The Adventures of Tintin (2011) Review

I am sad. Really, really sad. Sad as in "Today, my childhood memories got shat on"-sad. "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" was quite bad. Not abysmally "Battlefield Earth"-meets-"Spiceworld"-bad but still, really really bad and, more importantly, very disappointing.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011) Review

Just when you thought Tom Cruise was done in Hollywood he comes back with a movie so exciting, so exhilarating and ultimately so much fun that you are happy about his return. This movie is "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" and not to give anything away but it is a great popcorn flick.

The "Mission Impossible" franchise had its fair share of ups and downs over the last 15 years. The first entry in 1996 was a box office smash that, together with "Goldeneye" the year before, managed to revive the spy genre. Then the inevitable sequel in 2000 uped the ante and thanks to director John Woo replaced the twisty plot of the original with a lot of ridiculous over the top action sequences. For better or worse (I didn't like the second one at all) this film grossed even more than the first one and so another sequel was a necessity. Unfortunately there were personalities clashing behind the scenes, directors and writers were constantly replaced so there wasn't another "Mission Impossible" until 2006. The third entry directed by J.J. Abrams tried to shake things up by adding a whole bunch of new characters and gave main character Ethan Hunt not just a love interest but a fiancee. While definitely a step up from the second one, "M:I III" didn't match the box office success of its predecessors.

And here we are now in December 2011 and we finally have a fourth installment in the series and again, we have a new director at the helm. Enter Brad Bird who started out directing episodes of "The Simpsons" back in the 90s and the underrated kiddie flick "The Iron Giant" before he made the Pixar hits "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille". It's great to see how well he handles the jump from his animated flicks to big scale action movies, his back-to-the-roots approach is successful by keeping the pace up and dropping most of the ludicrous character drama from the third entry.

Instead we get breathtaking action set pieces (especially the Dubai sequence is incredibly awesome), side characters that work in the context of the film and Tom Cruise back at his personal best after his questionable last action movie "Knight and Day". If you want to watch only one movie in theaters this Christmas, this film should leave you quite satisfied.

Zodiac (2007) Review

It's interesting to see how director David Fincher has evolved as a filmmaker over the last 20 years. Initially blamed in 1992 for the misfire that was "Alien 3" he made the (arguably) definitive serial killer movie "Se7en" in 1995. Movies like "Fight Club", "The Social Network" and the upcoming adaptation of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" just helped cement his status as a diverse and talented director. But in my opinion there is one movie in his filmography that often gets overlooked and that film is "Zodiac".

Upon its release in 2007 Fincher hadn't made a feature length film in almost 5 years so people were excited to see him back as a director and have him also return to the genre that made him famous, the serial killer thriller. But while critics mostly gave out favorable reviews the general public dismissed "Zodiac" with an underwhelming gross of just $33 million in the US. What happened?

"Zodiac" is the true story of how journalists and the police tried to track down the Zodiac killer who haunted San Francisco in the late 60s and early 70s. Just like in his other masterpiece "Se7en" Fincher focuses on the detectives and sleuths instead of the killer but the approach is very different. While "Se7en" had two main characters in Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman the audience could emotionally connect with, "Zodiac"'s focus constantly shifts from wannabe detective Jake Gyllenhaal to reporter Robert Downey Jr., inspector David Toschi and a couple others. This gives the film an almost documentary feel with great attention to detail. There are no unnecessary subplots, the main purpose is to document the obsessive work behind the case. The actual killings are almost insignificant to the overall story as they only serve as catalysts for the main protagonists. Not to give anything away but the Zodiac case was never solved.

I think the main reason for the film's poor box office was the audience's expectation of a second "Se7en". Of course, if you watch "Zodiac" with the hope to see another gore based serial killer film you will most likely be disappointed. But taking it for what it is, a very precise reworking of the Zodiac case and by that an exciting dedication to people's fascination for puzzle solving, this movie will be worth your time.

I heard criticisms that the performances were lacking emotional depth and the movie was too slow paced. In my opinion that couldn't be more wrong. As I said before there are no subplots distracting from the grand topic of solving the case so the performances are all precise and realistic, especially Mark Ruffalo as inspector David Toschi is great in his role. And the slow pace? Nowhere to be found, the dialogue-driven scenes create tension and excitement in an old-school way that probably doesn't translate well to the visually overfed crowd of brain dead "Transformers" fanboys.

So if you haven't seen "Zodiac" yet, go check it out, it is one of Fincher's best.

Hall Pass (2011) Review

This movie doesn't have any balls! None! Zero! And that's a shame because it has a premise that in the right hands would have made an amazing comedy.

We have Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis as our leads who are best friends and both get a hall pass from their wives which means they get a week off of marriage to do whatever they want. Holy hell! Doesn't that sound like the most fun idea for a comedy ever?

So what can go wrong from here on? EVERYTHING!!! The first and biggest flaw of all: Although this movie is rated R it chickens out and forces some hollow moral upon the viewer. While we have some really funny laugh-out-loud moments early on there is a tonal shift that completely ruins it. We go all the way from raunchy and bold to family friendly and tame within mere seconds and by then the film has already lost.

Add to that Owen Wilson who gives a lackluster performance and the Farrelly's obsession with obscure and unnecessary side characters and sub plots and we get a perfect mess. What could have been something along the lines of the legendarily mean and awesome "Bad Santa" ends up being a film of missed chances and cowardice.

When exactly did the Farrellys lose their touch for great comedies like their 90s blasts "There's Something About Mary" and "Dumb and Dumber"? Was it sometime around the underwhelming "Stuck On You"? Or even before that with the horrendous "Say It Isn't So"? I am already dreading their remake of "The Three Stooges" due next year.

I wish there was a saving grace for this film but even the great scene on the golf course and a final moment involving Stephen Merchant that nails the tone this film should have had can't save "Hall Pass" from what it ultimately is: a huge disappointment.

Can't Hardly Wait (1998) Review

Do I really have to say anything about this movie? "Can't Hardly Wait" is about the party after a high school graduation. Which is generic. And it was made in the late 90s. Which is totally radical!

It's a fun watch but oh, so predictable and forgettable. We have all kinds of stereotypes: The douchebag star quarterback who is dating the hottest girl in school. The nerdy smart kid who is about to have the time of his life. The pretentious alternative girl who thinks she's cooler than everyone else. The whitest kid in town who thinks he's black.

There's no focus on a single character, instead we get a whole ensemble. One can see the influence of other (better) teen movies such as "American Graffiti" and "Dazed and Confused" and while it is far from being as memorable as the latter ones it still succeeds in what it sets out to be, pure innocent late 90s popcorn entertainment.

There's really not much else to say. Personally the most fun part was to spot all the actors who were big back then and are gone now or reversed. Jennifer Love Hewitt? First teenie and slasher movies and now a regular on TV. Seth Green? Hit it big with the Austin Powers movies and is still around on the big and small screen. Charlie Korsmo? Big shot roles in "Hook" and "Dick Tracy" before he ended his acting career with "Can't Hardly Wait". Jason Segel? Watermelon Guy here and now major star thanks to "How I Met Your Mother", "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "The Muppets".

This film is a time capsule, captivating the lost innocence of teenie films in the spirit of the late John Hughes and also the style and music of the late 90s. It might sound pathetic but here it comes: They just don't make 'em like that anymore.

The Descendants (2011) Review

 

It's been about 2 weeks that I've seen "The Descendants" (I know, I know, had to take some time off to study and everything) but there is one feeling that stuck with me, and let me tell you, it might be a surprise but I was slightly underwhelmed.

Friends told me beforehand how much they liked the film, how great and emotional it was and, judging from rave critics, a very high Rotten Tomatoes score and now the load of Golden Globe nominations, it should be an outstanding film. It might just have happened that all the hype around "The Descendants" couldn't possibly live up to the actual movie.

First of all, let me get one thing straight: I love Alexander Payne directed movies. I can watch "About Schmidt" any time and this masterpiece never gets old. Although I was never as big a fan of "Sideways" as many others I still think it's one of the best dramas of the last 10 years. "Election", in my opinion, might just be the best High School movie ever made and it's a shame that barely anyone knows about it. So what about "The Descendants" then?

The film stars George Clooney as a land baron on Hawaii whose wife falls into a coma after a boating accident. On top of that he has to deal with his two estranged daughters and the one deal that could save his retirement. Finding out that his wife had an affair just adds up to the whole conflict.

This might sound like it is gonna end up being a pathetic tearjerker but, interestingly enough, the movie mixes the emotionally heavy scenes with a light-hearted touch that gives it an almost bittersweet feel. Clooney in the lead gives a very understated and controlled performance which at times comes in handy but sometimes feels like a lack of emotion. He is the sole focus of the film so it is rather distracting to see him at times not act naturally at all.

This might be a minor flaw for others but it took me right out of the movie, especially since the stage is set to create something moving and I know that Alexander Payne can pull it off but it didn't have the grip it should have had in my opinion.

The rest of the film is just about as perfect as it could get. The cinematography is gorgeous, the writing realistic but heartfelt, the soundtrack more than fitting for the Hawaii setting and the supporting actors all do a great job. I was especially happy to see movie stars of yesteryear such as Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard and particularly Robert Forster excel in their roles.

It might just be that I have to watch it again to really appreciate it and see what a dummy I've been for missing how great of a movie it is but for the time being it was a good if not great experience.