Wake Up Dead Man

Word of warning: don’t watch this movie if you’re sleepy. I did, and wound up dozing off about 45 minutes in. Is that a commentary on the quality of the film, or just a product of circumstance? Maybe a bit of both. For sure, this story takes its time getting to the heart of the proceedings. That leisurely pace gives the movie a sense of being—somewhat appropriate for a murder mystery—rather lifeless. The film does eventually get going, and in doing so presents an interesting aspect of the script: some intriguing ruminations on faith and the church and their value and meaning. Plus you get to watch more of Daniel Craig inhabiting the character of Benoit Blanc, which is good entertainment. Still, I can’t help but think that this entry in Rian Johnson’s series is a touch below the previous outings. Whether that marks a death knell for the franchise or represents just a momentary dip remains at this point a question still to be answered. Not dead yet, perhaps, but in need of a little more energy—something you can say about your correspondent as well. 

Oz the Great and Powerful

The crux of the matter here lies with the source material. To wit: are we seeing a faithful representation of Baum’s work, or is this a Disneyfied version of the extended world of Oz? Having only read one of the Oz works--that one--I can’t say for sure; maybe the weaknesses are Baum’s and not those of the Disney people or director Sam Raimi. Even with a certain obviousness to the story--it’s a tale that practically wallows in stereotypes--you can still get a good, old-fashioned movie-viewing experience out of this film. It all depends on how high your critical threshold is; demanding types, stay away, but those more open will probably have a decent time.

Ted

A ‘yeah, but...’ movie. It’s a lot of fun, most of the time; it’s more brazen in its humor than most movies you’ll see, and that’s very respectable. So yeah, it’s good. But, it does start to take itself a little too seriously at a certain point. I might have enjoyed it more if it was just flat out, balls out, crazy shit all the way through, but it kind of pussies out in the end. Still, it would be nitpicking to downgrade it just for that. It’s more than good enough, and we’ll leave it at that.

Black Swan

First, the quibble: a little too-much shakey-vision here. Director Darren Aranofsky should know better than that. Perhaps he felt that kind of "style" was necessary to create the vision he wanted to present. Whatever went into his directorial decisions, Aranofsky did craft an atmospherically unique film, something that I must say is unlike any movie I've ever seen. It's a consistently compelling experience, with an ever-building intensity that keeps the viewer riveted to the presentation. It may not be everyone's cup of plié--disturbing imagery, graphic sex, some violence, insanity...and ballet--but the adventurous viewer will most certainly be rewarded.

The Book of Eli

When the surprise twist comes at the end, it is--given all that has gone before it--utterly preposterous, almost to the point of dishonesty on the part of the filmmakers. That flaw almost ruins an otherwise entertaining bit of post-apocalyptic hoo-hah. The presence of two old pros--Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman, who are incapable of giving a bad performance--goes a long way towards redeeming the storytelling misdeeds. In sum, it's uneven, but worth a look if you have the time and indulgence.

Date Night

I was all set not to like this movie, but the combination of appealing lead actors and a well-rounded supporting cast--with one or two pitch-perfect cameos--put an otherwise run of the mill movie over the top.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

A movie chock full of smiles and giggles. Is that enough? I think so; I can't imagine how you'd expect more from a movie like this. But even when this film seems weak, it keeps plugging away with smile and giggle moments, and eventually it hits enough marks to win the fight. Call it a TKO, if not an actual knockout, but that's enough to get the win.