a few Movie Reviews

Leviathan 2012
★★★★½

Is this a surrealist nightmare or dream? It's hard to answer. It's filled with incredibly striking imagery. There are several shots and sequences of beauty that seem truly unique and seem impossible to capture any way other than the way this was shot.

And that way was just dropping several small waterproof cameras onto a fishing boat in the north Atlantic ocean. This didn't produce the most linear documentary, by any stretch, but it still ended up a visual and aural feast. I saw it described elsewhere as "David Lynch, gone fishing", and I would have to agree.

Some of the few human moments that are shown are lingered on for full effect. One worker's naked girl tattoo appears to dance while he spoons out some food. Another watches a news report on a break through bleary eyes. And the opening has the closest thing to actual dialogue, as two fishermen work together, yelling back and forth.

But again. Back to that gorgeous swarm of birds. The cameras gliding and dipping in and out of the water. Just some of many of the unique images and sounds this movie brings. I have to love a film that's so different from anything else I've seen.

Annie 2014
★★★

Quvenzhané Wallis is pretty amazing in the lead role, and she has great chemistry with Jamie Foxx. Will Gluck keeps things moving at a pretty swift pace, so the movie tends to glide past any of the less-desirable pieces.

Part of that gliding takes the movie way past any sort of message regarding the poor and the rich. Annie's foster home looks pretty great and shiny, all things considered. A rat scurrying across the floor resembles a lost pet more than a harbinger of filth. Annie's opening report on FDR and the New Deal is wrapped up in a fun drumbeat that is another glossy example of this.

The songs are all great and catchy. Only Cameron Diaz really stands out: out of place and out of tone with the rest of the movie. And the action and climax seems really forced when this movie doesn't really require a big thrilling climax like that.

Also, the rumors are true, this movie does have the exact same ending as Zoolander.


The A-Team 2010
★★★

The A-Team dares to ask the question: "can you get bored of action?" It gets dangerously close to "yes". But the game performances mostly keep it afloat.

There are huge attacks and huge plans after plans after plans. By the 6th time or so in the climax, it's just a continuous assault. Most of it ends up being fun in the spirit of the original TV show.

By the end of it, I was more into the characters than the spectacle. I'd like to see the TV Show that has about 1/20th of the scope and budget going forward. But Cooper and Neeson's huge surge of popularity makes that mostly impossible. I'll still have this.

Also, Joe Carnahan favorite Patrick Wilson is pretty awesome as the CIA slime Lynch. He has a couple standout goofy scenes elevated by him hitting the right tone.


Zodiac 2007
★★★★★

This movie is very spooky.

I have seen it several times before.

But I don't think any time was this late at night.