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.

Crazy Stupid Love (2011) Review

I like Steve Carell, I think he's one of the funniest actors we currently have. I like Julianne Moore who is a terrific actress and just doesn't get the roles she deserves. I like Ryan Gosling, especially after seeing his badass performance in "Drive", this guy has a bright Hollywood future. But did I like "Crazy Stupid Love", the romantic comedy that unites all of them? Well, sort of.

The movie sees Carell being left by his wife, played by Moore, for her colleague at work, played by Kevin Bacon. Then Carell meets playboy Gosling and the latter also makes him a fellow womanizer. What a great setup, I thought when I first heard about the movie. Knowing that directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra had written the refreshingly insane "Bad Santa" and "I love you, Phillip Morris" I was hoping for another remarkably bold movie.

Unfortunately the story plays it safe and has Gosling falling in love with Emma Stone while Carell and Moore realize that they still have a thing for each other. It would have been nice to see a film that's braver than your average Hollywood flick in its depiction of relationships but "Crazy Stupid Love" has more problems to fight with.

There are just too many unanswered questions that kept popping up in my head. Why does Gosling pick Carell as his scholar and not anybody else? What exactly drives Moore back to Carell, is it just his new way of dressing sharply? Why does Carell's son adore his dad so much for his love to his wife if he gets divorced? Why are Kevin Bacon and Marisa Tomei, two outstanding actors, wasted in filler roles? Why does Emma Stone's role feel so tacked on? And did we really need the part about the underage babysitter being in love with Carell?

If you didn't get my point, there's a whole lot of "too much" going on and none of the separate parts feels fully completed, it seems too many crucial scenes either ended up on the editor's floor or were just totally over-written. In the case of "Crazy Stupid Love" less would definitely have been more.

Don't get me wrong, the film makes for an entertaining watch, the actors give it their best shot and there are sequences that definitely work but in its entirety the movie just feels like three really good movies blended together, it never adds up to the sum of its parts.

The Strangers (2008) Review

I like writing about films, it's fun to me. That's actually the main reason I started this whole blog, because I'm  enjoying writing about movies. But as much as I enjoy it, sometimes it can be a pain in the ass and that's mostly the case when I am dealing with a film so generic and uninspiring that it is mental torture to come up with anything at all. So here we go, welcome to "The Strangers"!

The story, if you actually care, is barely existent, we have a couple, played by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, being terrorized by some strangers in a house in the woods. So far, so generic. The setup is nice and creepy, the intruders wear some freaky masks and the movie is (for today's standards) surprisingly low on gore.

The end result is a mostly chilling but never scary horror film that suffers from the same weaknesses others did before. Too often we question the stupid actions of our supposedly heroes Tyler and Speedman who behave according to the rules that Wes Craven so perfectly parodied in 1996's "Scream". The big problem is that there is no post modern subtext or self awareness of the characters to generate any kind of originality.

"The Strangers" is outspokenly old-schoolish but that doesn't help the fact that we've seen all of its scenes in other (and mostly better) movies. On top of that we get some unnecessary religious symbolism at the end in the form of two Mormon boys.

If you've never seen any horror or slasher movie in your life then "The Strangers" might offer you some scares but everyone else will have forgotten the movie by the time the credits roll.

Martyrs (2008) Review

I think I've seen a couple of really weird movies in my life but I feel there has never been a movie like "Martyrs" that just made me want to stop watching. Not because it is a terrible movie but because of how gruesome, disturbing and unpleasant it is. Seriously, this was a real test of endurance but let's break it down.

"Martyrs" is a French horror movie from 2008 that has since its release repeatedly been named one of the most shocking movies of all time. I was not sure whether this should be taken as a compliment or as a warning but now that I've made it trough I know viewer discretion definitely is more than advised.

Part of the whole experience is not knowing what's about to come so I won't spoil you the story besides the fact that after a rather generic first half about a tortured girl taking revenge the movie takes an unexpectedly hellish turn. From this point on "Martyrs" will split audiences, there will be a) the ones who just get sickened by what's presented on screen or b) the ones who see beyond what's being shown and get the critical message writer and director Pascal Laugier tries to bring across.

The film's really well done, the bleached colors and the shaky cam are used perfectly to create a feeling of terror in the audience and the minimalist approach with basically just one location and a handful of actors and actresses helps heighten the tension. As an example of the modern gore film craze this movie will remain as one of the most terrifying but it will leave audiences alone who will be put off by the questionably sadistic and misogynistic execution.

I don't believe there are people who actually enjoy "Martyrs" for what it is but if you feel like you've seen everything and want to really test your limits then check out this more than controversial film.