Nacho Libre
I love Jack Black. Love him. I love him in Tenacious D (the show and the band), and I love him in the movies. I mean, come on, who could have been a better Barry in High Fidelity? No one, that's who. Naturally, therefore, I was all jazzed about this movie wherein The Jack plays a mexican wrestler. Hilarity couldn't help but ensuing, right? Well, yes, sort of. First off, because I don't actually watch television, many things get past me, like the fact that this movie was a Nickelodeon production, which meant that some of the more adult humor that could have added a little jazz to this story couldn't be shown. I'm okay with that, though, but what really didn't work was the feeling like this movie was a tug of war between someone's desire to make the next Napoleon Dynamite and the more in your face style of Jack Black's own brand of humor. The movie was filled with attempts to capture that realistic understated awkwardness that made Napolean work so well, but which seemed a little too forced, and, when juxtaposed against the gut-punch one-liners and physical slapstick that were classic Jack, it just felt like two goofy luchador movies sloppily sewn together like a first week Home Ec apron made of patches of velvet and strips of a nubby polyester blend.
That being said, though, there were some definite moments of belly laughter, and mostly they were those moments when you felt like Jack had been given free rein. The sneak attack baptism still makes me giggle until I gasp for breath, for instance. I just wanted it to be more of that and less of something, well, less.
The Descent
Wow. Just wow. I freakin' loved this movie. It was taut and fast and downright disturbing. The acting was top-notch, the characters had depth, and I got very invested in the twists of their relationships and the undercurrents that ran through the group.
To give a quick synopsis, this is the story of a group of English women who regularly gather for various extreme sport-style adventures. A year after a tragic accident (no, I can't tell you about it, you'll just have to watch to find out) the group gathers together to explore a series of caves in the Appalachian mountains. The caves, however, aren't exactly uninhabited, and the inhabitants aren't exactly friendly. Sounds like pretty typical sort of horror movie fare, right? Maybe, but the execution is everything! It's not just a creature feature, and the denizens of the darkness aren't the only dangers in these caves. It definitely has it's moments of "jump out of your seat" quick scares, but it's real effect is in the way it makes you think about the characters, their acts and their motives, the claustrophobia it induces, both physical and psychological. This movie is not for the faint of heart of the weak of stomach, but if you like something that gets under your skin, I highly recommend you watch it. I want to make this a much longer review, but without getting into spoilers and, "Dude, I totally almost pissed myself when...." I don't think I can. See it, and come back, we'll discuss then!
Idlewild
I hadn't seen anything other than the teaser trailer before this movie first came out, and I knew I had to see it. The exuberance of the dance and the energy of the directing drew me in, and when I finally got to see it, it did indeed live up to it's promise of a damn good time.
Starring Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000) and Andtwon A. Patton (Big Boi) of Outkast, this is a rowdy prohibition era roadhouse musical filled full of the delightfully anachronistic hip hop this duo does so damn well. I really loved the way that the songs and the dance numbers were filled with that idiosyncratic sense of rhythm that Outkast calls its own. The songs pop and snap in unexpected places, as do the dancers, and the camera work follows along in a delightful synchronicity. The style of the film borrows heavily from music videos, and that's pretty refreshing in a musical and works perfectly, I think.
I was also impressed with the acting of Andre Benjamin. He turned in a delicate and sensitive portrayal of Percival, a shy piano player by night and an assistant to his distant and domineering mortician father by day. The love story between him and the sultry chanteuse Angel Davenport, as portrayed by Paula Patton and her lovely cheekbones (seriously, she's just beautiful), is sweet and quite believable as it unfolds.
Antwon Patton isn't quite the actor his cohort is, but his character, Rooster, didn't need quite so tender a touch as Percival. As a philandering ne'er-do-well and nightclub sensation who gets caught up in a net of gangsters and showgirls and angry wives, he does a pretty decent job.
Darn fine movie, and a Hell of a lot of fun!
Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance
Here's another awesome and disturbing Korean thriller from Park Chan-wook. Park also directed Oldboy (which I may have to review sometime because it was truly astounding) and Lady Vengeance (which should be in my mailbox today!). These three movies, though they aren't a series, are Park's exploration of the nature of revenge. Like Oldboy, Sympathy is dark, violent, and hard to watch at times, and in the end you sort of feel a little soiled, but as though you've lived through a grim and unforgettable life experience and are strangely affirmed to have come out the other side. I know that doesn't sound like a vote of confidence, but it actually is. It takes a lot for a movie to really reach in and rearrange your headspace, and this one does that. You won't be a better person for watching this movie, but you will have great fodder for some deep and unsettling thoughts and conversations.
Without giving away too many of the interesting turns and character perspectives this movie takes, I can tell you that it starts out as the story of a deaf man who tries to get a kidney for his dying sister, but after being swindled by some black market organ dealers, decides, with the help of his girlfriend, to turn to kidnapping in order to raise the money he needs. Everything goes wrong from there. For everyone. And I do mean everyone. Pretty much if you are in this movie for more than a few seconds, you are screwed, my friend.
This movie definitely isn't for everyone, and don't say I didn't warn you if you rent it and can't make it through. It's brutal, but amazing.
No comments:
Post a Comment