The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

That this film is about a man who ages backwards is almost entirely beside the point. As a central hook the idea is all but wasted beyond the introductory set-up, and is more an excuse for Brad Pitt to get progressively more attractive as the film goes on. What this really is, is a treatise on death and loss, on endless time and people that come and go. In that way, the story is a tragedy almost from the moment it starts. Yes it tries to play your heartstrings like a harp, but there is so much beauty to be found along the way. The production is lavish, with director David Fincher's signature eye for incredibly small detail pouring over every frame. The acting hits home as well, with both Pitt and Cate Blanchett turning in work that ages gracefully even when their characters don't. Coupled with the script and story, based on a short work by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the result seems a darker take on themes similar to Forrest Gump. This is a remarkable film for reasons that are difficult to entirely nail down. It is effective but obvious, beautiful, familiar yet new, and is the kind of experience that can sneak up on someone when they're not expecting it. If you could do with a bit of wistful melancholy, you'll find exactly what you need.

8 out of 10.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Here, I'll make this simple: did you grow up playing videogames? Then you need to see this. Look, I won't lie: headlining star Michael Cera, playing his usual awkward, irrepressibly repetitive, lovable scamp self, is overexposed to the point of being obnoxious. At this point it's a given. What I'm saying is to get over it just this once. He's not the reason to see this movie. This is one about the presentation, the story that flies by at 200kph splashing geek humor all over everything, for seeing life bars and power-ups become character beats, and for seeing the gamer audience as more than a bunch of closeted dweebs living in their parents' basements. It's for anyone who's ever chased a high score, fought a dragon, or saved a world in their spare time with their spare quarters. Is it perfect? Certainly not. Seeing Mr. Pilgrim battle Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends does get a little long in the tooth, as almost every fight at least starts out identically, and often even ends the same way. But it's the moments in-between the kung-fu: the sly winks to a knowing audience, the solid delivery of joke after joke after joke, and the pervasive use of the soundtrack from Zelda: A Link to the Past, that keep things levelling up. Sure, if you didn't grow up with these influences, you'll either be lost or bored or just not see what the big deal is. Yet for those of us sitting pretty in the target audience, this is finally a movie that understands.

9 out of 10 (if you played a lot of games as a kid; otherwise 7)

Across the Universe (2007)

You know going into this whether or not you'll like the music at least; it's all by The Beatles. Now, whether you will like the arrangement of those songs is another story. In its attempt to lend these classic songs a sense of context and fit them all into a plot, the results are incredibly mixed. In a lot of ways, this weird mix of iconic rock and sixties America comes off as pretentious and pointless, stretching favorite songs to an end they were never meant for. But even so, it has its moments. The setting and re-branding of Let It Be is beautiful and heartbreaking, Strawberry Fields Forever gets a decent send up, and even Hey Jude manages to wring out a few smiles. Sadly these are the minorities, and many excellent songs, including personal favorite Dear Prudence, just don't get a worthy interpretation or setting. As an experiment in reconfiguring such well-known music there is definitely merit, but whether or not you'll enjoy it probably depends heavily on your tolerance for reinterpretation and how (ahem) psychedelic your mood is.

5 out of 10.

Avatar (2009)

In the simplest possible terms, this movie features one of the most lush, vibrant, and fascinating worlds ever put to film. It's stunning and staggering and warm and real. When credits roll, you feel like you just spent a week in the weird and wonderful. For all the bombast and budget the film has gone through to make it to the screen, this is a movie that delivers that elusive true magic of actual escapism. The story, after that fact, is almost irrelevant. And yet even this tale of man coming to grips with nature, predictable and trite though it may be, manages to always seem engaging and fun. It's an action-adventure film in the classic sense, with broadly painted villains and even broader heroes, brought together with incredible confidence. The story itself may not be much to praise, but the execution, the beauty, and the pure thrilling awe of this sci-fi fable make it something altogether remarkable.

9 out of 10.

Note: If the option exists, no matter how difficult it may be, this film must be seen in 3D. It is not a gimmick like it is in every other film, it becomes a part of the story, and turns this incredible world into one you can actually touch. It is still a great movie regardless, but it would lose a key feature in its presentation.

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

At the start the narrator sets out to assure the audience that while this is a story of boy meets girl, it is not a love story. Instead, it is a complicated tale of a relationship too perfect to last, examining how it came to be, as well as the gruesome trainwreck it becomes. A lot of clever tricks are used to show this, the most primary of which is its nonlinear structure, flipping back and forth between the up and coming relationship, and the aftermath in equal measure. The script itself is wonderfully solid with many very funny moments, however this is as much a drama as anything else, and it's here that the cast and writing really shine. Zooey Deschanel is absolutely perfect as the titular Summer, managing to seem impossible and charming and appropriately maddening. That said, this is really Joseph Gordon-Levitt's movie and he completely owns it. For an actor who has never really hit the mainstream, he gives what may be the performance of his career as the aloof and idealistic Tom, providing the character's gradual breakdown an extremely impressive weight. It adds up to an exceptional commentary on the state of love and relationships today, and a beautifully heartbreaking trip for the audience.

9 out of 10.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Just how much honesty are you comfortable with? Wrapped around the fantastical ideas and bent logic of Charlie Kaufman's script lie central truths that many of us have probably faced. What is the value of the painful events we endure? Does love really conquer all? The story here revolves around an unassuming Jim Carrey hiring an agency to pry into his sub-conscious and erase the memory of a relationship gone sour. In the process we see the the good, the bad, and the unbearable pain of love as he watches his recollections vanish into the aether. The central questions are up to audience interpretation, but the core clarity will speak to most everyone. It's not perfect; side plots have little-to-no real relevance to the big themes, and there seems to be an awful lot of comedians in the cast who aren't being funny. Even Carrey puts away his rubber face and wild-man antics for the entirety of the film, playing his part of the everyman to his best. The few moments of humor are honest, in other words—work of the script and the drama playing naturally. For those who choose to be a part of this not-quite-escapist fantasy, there's a lot of heart, a lot of truth, and maybe a lot to learn.

9 out of 10.

Garden State (2004)

Some lessons in life are tougher to learn than others. Some you're not even aware you are being taught. Garden State is about a man, medicated into oblivion since age ten, going off his meds for the first time in fifteen years while returning home to deal with death of his mother. The film speaks to a lot of things, about moving on from old friends, about alienation with one's parents and about how, ultimately, you can't go home. For a debut, writer-director and star Zach Braff damn near knocks it out of the park, telling his story with heart and humor and an always surprising sense of quirk. It still smacks of amateur filmmaking at points: the pacing can be erratic and Braff's hand seems unsteady handling the older actors. Also the very end reeks of a last-minute rewrite. But on the whole it's an exceptionally competent and, I expect, personal film. It may not be everyone's cup of tea but it's probably safe to say many will find it a fitting and appropriate way to cathartic melancholy.

8 out of 10.

Once (2007)

guest review by Phineas Gopher

Though the title doesn't tell you much, Once is a heart-felt little Irish film that deserves to be seen. Made on a shoestring budget, it plays that to its advantage, using natural light and handheld camerawork to create the feel of a documentary-with-benefits, where you get to watch the lives of two ordinary people collide as they literally begin to make beautiful music together. The realism extends beyond style; the plot never rings false and the performances seem fresh and honest. Much of the story is told through songs, almost all of which were written for the film by the lead actors. Once even scored an Oscar nod for one of them, the uplifting "Falling Slowly." Easily the most romantic film of the year.

10 out of 10.

Waitress (2007)

Uncomfortable, unfunny, and at times even a bit uncouth, Waitress is an indie romantic comedy that tries its damnedest to win some lightheaded respect but is weighed down by its crushingly melancholy story. Though the resolution offers a bit of sugar, it's just too little too late to drag up the previous ninety minutes spent with miserable, insecure people bemoaning their respective situations. A big part of this has to do with its attempts at deadpan humor. If used right, this can result in wonderfully sly laughs and clever winks. Here the tone is so morose that almost all the good lines are sucked into a void. I give it credit for finishing strong, but as a whole the film is just too much bitter and not enough sweet. Good to see Nathan Fillion is still getting work.

4 out of 10.

Note: A bit of additional research turned up why this film might've fallen short: writer/director/supporting actress Adrienne Shelly was murdered in her New York apartment in November of 2006, before the film was complete. I stand by my review, but offer my condolences.

Atonement (2007)

Watching Atonement is like reading Dickens or Joyce; it's so utterly stuffed with superfluous detail that it tends to forget that it needs to have a story. Don't get me wrong, there still is a tale told here, and the details themselves are lavishly produced and include what is easily the most impressive single camera shot I've seen since 2006's Children of Men, but there just isn't a lot to involve the viewer here. It's all exceptionally straight forward stuff, even if its premise is fairly original. In adapting the novel, it seems director Joe Wright got caught up in trying to reinvent the filmcraft of the period romance at the expense of emotional involvement. That doesn't make it a bad movie, but for as many beautiful bits of mise en scène and clever instances of musical scene-setting that populate this movie it just feels like by the end there should be some huge torrent of feeling. But where is it? Probably caught up in the competent but never-exceptional performances, and the rest laying between huge chunks of a timeline that jumps around the long years of its story like a frightened gazelle. If you like looking at beautiful things, there's a lot to enjoy here, but if you're going in for the narrative and catharsis these sorts of aristocratic yarns yield you might be left wanting.

7 out of 10.

Stardust (2007)

Patience is a virtue, or so they say. For those quick to judge, Stardust will come off as derivative, silly fantasy fluff with no hope of rescue. For those of you willing to endure an entire hour of world-building and meandering exposition, you will be handsomely rewarded. If you let this film work through the kinks, the second half is a spectacular success—imaginative, breathlessly charismatic, with a giddy kind of heart-warming romanticism that is never condescending. It's all bundled together with some competent, though intentionally cartoonish special effects, a morbid yet friendly sense of humor and some delightfully fun swashbuckling action sequences. All of this delivered by a ridiculous number of big names, including Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ruperet Everett, Peter O'Toole, with Robert De Niro as you've quite literally never seen him before, and fantasy mainstay Ian McKellen as narrator. If you have any love of goodhearted, fun-for-fun's-sake filmmaking, you owe it to yourself to see this. Overly-long first hour notwithstanding, I would go so far as to say that this is the most enjoyable, charming, pure entertainment bit of light fantasy cinema produced since The Princess Bride. It fights for and earns every bit of its wonder and admiration.

9 out of 10.

A Very Long Engagement (2004)

Also known as Un long dimanche de fiançailles.
My good friend and sometimes co-conspirator, alias Phineas Gopher, recently took it upon himself to give me an education in French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, as the only films of his that I had seen at the time were Alien Resurrection, which was awful, and Delicatessen, which was difficult to watch in a high-school classroom. It's a good thing, too, as his films have a color and life and style to them that is unlike anything else in cinema. His films are far from perfect, but they excel at simply being themselves. Rightly (satirically) described as “Amelie 2: Amelie Goes to War”, this film is a sweeping, massive, absolutely epic love story set amidst trench warfare and post-conflict investigation in and after World War One. Audrey Tautou once again headlines the cast, and once again she proves exceptionally watchable, putting in a performance both charming and tragically optimistic. Meanwhile the sets and visuals are beautifully rendered and shot in that uniquely French kind of artistry that makes it both immediately relatable and disarmingly abstract. The plot doesn't quite fare so well, however. Though the pace and thrust of the story are riveting, the sequence of events—of who died, who should have died, who was murdered, and who was simply killed in battle—becomes almost impossibly complicated. However, while the confusion draws away from the narrative satisfaction of this film, it dulls none of its considerable emotional impact. It's a difficult film to follow at times, but the sweep and scope of this romance is exceptional.

8 out of 10.

Enchanted (2007)

Someone must have slipped something into my burrito this evening. As much a cynic as I am, as awful as the promotion of this movie was, and as contrite the plot devices throughout the film are, Enchanted still managed to be pure magic. How can this be? It starts by not sugar-coating the real world side of things. The vision of New York is certainly edited for a PG rating, but what's shown is pretty much as-is, and is sometimes quite brave for a family film. The satirically savvy script, while fairly predictable all the way through, still manages to throw a few smart curve balls while keeping the characters in tight focus. The gags never overpower the story, which is always a good thing. Likewise, the cast is solid from top to bottom. But I think it all winds down to Amy Adams as the ridiculously naive, eternally perky, and stunningly earnest Giselle. The entire movie rests on her performance, and Adams throws herself against it with a level of bravery and unabashed gusto not seen since Johnny Depp first put on a pirate's hat. There's really no reason why a film about cartoon contrivance running headlong into real world weariness should have been anything but another forgettable piece of family film fluff. Somehow Adams and crew managed the hat trick and put out one of the best Disney films in a decade. Happily ever after? You bet!

9 out of 10.

Amelie (2001)

Also known as Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain.
Curiously eccentric and irresistibly French, this is the kind of movie best enjoyed with a lover to share the joy and a bottle of wine to dull the cynicism. At points beautifully staged, utterly charming, and impenetrably goofy, this treat of a film leaves almost no real lasting impression aside from perky optimism and a sugar rush. It's like chocolate; it's tempting smell and delicious flavor only lasts till you swallow, and then like a wilting flower it's gone. Everything I can think of to say negative about the movie is simply countered with a firm “but it was cute!” counterattack. The structure of the film is flimsy, the characters are sometimes inconsistent, and why is it that everyone has sex before the first date (if it's a French thing I might need a change of address form)? The special effects were pretty nifty and went a long way toward telling certain moods, and I love the red-wine-in-a-green-bottle color scheme. And Audrey Tautou is deliriously adorable throughout. But really, it isn't the kind of movie that could stand up to serious criticism; it just tastes good and makes you smile. That's really all that matters.

7 out of 10.

In July (2000)

Also known as Im Juli.
What to make of this strange little road trip flick. It's not perfect by any means, but it still a very enjoyable way to kill 90 minutes. Basically you've got your sort-of Oscar Wilde tangle of misplaced affection, a quasi-cross-continent road trip in which shenanigans ensue, and an almost heartwarming story of looking for love in many of the wrong places. Along the way you see a bit of somewhat nice scenery, and nearly a few lessons in both German and Turkish (Gurkish?). What doesn't work so well is an intentionally, but perhaps overly misleading story, and a generally miscast lead. Maybe it's my dumb-American sensibilities, but the lead male just never looked the part throughout the whole film. At least the acting is decent, if a bit overt. The road trip movie is well past its heyday, but a few gems peek through from time to time. In July is hardly a great film, but it serves very well to show the sweet and fun side of the genre.

7 out of 10.

Gigli (2003)

guest review by Phineas Gopher

Oh, the dangers of putting your real-life romance into a Hollywood movie! Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck weren't universally liked in 2003, but they lost many of the fans they had when they headlined Gigli, a crime/drama/ romance that became the most reviled film of the year. And having sat through it recently this critic can say, it really is godawful. All the sarcasm, babytalk, and playful fighting you've ever loathed between couples you know is even harder to watch between two multi-million-dollar movie stars exuding as much charisma as a dog humping the leg of a dead body. Sorry, less. Gigli contains painfully bad dialogue like the infamous "I'm the bull. You're the cow." line, but has such high production values (and Christopher Walken!) that it manages to be entertaining as an example of Hollywood blissfully unaware of not wearing any pants to work. Plus, now is the perfect time of year to watch it, since it is both an unintentional horror film and a turkey.

1 out of 10.

Open Range (2003)

For what it's worth, this is probably the best looking western I can recall seeing. It's just too bad that the rest of the film doesn't match up to the cinematography. That isn't to say the film is bad, but it isn't particularly good either. In trying to paint his wild west, Kevin Costner has tried to make a John Ford film. It's got the classic slow pacing, the great big scenery, and Costner himself trying to act like John Wayne with post traumatic stress disorder. The problem winds up lying somewhere at the bottom of a giant pile of clichés. Everything that's supposed to be in a western is present and accounted for, but there's nothing here you haven't already seen in a better film. Meanwhile, the acting is best described as “fair” and the editing was probably done with a rusty butter knife. Short of that, it's got an okay script that can be at times compelling, but sadly never involving. It's really a shame that such great visuals didn't wind up in a better film.

5 out of 10.

The Heartbreak Kid (2007)

When was the last time Ben Stiller did anything funny? Not the last time he was in a funny movie (Meet the Fockers, by the way) but the last time he, Ben Stiller, actually did something that made you laugh. For all his supposed comedic talent, he always plays the straight man. Such is the case here, where the Farrelly brothers (who haven't done anything worthwhile since they struck it rich with There's Something About Mary) dirty up the screen with a witless, heartless, senseless exercise in false sanctimony and forced laughs. I can't even reasonably give it credit for trying, since this is just a remake of a well regarded film from 1972. I want the Farrellys to be funny again (and I want Ben Stiller to be funny at all). I absolutely love a good, filthy comedy with dirty surprises around every corner, but the way things are going for these folks we should probably start looking elsewhere.

3 out of 10.

Black Snake Moan (2006)

Yes, I agree the title would be an awesome name for some piping hot porno. Can we please move past that? I gotta hand it to Craig Brewer: his tale of salvation through the blues sports a soundtrack that would make Tarrantino green with envy. It also has an outstanding performance by Samuel L. Jackson, and a style that's gritty, sad, and uplifting like the blues itself. The issues the film suffer stem largely from the plot's overall concept, and the film's ending. The story feels like it would fit better in a '70s exploitation flick than in a hard examination of self-abuse. If you let yourself stand back from it, the whole thing can feel more than a bit silly, and sadly it has a couple of moments throughout that let you do just that. As to the closing minutes of the film, I'll only say they mistakenly muddy the message in their struggle to tie together all of its threads. In all, if your mind can let go of the ridiculousness of the central struggle there's a pretty good movie here about atonement and letting go of your past, of loves had and lost, and the reasons we sing the blues.

8 out of 10.

The Girl Next Door (2004)

This review is based on the 'unrated' cut of the film.
Now here's an interesting thing: most R-rated movies about teenagers try their best to pump in as much T&A and dirty jokes as they possibly can. Most of these are awful. Then comes along this movie, which cuts out the middle man and makes an R-rated movie about teenagers and porn stars. And it's excellent! Though, even I have to admit that it's a bit inconsistent. If I had to judge the whole movie by the first half hour, I'd call it a genre defining coming of age story and knock out for the rest of the night. It's a drama at first, but that doesn't last as the sparse but effective humor of the start takes the center stage as the story gets more and more convoluted and ridiculous. The movie swaps between genuinely funny comedy, and effective drama for much of the remainder of the film. The problem here is that the comedy side of film and the drama side don't really feel like they have anything in common. It's like watching two separate movies juxtaposed on top of each other. Both are well made, but seemingly unrelated. It isn't till the very end that both films come together, the mixed-up plot reconciles itself, and you're left with the feeling of cinematic euphoria that comes from a truly good ending. Ultimately it's not the definitive genre film it could've been, but it gets enough right that it doesn't matter.

8 out of 10.