Animal Kingdom (2010) Review

Think Australian movies. No, not Crocodile Dundee, think again. No, also not Russell Crowe beating up paparazzi. One more try. NOOOO, no frickin' Mad Max.

Ok, here's the right answer: Gritty urban gangster movie Animal Kingdom. The movie made a little splash last year when it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress Jacki Weaver and had critics around the world get a collective cinematic orgasm. How come that a small film from the other end of the world gets this sort of recognition? I wanted to find out for myself and got around to watch the flick last night.

The movie is about 18 year old J who, after the drug death of his mother, moves in with the rest of his dysfunctional crime family of psychos and drug dealers. And from here on shit really starts hitting the fan. So does a film with a premise that simple live up to the hype?

Well, kind of. While I was really drawn in by the extremely uncomfortable atmosphere the film is creating and the stellar acting throughout in combination with a highly hypnotic and unusual soundtrack the film was lacking originality plotwise. I felt any of the characters was fascinating enough to have a movie on their own but Animal Kingdom's plot just didn't live up to the level of tension and atmosphere it deserved. That doesn't make it a bad movie though, there's a lot to adore in this film and talent to be watched for the next years.

So go and give this one a try, while it might not be the best possible movie it has glimpses of perfection that will stick to your mind.

500 Days Of Summer (2009) Review

As much as I love Hollywood and American movies there's one thing that I despise: Generic formula work. If there's a unique success story the big studios try to cash in on that by blatantly copying and rarely coming close to the quality of the original. One of the most overused genres in that respect is the romantic comedy. Honestly I am not a big fan of these movies, too many brainless Katherine Heigl and Jennifer Aniston vehicles have destroyed my belief in the genre. So you can imagine my surprise when (500) Days of Summer came along. I've seen this film probably for the sixth or seventh time now and I'm never getting tired of it so you can probably guess that this is gonna be another rave review.

The film's basic story is just the chronicle of a relationship, that's it, no unnecessary subplots, everything superfluous stripped off. But here comes the twist: The film's strictly told from the male perspective. Enter Joseph Gordon-Levitt, perfectly cast in the role as Tom, naive romantic dreamer. When he meets Summer, played by Zooey Deschanel, he thinks he has found his match. Unfortunately she has strong opinions against any sort of serious relationships which naturally collides with Tom's idea of dating her.

So what we have here is a romance with reversed roles, a story that jumps between different timelines to contrast their happy moments with their unhappy ones. On top of that we get an amazing soundtrack, two leads with perfect chemistry and a creative use of colors and editing.

You must be a real grump not to be charmed by this film, it does everything right that so often gets screwed up by big budget productions, where they have the dollar sign, this film has heart. If you still haven't seen it then go and give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

The Thin Red Line (1998) Review

1998 was an interesting year for dueling movies. We had the asteroid movies Armageddon vs. Deep Impact, the animated bug movies Antz vs. A Bug's Life and two films about World War Two. Both of the latter films were directed by respected auteurs, featured ridiculously long lists of talented actors, were both almost 3 hours long and got lots of Academy Award nominations. The big difference: One movie was Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, won 5 Oscars and was hugely successful. The other one was Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line which did poorly at the box office and didn't win a single Oscar. But who cares about awards and profits?

I'm not sure how well remembered this one is but after just viewing it I really hope that people will give it a second shot, especially now that Malick's The Tree Of Life is another serious Oscar contender. Let's get down to the plot: The whole movie is basically just focusing on the battle of Guadalcanal, an island in the Pacific Ocean, where the USA battled the Japanese. So you might think, what's so special about that? Look again!

Malick who is a philosopher-turned-filmmaker doesn't really care about the actual fight that is going on but instead focuses on many individual characters and their internal struggle using inner monologues. He contradicts the gruesomeness of war with beautiful nature shots and an orchestral score. The fight scenes are mostly there to support the main theme of the movie: the loss of innocence.

If you think that sounds like pretentious rubbish then this won't be your movie. Malick has always split the audience. His followers admire his amazingly beautiful camerawork and thoughtfulness combined with strong performances while his opponents complain his movies are just plain boring.

Fact is that Malick's films remain unique in Hollywood and true to their own narrative rules. You rarely find a filmmaker that so determinedly and without compromise realizes his vision on screen. I love his movies and if you don't then you should at least acknowledge his poetic artistry. Or forget about it and go watch some CGI crap with talking animals.

It Might Get Loud (2008) Review

Jack White? Jimmy Page? The Edge? If it clicked at least once then It Might Get Loud should be the movie for you. SHOULD be. Because unfortunately Davis Guggenheim’s documentary isn’t as awesome as its main characters suggest.

Guggenheim got the three guitar legends together, Jack White from the White Stripes and The Raconteurs, Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin and The Edge from U2, to see what's going to happen and to create greatness. I mean, what else do you expect other than pure genius when all these musical masterminds are united?

The movie starts out pretty nicely with the three of them looking forward to meeting each other. We get a little bit of back story for each of the musicians, always accompanied by some of their great music. But what comes then? Not much, honestly. Although the three are portrayed as very different characters there is not much tension or excitement going on, they just get together, throw lots of phrases around, most of them empty and meaningless or just painfully cliched, and jam a little bit throughout and in the end. That's it. God, what could have been amazing is just forgettable. As a serious documentary this is just not enough, any TV documentary has more substance than this film. So if you are not an absolute fan boy of their music or total guitar geek you might just skip It Might Get Loud.

The only redeeming feature is that it made me listen to White Stripes, U2 and Led Zeppelin right afterwards because even if this movie is a big disappointment the music is still kick-ass.

The Squid And The Whale (2005) Review

You know what I like more than a good movie? A good movie that's also a hidden gem. I mean we all agree that watching Pulp Fiction is awesome or that The Godfather is remarkable but I get the biggest pleasure out of discovering an amazing movie that barely anyone knows about. Tonight it happened again with Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale.

I know, I know, it's not really a hidden gem, it got rave reviews back in 2005, played at several renowned festivals, even went on to be nominated for an Academy Award. But who actually saw it? Right!? Anyways, I had the pleasure of watching it and I don't regret it at all.

The movie is about a couple who is getting divorced and how they and their two sons deal with the new situation. Sounds rather thin for a plot. But the devil is in the details, or in this case, the acting. I actually don't know where to start, everyone in the ensemble is outstanding. Jeff Daniels is the intellectual douche bag Dad who is an often hilarious and strangely touching character while Jesse Eisenberg as his oldest son proves why he is considered one of the best actors of his generation. I mean, if a movie can make William Baldwin look like a decent actor then you know you are dealing with something special.

Luckily the film doesn't have the heavy handedness one might expect when it comes to a serious topic like divorce but a rather casual tone that, weirdly, allows some comedic highlights, I found myself cracking up quite often.

So is there anything not to like with all the Indie quirkiness around? As with one of Baumbach's other movies, Greenberg, I felt somehow unsatisfied in the end. I know this is not the sort of film that intends to give you the warm and fuzzy Happy End feeling that the average audience is craving for but there are some parts of the plot that seem to be just forgotten about.

Nevertheless, if you're looking for an unusual comedy or are tired of another Adam Sandler idiot fest then you should go and see The Squid and the Whale, it's great.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011) Review

Listen to this one: There's a long running film series, getting gradually worse with every entry and suddenly this year there's the big surprise, a sequel that doesn't suck! If you thought I was talking about Fast Five, think again (although I have to admit it was a shitload of fun). I am of course referring to Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

After the original by Franklin J. Schaffner in 1968 there was a flood of four sequels, a regular TV series and an animated TV series during the 70s. Then Hollywood had had enough of the ape craze and didn't rediscover the series until 2001 with a remake by Tim Burton. Unfortunately this film was so crappy that it sent the whole franchise back into limbo. And here we are now, 10 years later, with a new entry. So is Rise of the Planet of the Apes worth anything?

Luckily, it is a great summer blockbuster. The story is a prequel to the original Planet of the Apes and fits surprisingly well into the whole universe of the franchise. Our (human) main character is a scientist played by James Franco who is the foster father to hyper intelligent chimpanzee Caesar. After a nasty incident Caesar has to be put into an ape shelter where he becomes the leader of the primate revolution.

Sounds cheesy? Of course it is, honestly, what else was the original than a better B-movie with some social commentary? That's why it is astounding that this movie works so well. On the one hand there is so much to criticize, starting with the characters who are either entirely pointless (enter eye candy Freida Pinto and old grumpy Brian Cox) or completely one-dimensional (come on Tom Felton, another evil bastard after Draco Malfoy?). Then we also have the very clumsily handled social criticism in the form of Franco's corporate boss David Oyelowo (favorite line to Franco: "You make history and I make the money!").

So why do I still consider it to be a good movie? Because of Andy Serkis, the real actor behind Caesar's motion captured face. Serkis who already brought Gollum to life is great as Caesar, just working with his facial expressions and gestures he is more charismatic than lead Franco. Thanks to him we never lose interest in the story although watchers of the original probably have an idea what it all leads to in the end. So if you want to see a good blockbuster then go and check this one out, you won't be disappointed.

Live Free Or Die Hard (2007) Review

I have to confess: I wasn't one of the kids growing up on lots of stupid 80s action. There was no Seagal, Norris, Lundgren or Stallone for me. But what I did have was Bruce. Bruce Willis to be exact. He was my hero. I remember watching Armageddon in theaters when I was 10 and it blew me away so badly that until this very day I consider it my favorite Willis movie.

But we all know where Bruce's initial fame came from: Die Hard. I have to admit that I didn't watch it until I was 15 or 16 and since I was already spoiled by too much fast cut Bruckheimer bullshit I didn't realize what a good movie it was until after repeated viewings. Die Hard went on to become a blueprint for many copycats and spawned two sequels during the 90s. Then it got quiet around John McClane and his white shirt until the series got revived in 2007 for a fourth movie called Live Free or Die Hard. But how good is it compared to the old ones?

The film confronts John McClane with Internet terrorists who pose a threat to the whole US while he is also protecting a young hacker and trying to win back his lost daughter. Phew, that's quite a bit for the old man. But luckily Bruce hasn't lost any of his wit, power and badassness. Actually he is the most memorable part of the movie, probably because after all these years he has this role nailed down perfectly. Too bad the rest of the fourth Die Hard is not as awesome as old baldy Willis is.

To its credit, the action scenes are really good, there's not too much tiring CGI around and the stunt work is amazing. But what really pissed me off were the unappealing and boring tech surroundings, fighting around grey meaningless machinery gets really old quickly. Then there's the main villain played by Timothy Olyphant who might just be the blandest and least threatening villain ever. I mean, it's hard to follow up big calibers like Alan Rickman and Jeremy Irons but Olyphant is just so charisma free, he's the total opposite of Willis. The casting of Justin Long as McClane's sidekick is also rather ambiguous. At times he is really funny and shares a good chemistry with Willis but then there are also scenes where he's just a lighter version of Jar Jar Binks for the Die Hard universe. Nevertheless the most obvious annoyance is the running time of 128 minutes. 128 MINUTES?!? This is an action flick, not a David Lean epic, cut 20 minutes and it'd be a huge improvement.

With all these points being made one might think I didn't like the movie. But that couldn't be further away from the truth. I enjoyed it for what it was, an average action movie with a great hero, that's all there is. If you don't compare it to the old Die Hard movies you will have a good time with this one. Otherwise just go and rewatch Hans Gruber and his minions taking over Nakatomi Plaza.