may notice that I didn't mention any of the actors in this film. That's because I'm not sure that there were any. Bad acting would have been a step up for most of the performers, as each line seemed to be specifically delivered to be horrible. From the lighting to the voice-overs, from the music to the cheerleaders, each aspect of the film was awful. It felt like a made-for-TV Christmas special, but without any of the joy, hope, or gingerbread. I have very rarely seen a serious movie come across this poorly.

In its defense, The Pistol was created to tell a story, and it did that. It may be a sad excuse for a film, but it did capture my eight-year-old heart, and for that I will always remember it fondly. Some movies are, apparently, only meant to be watched once when you don't know any better, but that doesn't mean that they don't have their place. That place just happens to be very, very far away.

My rating: ✰ ✰

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Trailer - Tower Heist

Director: Brett Ratner

Starring: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck,

Alan Alda

Year: 2011



I'm not sure why I want to see this movie, but I do. Maybe it's because so many comedies are so horrible that I'll get excited about one that's even remotely funny. Or maybe it's because Ben Stiller has been doing far too many Focker movies and I'm excited to see him back. But, regardless, well-made dumb comedies don't come along very often, so I'll be seeing this one.

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Movie Review - The Way Back

Director: Peter Weir
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Colin Ferrell
Year: 2010

Peter Weir is one of the best directors you've never heard of. His films include Witness, Dead Poet's Society, The Truman Show, and Master and Commander, yet his name is fairly unrecognized. The reason may simply be that he is doing his job. Weir is a master of environment, transporting his audiences away from the theatre and into a place where we forget ourselves, forget that we're watching a movie. He allows us to become barn-raisers, prep students, actors, and sailors, not just to watch them on screen. Weir works his magic yet again in The Way Back, and this might be our toughest role yet.

Based on a supposed autobiography entitled 'The Long Walk', this epic film tells the story of a group of Polish prisoners who escape from a Siberian gulag during WWII and must travel 4,000 miles on foot in order to reach freedom. Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe, 21) leads this group in hopeless exodus, accompanied by an American engineer, Harris (Enemy at the Gates, Appaloosa), and a Russian criminal, Ferrell (Alexander, The New World). As the fugitives travel across Asia, they must survive extreme conditions, starvation and capture in order to realize their dreams of freedom.

As expected, I was immersed in the environment of this film. I felt the journey every step of the way; I was a fugitive right alongside my comrades. It may sound cheesy, but I really did lose myself in this adventure. However, stepping back, there were a few imperfections. The dialogue could have been smarter. The accents could have been crisper. The female character should have been completely cut and the ending should have been completely different. But while these issues may have kept it from being a phenomenal film, they did not keep me from thoroughly enjoying the two hours that I spent watching it and being completely transported away from my world.

There are a lot of questions surrounding the authenticity of this journey and it's historical accuracy. Weir has even said that he considers The Way Back to be a fictional film. Yet, I don't see that it matters. Either way he delivered, directing a film that was both beautiful and captivating, and I, for one, will be glad to forget him once again.

My rating: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

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Trailer - Margin Call

Director: J.C. Chandor

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons,

Simon Baker

Year: 2011



It's difficult enough to create a dramatic film based on dramatic events. But it's harder still to create a dramatic film about something that puts most people to sleep. There was nothing either exciting or thrilling about the recent American financial crisis, and to compare it to the Great Depression is just plain foolish.

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Movie Review - Public Enemies

Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard
Year: 2009

In a classic Friends episode, Rachel attempts to make a traditional English trifle for dessert. It starts out great, with jam, custard, and ladyfingers, but an accident leads her to add beef, peas, and onions as well. While the gang tries to hide the fact that it's inedible in order to protect her feelings, Joey proclaims that he loves it; "What's not to like? Peas? Good. Beef? Good. Jam? Good." I use this to illustrate a point: contrary to what Joey's stomach says, great ingredients do not always combine to make a great dish.

Michael Mann (The Last of the Mohicans, Heat) directs this action-packed gangster film based on the career of notorious criminal John Dillinger. Played by Johnny Depp (Blow, Secret Window), this larger-than-life outlaw leads bank robberies, organizes jail-breaks, and stays one step ahead of the law, all while falling in love with the beautiful Marion Cotillard (Inception, Midnight in Paris). Meanwhile, g-men Christian Bale (Batman Begins, The Prestige) and Billy Crudup (Almost Famous, Big Fish) attempt to capture Depp, naming him America's #1 public enemy.

This jagged summary is sadly identical to the film itself; full of credentials, but lacking in substance. Yes, the star power was quite impressive, but it was also very overwhelming. The pieces did not fit together to make a cohesive picture, and the actors themselves seemed to be phoning in their lines. Although, in their defense, they were some of the worst lines I have ever heard spoken on screen. Every bit of dialogue was forced, clipped, uncomfortable, and just plain awful. It was obvious that the script was the last part of the film that was worked on. However, the film as a whole was so bad that if the script was the last, I have no idea what was the first.

Beyond the casting, there were not many positive aspects to this film. The action was intense, yet unrealistic. The set was beautiful and the time was well represented, but the actors didn't seem as if they fit there. There was a strong Mann sense at the end of the film, but by then it was too late. The ingredients were all good, but the finished product was not, leaving Public Enemy a film best not tasted.

My rating: ✰

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Trailer - The Guard

Director: John Michael McDonagh

Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham

Year: 2011



I almost wrote this film off before seeing the trailer. I thought it would just be the typical black/white buddy cop movie that we've seen a thousand times, only set in Ireland. But I was surprised at how funny some of the old jokes were coming from Gleeson (Braveheart, Troy), and how original the film looked as a whole. Might be worth the watch.

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