Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Arjun: The Warrior Prince



The artwork is gorgeous, though the animation is plagued by a total lack of blending between hand-drawn & computer-generated elements, and the images don't always hold up to the proportions of a large movie screen.

The story itself is full of intrigue & action, and is a lot of fun--especially if you don't care whether you always are able to follow what the hell is going on.




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Monday, May 28, 2012

Blue Like Jazz



Starts out in a mildly-promising way, but soon crashes & burns, leaving its weak writing and performances well exposed.

Unfit for anything but forced viewings within church youth groups.




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Otter 501



It's wonderful to get a fairly in-depth behind-the-scenes look at otter rescue & rehabilitation undertaken by the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

It's a shame that the framing device & acting are so horribly weak as to leave this film unfit for viewing anyplace outside the aquarium itself.



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Bernie



It's funny... for a good long while. 

I'd recommend taking a break after Bernie's car gets blocked on the driveway, & having someone come & get you while the credits are rolling to catch that stuff.



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Monday, May 21, 2012

The Dictator



Offensive only if you lack familiarity with Baron Cohen's work--or are a one-percenter--I think the greatest transgression here is the apparent lack of an experienced editor.

I was far more offended by the waste of this guy's talent in the snore-fest that was "Hugo."




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Sunday, May 20, 2012

God Bless America


Our heroes go on a rampage of vigilante justice, offing people who talk during movies, inconsiderate parkers, and Fred Phelps.


You see, there is a reason they are called "our heroes!"




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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Kalakalappu @ Masala Cafe



The movie is edited like an episode of "The Monkees," aided by simple Powerpoint tools.

The result, sadly, is not nearly as funny as that would make it sound.



(Said to have been inspired by the German movie "Soul Kitchen," reviewed here)


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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen



As much as there is to like in this picture, I really wish Kristin Scott Thomas had more screen time.

That British-Jane-Lynch thing of hers really is infectious.




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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel



What a hilarious comedy!

It's like a very special road trip episode of "The Golden Girls," but with a much-bigger budget.





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Bully



As alarming as the bullying itself, is the breezy way school workers ignore it.

At what point did "shake hands and make up" EVER solve the problem?




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Sunday, May 13, 2012

Chimpanzee



I'm always amazed by how they do these beautiful DisneyNature documentaries, if a little suspicious of the personalities involved.

It's as if your new neighbor just sat around on their front porch taking phonecam shots while your home was being ransacked & burned.



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Saturday, May 12, 2012

The Five-Year Engagement



What's so funny about this movie?

It's overlong, & really depressing: you KNOW that this couple is going to end up back together (rom-com, hello), but you also KNOW they should run as far from one another as they possibly can.




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Vicky Donor



A seemingly-outrageous concept gets this off the ground, but the comedy portion of the film only shoots so far.

You may be most entertained if you finish before the film does, & leave at the intermission.



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Monday, May 7, 2012

The Avengers


I found myself waiting for the wit, & waiting for the wit, and waiting--and then there was a little wit--and then I sat waiting for more, and waiting for more, and waiting; it was like this for what felt like three hours.

The whole thing was heart-pounding, but not at all exciting--but the good news is I think that the director said he intends to turn the sequel into a good movie with emotion & character development.



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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Safe




It's a Jason Statham movie, so no description here should be necessary--but why do they set this up at the end for a sequel?

Every new Jason Statham movie is a remake of the previous Jason Statham movie, so instead of all these confusing titles, let's call them ALL "Jason Statham," followed by the current number!



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