Hello everyone, and welcome to the first official 2010 movie weekend. Usually, the first week of January mean bad movies. Let’s hope that at least one of these are good. The first four films of 2010 are DAYBREAKERS, LEAP YEAR, YOUTH IN REVOLT and CRAZY ON THE OUTSIDE. I also did see Terry Gilliam’s latest film THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS, but that’s a 2009 film just getting released here in Minneapolis. Let’s get to it.
A few years ago, the Spierig brothers (from Australia) came out with a low budget horror/sci-fi/comedy gorefest called UNDEAD. I liked the idea behind it, but it felt too much like a ripoff of early Peter Jackson films like BAD TASTE. The pacing was inconsistent as was the film’s tone, and the editing was all over the place. Now they have returned with their first big budget film, DAYBREAKERS.
The premise is an interesting take on the Vampire genre. What if vampires overtook the world? Since vampirism can spread, eventually humans become the minority. And if the humans die, then there will be no more blood for the vampires to eat, thus killing them as well. Ethan Hawke plays Ed Dalton, a vampire scientist who is working on a blood substitute before the supply runs out. He works at a nasty organization run by cold hearted businessman Charles Bromley (Sam Neill). His business farms humans for their blood. But Ed actually feels remorse. He pities the humans and tries to help them when he can. In fact, he doesn’t even drink human blood, but pig’s blood. His vampire brother Frankie (who also turned him) is a human hunter for the military and loves being a blood sucker. One day, some humans approach Ed and ask for his help to expose a cure for vampirism. The head of this resistance is a man who calls himself Elvis (Willem Dafoe), who used to be a vampire. Ed agrees to help them and once Bromley discovers this betrayal, he orders them all dead. There are some other plot points that I won’t give away.
After watching all of these “hip” vampire films lately, it was nice to see an entry that has a sort of old fashioned vibe to it. Not once is there a cool new Emo Song by DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE. The film is not action packed (though there are some thrills). It’s more about mood and atmosphere, and this is where the Spierig Bros succeed. They do a great job establishing what it would be like if most of the world became vampires. I liked seeing riots breaking out when a coffee vendor limits how much blood can be put in a cup of coffee. It’s a desperate landscape filled with shades of gray and blue. Love the art direction. It’s not as in your face like in the overrated DARK CITY, it’s more subtle.
Ethan Hawke makes a good lead. He is a little awkward and offbeat, but it was a perfect fit for this film I think. He makes some unusual acting decisions and delivers his lines strangely, but it worked for me. Willem Dafoe seems to be having a great time here as someone who enjoys hunting vampires almost as much as he loves old cars. Sam Neill does a decent job as the villain, which could have been done over the top but he keeps it low key. Michael Dorman also does a good job as Hawke’s younger brother. He has a great scene towards the end that made me cheer. The only weak link for me was Isabel Lucas as Dafoe’s second in command. Her line delivery was very static and wooden.
The direction is very solid. The Spierig brothers’ first film had too many camera tricks and gimmicks. But in this one they ease up on the style to focus on the characters and let the actors do their thing. Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a talking heads movie. There’s plenty of gore, vomit and slime to keep horror hounds happy. There was also car chase that was pretty inventive. Dafoe and Hawke are driving a car that shelters the sun by having blackened windows, but they can see because of the cameras on top of the car. When bullets fly through the car, rays of light threaten to burn Hawke. With each turn, the rays of light shift, so Hawke needs to keep moving to avoid the light. I thought that was pretty cool.
The script has maybe one two many conveniences, but for the most part I found it smarter than your average vampire film. The conclusion I thought was really cool. I loved the last shot of the movie. I’m glad to see these guys finally make a good (if not great) movie. It’s not gonna change film history, but in the month of January, this was a well made, fun little vampire film with intriguing ideas, some good acting, and a few exciting moments. You can’t ask for much more than that these days.
LEAP YEAR is a romantic comedy with rising star Amy Adams. She plays Anna, a very proper and organized modern woman who is kind of a decorator for realtors. She desperately wants to get married to her boyfriend of 4 years ,Jeremy, but he doesn’t seem to get the hint. When he goes to Ireland on business, Anna gets the idea from her father (John Lithgow, in a blink and you’ll miss him cameo) that she should go there to propose to him on Leap Day, which is an old Irish tradition.
Since this is pretty much a sitcom, nothing goes right. Her flight lands in Wales and she gets stranded in the middle of nowhere. She walks into a bar and meets Irish asshole Declan (Matthew Goode) who decides to drive her to Dublin cause he needs the cash to keep his pub. He’s a slob and she’s a prude, so they hate each other at first and of course they end up falling in love with each other even though one thing after another goes wrong.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making these types of movies. Even though they’re predictable, as long as the script is funny and the characters have good chemistry, then it’s okay by me. But unfortunately, that is NOT the case here. Everyone involved is tremendously talented so it was really hard to watch this routinely dull film.
The movie is in such a hurry to get to Ireland that it hardly establishes any of the characters. We don’t really know who Anna is other than she likes things organized and wants to get married. Once we get to Ireland, we are subjected to tired fish-out-of-water jokes and stereotypical squabbling old men caricatures. There are also slapstick gags with Anna falling down a muddy hill, stepping in cow poop, and Declan’s car rolling down a hill and landing in a creek. Ha. Ha. There is just no energy here.
The acting was especially disappointing. I think Amy Adams is (or maybe now, was) on her way to become one of our best working actresses so it’s disappointing to see her in this film, which seems to be tailor made for Sandra Bullock. She’s so talented that it pains me to see her slumming it here. And she’s not really that good either. Sure, she’s “OK”, but I expect much more from here. She’s still adorable as hell, but I just didn’t feel like she was trying all that hard here. Matthew Goode does an all right job playing a jerk, but he’s not good at playing a likable guy. Instead, he comes across as an Irish Matthew McConaughey, and that’s not a compliment. Adam Scott is all wrong for Adams’ boyfriend. He has a constant smirk on his face that seems like he’s acting in a Will Ferrell comedy. And what was up with John Lithgow’s appearance? I love this guy, but he hasn’t done a whole lot lately. It was insulting just to insert him in for 30 seconds. It almost seemed like that they were filming this scene with an unknown actor, but then one of the Production Assistants saw Lithgow walking down the street and decided to flag him down and push him in front of the camera. It was really weird. And he seemed hammered too.
Director Anand Tucker who made the acclaimed HILARY & JACKIE, is not even trying. Even though there are a few nice shots of Ireland, there is too much coverage and the editing sloppy. I was also disappointed in the script which was written by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. They wrote and directed CAN’T HARDLY WAIT and JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS. I loved PUSSYCATS, but it bombed so hard that it cost them their directing career. Those movies are funny and inspired, but this one is annoyingly mediocre. No surprises. Nothing you haven’t seen before, and better. And the worst part about it is that not for one moment do you believe that these two fall in love.
If you’re looking for a movie that has two people on a road trip, who hate each other but then end up falling in love, then rent IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT instead. LEAP YEAR is not worth the effort. However, there were many couples over 60 at my screening that seemed to enjoy it, but I’m willing to bet that they won’t even remember this movie by next week.
YOUTH IN REVOLT is a teen comedy starring SUPERBAD’S Michael Cera. He plays Nick Twisp, a shy High School kid who lives with his mom and loser boyfriend. All he wants is to meet a young intelligent girl and fall in love. One day he meets Sheeni who is the daughter of some religious nuts. She’s beautiful, intellectual and very approachable. They begin a friendship but he wants more. When he tries to go further she explains to him that she likes more aggressive, naughty boys. This upsets him, but doesn’t discourage him. Eventually, Nick makes up an imaginary persona by the name of Francois Dillinger. He starts all sorts of trouble, like blowing up a trailer in the middle of a public street. Sheeni begins to like him, but now the authorities are after Nick and he doesn’t have too many good ideas to get out of this situation.
Don’t worry, the film is much better than it sounds. This could have easily been one of those raunchy teen comedies with loud obnoxious characters. Some of those are funny (SEX DRIVE, KNOCKED UP), but some were tiresome to me (MISS MARCH, SUPERBAD). But this really wasn’t like one of those. This is something different. And it’s really good.
The approach is definitely low key, and the jokes are very offbeat. At the center of the film is a very good and relatable romance. The chemistry between Nick and Sheeni is genuine. I really liked the characters and was rooting for them. When you have likable people in your movie, then the job is half done. The script is also very funny, which was based off of a 1993 novel of the same name. This was a great coming of age story that rang very true, but also had just enough strangeness in it to be different from other films of the genre.
I also think the main reason why this works is Michael Cera. After his first few movies, I began to wonder if he can do anything other than his lovable awkward loser persona (SUPERBAD, PAPER HEART, JUNO). Well, he’s doing it again basically. But it’s perfect for this movie. I will even say that this is his best work. His deadpan delivery is right on. With this movie he has perfected his persona! One of my favorite lines in the movie is early on: When he’s at a store renting a DVD of Fellini’s LA STRADA, a girl that he’s hitting on laughs at him at says “That’s so random”, to which Cera replies “They were all out of MISS CONGENIALITY 2: ARMED AND FABULOUS”. Brilliant line! I’m pretty sure that’s when the film hooked me. Cera is also funny as Nick’s alternate persona Francois. He’s not much different other than he sports a thin mustache and swears more frequent, but he’s hilarious!
Portia Doubleday makes a starmmaking impression as Sheeni. She really captures a young innocence, and a naughty side simultaneously. She’s terrific in this and has great chemistry with Cera. The film also boasts an impressive list of supporting players. Jean Smart as the mom. Steve Buscemi is good as Nick’s father. Ray Liotta is creepy as usual as a no good cop. Justin Long has a couple funny moments as Sheeni’s shroom eating brother. M. Emmet Walsh plays Sheeni’s dad, and it’s a real pleasure to see this great character actor in a film again. Now, I usually have a problem with Zach Galifianakis, but I really liked him in this movie. His ratty beard and unkempt clothes really fit the character of Nick’s mother’s boyfriend. He does a great job. Unfortunately, Fred Willard wasn’t as successful as Nick’s activist neighbor. His scenes mostly fall flat, like the one where he strips down to his underwear.
The direction by Migeul Arteta is effectively offbeat. There are also some clever animation sequences that add a unique flavor to the film. There were maybe a few scenes that didn’t work that well, like a subplot involving Nick’s new friend trying to score with a hottie. There’s also a scene when Nick meets a girl in the bathroom of Sheeni’s school that went on for too long, and it wasn’t all that funny. But besides that, I really liked this.
The movie opens with the sound of Nick masturbating, then casually, he goes about his day. What an honest way to start a movie. There was a great gag involving Nick faking his death that has a great payoff, but it was given away in the trailer. That pissed me off, cause if I saw that for the first time in the actual movie, I would have laughed my ass off!
I’m not sure how mainstream audiences will like this. I saw it with a number of people, and I was the only one laughing. It’s alot smarter than your average teen comedy, and that will probably keep it from doing well at the box office. It’s SUPERBAD for the Arthouse crowd. If you like offbeat comedies or Michael Cera, give this a try. Cera has never been better!
I love Terry Gilliam! Let’s take a look at his films. He co-directed MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL with Terry Jones, and it’s a cult classic masterpiece. His first solo effort was JABBERWOCKY, and while it’s not his best, it’s certainly enjoyably quirky. TIME BANDITS is one of my very favorite films from my childhood and holds up extremely well. BRAZIL is perhaps my favorite of his. I also loved THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, but it’s been awhile since I’ve sat down to watch it. THE FISHER KING and 12 MONKEYS were terrific. FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS is a brilliantly chaotic film that I’ve seen many times.
Then he tried making that Don Quote film. I think that killed him. Cause since then, he’s been having trouble. THE BROTHERS GRIMM was okay, but I could feel some studio tampering was going on there. TIDELAND is a mess, but an interesting one. I do think he needed to make that to get the frustration from the BROTHERS GRIMM fiasco out of his system. And with his latest, again, tragedy struck when Heath Ledger died in the middle of filming. He decided to use different actors to portray Ledger’s character when he enters through a magical mirror three different times, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell step in. Poor Gilliam. I just wish things would work out for him. But now, finally, THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS is being released.
This is kind of a complicated one, so I’ll do my best to explain it. Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is an immortal magician of sorts. He has a traveling show that goes from town to town as he and his team, Anton (Andrew Garfield), Percy (Verne Troyer) and daughter Valentina, perform. They bring people through the Imaginarium, which is a mirror that leads into the mind of Doctor Parnassus. Inside is a strange world and people go on little adventures, I think. But also, Parnassus has made some kind of wager with the devil, played by Tom Waits of all people. Pretty neat plot, huh? But no, there’s still more.
One night Anton finds a man named Tony (Heath Ledger) hanging from a bridge. They save him but he has no memory of his past life. So he decides to join the troupe and fits in pretty good. But Tony has a checkered past, having something to do with some gangsters that are looking for him. There is also a kind of love triangle between Tony, Anton and Valentina. And that’s the first half. I’m not going to go too much into the second half other than the fact that most of it is spent inside the Imaginarium. Lots of misadventures.
The movie is full of imagination and inventiveness. There are a ton of incredible images to behold. I sure love Gilliam’s visual style. But, I’m afraid that the movie is so full of ambition that it eventually implodes. The main problem with the movie is that it doesn’t really have a lead character. It starts off as Parnassus’ story, then it becomes Anton’s story, then for a good hour it becomes Tony’s story, until going back to Parnassus’ story by the end again.
I loved all the stuff with Parnassus and the devil. This was great. I loved their first meeting in the monastery. The art direction for this scene was mindblowing. The Anton subplot was all right, though he was a bit whiny to fully like. But Tony is completely unlikable that when it switches to his point of view, it really keeps you from being involved with the movie. In fact, it takes you away from the real story, which is Parnassus. I don’t know why they decided to switch the focus to Tony. Big mistake! Especially when it switches back to the focus of Parnassus at the end. To me, there was no point to it. In fact, I didn’t really see the point of having Tony in the movie at all. I really didn’t like this story line and it made the film feel really sloppy.
Now, Heath Ledger does a fine job as Tony, but I just didn’t like the character and found him unnecessary. But how do the other actors do? Well, having different actors portray him wasn’t a problem, in fact in fit really well. Johnny Depp and Jude Law don’t really have enough screen time to leave an impression, but I thought Colin Farrell did a decent job. But the real star of the movie is Christopher Plummer as Parnassus. He does a great job as an ancient magician. Andrew Garfield does an okay job as Anton, but I’ve seen him better (BOY A, for example). Lily Cole is beautiful and mysterious as Valentina. The best performance belongs to Tom Waits, who can play the devil like no one else. He’s so creepy and his gruff voice makes this a perfect character for him.
Gilliam’s direction is really manic here. He seems eager to WOW the audience, but it’s kind of a crutch. Making every shot so obtuse, it alienates one from the film. The scenes inside the imaginarium are kind of neat to look at, but there is no substance to them. They’re just wacky for the sake of being wacky. Also, some of the CG looked really cheap too, but in a way, kind of fit for the film. I also think that Gilliam is losing his touch a bit, even when he’s staging a simple conversation. Every shot is unique, but often they didn’t cut well together. It was a bit of a mess.
The script is the real problem here. I’m not sure how it would’ve went if Ledger were alive, but the movie lacks a real focus. It can’t seem to decide what it’s about. It also couldn’t decide if we were supposed to like Tony or not. It wasn’t until the movie was past the halfway point that I realized that we weren’t supposed to like this guy. At least, I hope not. I really wish this movie was mainly about Parnssus and his wager with the devil. That was easily the most compelling thing about it, but the movie quickly forgets about it in favor of Ledger’s character.
I love Terry Gilliam so much, but this is easily his worst film. After three misfires, I wonder if he has it in him to make another good movie again. I sure hope so, cause this was a major disappointment. There are elements of a great movie here, but none of them really came together for me .
I HATE TIM ALLEN! I hate his voice, his humor and his face! I just want to strangle him. The only movies I liked him in were the ones when he played himself, an egotistical douchebag (GALAXY QUEST, REDBELT). Now he’s back with a new comedy, and the scary thing is that he also directed it! Yikes!
Allen plays Tommy, who recently got released from prison and is now on parole. He stays with his sister Vicky (Sigourney Weaver) and her husband (JK Simmons). They also haven’t told Tommy’s grandmother that he was in prison, so she thinks he’s been in France for three years. Lots of jokes about that. YAY! Tommy wants to get back together with his ex, Christy (Julie Bowen), but she’s now engaged to salesman Frank (Kelsey Grammer). Meanwhile, Tommy butts heads with his new parole officer played by Jeanne Tripplehorn. But, Tommy has a dream. He wants to start up his dad’s old business, which was painting houses. And then there’s Gray (Ray Liotta), the man who was responsible for putting Tommy in prison in the first place. He wants Tommy to come back to work for him selling bootleg DVD’s. What’s going to happen? Oh boy!
You know. Actually, this was better than I thought it was going to be. Not that I’m recommending it. This is a very standard, mediocre comedy. The characters are pretty cliched, the story isn’t all that original, but somewhere within the premise is a good dark comedy. The problem is that the movie can’t decide what kind of comedy it wants to be. The PG13 rating is definitely a problem. It waters the movie down. A story like this should be a bleak, dark comedy. But it’s not. Allen plays it safe for the most part.
Fortunately for Allen, he was able to assemble a pretty decent cast. Tim Allen wasn’t as bad as he usually is, but still, there’s just not much inspired comic timing there. Sigourney Weaver, on the other hand, is really good. She has some good moments as Tommy’s sister who can’t stop lying. She even has one emotional moment that was impressive. JK Simmons is also very funny as Vicky’s horny husband. Love his delivery. Jeanne Tripplehorn actually makes a good love interest as the parole officer who eventually falls for Tommy. Their chemistry is pretty believable. Kelsey Grammer is fine, but doesn’t get to do a whole lot. Ray Liotta hits one note the whole time, but he proves that no one can play a sleazy criminal as good as him. Julie Bowen also does an able job as Christy.
Allen’s direction has moments of inspiration. Occasionally, Tommy will have short little fantasies that were usually very funny, like throwing a fork into JK Simmons forehead. But usually he just falls back on the lazy sitcom style of filmmaking. I did see some talent hidden in the movie somewhere, though. Maybe if the script was more fresh, Allen would have been more successful. There were some likable characters, but also some dreadful ones. Like Allen’s two ex-con friends from the fast food joint he works at. They were bad!
This wasn’t the awful comedy that I was dreading from the trailers. There were a few moments that made me laugh, but unfortunately, CRAZY ON THE OUTSIDE misses the opportunity to become an offbeat dark comedy by playing it to safe and clean.
Here a recap:
(I use a four-star rating system)
DAYBREAKERS [R] – ***
LEAP YEAR [PG] – *1/2
YOUTH IN REVOLT [R] – ***
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS [PG -13] – **
CRAZY ON THE OUTSIDE [PG -13] – **
Not a bad January so far. DAYBREAKERS is a fun vampire movie with intriging concepts. YOUTH IN REVOLT is a really good teen comedy for intellectuals. You can just skip the rest, though Gilliam fans probably won’t listen to me.
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