300: Rise of an Empire

It's like watching the most overblown episode of Xena: Warrior Princess ever. Surprisingly, it also contains a fair amount of legitimate history, though at first glance you'd be forgiven if you chose not to believe it; a quick bit of research verifies a number of the details. (Thanks, Wikipedia.) Nevertheless, this is mostly about sheer spectacle--often spectacle somewhat ostentatiously covered in splatter and gore, so let's not put it in the curriculum just yet. All in all, I expected this to be much worse than it is; in fact, the film is ultimately fairly entertaining and mostly well done. I guess I’m a sucker for swords and sandals epics. Like those Greeks, you can watch this one and claim it as a victory, if the gods so direct you.

10 Cloverfield Lane

Two things can be true at once. That's a fact that many people forget in many circumstances. It's also an idea that clever filmmakers can use to their advantage. Such a two-sided truth can be useful in keeping an audience guessing. Then again, it's also true that a filmmaker, as someone once said, has got to know his limitations. Making one thing so obviously true threatens to turn a good plot point into something of an absurdity, if you're not careful. This crew teeters right on the edge of that line, but never (I think) crosses it, and thus this flick remains entertaining and within the realm of audience goodwill all the way through.

(500) Days of Summer

The biggest star in this movie is neither Joseph Gordon-Levitt nor Zooey Deschanel--it's honesty, perhaps to a fault. So much of what's in here rings true, regarding romantic relationships (as far as I would know), that this flick sticks out like a sore thumb in the rom-com landscape. You can make minor quibbles about certain aspects of the story--people that young generally don't like music that old; one suspects the source material could have been updated--but this story, including its denouement, feels right; this really is how it goes in the world. Given cinema's habit of selling the fantasy, the vision presented here actually comes across as refreshing.

42

The great strength presented by this film is its dogged determination to be authentic. The recreations of the old stadiums--based upon images that hardcore baseball fans such as myself have seen dozens of times--look to be spot on and pixel perfect. Several of the actors turn in performances that are less acting and more meticulous impressions of the real-life characters they are portraying...or at least they seem that spot on, given what we know today about the people being represented. This is especially so for some of the supporting cast, in particular John C. McGinley, who does an uncanny impersonation of Red Barber's old radio calls. Certainly, Harrison Ford submerges himself in the role of Branch Rickey, in one of the finest performances of his career. Ironically, the one actor who winds up not being the spitting image of his character is Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson; Boseman lacks Robinson's high-pitched voice and thus doesn't quite fit the bill. Which is not to say that he does a poor job in the role; Boseman was asked to perform the almost thankless task of portraying an icon at his most iconic, and he acquits himself well at the job. All in all, the result is a fine sports drama that tells a great story without falling too far into the well of sports movie cliches. If it's not a home run, this movie at least comes out ahead at the end of the game.

300

The quintessential example of the power of a noble defeat. It would have been nice if a certain two-term president I could name had the resolve of Leonidas and his Spartans in the face of opposition; as this film demonstrates, sometimes getting beaten is what sets up the more lasting and meaningful victory down the road. Worth seeing for its visual inventiveness, its excellent performances, and for all the deep stuff this movie has on its mind. Yes, we are the inheritors of a tradition that has hung in the balance--by a thread--more than once in our history; and yes, if need be, we can beat back the attack once again.

12 Years a Slave

An artfully crafted and masterfully executed film. This movie achieves exactly what you would hope and expect from a film on this subject: the viewer must watch this story and think to himself, “How would I react to being treated this way?”--precisely the kind of empathy required to prevent such madness. And ‘madness’ is the proper term; in some ways, this film serves as a meditation on how big a role insanity played in creating, justifying, and propping up slavery as an institution. (Not to mention religion, of course.) It’s worthy of its awards, and certainly worthy of your attention.

50/50

You expect a story about a young guy dealing with cancer to give you schmaltz, and there's a dose of that here. But there's also a lot of sharp humor, believable characters--including great interplay between Seth Rogen and the ubiquitous Joseph Gordon-Levitt--and truth in storytelling, all of which come together to form a deeply satisfying viewing experience

127 Hours

Director Danny Boyle pulls every trick out of the filmmaker's bag in order to give movement and energy to a mostly static tale. In a few places, the holes in that cinematic curtain show through, but for the most part the effort is successful, resulting in an entertaining, impactful, almost riveting movie. Not to be missed.

3:10 To Yuma

For all the shooting and other assorted noise, this powerful film is subtle and nuanced--almost philosophical--when it counts. Wonderful performances by Crowe and Bale as polar opposite characters--on different poles, separated by the entire globe, yet still on the same planet--lay the foundation for the story's stunning climax. Not to be missed.

28 Days Later

Strangely unengaging for an apocalypse movie. Not to say it doesn't hold the interest, but I really didn't find anything particularly special in this. Plus there's enough seeming inconsistency to make suspension of disbelief that much harder. (I say "seeming" inconsistency, because let's face it, how would you know what such a calamity would really be like?) If you really dig this sort of movie, then go ahead and enjoy. But otherwise, you can skip it.

U-571

Mostly, it's your standard WWII submarine flick (they are legion) until the story takes a turn for the interesting, and the movie really grabs your attention, until by the end it's finally...your standard WWII submarine flick. Got that? Nevertheless, I must admit that the action/battle sequences are top notch, and Matthew McConaughey gives a first rate performance as the would-be leader of men. If you can't get your hands on Das Boot, this will do.

25th Hour

Probably the best movie Spike Lee has ever made, and that's saying a mouthful. Not one of the movie's characters--particularly Edward Norton's busted drug dealer--would normally generate much sympathy, yet the presentation of the story is so effective that the viewer can't help but go through the emotional wringer with them. Add to the effective story and wonderful performances a brilliant, haunting score, as well as the raw-nerve backdrop of immediate post-9/11 New York City, and the sum yields a magnificent piece of cinema. A "Best Of All" inductee.

15 Minutes

Hard to know what to say about this movie. It's not bad, but it never really catches that spark (ironic, given the prominence of Edward Burns's arson inspector character). The story's satirical slant seems obvious, and perhaps even a little out of touch. (Why are the media-obsessed villains foreigners? Given the targets of the cultural critique, you'd more likely get home-growns playing such a debased game.) One positive note: in the "credit where it's due" department, big props to Director of Photography Jean Yves Escoffier--this is a beautifully shot film.

10 Things I Hate About You

I can't really justify it, but I actually did like this movie. I guess I'm just a sucker for Shakespeare in any form (it's based on The Taming of the Shrew).

12 Monkeys

The future of the world rests in Bruce Willis's hands. Oh, well…it wasn't worth all that much anyway. Nevertheless, this is an interesting and inventive movie--exactly the sort of work you'd expect from director Terry Gilliam. Worth a look.