Vin Diesel fans will be overjoyed. The rest of us will pick it apart.
Don’t mess with Vin. He’ll knife you without hesitation.
I’ll admit it up front. I only saw Riddick as a favor to my fiancee. She’s got this thing about Vin Diesel that a lot of people have. He’s a real love-him-or-hate-him kind of guy. There was a time back in the ’90s when it looked like he was going to get a shot as a serious actor. His roles in Boiler Room and Find Me Guilty were well received, but now if you want to see Mr. Diesel, it’s in a Fast and Furious movie, or it’s as the titular character, Riddick. Continue reading “Film Review: Riddick”
The anti-rom com: When “I do” becomes “Actually, I might not”
Josh (Rafe Spall) and Nat (Rose Byrne) optimistically share a dance at their wedding.
Two weeks ago, I reviewed the insipid Austenland, a banal, predictable, utterly forgettable romantic comedy. This week, however, I am happy to report that I have found its antithesis with I Give It a Year, an edgy, brilliantly funny British romantic comedy that is as fresh and inspired as Austenland is stale and uninspired. If a film like Austenland makes you think you hate romantic comedies, then you owe it to yourself to go see I Give It a Year, which, I promise you, not only will make you laugh, but will also give you a newfound appreciation for the genre’s possibilities. Continue reading “Film Review: I Give It a Year”
When Luke met Kate: Can drunk men and women ever be just friends?
Olivia Wilde’s Kate and Jake Johnson’s Luke are drinking buddies… and maybe more.
Watching Joe Swanberg’s new film Drinking Buddies is a bit like spending a summer evening out having beers with friends. The beers are cool and tasty, the company is good, the conversation can run the gamut from light, playful, and flirty to serious and intense, and the whole experience is decidedly pleasant. Of course, when you awake the next morning, you may only have a hazy recollection of having had a nice time, and by day’s end, you probably will have forgotten much of what transpired. But that’s not to say the diversion wasn’t worth it. Continue reading “Film Review: Drinking Buddies”
Strong performances anchor lovely story of compassion, hope
Brie Larson’s Grace lends a sympathetic ear to Keith Stanfield’s Marcus in Short Term 12.
After writer/director Destin Cretton graduated from college, he took a job in a group home for troubled teenagers. Years later, for his film school thesis, he created a short film loosely based on his experiences, which went on to win the Jury Prize for short filmmaking at Sundance in 2009. He has now turned that 20-minute short into a feature-length film of the same name, Short Term 12, and the result is a truly beautiful piece of cinema that speaks to the transcendent power of kindness, understanding, and love. Continue reading “Film Review: Short Term 12”
No sense and no sensibility: Jane Austen as uninspired rom-com
Jennifer Coolidge, Keri Russell, and Georgia King are living the Jane Austen dream in Austenland.
With Austenland, first-time director Jerusha Hess (one half of the husband/wife team that wrote Napoleon Dynamite) has turned Shannon Hale’s popular novel into a dippy, run-of-the mill, predictable romantic comedy. The novel’s fans may be the only audience for this dud, and even then their enjoyment no doubt will stem purely from the curiosity of seeing how the story translates to the screen. Everyone else would be better entertained by staying home and reading an actual Jane Austen novel. Continue reading “Film Review: Austenland”
Maybe we can get a fourth movie in this trilogy if we ask nicely.
Tomorrow sees the U.S. release of The World’s End, the third film in a so-called trilogy of films from Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sitting around a table with a group of San Francisco film writers to talk with them for a few minutes. Those few minutes became a lot more minutes, as once they started talking, they had a lot to say. Part one of this two-part interview will touch on subjects such as traveling to England, Raising Arizona, and putting peanuts in a log. Come back tomorrow for part two of this interview, and a review of the movie as well.
You mentioned during a post-film Q&A that you wanted to show parts of England that weren’t London, but then these parts of England that aren’t London have zombies, they have murderers, they have what we see in this movie …
The intoxicating, nostalgic scent of freshly popped, earthy corn merging with the salty richness of melting butter permeating the air is a familiar movie theatre setting. At the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, where the annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF) is held, our olfactory senses are still treated to this familiar comfort and all seems like a typical Castro event, at first. Not that the Castro Theatre is your ordinary strip-mall movie experience to begin with, however. The majestic landmark building, built in 1922, has grand stairways, a charismatic Wurlitzer organ, 1937 Art Deco chandelier, rare scrafitto wall décor, seats over 1400 patrons, and weekly shows “repertory cinema, foreign films, film festivals and special first run presentations,” as well as favorite cult classics, and occasionally hosts special live theatrical or sing-along events. It is certainly a major source of pride in San Francisco. Once you move past the enticing phantom of popcorn aroma lingering in the lobby and take a seat, the heavy, old-fashioned curtains part like a luxurious and dramatic movement Isadora Duncan would be proud of.
“Jobs” is uninspired and constantly misses the mark…unlike Steve Jobs.
Ashton Kutcher does a serviceable impersonation, including a Jobs pose.
Most of us know about Apple, Inc. If you were born in the early 80s, you may even remember many of the corporate controversies, lawsuits, etc. that Apple had to trudge through before profitability in the late 90s. If you were born later, it’s likely you’ve heard of these events, anyway. We also have an appreciation for the design, innovation, and use of their products and show it by making purchases. When we purchase an Apple product, we are acknowledging the brilliant mind for business and technological innovation that Steve Jobs had. But acknowledgement is one thing, and understanding is another, and what most of us don’t know and can’t find through a simple Google search, is extensive information about the man himself and why he did what he did. Jobs, the new biopic starring Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs, does not shed any light on the subject, instead giving us a standard (and repetitious) timeline of the company…which isn’t that interesting on screen.
Kick-Ass is back, and this time he’s (too) serious.
Kick-Ass and Hit Girl take a moment.
2010’s Kick-Ass had a refreshingly original tone — including a hard-on for depicting severe violent repercussions within a completely unrealistic comic-born plot. The film solidified Chloë Grace Moretz as a rising star…and a genuine bad-ass. Fans hoped to eventually see more of Hit Girl and more of this type of violent mayhem that was (crucially) grounded in a sense of fun and, dare I say, purpose. Now comes Kick-Ass 2, a mostly straightforward revenge tale that features more graphic violence than the original, but much less fun and with less purpose.
To boldly go where everyone has gone before: Mediocre sci-fi film delivers nothing new
Europa’s icy landscape awaits exploration by the Europa One crew
In his new film Europa Report, Ecuadorian director Sebastian Cordero tries his hand at cinema verité science fiction, and, unfortunately, the results are disappointing. Working from a screenplay by Philip Gelatt, Cordero can’t overcome the flatness of the material, and the story, which has a sort of Blair Witch Project meets The Right Stuff feel to it, never fully gels. Despite featuring a few skilled performances from his international cast, Cordero’s film ultimately fails to satisfy as either intriguing science fiction or as compelling docudrama. Continue reading “Film Review: Europa Report”
