Make It A Blockbuster Summer

Despite a semi-hiatus from movie blogging over the past 2 months, I am back with a vengeance -- and a new Top 5 list for those Dog Days of Summer...

My Top 5 "I don't remember adding this to my Blockbuster Online queue...but I guess I'll give it a shot since it's July and I don't got sh** to do" Movies

1. Chinatown (1974). Awesome, awesome movie. Director Roman Polanksi reinviogrates the film noir genre and Jack Nicholson proves he's the finest actor of his generation. In his investigation of adultery, murder, and a mysterious water shortage, private eye Jake Gittes utters some of the best one-liners in Hollywood history. Chinatown includes two iconic images you may have seen in an Oscar Night montage: (1) Nicholson slapping the crap out of Faye Dunaway, and (2) Polanski, playing a thug, slicing through Nicholson's left nostrel with a switchblade. (I mean, in how many movies does the hero wear a huge bandage on his nose?) If you liked L.A. Confidential, then you better take a trip down to Chinatown. 3 PB Jars

2. Assault on Precinct 13 (2005). I doubt this remake lives up to John Carpenter's original (haven't seen it), but it boasts an all-star cast, an intriguing plot, and some entertaining action sequences. Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne form a formidable cop-gangsta duo against the corrupt police squad looking to wipe out anyone and everyone who might expose their dealings. Gabriel Byrne is underused as the brooding captain in charge of the assault; I would gladly have given him some of Ja Rule's screentime. Maria Bello (A History of Violence) doesn't get naked, nor does she do much to advance the plot, but Drea de Matteo picks up the slack. 2 PB Jars

3. Hannibal Rising (2007). I assumed that the absence of Anthony Hopkins would doom this horror/suspense pre-prequel. As it turned out, I was pleasantly surprised by French actor Gaspard Ulliel's portrayal of a traumatized, vengeful Hannibal Lecter during his formative years. Although WWII back stories have been used before (X-Men, Exorcist: The Beginning), the sequence in which Young Hannibal watches a starving band of Lithuanian mercenaries eat his younger sister proves quite unsettling. Hannibal proceeds on a quest that is more akin to Munich than Hostel; in fact, I wouldn't even classify this as a horror movie. The deliberative pacing allows the quality acting to shine through. Even if you're not a fan of Silence of the Lambs, you'll still find this to be a thoughtful and well-crafted film. 2 PB Jars

4. Dark Water (2005). Another atypical "horror/suspense" movie, at least in the sense that it prioritizes mood and atmosphere over gore and scare tactics. I live about 10 minutes from Roosevelt Island, the sliver of land between Manhattan and Queens which provides the setting for the movie, but after seeing Dark Water I have absolutely no interest in ever visiting. The dreary apartment complex that houses a divorced mom (Jennifer Connelly), her precocious daughter, and a water-logged ghost is downright scary -- if for no other reason than the fact that people really do live there. The movie loses points for its lack of an original storyline; The Ring and The Grudge did it first and did it better. 1.5 PB Jars

5. Red Corner (1997). If you're gonna go to China on a business trip, make sure not to hook up with the daughter of a high-ranking general while getting blackout drunk. You may wake up with blood on your clothes, be rushed to a prison cell, and experience a series of degrading beatings -- not to mention having the lights shut off and your glasses broken so that you can't read up on the Chinese legal code. If this wasn't the moral of Red Corner, then I'm sure it had something to do with justice or the superiority of the American way. Either way, the court room scenes make this film feel like sequel to A Few Good Men, though the Richard Gere-Ling Bai chemistry helps to set Red Corner apart slightly. As for the trappings of autocracy depicted in the film -- ominpresent surveillance cameras, incompetent officials, and unlawful imprisonment -- well, it looks today like the Chinese way of life may not be so alien after all. 1.5 PB Jars

The Simpsons Movie

Since I'm by no means a die-hard fan of the series, my opinion may not reflect the feelings of millions of Simpsonphiles who waited 18 long years for a big-screen "adaptation." However, I'd say that The Simpsons Movie met my expectation for laughs, even if it was little more than three Simpsons episodes duct taped together. (The screenwriters turn this fact into a gag at one point by throwing up a "To Be Continued... Immediately" message.) The wide screen format allowed the creators to fit nearly every Springfield resident in the frame at one time (for example, during the angry mob scene). However, the movie gives short shrift to many of the show's most popular characters. Krusty? Principal Skinner? I guess we'll have to wait for the sequel.

I was disappointed that the screenwriters couldn't come up with a more epic plot. Something along the lines of "Who shot Mr. Burns?" would have been more interesting to me than another "Homer puts his family/town/self in harm's way" story. Also, haven't the writers used the whole "The Simpsons are moving to _____!" plot about a hundred times? However, as I mentioned, the movie had some hilarious moments. ("Spider-Pig" = my personal favorite. The naked skateboarding scene was a close second.)

My "no comedies in the theater" mantra is becoming more of a guideline than a hard-and-fast rule, but as with Knocked Up, I have to recommend a trip to the multiplex for a viewing of The Simpsons Movie. 2 PB Jars

rating system refresher

in case you missed it the first time around, the rating system is explained in this post.

in short:
3 = best
2 = good
1 = fair
0 = "the siege" (atrocious)

I agree... get knocked up

Peanut is right on, for the most part. Knocked Up is definitely the best movie I've seen this summer. Solid chemistry between the leads, a scene-stealing Paul Rudd, and realistic situations with relevant characters make this flick a winner. It is a better movie than equally hilarious but absurdly over the top comedies like Old School, Anchorman, Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball, etc.

But, better than 40-Year Old Virgin ? I think not. Virgin has no slow parts, is equally relevant and hilarious, and maintains itself upon repeat viewings. While I've only seen Knocked Up once, I'm pretty confident that the ass-dragging 3rd quarter of the movie (which Peanut alludes to) would wear on me more and more with each watching. There is no reason why this movie had to be longer than 2hrs. That said, I might buy the DVD just to watch the Vegas chair scene over and over and over again... priceless!

Now, more importantly, when I saw Knocked Up I also caught the trailer for Superbad. I could not be more excited. I'm going out on a limb and giving Superbad a preemptive 3 PB Jars based on the trailer alone. Peanut - on August 17th you're breaking your "no comedy in the theater" rule again and we're both ponying up 11 bills for what promises to be the best comedy of the summer.

MOVIE POLITICS IN A NUTSHELL: Desperate Times

By Peanut

Post-apocalyptic films illuminate contemporary crises by magnifying them. Uncontrolled migration. Nuclear terrorist attacks. The dissolution of law and order. In many of these films, evil forces are to blame for human suffering: ruthless machines (The Terminator, The Matrix), demented gangs (12 Monkeys, Escape from New York), etc. What the immigrants and criminals and terrorists have in common is an overwhelming sense of desperation. Children of Men takes this root cause, desperation, and magnifies it.

The film envisions a future world (year 2027) in which women have lost the ability to bear children. With no hope for a next generation, the mores and morals of society break down. The utter desperation of the human race to procreate drives one man (Clive Owen) to risk life and limb to protect the last human child.

One side issue that stuck out for me in this film was the allusion to Islamic fundamentalism and global terrorism. In particular, news footage of a bombed-out Manhattan -- aparently leveled by a nuclear explosion -- gave me chills. The film's setting, London, lends itself to current-event discussions about Muslim immigration, segregation, extremism, and so on. I think it's important in this context to note that the supposed "threat" of Muslim immigration to the Western world is often exaggerated. Are European Muslims really poised to take over the continent? They constitute only 4% of the population (The Economist 28 April 2007: 40). Moreover, they come from quite diverse backgrounds and frequently fight within their own religious group, dispelling the myth of a monolithic Muslim "Other."

Children of Men does an excellent job of pulling the viewer into this dystopian near-future society, and it touches on issues that are both divisive and daunting. 3 PB Jars

I Got Knocked Up (They Won't Let Me Out)

Knocked Up: 2.5 PB jars

On May 18th, PB&M guest contributor Fluffhead made the following prediction: "Knocked Up will be the best comedy of the summer, and Rogen will be a big reason why." Despite my initial doubts before seeing Knocked Up, I would now go so far as to call this the best movie of the summer so far. It definitely surpassed Judd Apatow's previous offering, The Forty Year-Old Virgin, which had drawn favorable comparisons to beloved gross-out hits like There's Something About Mary, American Pie, and The Wedding Crashers.

Here's my take: Knocked Up has more non-stop laughs than Virgin or Crashers. It is sentimental but not gooey like American Pie. It features talented leads (Rogan, Katerine Heigl) perfectly cast in their respective roles. I'll admit, I wasn't blown away by Rogan's performance in Virgin, but he definitely seemed to step up his game here. (It's hard to tell how much "acting" is required for Rogan to play a lazy schlub, but luckily there are plenty of comedies in need of this character-type.)

My criticisms of the movie: It's a bit on the long side, but probably only by 10-15 minutes. There's a slight lull around the time that Seth Rogan's character gets in trouble for not reading the baby books, yet it's nowhere near as bad as the huge dead spot in the last third of Wedding Crashers. Oh yeah, and then there's three (count 'em, THREE) unneccessary shots of a baby's head crowning.

Otherwise, Knocked Up is a must-see for anyone who may have passed over this comedy in favor of flashier summer blockbuster fare. As I've mentioned in the past, I have a "no comedies in the theater" policy which I rarely break. (It's hard for me to justify paying $11 in Manhattan for a movie sans special effects... crowning baby head not withstanding.) However, Knocked Up is so hilarious that you can't afford to wait till it's DVD release.