My Review: I Heart Huckabees (5/10)

"The universe is an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere."

Having seen David O. Russell's last three films which amassed him several Oscar nominations, I wanted to go back to one of his earlier projects that I missed. I had heard mix reviews about I Heart Huckabees, but I went into it with high expectations considering his latest films blew me away. I was really disappointed with the film despite the talented cast because the premise didn't appeal to me and the comedy didn't work for me either. The film centers on philosophical elements such as existentialism and nihilism, but it is treated in such a way that it seemed as if they were making fun of these theories without actually being funny. It isn't as deep as it is trying to be and despite the style that David O. Russell brings to the film it never managed to engage me. It's as if Russell simply mixed all these philosophical ideas in a blender and the result was I Heart Huckabees. The cast made the film a bit more tolerable considering they all bring their unique charisma, but the story simply didn't work for me. It was an annoying and frustrating experience where some of the comedic moments felt forced and unauthentic. Despite trying to be unique and quirky it was a forgettable experience and by far my least favorite film from David O. Russell. The cast put a lot of energy into the film, but it seems to be directed all over the place and the result was a rather pointless and uneven movie. I can see why some people fell in love with this existential comedy, but it simply didn't appeal to me due to the absurd premise. It is no secret that I'm not a big fan of surreal films, but I have enjoyed some when they at least have some narrative coherence. It wasn't the case with I Heart Huckabees.

The cast in this movie is extremely talented, and we have come to expect this coming from a Russell film because every actor in Hollywood is lining up to work with him. Jason Schwartzman is the sort of actor who is perfect for these quirky films. He is at his best working with Wes Anderson, and here he seems to be playing one of his characters. His chemistry with Jude Law and Mark Wahlberg was great. Perhaps the reason why I didn't hate this film was due to their performance because they elevated the material for me. Wahlberg had the funniest scenes and the only time I laughed in this film was with several of his anger outbursts. Naomi Watts and Lily Tomlin also delivered strong performances. Dustin Hoffman was a bit too quirky and his character was actually inspired by Russell's philosophy professor (Uma Thurman's father). I imagine he was highly exaggerated because his character was really out there. Isla Fisher and Jonah Hill have small cameos in this film and it was sort of a highlight for me to see them on screen. This was Hill's first feature film and no one would have imagined how successful he has become (two Oscar nominations for his recent work). As profound as the film tries to be I really don't feel like it has transcended and it should be ranked amongst Russell's weakest films over time. 

My Review: Life of Crime (5/10)

"She looks like a million bucks."

If you were to run into Life of Crime prior to having seen Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown then you probably wouldn't feel in the mood to see it considering Daniel Schechter's film is a bit of a letdown. Despite being a prequel to Jackie Brown, which was also based on Elmore Leonard's novel, this film doesn't have that same punch to it. This proves just how difficult it is to do what Tarantino does so well. Leonard always writes rich characters who at times seem quirky. He mixes black humor with action pretty well, but in Life of Crime that spark is missing. The film relies on a talented cast who make the movie a bit more entertaining, but the story simply fails to engage and at times everything seems so light and pointless. There is something phony about these characters and the plot which constantly reminds the audience that there isn't anything true or authentic about this world. For a film based on a Leonard novel, the characters don't seem to have much going for them either. These aren't the characters we fell in love with in films like Jackie Brown, Out of Sight, and Get Shorty which were all created by Leonard. If I had to compare it to another adaptation from a Leonard novel I would say this is much more similar to Armitage's The Big Bounce starring Owen Wilson and Morgan Freeman. It is that disappointing no matter how much you  like the cast here. Life of Crime doesn't have anything remarkable to say really, it simply is content with existing and perhaps trying to hook Jackie Brown fans along the way. The comedy doesn't work really well, while the vibe and tone of the film is way too silly to take the action seriously. Perhaps I was just familiar with the characters this time around and found the entire premise a bit too ridiculous, but the film simply didn't engage me as much as other Leonard adaptations have in the past. 

Life of Crime's talented cast doesn't save this mediocre film, although they provide some enjoyment. The one who stands out is John Hawkes who plays Louis (Robert De Niro's character in Jackie Brown). It is remarkable how he can play such a scary and creepy role in one film and then all of a sudden you see how likable and sweet he can be in another. This time around, Hawkes is extremely likable and charming despite being a kidnapper. His partner in crime is Ordell (played by Mos Def in this film and Samuel L. Jackson in Jackie Brown). Def is also charming in this film and the two play off one another extremely well. As thieves they are completely incompetent, but we still want them to succeed. The weak link in this film was Jennifer Aniston who plays Mickey, the wife who is kidnapped. She simply didn't sell the character. Tim Robbins plays her husband, Frank, who is having an affair with Isla Fisher's Melanie. So you can see how the kidnappers plans are ruined when they find out that the husband has no interest in paying the ransom. That is kind of the whole joke of the film. Will Forte and Mark Boone Junior give strong supporting roles as well and there were actually a few moments involving the two that stood out for me comedic wise. The film did open pretty strongly but it didn't seem to go anywhere and several elements were completely left out. For example, Mickey and Frank's son who was introduced in the opening scenes is completely left out of the picture during the ransom. It's as if director Schechter simply didn't know where to take the story once all the characters were introduced. I was a huge fan of Jackie Brown so I was quite disappointed with this prequel. 

My Review: Now You See Me (4/10)

"First rule of magic: always be the smartest person in the room."

The latest film directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans, The Incredible Hulk, and The Transporter) is probably one of his weakest efforts, only competing against Clash of the Titans. If the first rule in magic means you have to be the smartest person in the room, then the first rule to enjoy this movie is that you have to be one of the dumbest persons in the audience. The movie tries to make us think that the more we look the less we will see, kind of like telling us the more we think about the movie the less we will enjoy it. So it is trying to keep our mind centered on the nice tricks and great cast, but trying to keep us away from thinking too deeply at the absurdity of the plot. Now You See Me is all an illusion and the more you think about it the more you know that the tricks and twists are a bit beyond belief. It is a pity because I really like this cast (seeing Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine back together after the Batman trilogy was something I was looking forward too) and they aren't bad in this movie either, but the problem I had with it was that the screenplay was pretty weak and the tricks were unbelievable. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against smart heist films that use magic and illusions, but this doesn't even deserve to stand against other films in the genre such as Oceans 11 that accomplishes this feat way better than this. The characters could have been developed so much better, but the film introduces them in such a lazy way that I didn't really get emotionally involved with them. I know all the movies don't have to be smart and believable, but at least those that aren't manage to engage and involve the audience in an entertaining way. I didn't feel that way about this silly movie. I didn't feel tricked either, I felt cheated on with such dumb twists. 

The film begins by introducing us to four different magicians that are all being recruited by some sort of mystery man. First there is J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) who is doing a classic card trick in front of an audience in the street and picking up a girl while he's at it. Then there is Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), who is hypnotizing a woman while blackmailing her husband. The third magician is Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) who is performing a dangerous stunt involving a pool and piranhas. And finally there is Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) a con-magician who distracts people with cheap tricks while stealing from them. These four magicians are all recruited by a mysterious man who gives them a blue print of some great tricks they can work on together. The film then jumps a year forward where we see these four magicians working on an act together in Las Vegas. They are known as the Four Horseman and they are about to pull a live bank robbery from the stage. This is where the FBI comes in as lead investigator Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) begins to pursue the case along with his assigned partner from Interpol, Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent). With no definite proof to arrest these magicians they must work together before their next heist takes place. For this, they enlist the help of Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), a profesional illusion exposer and former magician himself. But be warned, nothing is what it seems in this film as the twists begin.

I had high expectations for Now You See Me because it had an interesting premise and the cast involved was excellent. They are all really talented and honestly they did a good job with the weak script they had to work with. My biggest issue was the story which didn't make much sense. I won't mention the issues because I don't want to give away spoilers, but everything pretty much seemed false. I didn't believe the twists and turns the film took. I also thought the entire hypnotic sequences were kind of a cheat to explain how they could perform most of the tricks. The film really defies logic and I had a problem with that considering I never got emotionally involved with the characters in order to forgive those faults and simply enjoy the movie for what it is. I can forgive films that don't make sense as long as the audience is allowed to have fun with the premise and be entertained with what is going on, but that didn't happen with me. I won't be recommending Now You See Me to anyone, but I know some fans will have a good time thanks to the illusions and tricks that the director plays on us.

My Review: Rise of the Guardians (7/10)

¨It is our job to protect the children of the world. For as long as they believe in us, we will guard them with our lives.¨

Rise of the Guardians is the latest animated film brought to us by Dreamworks (the studio that created Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon) and directed by Peter Ramsey. This is Ramsey`s first film as a director as he is mostly known for his work as a storyboard artist for films like Fight Club, Men in Black, and Independence Day. Rise of the Guardians is probably not up to par with other Dreamworks projects, but it still manages to be a very entertaining animated film, and one kids will enjoy. The art direction is perhaps the best part of the movie, as the story and characters lack better development. There are a lot of action scenes that the children will enjoy, and plenty of funny moments as well. Rise of the Guardians is a fun movie, it just doesn’t reach the same level How to Train Your Dragon or Kung Fu Panda did. The animated film was adapted by David Lindsay-Abaire from William Joyce`s book. Children will really love this film because it has well known characters and the movie sort of has a Avengers look to it as these heroes assemble together to protect the Earth from a dangerous villain-

Jack Frost (voiced by Chris Pine) is the main character of the story is a mischievous kid who can turn anything into ice with his stick. The only problem is that no one seems to know he exists. The kids all seem to love North (Alec Baldwin) aka as Santa, Tooth (Isla Fisher) aka the Tooth Fairy, Bunny (Hugh Jackman) aka the Easter Bunny, and Sandman, but they don`t know of the existence of Jack Frost. These four guardians protect the children and ensure that their light always shine with amazement and dreams. Jack Frost on the other hand is always fooling around and doesn’t seem to have any responsibility whatsoever, but his life will change when the evil Pitch (Jude Law) begins to threaten the children and scare them off with nightmares. The four guardians discover that they will need the help of Jack Frost in order to protect the kids from this evil nemesis. The dreams and happiness of the children around the world are at stake.

Rise of the Guardians is a pretty inventive film, using these beloved characters from our childhood and turning them into superheroes that not only bring joy to the children in the holidays, but also protect and guard them from the darkness. I had a fun time with this movie, but I don’t think I would want to watch it again. I probably wouldn’t enjoy a sequel either, but nonetheless I had a good time with this animated feature. Kids will probably enjoy this more than adults.

http://estebueno10.blogspot.com

My Review: Rango (5/10)

¨So you want something to believe in? Believe in that there sign. For as long as it hangs there we've got hope. ¨

2010 was a great year for animated films (I guess that`s the correct term for them now since no one calls them cartoons anymore) with Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon, and Tangled all ranking among my Top 25 Films of last year. Rango is the first film I´ve seen from 2011 since I had a lot of catching up to do with last year`s movies before the Award Season ended; and one thing is for sure: Rango won`t rank among my favorite films for this year. Rango is director Gore Verbinski`s (known for The Ring and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy) first animated film and he`s receiving a lot of positive reviews so far in his incursion to the animated field. I wasn`t as excited as most critics were however since I was a little disappointed with the story. There is no denying that the visuals were stunning and the CGI animation was breathtaking, but the story really didn`t work for me. I didn`t think the characters had any depth to them and the story really dragged at several points of the film for no apparent reason rather than to evoke the mood of most Westerns. Rango is a parody of Spaghetti Westerns (fans of the genre will find plenty of spoofs from several movies including The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly) and the title of the film is actually inspired on another Western, Django. The visuals truly capture the beautiful scenery we see in most westerns, but the story just seemed to be all over the place and I failed to connect with it. There were also very few funny moments as I didn`t find many of the spoofs that amusing, and I don`t see how kids would find them funny at all.

As for the plot goes we are introduced to Rango (voiced by the great Johnny Depp), a green chameleon wearing a red Hawaiian tee-shirt. He seems to spend most of his time in his cage imagining himself saving a damsel from distress (actually a head-less Barbie doll) from an evil villain (a Nemo-like toy fish). While he is in the midst of this imaginary feat, the vehicle where his cage is at the present time swirls making it fly out of the car and break, so Rango finds himself free in the middle of the desert. He encounters an armadillo (Alfred Molina), who guides him to the town of Dirt, a town in desperate need for a hero since there is a shortage of water. Rango encounters Beans (Isla Fisher) who warns him about the situation in the town of Dirt and the little hospitality the townsfolk have with foreigners, but Rango has no problem making friends by lying and telling stories about his ¨heroic acts.¨ His odds are improved when he accidently kills a hawk, which happened to terrorize everyone in the village. Rango becomes the local hero and the Mayor (Ned Beatty) appoints him as the new Sheriff of Dirt. It`s the opportunity he has been dreaming of: becoming a hero, but there is a lot more to this town than meets the eye. The Mayor seems to be hiding some crucial information about the water supply, and with the hawk out of the picture the locals now fear that Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy) will return to terrorize them.  

I tried to simplify the plot as much as I could as there are actually a lot of things going on that aren`t developed really well. The plot does draw heavily from Chinatown (screenwriter John Logan actually claimed he was inspired in that film when he wrote the story) and it spoofs many Westerns (Bill Nighy said he was inspired in the bad character from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and we see Rango wearing a poncho like the man with no name did in that same film). John Logan has done some interesting work in the past (Sweeny Todd, Aviator, and Gladiator), but I really didn`t enjoy this story that much. Rango simply didn`t live up to the great animated films from last year, and the visuals were just not enough to save this film since that has become a known asset in every animated movie. I do think that the CGI was a bit above average from other animated movies, but it wasn`t enough to save the poor story. I really had high expectations for this film since I enjoy Westerns and thought it was about time for a good animated Western to come out. I just didn`t think this movie had any heart, like say Toy Story 3 or Tangled had. I just didn`t get emotionally attached with Rango and didn`t find it very funny at all. I wouldn’t recommend this.

 

http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/