The time has come, I think, to officially create a sub-genre in the dramedy film category for the hitman movie. There have been a number of them through out history: The Professional, Gross Pointe Blank, Coldblooded, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and now, a new one joins the ranks and for me, it’s number one… with a bullet. Continue reading “Review: You Kill Me”
Tag: firstshowing.net
Review: No Reservations
Two things about No Reservations, right here at the top, just to get them out of the way. They relate to each other and I think it’s important they both get mentioned, in order: first, this isn’t a bad film… it’s just not a very good one and second, if you want to know everything, and I mean everything important, that happens in this film, watch the trailer. Because if you’ve seen the trailer, then there are no surprises in the 105 minutes you’re going to spend in the theater. Personally, I find that a little troublesome because it takes a movie which could have been a cute, romantic comedy and turns it into a by-the-numbers rehash of every cliché in the book. As icing on the cake, No Reservations isn’t even original in its unorginality – it’s a remake of the 2002 German filmMostly Martha. Continue reading “Review: No Reservations”
Review: Ratatouille
Pixar is the best movie studio in the English speaking world. I’m not sure if that claim is too big, but honestly, I’ve never seen them miss and they certainly don’t in their latest, Ratatouille. This film has heart, charm, darkness, love, wit, and just a soupçon of silliness… and all of this without the benefit of any actual actors on screen. Continue reading “Review: Ratatouille”
Review: Live Free or Die Hard
No one does sarcastic action hero better than Bruce Willis. There, I said it. And no matter how many people try to top him at it, it just doesn’t play as well as if it were Bruce Willis. Why is this so important to state, though? Because there are many pretenders to the John McClane throne and even though it’s been twelve years since the last time Willis has donned the McClane mantle, in Live Free or Die Hard he slips it on like he’s wearing an comfortable old suit and man is it great to see him back. Continue reading “Review: Live Free or Die Hard”
Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The filmmakers behind Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix have done something a little risky. Here, in the fifth installment of the wildly popular series, they’ve not only shied away from the light, airy world created by Christopher Columbus in the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, but they’ve also ignored any type of pre-film summary. When the lights go down in the theatre, the film starts. Just like that. There’s no “previously, in Harry Potter…” synopsis of everything that’s gone before. And good on them, I say. By this point in the series, if you’re just joining in, there’s just too much back story to try and deal with. Go rent the other four if you need to catch up… we’ll wait. Continue reading “Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”
Review: Transformers
About twenty minutes into Michael Bay’s tent-pole blockbuster Transformers my eight-year-old nephew Bailey said, without ever taking his eyes off the screen, “Now, this is the good part.” What he was referring to was the first major battle between competing super robot factions Autobots and Decepticons. And he was right. Continue reading “Review: Transformers”
Review: SiCKO
Michael Moore has an agenda. Let me say that right off the bat. There is no such thing as completely objective reporting, everyone has an angle, a point of view and Moore certainly has an agenda with every film he’s ever made. Like him or hate him, what he is doing is expressing HIS views of the situation. With that in mind,SiCKO is probably his least controversial film to date. Is there any controversy, of course, this IS Michael Moore, but instead of creating a personal attack-filled one-sided argument like he did in Fahrenheit 9/11 or a meandering, directionless search for answers like Bowling for Columbine, he gets back to his Roger & Me roots and goes after answers with a laser-like accuracy. Continue reading “Review: SiCKO”
Review: Ocean’s Thirteen
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… George Clooney is the Dean Martin of this generation. He defines cool – women want to go to bed with him, guys want to play poker with him. And neither side cares about the other. This is why he’s the perfect Danny Ocean, regardless of the fact it was Sinatra who played him in the original. See, the thing is, Sinatra is beyond cool. He is legend. He is icon. Martin, though, he’s a real flesh and blood man. He’s human, with flaws and foibles. And Clooney is his heir apparent. Continue reading “Review: Ocean’s Thirteen”
Review: 1408
Before we can really talk about this film, we need to talk about definitions. This is where a lot of film critics run into trouble. We look at movies differently than normal people. In fact, just the other day, my own mother asked me if there were any films I actually liked. Now the reason for this is because we, sometimes, expect more from a film than possibly the filmmakers themselves. Continue reading “Review: 1408”
Review: Fantastic Four – Rise of the Silver Surfer
Do you ever get the feeling that people making superhero movies have never read a comic book? With the exception of Sam Raimi, it seems to me that all these directors and writers being hired to bring the men and women in tights to life on the big screen treat the job offer as a paycheck assignment and entry into a big budget world as opposed to the sacred trust it really is. When you are brought on board to make a film based on a spandex-clad icon, you have a responsibility to the fans, to the people who grew up with these characters. Director Tim Story, in his second go around with these characters, almost gets it right. Continue reading “Review: Fantastic Four – Rise of the Silver Surfer”
Review: Eagle vs. Shark
It took me a while to write this review because I really wanted to like the film. Honestly, I did. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, for me it just didn’t work. Okay, to be fair, a lot of films don’t work. So why am I so concerned about this particular effort? Because it was so close to working that I want to reward the effort and encourage writer/director Taika Waititi to make more films! Continue reading “Review: Eagle vs. Shark”
Review: Nancy Drew
If you are (or know) a girl between the ages of ten and fourteen, run out as quick as you can and see this movie. Seriously. This is the one all the kids will be talking about in homeroom (if you go to a year-round school, otherwise it’ll be the day-camp conversation of choice). The story, about girl detective Nancy Drew, brought to life by second generation starlet Emma Roberts, is easy to follow. Nancy’s dad, who doesn’t like her sleuthing, takes her along on a three month business trip to Los Angeles. Of course, Nancy, being a Drew (“Always put other people first” is her father’s mantra) makes sure they rent a house that comes complete with a mystery attached. Continue reading “Review: Nancy Drew”
Review: Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End
To get it out of the way, right up front, I liked this movie. As a sequel, it was better than the second installment in the series (something which doesn’t often happen) and as a film in and of itself, it works on a number of levels. The film follows the continuing adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and wraps up, neatly, a number of the open ended plotlines left over from the first two films, Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man’s Chest. Without too much (and some might say not enough) recapping of previous events, we are immediately pushed into the film’s main plot, which is a good old fashioned us (the pirates) against them (the British) epic in a battle for the freedom of the seven seas. Continue reading “Review: Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End”
Review: Waitress
Sometimes, as a critic, there are films you don’t want to review. Not because they are bad, but because they are good. Waitress is one of those films. I so thoroughly enjoyed myself at this film, I don’t want to have to put on my critic cap and point out the flaws, as few as there are.
Before we get to those, though, let’s talk about the good things. They all center around Jenna, the newly pregnant title character played by Keri Russell. This beauty has come a long way since Felicity and she holds the center of this film with the confidence and surety of an actress with twice her experience. This is really her coming out party in the feature world (and no, Mission Impossible III does not count) and she is certainly the Belle of this particular ball. To be fair, though, she is helped along by triple threat Adrienne Shelly, who not only wrote and directed the film, but co-stars as well. Continue reading “Review: Waitress”
Review: 28 Weeks Later
Wow this film starts off good! 28 Weeks Later started, well, 28 weeks before. Before the starting credits roll, we are treated to a creepy, atmospheric scene, where a few survivors are holed up, trying to survive while outside the Rage Virus is taking over England. We are introduced to Robert Carlyle, Don, who is the de facto ringleader of this group and Catherine McCormack, his wife Alice. Within minutes the zombie-like victims of Rage have attacked, broken into the safe house and eaten most everyone there. Except Don, who has run out of the house, leaving his wife alone to fend off the flesh-eating creatures. Continue reading “Review: 28 Weeks Later”
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 