Filmikaze!

By: Tim Burton (director), Linda Woolverton (screenplay), Lewis Carroll (books)

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, Alan Rickman, Barbara Windsor, Paul Whitehouse, Timothy Spall

19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen’s reign of terror.

One thing I love about Tim Burton’s films is that even if the story doesn’t particularly appeal to me, I know they’re going to be visually stunning in a singular way. His take on Alice in Wonderland is no exception, filled with lush visuals that do an exemplary job of interpreting Carroll’s vision without overpowering it. More’s the pity that the producers chose to stray from the original story and into a plot both convoluted and forgettable. Continue Reading

By: Charlie Kaufman (director, writer)

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, Hope Davis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan

A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.

At this point, I have a certain level of expectation when I watch a Charlie Kaufman film. His stories are extremely cerebral, often almost to the point of stream-of-consciousness, and in retrospect, I really should have saved Synecdoche, New York for a night when I was less tired. I genuinely feel like, despite being able to clearly recognize many of the themes Kaufman is exploring, the film went way over my head, or maybe just past it in that way creative processes of others sometimes do. It was an interesting film, compelling in unexpected ways, but I’m going to have to watch it at least once more before I can properly review it. There’s brilliance in there, but I’m not articulate enough at the moment to pinpoint and describe it. I actually considered watching another movie for tonight and saving my review of this one for a rewatch, but I didn’t have enough time. So, consider the star rating possibly temporary, as it is subject to change once I finally find the time to give this film the thorough attention it clearly deserves.

By: Tomm Moore (director, writer), Nora Twomey (director), Fabrice Ziolkowski (screenplay)

Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Mick Lally, Evan McGuire, Christen Mooney

The animated story of the boy behind the famed Book of Kells.

What a strange and beautiful animated feature this was. Inspired by the real Book of Kells, one of the most elaborate and legendary illuminated manuscripts in existence, The Secret of Kells infuses Christian allegory with Celtic mythology and creates something glowing and timeless. The entire film is ethereal and entrancing, even for an agnostic like myself who puts very little stock in religious iconography. This didn’t feel like a religious film, it just felt golden and lovely. Continue Reading

By: Chris Columbus (director), Craig Titley (screenplay), Rick Riordan (novel)

Starring: Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Melina Kanakaredes, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Joe Pantoliano, Uma Thurman

A teenager discovers he’s the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods.

I could write a review of Percy Jackson and the Really Long Fucking Title, but I’m watching the Oscars, and could just as easily link you to my review of Cirque du Freak and the Other Really Long Title instead. Replace “vampires” with “Greek gods” and it’s the same thing. Another film that could have been great had its unique spirit been taken advantage of, but ends up being a bad Harry Potter rip off.

By: Jean-Marc Vallée (director), Julian Fellowes (writer)

Starring: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, Mark Strong

A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria’s rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert.

Hooray for the costume drama. I know they’re not to everyone’s tastes, but give me well done intrigue and fancy dresses, and I’m in heaven. I was afraid that The Young Victoria would be a bit dry and less interesting than, say, Elizabeth or The Queen, but I was actually incredibly impressed with the whole film. Continue Reading

By: Alfred Hitchcock (director), Ben Hecht (writer)

Starring: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains

A woman is asked to spy on a group of Nazi friends in South America. How far will she have to go to ingratiate herself with them?

My reviews have been so short lately, but I’ve got too much stuff going on just now to change that tonight. Here’s to hoping I’ll get back into proper form when I finally hit spring break in a week.

I’ve been (very) slowly working through Hitchcock’s work recently, principally because I really enjoy his style and think the depressingly small number of his films I’ve seen are great. Because of this, I was really delighted to have to watch Notorious this week for class, as it was one I hadn’t seen. Unfortunately, I was thoroughly underwhelmed, although I’m completely willing to admit part of this impression is due to holding it against Hitchcock’s better work. Continue Reading

By: Tim Blake Nelson (director, writer)

Starring: Edward Norton, Susan Sarandon, Time Blake Nelson, Melanie Lynskey, Keri Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Josh Pais, Maggie Siff

An Ivy League professor is lured back to his Oklahoma hometown, where his twin brother, a small-time pot grower, has concocted a scheme to take down a local drug lord.

Let’s start this review by acknowledging what is currently a fundamental cinematic truth: Edward Norton does not make bad movies. You can argue that Death to Smoochy or The Incredible Hulk weren’t to your tastes, but they weren’t bad movies, and more often than not, the movies he makes are so good that it really is safe to assume that if he’s lending his talents to something, it’s going to be well worth your time to view.

Leaves of Grass is one of the most profoundly enjoyable films I’ve seen in a long time. Continue Reading

By: Kenneth Lonergan (director, writer)

Starring: Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, Matthew Broderick, Rory Culkin

A single mother’s life is thrown into turmoil after her struggling, rarely-seen younger brother returns to town.

About twenty or so minutes into You Can Count on Me, I started getting a palpable sense of deja vu. I think I must have caught part of it on television at some point, as I would remember had I rented it. I probably put it on while I was doing things around the house and was only half paying attention, which is a shame, because it’s a wonderful film. Continue Reading

By: Joel Schumacher (director), David Kajganich (writer)

Starring: Henry Cavill, Dominic Purcell, Emma Booth, Michael Fassbender

A man and his brother on a mission of revenge become trapped in a harrowing occult experiment dating back to the Third Reich.

As a public service, I’m considering handing out little laminated cards to every horror director in America with the K.I.S.S. principle on it, since so many of them continue to forget it. I wish I could figure out what Joel Schumacher’s deal is, because his work is all over the map. I honestly do not understand how the same person who directed Flawless also directed Batman & Robin, aka Worst Film Ever Made. Needless to say, Blood Creek is closer to the latter, a convoluted mess of a horror film that manages to be both excessively disgusting and not remotely scary. Not even Henry Cavill’s bare abs could redeem this one.

By: Helen Hunt (director, screenplay), Alice Arlen, Victor Levin (screenplay), Elinor Lipman (novel)

Starring: Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick

A New York schoolteacher hits a midlife crisis when, in quick succession, her husband leaves, her adoptive mother dies and her biological mother, an eccentric talk show host, materializes and turns her life upside down as she begins a courtship with the father of one of her students.

Another short one, as I am both tired and unimpressed.

My film for tomorrow definitely needs to be something other than a melodrama, because this is two days in a row that I’ve chosen one that looked interesting and ended up being utterly tepid. Then She Found Me isn’t a bad movie, but it’s not a particularly good movie, either. The subject matter is fairly pedestrian, the mundane of being a modern adult without anything much to make it more than normal people doing normal things. There’s no real impact to even the important events. Colin Firth and Bette Midler are charming but get lost in the muddled story. As the lead, Helen Hunt isn’t very likeable or easy to relate to, and somehow she manages to have very little chemistry with Colin fucking Firth, which is a feat I wouldn’t have guessed possible, since he could create chemistry with a brick wall. Worst here is not that it’s a bad film in any immediately recognizable way, but rather that I never got any true sense of what it was trying to convey, which makes it entirely forgettable. Unless you’re a really big Firth fan, I’d skip it.