American Splendor (2003)

Before Sideways finally gave him his due, Paul Giamatti put in one of the most thorough, detailed, interesting, tragic, witty, and most of all thankless performances of his career. He plays Harvey Pekar, a blue collar file clerk, former regular on David Letterman, lovable curmudgeon, and author of the autobiographical comic book American Splendor. Meanwhile, the real Harvey Pekar makes regular appearances and comments throughout. It's not as convoluted as it sounds. It isn't really convoluted at all. What it is is a remarkably earnest, deeply touching story of a storyteller, made all the more authentic by the regular input and appearance of the real people behind the tale. Everything here is spot-on. Pekar's input is poignant and insightful, while Giamatti plays the role with courageous accuracy. The result is a quasi-biography/dramatization that becomes a quintessentially American story of life, loss, and a uniquely begrudging kind of love. It's deep and meaningful, funny and tragic, painful and joyous, and frequently all of those at once.

9 out of 10.

American Gangster (2007)

Heroin kingpin Frank Lucas, played with stoic gusto by Denzel Washington, is a generous, loving, caring businessman. But he isn't likable. Neither is Russell Crowe's Richie Roberts, the investigator trying to break down Lucas' organization in this Vietnam era true crime drama. Sure, we can respect Lucas' consistent practices when it comes to managing his illegal operation, and understand Roberts' almost sacrificial boy scout mentality, but if you don't like the characters to begin with, what's here to enjoy? In spite of all this, what's here is still a pretty decent film, which is more a testament to a decent script and Ridley Scott's always superb world-building. The twists and turns are well organized and interesting, while 1970s New York and Vietnam are painted in an unflattering, if honest, light. It says a lot for a movie when it's good enough to make you want to like the leads, but you find that you can't. In trying to paint the main characters in a gritty, honest light, they just went too far. If you can get past that, there's some real meat here.

7 out of 10.

Hotel Rwanda (2004)

As horrifically sad as this film is, and as great the tragedies in Africa are and remain, the overriding impression I wind up getting from every movie trying to encapsulate these atrocities is of missed opportunity. So here again we have Rwanda 1994 at the eruption of civil war and genocide. Danger surrounds an upscale hotel while the UN turns its back on a massacre, and in the middle is the Schindler-like Paul Rusesabagina, played by Don Cheadle. It's concerning stuff, but the film very rarely manages to capture the bigger struggle, the desperate strife, and the titanic losses that this or any other similar conflict (and there are plenty) entails. With that out of the way, as a small-scale story of love and of fear it is fairly effective. Cheadle in particular puts on a career-defining show amid a cast of very consistent performances. If it weren't for the fact that this is a mostly true story about a tragically real predicament, the small scale of the story would be fine. Maybe it's because the worst of Africa's troubles are so epic they can't be captured in film, but though it's more effective than most, Hotel Rwanda isn't the galvanizing piece of work it ought to be. It's well made, but sadly not definitive. Crises this big need better.

7 out of 10.

Elizabeth (1998)

Part political thriller, part coming-of-age tale, and part costume drama, this film manages the near insurmountable task of making 16th century British politics interesting, if not absolutely enthralling. Depicting the Lady Elizabeth's ascension to royalty through her early period of rule, the narrative has all the twists, turns, and conspiracies of a mafia movie. Of course, if history somehow is made this fascinating, the natural concern is whether or not it's an accurate portrayal of the period. I am not qualified to say for certain, though given how well it all flows together I would say it should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, as a movie, as entrainment, and probably as a whiff of life during the times it is hard to argue with how deftly it keeps your attention. Nothing here breaks character, and very little is over the top. It cements with a sense of beauty, pageantry and British stoicism that is extremely satisfying. What it may lack in truth, it makes up for in everything else.

9 out of 10.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

While the first Elizabeth was a triumphant telling of the early days of arguably history's greatest woman, this is more like a depiction of her sophomore slump. Oh sure England had some great success during these days but the presence of the Lady herself, at least as it is presented here, is almost incidental. In short, a lot of events happen around her, but rarely if ever to her. In the process, much of the character and deeply personal nature gets left where the first film ended. What's here is mostly pleasant pageantry, regal melodrama, and the occasional bloodbath. It still looks great, it's still very well acted, but it lacks the cleverness and captivating nature of the first, instead settling on being merely interesting. The film is still decent, but after the miracle concoction of the first you can't help but feel a bit let down.

6 out of 10.

1408 (2007)

They really don't make horror films like this anymore. It's not sadistic, not particularly gory, nobody gets chopped up slowly into little pieces while they gargle their last scream—it's just a good, old fashioned scary picture. It's almost Hitchcockian. The sense of dread and unpredictability that the first half builds is almost balletic, reaching a perfect rolling boil that carries throughout the rest of the film, while the surprisingly thick plot (for a horror movie) has a few exceptional cards to play. It's not quite all good news, however. Samuel L. Jackson's overly insistent hotel manager character feels both under- and mis-used, while the occasional corny wink from John Cusack still manages to sneak in from time to time, and some of the plot's twists are overly elaborate and contrived. But for the most part the movie focuses on the character of the room itself, generating one nerve wracking situation after another to wonderful effect. It may not be the finest horror flick out there, but it's hard to argue when the haunted house scares on offer are this much fun.

8 out of 10.

Saw 4 (2007)

guest review by Phineas Gopher

The latest in a franchise that's become an October staple, Saw IV has the look and feel of the first three movies, but only three-fourths of the charm. The series is beginning to sag under the weight of a plot that has gone from likably eccentric to distractingly convoluted. Viewers who haven't seen Saws uno, dos, and tres will be lost, and even viewers who have would do well to bring a notepad if they want to keep up with who is who. Too many characters doing too many unbelievable things...hmm, sounds like your typical horror movie sequel. What makes Saw IV distinct is the same thing that made the series stand out in the first place: horrible, horrible deathtraps out of which (somewhat) innocent people must find a way. This isn't a spoiler: most don't. The film is never better than when it is making you ask, arms crossed nervously over your chest, "What would I do in that situation?" Unfortunately, it doesn't do this as often as its predecessors.

6 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.