Movie Review Catch Up 2010 (January to March)!

So I fucked up this year already. I was meant to be more active in my film reviews and it’s almost April and I haven’t written a single one, outside of the top 10 list I wrote earlier this year. Maybe I should take a page out of my brother‘s book and just write one sentence reviews or at least get to the point quicker.

Anyways, it’s time for a catch up. Here’re a few quick reviews of the films I’ve seen this year so far. Unfortunately it’s not many. I haven’t been that active an attendee of the cinema either but I really want to change this.

Without further ado here’s some more opinionated jibber jabber:

Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire

Lavish, dramatic, and gritty, Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire can be described with these words but it’s close to being a textbook Oscar movie, meaning that it’s not pushing many boundaries in cinema but is closer to pushing for approval for an award. However, it does say some interesting things about life and nicely portrays it’s protagonist as a late blooming soul who begins to find her strength in life. At least this is done nicely in the script and acting but the directing and editing fuzzes this in it’s slow and greatly taxing pace which seems unsure of where to focus and therefore shows you everything, leaving you with a very lengthy and tedious narrative. The film has better ideas then it does execution but it’s nothing terrible.

2.5 out of 5

Crazy Heart

Unlike Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, Crazy Heart isn’t close to being a textbook Oscar movie so much as it IS a textbook Oscar movie. It’s technically proficient, well rounded, well acted, shot, edited and overall put together well but there’s not a lot that it says. At first I was interested in watching Jeff Bridges portraying a character that is something of a victim in his surroundings while having his own flaws but is pushing as much as he can, but as soon as this flips and suddenly he’s the only one, out of all the characters, who needs to change, I lost interest. What little there was to like about Jeff Bridge’s character “Bad Blake” was thrown out the window leaving an uninteresting story told plenty of times before.

To put it really bluntly this film was like Walk the Line only it wasn’t based on a true story, so I didn’t care.

2 out of 5

Green Zone

Matt Damon is a Marine that attempts to take down the establishment when he starts to see that something is wrong. Ok, that’s an exaggeration but Green Zone is a modern version of this kind of story. What we see is a concept behind the “intelligence failure” of the W.M.D. search in Iraq. The film does a very good job (as far as this politically inept reviewer knows) of giving an old kind of a story a modern tone. The film gives you everything it says it will, but with no striking hook to it. There’s nothing wrong with it but there’s also nothing to write home about causing it to have an extremely episodic feel that leaves no taste in your mouth whatsoever. Nothing bad, but nothing special either.

3 out of 5

Shutter Island

Martin Scorsese delivers another feature with Shutter Island, in which Leonardo DiCaprio is a federal marshal that must investigate a sinister remote mental hospital where things aren’t quite as they seem. More of an aesthetically appealing film Shutter Island doesn’t brag it’s story or plot but rather is endearing for it’s homage quality in which it reminisces over thrillers of yesteryear. Less edge of your seat and more classy fun, Shutter Island is kind of like Scorsese’s Grindhouse. The down side is that this important side of it is very subtle and while I consider subtlety to be a precious commodity in cinema, it is a little confusing at points as to what the intentions are in some scenes and indeed if some details are intentional.

Of course Scorsese isn’t always going to make a life changing classic because it’s unfair to expect him to, but he usually steams a good ham, this being evidence.

3.5 out of 5

Kick-Ass

Matthew Vaughn’s third feature film talks a talk but doesn’t walk as much of a walking action. Kick-Ass is funny, actiony (yes it’s a word) and clever but doesn’t show any particularly impressive strength in any of these three attributes and worse yet, it falls apart as it continues. Starting with appeal, it soon shows that it isn’t comfortably decided on whether it’s going for a realistic or comic book styled angle and therefore flip flops in places. It has a strong cast, a good story and clever ideas, what’s more it makes all the right references and is believable and likable in its modern setting (which you don’t see enough) but overall it really doesn’t fit into place, feels mixed up in the middle and drags out towards the end. Fun but nothing big.

3 out of 5

Well that’s all for now. No huge scorers in this row but maybe I’m more of a summer movie lover. Who knows?

Any queries, objections, arguments, handsome appreciations? Don’t hestitate!

- Kirk Out