Movie Review: CONFUSIONS OF AN UNMARRIED COUPLE (2006)
Confusions of an Unmarried Couple (2006) – ***1/2 The Butler Bros. continue to amaze me. As filmmakers, they have a mental library of great directors they draw upon to make their own works. More importantly, I never feel that they are unworthy of the significant comparisons. Take the Bros. newest film Confusions of an Unmarried Couple, for example. The influences of John Cassavetes are unmistakable. It’s easily the strongest film to date from two of the strongest voices in indie film. But that also means it’s time for them to step it up to the next level of filmmaking. Confusions follows Dan, who months after finding his girlfriend Lisa in bed with another girl decides to collect his belongings from the apartment they shared. Apparently looking for a confrontation, Dan makes sure that Lisa is home before he barges in. An...
Read MoreReview: FACADE
Façade (2004)–**** Façade is a startling and profound film that could have been considered one of those wake-up call movies were it handled differently. Brian Bedard’s first feature avoids that designation to its benefit, so we aren’t distracted from the tragic and personal story that unfolds. The real-time film ominously begins with the words “This film will end in 89 minutes” fading in and then out on a black screen. It may not be as direct as William Holden face down in a swimming pool, but it’s enough to make you realize that Façade is headed toward a heartbreaking end. We meet Harold (Patrick J. Adams), a meek and distressed 19-year-old who spends part of his birthday writing a letter to his dad who is no longer in the picture for unknown reasons. Harold’s mom (Marilyn McIntyre) and her live-in boyfriend Ronnie...
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Quickie: THE PRODUCERS (2005)
The Producers (2005)-**1/2 Quickie Review A down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and his dreamer of an accountant set out to make $2 million by producing a Broadway flop. This musical adaptation of Mel Brooks’ Broadway adaptation of his own 1968 film is funny but not consistently funny. Too much time in between the big laughs makes this overlong musical a little too boring a little too often. Susan Stroman directs this musical like I’ve wanted a musical film to be directed, but does it with a Broadway show that doesn’t allow her to use the technique to its fullest. Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Roger Bart and Gary Beach reprise their stage roles. Also starring a standout Will Ferrell and Uma...
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Movie Review: KING KONG (2005)
King Kong (2005)–**** Wow. Just when you thought the effects blockbuster was dead, here comes Peter Jackson with a remake of a classic film and nailing each of the film’s 187 minutes. King Kong, may or may not be considered a fantasy, but it certainly is fantastic. I loved this film not only because it is a massive epic of an adventure film, but also because Jackson has returned at least partially to his roots with the monster movie to end all monster movies. What does an overly ambitious director do when his investors pull out and tell him to stop making his film? He jumps on board a ship headed to an unexplored island to finish it anyway. At least that’s what a filmmaker like Carl Denham (Jack Black) would do. With the female lead dropping out of the...
Read MoreReview: THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)–*** The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is, in a childish and sometimes silly way, a charming little epic. Whereas The Lord of the Rings is gargantuan andHarry Potter is angst ridden and adventurous, the adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ fantasy masterpiece is fluffy and wholesome. It’s not the epic other recent fantasy films can claim to be, but it certainly is a welcome addition to the contemporary fantasy genre. The plot is simple enough. After the WWII bombing of London, the four Pevensie children are rushed to the country to live in relative peace with an old professor (Jim Broadbent). The professor’s stodgy maid forbids playing children’s games that could disturb the professor who is hidden away in his study, so the four Pevensie children play a children’s game of hide...
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Movie Review: MUNICH (2005)
Munich (2005) – **** It’s no wonder so many people, Israeli spies and PLO members, alike, feel threatened by Munich .Steven Spielberg has, in a fearless and revolutionary way, forced each person who views this film to bear witness to something that is quite uncomfortable. On more than one occasion,Munich made me squirm and question the paradigm with which I am so familiar. DoesMunich have an agenda? Hell yes. But for anyone with an opinion, Spielberg has one reply: reconsider everything. After a sect of the PLO known as Black September kills nine Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, the Israelis decide to send a message. They hire an assassination team, lead by Mossad agent Avner (Eric Bana), to kill the men who planned the massacre. As the body count increases, Avner’s group finds itself on the radar of other murderers and assassins....
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