Talk to Me (2007, Kasi Lemmons)

I really don't have much to say or write about this film other than to just type of the simple statement of "It's a very solid film with great performances"

I guess my loss of words is because there is not much to write about it. There is no profound depth. There is no outstanding flaws worth pointing out. It's also not so great that it merits of a couple of paragraphs of me praising it. It's just a solid and great film.

The greatness of the film mainly belongs to the stellar performances from the cast. Cheadle is just fantastic and bursts with charisma. You get a feeling that you are watching an actor enjoying the hell out of his role, and thats a great feeling to have when you are watching a movie. It's a shame that he will get overlooked for an Oscar nomination since it's the perfect combination of actor and script. It's one of the best performances that I have seen so far this year.

Other than Cheadle's performance you get some outstanding supporting performances from Chiwetel Ejofor and Taraji P. Henson that provide even more charm and heart to the film. The film and direction is also pretty solid, which doesn't hurt.

Really, all I can say is that it's a very solid film with 3 outstanding performances.

- A-

Time for bed

Meh. I said to myself that I was going to finish up writing all the films that I have seen in the past couple of days (there are 5 more left) but I am sleepy.

I will finish up the rest tomorrow when I wake up. It's not like any of you are dying to read these.

Anyways, in the meantime, here is a picture of Robocop.

The Ten (2007, David Wain)

I am a huge fan of David Wain/Stella's comedy. I love their shorts, loved their tv show, enjoyed The Baxter, and I have come to love Wet Hot American Summer.

Having said all that, I wish I could have loved this one more. Yet, dont take that the wrong way since I really didn't enjoy Wet Hot American Summer the first time I saw it either. It was maybe until the 3rd time that I bumped into a part of it on cable that I came to enjoy it. I see this happening with The Ten as well.

The premise of 10 skits about the 10 commandments is a great one and when you mix this in with the off the wall and often times offensive humor of David Wain it becomes a genius one. However, this film faces the same problem that I have always felt anthology films face, which is that you are going to end up with a mix bag. By this I mean that some turn out really great, some turn out to be ok, and one or two are just going to turn out bad. So, because of this when you think of this mix bag of skits/short films as a whole film you are left with a film that was entertaining for the most part but heavily flawed because of the couple of bad apples in the bunch. The Ten suffers as a whole because of these bad apples.

Some of these skits are hilariously offensive and brilliant at the same time like Winona Ryder and the puppet (Thou Shalt Not Steal), an homage to Y Tu Mama Tambien that deals with a woman falling in love with Jesus Christ in Mexico (Thou Shalt Not Take the Lord's Name in Vain), and a prisoner who wants to start raping another persons bitch in prison (Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Wife)

Some are just bad like Paul Rudd dumping his girlfriend for Jessica Alba (Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery), a guy who loves to host naked parties on Sunday (Remember to Keep Holy the Sabbath), and an animated skit about a drug dealing Rhino (Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness)

The others are just "ok" and pretty forgettable. I'm sure that the film will get better for me on repeat viewings but for now it's also just "ok".

- B

Enchanted (2007, Kevin Lima)

This was another film that just like Hairspray, I really didnt think I would watch or think was going to turn out good. The premise from the trailers made it out to seem like Disney cashing in on the Shrek premise of making jokes about old fairy tales and when the biggest joke in the trailer is having a singing prince fall down...you can't help but cringe.

Another thing that had me cringing was when I first read and then saw Amy Adams in the lead role of the Disney like Princess who gets transported to a modern day New York. I was and still am a gigantic fan of Amy Adams performance in Junebug and I felt that she was robbed the year that she was nominated for the Oscar. Now, when I saw that she was going to be in this I thought that she was going to go the family friendly sell out route and I thought she had much more to her than cutesy cash in roles.

So, when the great reviews started to pour in and Oscar buzz started to build for Adams again I became interested in checking it out, which was something that I did not expect at all. I was planning on waiting until DVD but when an opportunity turned up for me to tag a long and watch it for free I took advantage and did so.

I am pleased to say that this one surprised me a lot. Sure, it's not without its family film cliches and flaws but I didn't expect the film to be so charming, innocent, funny, and fun. I attribute all this mainly to Amy Adams pitch perfect performance. Every single line and every single body movement is just dead on and often times hilarious without trying too hard to be funny while other times it has a lot of heart without seeming phony or forced. She really does make the movie as good as it is.

Apart from Adam's performance the film is a lot of fun as a whole.It has some great musical numbers, which was something that I was not expecting from it, that will leave you with a smile. It also has Timothy Spall (a new favorite actor of mine) doing some good supporting work as well. The plot and jokes always work and never seem like they are trying too hard either.

I could have done without the final 15 minutes or so but thats mainly because I already liked the conclusion that the story had come to and didn't feel the need to make it all a huge climax with a large action scene. It just felt out of place.

Overall, the film is one of the better surprises I have had all year. I enjoyed myself and I was smiling and laughing through out every minute that Adams was on screen. I hope the buzz for her performance gets bigger and I also hope that she is there on Oscar night.

Not counting Pixar, this is without a doubt the best thing Disney has done in years.

- B+

Hairspray (2007, Adam Shankman)

I will admit that I wasn't really looking that forward to watching this film. I'm a big fan of musicals but the thought of the guy who did Bringing Down the House directing a musical based on a John Waters film that I think is just "ok" didnt really do it for me. Plus, it has John Travolta in a fat suit. Even when the film got an amazing amount of great reviews I was still a bit cautious towards it. However, I still decided to rent it as soon as it came out on DVD to see if it lived up to the glowing reviews.

It doesn't take too long for the film to win you over. The catchy songs with the genius lyrics are enough to have you smiling from the get go. It also doesn't hurt that there is a great film behind these songs. Everyone turns in a fun performance and the direction is surprisingly crisp and colorful to match with the charisma and playfulness that the film is exploding with.

Shankman is smart in keeping everything simple, fun, colorful, and well...fun. The time goes by quick and the film never drags at all. There are no weak scenes, there are no weak songs, and there are no weak elements. It really is just the perfect film to put you in a great mood.

a character in the film named Corny Collins sums up my feelings about the film perfectly when he says "You can fight it, or you can rock out to it."

- A

King of Kong is this year's Grizzly Man.

Billy Mitchell wins again.

I didn't think it could happen but it did and I dont know why. I jsut know that it makes me sad and pissed off.

The academy revealed today which documentaries would be eligible this year for the Oscar. Missing from this list was the critical darling, and audience favorite, The King of Kong. This is one of my favorites of the year and is one of the best films (counting both documentaries and films) that I have seen in a long time.

This all reminds me of the time where everyone was raving about Grizzly Man yet the Academy still didnt even put it on their list of eligible documentaries to be nominated, Everyone got pissed but there was nothing anyone can do except wish something like that would never happen again and it has.

Other favorites (that I have yet to see) which were also not on the list were In the Shadow of the Moon, Crazy Love, and My Kid Could Paint That.

BOO.

Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman (2005, Adrian Shergold)

It's hard to write about this film without sounding like I am copying my friend Dan's thoughts who recommenced this one to me.

Pierrepoint is a damn fine way to spend 90 minutes. Despite the film's breakneck (zing!) speed and pace, the film never loses the viewer or seems sloppy. It might be too short for it's own good and end too abruptly but these are only minor complaints since every minute in this film is great. There no weak scenes or anything that feels rushed over. It's all just gold.

I attribute the films greatness mainly to strength in the performances, mainly Timothy Spall's performance as Pierrepoint. Watching Spall rise in infamy as Britain's most famous executioner is great and Spall just chews every scene he is in with his subtle but still powerful acting.

Another aspect that I loved about the film is how the film chooses to present Pierrepoint. His moral code is never really questioned until he questions it himself in the film. Instead of becoming preachy and having a scene where he reflects on his actions every 10 minutes, the film presents characters who surround Pierrepoint who are instead the ones having a moral crisis or questioning what they are doing meanwhile Pierrepoint just keeps on acting like a straight arrow. It's an interesting way to present the character and it's nice to see that the film doesn't cop out at all with the portrayal of this infamous man.

A great and underrated film for sure.

- A-